Having had occasion to glance back at a post from two years ago concerning the 1972-73 span of issues of Marvel Premiere which featured Dr. Strange, there probably isn't much more for me to add to what turned out to be a frank, overall, and (hopefully) fair assessment of the subject, which also included a review of the first issue of the series. In essence, the stories that followed comprised a six-issue buildup to a confrontation in the seventh between Strange and the evil force that waited in the wings--Shuma-Gorath*, one of the many entities who had apparently ruled the Earth in ancient times** and who had every intention of reclaiming that position and suppressing the human race into worshippers and slaves.
*Was it ever made clear where to place the accent in the name? Mentally I've been pronouncing it "Shuma-GorATH," which sounds more imposing, doesn't it?
**Just how many were there? The age of the Earth is estimated at 4½ billion years, which leaves large enough chunks of millennia for evil horrors to stake claims to. There's a post in there somewhere...
With the series being published bi-monthly for the duration of this particular story, it would take precisely one year for readers to reach the finale, while sampling an unusual mix of artists who practically made up their own Bullpen. In addition, with the exception of the earliest installment, co-written by Archie Goodwin and Roy Thomas, the bulk of the story was scripted by Gardner Fox, who by Marvel's own admission may not have been the ideal choice for a Dr. Strange series (a less drawn-out approach by the company to reader criticism than that taken with Jack Kirby's stormy tenure as the writer of Captain America.) Still a dedicated collector during the 1970s, however, I stuck with it to the end (the same mindset that got me through the entirety of titles like Marvel Team-Up, et al.!), eventually reaching the two final issues that saw Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner pick up the reins as co-plotters and begin their successful handling of the character.It will be those issues that we'll focus on in a moment; but for now, have a look at a brief digest of what came before, since each installment goes a little further in laying the groundwork for the menace of Shuma-Gorath and, as it happens, the fate of the Ancient One.
Continued »»»