In issue #129, they hyped up issue #130.
Let’s see if it lives up to its promise.
It kinda does. Human Torch and Thing meet The Beatles. Or more precisely, Alicia and Johnny’s girlfriend get to see the Fab Four in concert while Johnny and Ben stop a crime.\
Silly, stupid, gimmicky, but fun.
The rest of the Thing/Torch stories are really not worth mentioning. Mad Thinker. Puppet Master. And a bunch of nobodies in really bad comics.
In the back halves, Strange fights Mordo and Dormammu again.
But it’s the first multi-issue arc.
Baron Mordo and Dormammu team up, and their main mode of communication appears to be a mystical TV set. And they act like dicks to each other, but it’s a fun ride to watch. And the battles are great.
During the story, Ancient One lies in bed, sick. And he speaks of Eternity for the first time.
We also meet Clea’s sister, Shazana. Clea isn’t used very well in these stories.
One of a few Strange stories I’d say are truly great. It does basically continue further as well, but I’m breaking it here.
Torch stories: Lee/Powell/Ayers. F
Dr. Strange stories: Lee/Ditko. A.
Grades: “A”, and “F”- ?? Well, okay-but which grade went to which story-?? I actually thought that the story where the Thing and the Torch ( missed ) meeting the Beatles was very enjoyable! Certainly a “B”! I have spent my entire life ( and that’s a looooooooooonnng life- so far! ) trying to warm up to Dr. Strange, and his world, and his metaphysical adventures- to little avail! The overall concept is just simply too offbeat for me! In the Sixties, I was one of those ‘ROTC’ kids who loved the adventures of the FF, and, by association, the adventures of the Torch ( my main man ) and the Thing, here in ‘Strange Tales’, but certainly not one of the acid-dropping, pot-smoking hippie-kids who thought that ‘Dr. Strange’ was the shit! The best ‘Dr. Strange’ product I ever saw was his 1978 CBS-TV film starring Peter Hooten, ( whatever happened to this guy, anyway-?? ) where Strange’s specialty was changed in the script from surgery to psychiatry ( ! ) where he came to the aid of one of his patients who was being tormented by Strange’s initial comic-book nemesis Nightmare! ( see ‘Strange Tales’ #110 ) This movie was actually GOOD, and, with the tidal-wave of Marvel Comic-book movies riding the wave of popularity at the time, ( late Seventies ) I just could not believe this excellent TV-film did not go to series! The Network probably determined it to be “too cerebral” for the masses- and they could just have been right about that. “Dr. Strange” was certainly one cerebral head-trip of a superhero film, but I got it- and I enjoyed it! As noted- one of the very, very few ‘Dr.Strange’ products that I could ever really say that about! What a missed opportunity for CBS, and the American television audience of the late 1970’s! Word!!