Black Magic

When Dr. Strange made his debut in Strange Tales #110, he carried the title Master of Black Magic. That term wouldn't stick. Dr. Strange would soon find himself ever alert to any sign of danger from the world of Black Magic (#121) and became known instead as Master of the Mystic Arts.

This panel from Giant-Size Defenders #4 (April 1975) originally appeared in Strange Tales #121 (March 1964).

Realms of Magic

The Realms of Magic supplement for the Marvel Super Heroes role-playing game included a section on Magic Schools, more or less adhering to the three alignments popularized in early editions of Dungeons & Dragons: white magic = good; gray magic = neutral; black magic = chaotic/evil. A character could learn a particular school of magic yet violate those teachings. This would account for the villain Druid (Strange Tales #144-145), who is decidedly evil even though Realms of Magic (and D&D) describes druidic magic as neutral. Voodoo, on the other hand, is a white magic that can be perverted into chaotic magic.

Anything Man

Jeff Colt (a.k.a. Anything Man) proved to be an unusual adversary in Defenders #69 (March 1979). When the unassuming veterinarian randomly acquired the power of Omegatron following a game of tennis, the Defenders came to investigate. Convinced that the heroes were there to test his abilities, Jeff attacked Hellcat, Nighthawk, and Valkyrie. He even struck Valkyrie's horse, Aragorn.

Concerned that an angry Hulk would make the situation worse, Dr. Strange apologetically turned his green teammate back into Bruce Banner. Once Jeff came to realize that he had become consumed with power, Dr. Strange returned him to normal with these magical words:

Then in the name of dark Satannish …

… By the mystic moons of Munnopor …

… Let Omegatronic power vanish,

And leave you but a man once more!

Spellbook: Rope Trick

In one of his earliest adventures, Dr. Strange discussed the ancient Indian rope trick (Strange Tales #116). During the trick, a magician climbs to the top of a rope and vanishes. That description more or less matched the 2nd Level magic-user spell Rope Trick that would appear in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. When the spell is cast, one end of a rope rises into the air. The upper end of the rope fastens in an extra-dimensional space. The spell caster and up to five others can climb to the top of the rope and disappear into safety. The spell also allows climbers to stop and reach a normal place if they do not climb all the way to the rope's upper end.

After describing the ancient trick, Dr. Strange uses a sash as a rope substitute to climb diagnally upward and rescue three prisoners in Strange Tales #116 (Jan. 1964).

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Disappearing Act

Although the covers of Patsy Walker comic books sometimes referenced the stories within, the covers often worked as stand-alone gags. Such was the case with Patsy and Her Pals #22 (May 1956). That cover showed Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe fighting for the attention of Buzz Baxter at a magic show starring Presto the Magician. While it would have made for a creative setting, the magic show did not appear inside the issue. Incidentally, Presto closely resembled longtime comic character Mandrake the Magician, who would become one of the anachronistic Defenders of the Earth.

Spellbook: Hypnotism

Following a string of posts comparing the sorcery of Dr. Strange to Magic-User spells from Dungeons & Dragons, here is example featuring Dr. Druid. Originally introduced as Dr. Droom, one of the character's earliest abilities closely matched the 1st Level spell Hypnotism that would become available to Illusionists (a subclass of Magic-Users) in Advanced D&D. After falling under this spell, a hypnotized subject would become susceptible to a verbal suggestion of the spellcaster.

This panel of Dr. Druid hypnotizing the extraterrestrial Zamu comes from Weird Wonder Tales #20 (Jan. 1977), reprinting a Dr. Droom tale from Amazing Adventures #3 (Aug. 1961).

Spellbook: Shield

During his early adventures, Dr. Strange began defending himself with a shield of mystic energy. The evocation closely resembled the 1st Level spell Shield that would appear in the rules for Dungeons & Dragons. Of course, not all spells wielded by Dr. Strange would have counterparts in D&D, but it is interesting taking note of the similarities that do occur.

This panel from Strange Tales #144 (May 1966) shows Dr. Strange mystically shielding himself from the magician Tazza.

Spellbook: Mirror Image

While dueling Loki in Strange Tales #123, Dr. Strange sought to fool his opponent by creating five illusionary images of himself. The magical effect closely paralleled the 2nd Level spell Mirror Image that would later appear in Dungeons & Dragons. One important distinction, however, was that Mirror Image could create only 1 to 4 illusionary selves. Loki countered by making all of the illusionary images of Dr. Strange disappear—casting the equivalent of Dispell Magic, the 3rd Level spell from D&D.

These panels first appeared in Strange Tales #123 (Aug. 1964).

Spellbook: Levitate

Over the course of this blog, I've compared several members of the Defenders to early character classes or monsters from Dungeons & Dragons, describing Dr. Strange as a Magic-User. This is the first of several posts to compare some of the spells cast by Dr. Strange to spells that would become available to Magic-Users within the game.

Strange Tales #123 showed Dr. Strange practicing the art of levitation, which approximates the 2nd Level spell Levitate from early D&D rulebooks. This was not a spell that Dr. Strange would cast often, however, as he would soon obtain his signature Cloak of Levitation (#127).

This image first appeared in Strange Tales #123 (Aug. 1964).

The Timing of Rhyming

The Rhyme and Reason of Dr. Strange, one of the most popular posts on this fansite, looked at the sorcerer's use of rhyming verses when casting spells. Defenders #9 provided another example of Dr. Strange rhyming while spell-casting. The magician's rhymes, however, were not necessarily elegant. Take, for example, these magic words that Dr. Strange uttered in #72:

By Hoggoth's Hoary Hosts,
By the venerated ghosts,
Let the beasts awake again,
Let the wings be free of pain.

Hosts and ghosts surely rhyme—but the pronunciation of again does not typically rhyme with pain even though the spellings are similar. That being said, Dr. Strange's spells seemed to work whether or not they rhymed.

The Making of a Witch

Though her "hex power" could defy the laws of physics, there was nothing inherently supernatural about the Scarlet Witch or her mutant ability to alter probability. At least not at first.

That changed in Avengers #128 when renowned witch Agatha Harkness offered to help Scarlet Witch better control her power through the study of witchcraft.

Having recently been the target of a mystical attack, Miss Harkness (as Scarlet Witch called her) recited this magical verse for privacy and protection within her new guest room inside Avengers Mansion.

Storm-clouds above us
And hellfire below--
May we here between you
Serenity know!
Dark powers of midnight--
Dark powers of day--
Envelop this chamber
And seal us away!

A moment later, the evil Necrodamus materialized within the room. A servant of the Undying Ones from Defenders #1-3, Necrodamus mystically stunned Agatha Harkness and her cat, Ebony. Alone against the intruder, Scarlet Witch used her hex power to open a magic box in Necrodamus' hands, unleashing a maelstrom of evil spirits that subsumed him.

Agatha Harkness trained Scarlet Witch until Giant-Size Avengers #4 (June 1975). The element of witchcraft gave more creative license to the character's unpredictable mutant power.

Avengers. Vol. 1. No. 128. October 1974. "Betwitched, Bothered, and Dead!" Steve Englehart (story & color), Sal Buscema (art), Joe Staton (embellishment), Tom Orzechowski (lettering), Roy Thomas (editor).

Magics

Marvel Chillers #1 (Oct. 1975) was the first in a two-part story that brought Modred the Mystic from the time of King Arthur to the present. The title page of that first issue included a block of text announcing that Marvel was ushering in a brand-new era of stories with magics.

That new era did continue—with one caveat: most Marvel references to magic ending with the letter s favored an alternate spelling of magicks (with the letter k).

This nuanced spelling was evident when Modred guest-starred in Marvel Two-In-One #33 (Nov. 1977) and faced a mud-monster that spoke of Merlin's magicks (with k). While wielding the book Darkhold in Avengers #186 (Aug. 1979), Modred would boast how his raging powers now exceeded mere spells and magicks (with k).

Characters in other stories followed this spelling convention. When traveling back to 14th century England in Avengers #209 (July 1981), several of Earth's mightiest heroes again heard of magicks (with k). Likewise, in Marvel Team-Up #112 (Dec. 1981), Dr. Strange reflected on the arcane magicks of the serpent cult from #111.

A notable exception to this spelling trend appeared when Wong discussed magics (without k) in Dr. Strange #55 (Oct. 1982). Wong's spelling differed from the sorcerer's reference to his own magicks (with k) in Dr. Strange #34. That being said, there's no evidence that Wong's definition differed from that of Dr. Strange.

Magicks

When traveling across dimensions in Defenders #4 (Feb. 1973), Dr. Strange faced the evil conjurer Fragon. In the midst of combat, Fragon used the term magicks (spelled with k) to describe the sorcery of Dr. Strange. The British version for the story from Rampage #5 retained this alternate spelling. In both versions, the word magicks appeared in bold, as comics often do when introducing a name or term.

The word magicks would stay in comic book lexicon—without the bold lettering for emphasis. Although Dr. Strange typically used the conventional spelling of magic, he referred to his own magicks (with k) in a showdown against rival sorcerer Cyrus Black in Dr. Strange #34 (April 1979).

Pronounced the same with or without the k, the alternate spelling would suggest a distinct meaning. While no hard and fast rules would apply, generally speaking, characters from the past or from another dimension seemed more likely to favor the alternate spelling.

When the X-Men traveled to Limbo in Uncanny X-Men #160 (Aug. 1982), the demon Belasco spoke of his own magicks. The hero Nightcrawler, in turn, described that dimension as magickal (also spelled with k). Events from that story led to Illyana Rasputin becoming the hero Magik (adopting a personalized spelling without c). In most other contexts, Illyana's teammates in the New Mutants spelled magic the usual way.

In other instances, the alternate spelling (with k) accentuated the difference between the past from the present. The Canadian hero Shaman contrasted the healing power of his traditional magicks to the effectiveness of modern medicine in Alpha Flight #2 (Sept. 1983). Exposition in Gargoyle #2 (July 1985) delineated the modern era from a time of ancient magick (singular).

These distinctions, however, remain subjective, as the criteria for including the letter k might vary from issue to issue within a comic book series.

Master of the Martial Arts

A crossover event that spanned Defenders #8-11 and Avengers #115-118 caused the two teams to clash in a series of skirmishes.

One of the biggest surprises in the multi-part story came when Black Panther and Mantis teamed up against Dr. Strange.

While facing the two Avengers, Dr. Strange revealed that his studies in the Himalayas included not only the mystic arts but also the martial arts (Defenders #9).

Although Dr. Strange held his own in physical combat remarkably well, he eventually defeated Black Panther and Mantis with these magic words.

In the exalted name of the eternal Vshanti--
And other gods beyond and below--
Let the strength and cunning of these, my enemies--
--from their mortal bodies flow!

The above image of Mantis and Black Panther comes from Defenders #9 (Vol. 1).

Mind Games

A story idea originally kept on hold for a possible fill-in issue of Volume 2 of the Defenders eventually saw the light of day as Defenders: From the Marvel Vault (September 2011).

A curse from the magician Yandroth seemed to transplant the minds of four college students into the bodies of Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer, Hulk, and Dr. Strange. Making reference to dungeon-crawls and random-encounter tables, the four suspected they were playing a surreal game and that the Defenders were their avatars.

While inhabiting the physical selves of the Defenders, each of the four experienced situations that tugged at the emotions.

• Sub-Mariner (Jerry) reunited with his lost love Dorma on a version of the Earth where the surface world was submerged underwater.
• Silver Surfer (Tyler) reunited with romantic interest Shalla-Bal while retaining the power to explore the cosmos.
• Hulk (Ramona Fischer) discovered that the Abomination and other long-time enemies now wanted to be Hulk's friend.
• Dr. Strange (Morgan Nicholls) felt the wisdom of eternity.

The foursome deduced that they were in fact trapped in a dream-like reality, and Dr. Strange finally returned things to normal with these magic words:

Winds of Watcomb,
embrave you this power,
Sweep through the cosmos,
where'er life doth flower!
Find you the kinsmen of
these that did roam.
Then loft up their fellows, and transport them … home!

Kurt Busiek wrote this story "Mind Games" more-or-less from a plot by Fabian Nicieza.

Creative Conjuring

A magazine article in Dragon #100 discussed three categories of energy that fueled magical powers within the Marvel Super Heroes role-playing game.

• Personal energies allow magicians to cast illusions or use psionics, such as telepathy, astral projection, and mental attacks.
• Universal energies are necessary to fire magic bolts, transform one object into another, dispel magic, or acquire knowledge through divination.
• Dimensional energies come into play when summoning otherworldly creatures, creating objects out of nothing, or raising the dead.

This magical taxonomy wasn't explicit within the comics. For example, Dr. Strange might invoke the name of Dormammu or other extra-dimensional beings when wielding magic that the game described as using Personal or Universal energies instead of Dimensional energies.

To prevent sorcerers from becoming disproportionately more powerful than other heroes in the game, the article set parameters around the number of magical powers they could wield within each of the three categories.

This image of Dr. Strange appeared with the article "Creative Conjuring" by Eric Walker in Dragon #100 (August 1985).

Avid Reading

While settling into my new home this month, I decided to move my comics out of their customary long boxes and into a barrister bookcase. Rearranging my collection drew attention to the handful of back issues I inadvertently purchased twice over the years, including Avengers #188.

My favorite scene from that issue involved Scarlet Witch firing a hex bolt to jar Beast away from reading through a book of Darkhold, which the Avengers previously confiscated from Modred the Mystic.

Scarlet Witch: I--I'm sorry, Hank, but there are traps in tomes such as this -- passages phrased so as to subtly ensure the unwary in a dark web of evil!

Beast: Frankly, Scarlet, a simple "Hank, please refrain" would have sufficed! But if you want to hog the only bedtime reading on this barque, be my guest. Just don't complain when I shed all over your cape.

Avengers. Vol. 1. No. 188. October 1979. "Elementary, Dear Avengers." Bill Mantlo (guest-scripter), John Byrne, Dan Green & Frank Springer (artists), Gaspar (letters), Sharen (colors), Jim Shooter (plotter/guest editor/chief).

Other issues that I bought twice include Defenders 98, 102, 112, 117, 122, 123, and New Defenders 126, 129.

Magic in the Mirror

An epic showdown between the Defenders and mind-controlled members the Squadron Supreme introduced the Earth-S hero named Arcanna and provided a glimpse at magic in the parallel universe that the Squadron called home (Defenders #113).

At the time, all of the heroes from the Squadron's world were thinly veiled versions of the Justice League of America. So when Arcanna readied to attack, she made like Zatanna from the JLA and spoke magic words backward to cast a spell.

Arcanna: sgnir fo ecrof dnuorrus ym ymeme.

Before the "rings of force" could surround anyone, though, a hex bolt from the Scarlet Witch defeated Arcanna. Future depictions of the character dropped the homage to Zatanna and allowed Arcanna to use her powers without reciting any magic words.

Later stories about the Squadron Supreme introduced another mage from Earth-S, the retired Professor Imam (first seen in Captain America #314). Carrying the title Wizard Supreme (as opposed to Sorcerer Supreme), Professor Imam filled a niche on Earth-S similar to that of Dr. Strange and his mentor, the Ancient One, in the mainstream Marvel Universe.

This image of Arcanna, from the first edition of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, shows the costume she wore in Defenders #113.

The Rhyme and Reason of Dr. Strange

By the Vapors of Valtorr! Dr. Strange was known for his colorful catch phrases. And from time the time, the master of the mystic arts even cast his spells in rhyme.

For example, in Defenders #1, Dr. Strange used these magic words to revive a dehydrated Prince Namor:

Omnipotent Oshur,
Hear--
From beyond thy nameless sphere--
Let the captive lie immersed!!!

The sorcerer supreme had plenty of poetic license when it came to rhyming. Although he spoke no magic words when protecting Sub-Mariner and Hulk with crimson bands of Cyttorrak in #1, he chanted the following rhyme in #109 to encircle a duel between Valkyrie and the Enchantress:

By the crimson bands of Cyttorrak
which kept Polymeth chained,
I conjure strands of primal force
to keep this clash contained!

On the debut mission of the Defenders, Dr. Strange recited the following timeless words to halt the Omegatron doomsday device (Marvel Feature #1):

List, ye powers that rule the Fourth Dimension…
Rise--Your sceptres herald time's suspension…
Save this world--this jewel--this blessed terra--
Let each moment's flight become an era!

And let's not forget the spell Dr. Strange cast to erase traumatic memories from the minds of Philip Le Guin's parents (Defenders #117):

In the name of Cosmic Mercy
and the Lotus heart of peace
Let remembrance of this vanish
Let your pain now find release

By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth! The non-formulaic approach to magic worked to the benefit of Dr. Strange. Since he was not bound by rhyme, the magician came across as all the more commanding when he chose to speak in verse.

Supreme Showdown

When the conqueror called Over-Mind gained mental control of the Squadron Supreme, Hyperion was the only member of that team powerful enough to resist.

Escaping from his home dimension, Hyperion found help from the Defenders. The group's extensive lineup at the time consisted of Dr. Strange, Sub-Mariner, Hulk, Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Son of Satan, Gargoyle, Beast—and temporary associates Scarlet Witch and Vision.

The Defenders accompanied Hyperion back home to square off against the mind-controlled Squadron Supreme in a high-stakes battle with plenty of surprises (Defenders #113).

• Dr. Spectrum used energy from his Power Prism to create a giant hand that grabbed Silver Surfer's board out from under him. The giant hand beat Surfer hero with his own board until the cosmic champion got back on his feet and retaliated.


• Tom Thumb boasted that his Quadra-Titanium Bands could enwrap and entrap any man—until the Hulk broke free from the metal straps and knocked out the super-inventor.


• Amphibian claimed to be unbeatable underwater. But during their fight, Sub-Mariner proved to be the water-breather supreme.


• Lady Lark's siren song immobilized several of the Defenders. So Dr. Strange countered with his own melodic magical words.

By the screaming Demons of Denakk
By Eternity's timeless cry
Let a Sphere of Silence now appear--
and cause this song to die!
Other Defenders defeated the remaining members of the Squadron Supreme without as much hoopla. But victory over the Squadron brought the Defenders even greater troubles.

At the end of the #113, the hoard of heroes were left facing an even greater threat in Null—The Living Darkness!

The Nighthawk who accompanied the Defenders on this mission was actually his counterpart from the Squadron Supreme.

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 113. November 1982. "Moon Madness!" J.M. DeMatteis and Don Perlin (script--co-plotters--breakdowns), Mike Gustovich (finishes), Shelly Leferman (letterer), George Roussos (colorist), Allen Milgrom (editor), Jim Shooter (chief).