ASTONISHING TALES #8 (1971): 1st Dr. Doom fights Mephisto for mother’s soul

This is one of the most important Dr. Doom stories of all time, and it’s just a scant 15 pages.

It introduces his Midsummer’s Eve fight to reclaim his mother’s soul from Hell.  Gerry Conway has written some great comics, and some crap, but all of it is worth it for this story.  It gives Doom depth without making him pitiable.  It shows how driven he is, and why he boasts constantly–because if he doesn’t believe in his own infinite possibility, he will never see his mother again.

Brilliant. Important. One of the best single-issue stories of all time, according to this objectively accurate list.

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