Marvel Immersion Project: Strange Tales #118-124

I'm still undecided as to how I feel about Doctor Strange as a character.  While I will grant that he is refreshingly different from his Marvel contemporaries, I don't find his stories as compelling as those of others.  At this point, I would rate him above the Fantastic Four but below the Silver Surfer and Spider-Man.

via Thoughtful Mirth

However, there's no denying the artwork is something special.  As promised last week, I've done a little research into the fascinating links between Steve Ditko's illustrations and the psychedelic art that emerged from the counter-culture of the mid-to-late 1960s.  This week, I will share a quick look at the common roots for both...

via Thoughtful Mirth

In creating a mystical character with connections to the Far East, Ditko deliberately drew inspiration from Asian mystical art.  The most commonly found expression of that art in modern society is the mandala:

By Anonymous - Rubin Museum of Art, Public Domain, Link

By Kamal Ratna Tuladhar - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Asian mystcism, and the trappings thereof, were popular among the counter-culture as well.  The Beatles, among others, being drawn to Indian sitar music at the time was a different manifestation of the same phenomenon.

via Graphic Design History

While the artist himself would not have been thrilled, there were counter-culture enthusiasts who embraced Dr. Strange comics as an element of their movement.  Next week, I'll look at some of the direct links.


My Recent Reads

Strange Tales #118
Originally Published March 1, 1964
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Steve Ditko

• Villains: The Possessors

Strange Tales #119
April 1, 1964
Lee/Ditko

via Marvel Database

• Dr. Strange's servant gets a name: Wong.
• Strange travels to the Purple Dimension where he frees the enslaved minions of a being called Aggamon. 

Strange Tales #120
May 1, 1964
Lee/Ditko

via X-Men Wiki

• In the primary Human Torch story (artist: Jack Kirby), Iceman of the X-Men teams up with Johnny Storm for the first time.
• Dr. Strange's nemesis: a haunted house 

Strange Tales #121
June 1, 1964
Lee/Ditko

via Villains Wiki

• Human Torch (artist: Dick Ayers) villain: Plantman
• Dr. Strange nemesis: Baron Mordo
• We learn an important limitation of the doctor's powers: he can only stay in his ectoplasmic form for 24 hours.

Strange Tales #122
July 1, 1964
Lee/Ditko

via Marvel Database

• Human Torch (artist: Ayers) villains: a group who would eventually be known as the Terrible Trio, including Handsome Harry Phillips, Yogi Dakor and Bill Brogin
• Dr. Strange nemesis: Nightmare

Strange Tales #123
August 1, 1964
Lee/Ditko

• Beatles allusion!

• Dr. Strange nemesis: Loki
• Cameos by Thor and Odin

Odin via Marvel Database

Strange Tales #124
September 1, 1964
Lee/Ditko

via Marvel Database

• Nemesis: Zota
• Cameos by Cleopatra and Mark Antony