Saturday 14 March 2015

Marvel Flashback: Doctor Strange Annual #1

Doctor Strange Annual Vol 1 1

Doctor Strange Annual #1 (Marvel Comics)

Marv Wolfman (w) P Craig Russell (a)

One of my favourite Marvel Comics heroes is the rather under rated Doctor Strange. I grew up reading the wonderful Stan Lee/Steve Ditko collaborations in his early days as the joint feature in Strange Tales (shared with Nick Fury, Agent of shield) but after the Marvel expansion in the late sixties neither he (or Nick Fury) proved strong enough to retain their own titles.

However every so often the Doc returns in revived series and it was not until 1976 that he got his own annual. Steve Ditko was no longer on the strip but this tome drawn by P Craig Russell really shows how other dimensional worlds should be illustrated.

A very basic and tragic story as Stephen Strange, no longer the "Sorcerer Supreme" sets off to find his beau Clea who has disappeared out of his life. Enter Lectra, Empress of Phaseworld and the double length adventure begins.

A good story with excellent art and worth picking up .

Doctor Strange Annual 1 1976 splash page by Craig Russell

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