Doctor Strange #178 (Marvel/1969)

Doctor Strange #178 (Marvel)

Roy Thomas (w) Gene Colan (a)

From the "golden age" of Marvel Comics and my pocket money years comes this meeting of the good Doctor with the Black Knight as the mystic prepares for his forthcoming battle with Surtur the Fire Demon and Ymir the last of the Frost Giants.

Previously Strange had fought his nefarious former colleague one Dr Fenton who may or may not have had something to do with the accident that lost his ability to operate as surgeon. Indeed Fenton had hijacked Strange's identity until a heart attack felled him and as he dies made a curse that would bring two monsters to destroy the earth.

Unable to face such a danger alone Strange makes a journey to see "the Britisher known as Victoria Bentley". Did the yanks really refer to us as "Britishers"? I though that was a term used by the Krauts back in the second world war and we were "limeys". I digress but I found the term odd.

Upon reaching old Blighty Strange meets the Black Knight and teams up for a battle in the realm of Tiboro otherwise defined as the "sixth dimension" (there's countless dimensions in the world of Doctor Strange) where they battle to free The "Son's of Satanish". They succeed of course.

A great story with a dramatic strip and wonderful art from the great Gene Colan. What's not to like. Only problem is I now have to seek a reasonably priced copy of Avengers #61 where the story is continued....