Marvel 1976.10 - Doctor Strange #19

Doctor Strange #19

Title: Lo, the powers changeth!

Writer: Marv Wolfman

Artist: Alfredo P. Alcala

Villain: Stygyro, Xander

Regulars: Ancient One, Clea

Today is the first time I've read this comic for more than 45 years. It's a comic that broke my heart. Steve Englehart left Marvel at short notice, due to a dispute with Gerry Conway about the Avengers. The two men gave different reasons for the dispute at the time, and many years later they both stick to their stories. Gerry Conway had been working for DC, and he surprisingly returned to Marvel as editor-in-chief. According to Steve, Gerry said "I'm going to write the Avengers. I'm in charge and I can do what I want". The Avengers was the comic that Steve enjoyed writing the most, so he pleaded to be allowed to continue, but Gerry stood firm. According to Gerry, Steve was in the habit of writing the Avengers stories each month at the last moment, so close to the deadline that the artist had difficulty finishing the comics. Steve has always denied this. Who's telling the truth? I admit that I'm biased, because I'm a big fan of Steve Englehart's stories. But what matters is that Steve quit Marvel immediately.

Steve's rapid departure damaged all of his ongoing series, but the biggest harm was done to Doctor Strange. For the last two years he'd been writing mind-bending spiritual epics. Who was able to pick up where he left off? Not Marv Wolfman. Marv is a first rate writer of super-hero stories, but he's the last person I would have trusted with an esoteric series. He was in over his head. The only thing he could do was claim the past few issues had all been tests set by the Ancient One. Added to this, Doctor Strange lost his position as the Sorcerer Supreme and many of his powers. Marv Wolfman couldn't write about Doctor Strange as he was, so he changed him into a character he could deal with.

There are other details in this issue. It's revealed that Benjamin Franklin never seduced Clea, it was Stygyro in disguise. I strongly doubt this is what Steve Englehart intended. The Earth is destroyed a second time, as it was in issue #12, but then it's suddenly back again, suggesting it was just a test. This also casts doubts on the reality of the events that led up to the Eath's destruction in Doctor Strange #12. Added to all this, a villain called Xander appears, whose masters claim to have been manipulating the Ancient One into setting the tests for him. This diminishes the position of the Ancient One as one with all that is.

Marv Wolfman was obviously a brief stand-in for Steve Englehart. Over the next few months the writers were exchanged repeatedly. Roy Thomas (one of my favourite writers) wrote a couple of issues, but they were unremarkable. Jim Starlin took over as writer in Doctor Strange #24 and wrote a few good issues. Maybe Jim would have done a better job if he'd taken over in issue #19. Finally Roger Stern became the regular writer, and I admit that he wrote some very good stories, though not on the same level as Steve Englehart.

I'll finish my reviews of the Doctor Strange comics here before the story with Xander develops.