For this comic book review I read Strange Tales #117  and the story featuring Dr. Strange Titled “The Many Traps Of Baron Mordo” In this issue, we have a near foolproof plan of Baron Mordo to trap Dr. Strange and his home in another dimension.  Then while he is trapped, the Barren plans to face and eliminate the ancient one.

But can the evil man’s plan work, or will Dr. Strange find a way to stand in the face of evil once again?

Story

I have been quite impressed with the work of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko on their Dr. Strange tales, and this one is no exception.   I feel it is well written, and  received.  a heroic comic that’s not centered around action, in fact most of the time, there is more thought  into the action’s of hero, such as how he escapes from the second trap.  Quite creative work for our two creators.

Artwork

The art once again lived up to all my hopes,  offering us stunning visuals, and a wonderful way of combining the ethereal and physical.  I would love to show you the whole story for my art example, but  I chose to show you a close up of Dr. Strange’s face in ethereal form,  while leaving him in black and white and with just the outlines, it lets us get a good look at our hero.

But this is far from the only great panel, we also get our first real good look at the outside of Dr. Strange’s home in this issue.   Steve Ditko also continues to use shadows and strange shapes quite effectively in telling these tales.

Originality & Continuity

This is the 4th time we seen the baron, and  each time is better than the last, building upon what we know, understand and expect from both Dr. Strange and the baron, whom as nemesis go is more frequent than any we have seen in marvel  up to date.

Characters & Development

In this issue we get to see the raw determination and even intelligence of Dr. Strange at work in a tale that leaves us wondering until the end when it is all explained to us.   but even for being something that is only 8 pages long, I feel it offers the characters a greater depth then some other tales I have I read.