Dr Strange Sorcerer Supreme 13 - Acts of Vengeance

The final Dr Strange issue of the crossover is once again divided in two.

Dr Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #13

Writer: Roy Thomas (all)
Writer: Dann Thomas (main)
Writers: Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier (back-up)
Artist: Jackson Guice (main)
Artists: David Day and Dan Day (back-up)
Lettering: Janice Chiang and Michael Heisler (main)
Lettering: Joe Rosen (back-up)
Colours: Max Scheele  Tom Vincent (all)
Assistant Editor: Mike Rockwitz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The back-up story is a further chapter from "The Book of the Vishanti", continuing the story of the Darkhold and the Montesis guarding it, along with the rise of both the Ancient One and Dracula. It feels a more coherent piece than the previous chapter, not least because of the easily recognisable elements of the existing mythology.

The lead story follows on from the previous issue and sees the Enchantress force Arkon, the ruler from another dimension, to attack Doctor Strange. Arkon is additionally motivated by a desire to make Clea his queen, allowing him to add the Dark Dimension to his realms as well. This leads to a somewhat unlikely hand to hand duel with Doctor Strange, who has never been much of a physical fighter and although his survival is explained at the end it just seems bizarre that he would ever agree to such a fight. Much of this issue, and indeed the previous one, has focused on the strength of the relationship between Stephen and his wife Clea even though they are usually dimensions apart. Each faces an alternate admirer of a kind and each rushes to the defence of the other in their own ways.

Arkon's motivations are also easily understood - he's two stages removed from the central "Acts of Vengeance" conspiracy and thus isn't motivated by that at all but rather simply by the fact the Enchantress has stolen his thunderbolts that can get him home. Still it solves the general problem of finding foes who can present a sufficiently powerful challenge to Doctor Strange and at the same time come under the direction of a conspiracy of distinctly mortal villains.

Overall this is an uptick after the previous issue but not the most dynamic and there's increasingly a sense that this is a series that wants to hurry up and finish its part in the crossover and then get back to telling its own stories. It's a reminder that with such a sweeping event not every creator is always enthusiastic all of the time.

Dr Strange Sorcerer Supreme #13 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

Dr Strange Sorcerer Supreme 12 - Acts of Vengeance

One of the unfortunate things about this sort of crossover is that it's often better to read several issues of a particular title in close proximity rather than leaping backwards and forwards. Just about every order I've seen for "Acts of Vengeance" does this for at least some issues.

Dr Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #12

Writer: Roy Thomas (all)
Writer: Dann Thomas (main)
Writers: Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier (back-up)
Artist: Jackson Guice (main)
Artists: David Day and Dan Day,
Lettering: Janice Chiang (main)
Lettering: Joe Rosen (back-up)
Colours: Gregory Wright (all)
Assistant Editor: Mike Rockwitz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Once again, we have an issue of the series with the cover lacking the full title. And once again we have a breach of the crossover's premise, as Doctor Strange has encountered the Enchantress before and acknowledges it. (For those wondering where, they clashed in Defenders #4, which introduced the Valkyrie, and again in Defenders #107 to #109, which set out to untangle the mess of the Valkyrie's continuity.) With Doctor Strange having been the anchor for the original Defenders, who in turn battled many a magical and mythical entity, it does become a problem finding existing villains on his power level who can be sent against him for the first time.

The story itself is pretty straightforward, with the Enchantress seeking to seduce Doctor Strange to steal his magic but Strange's disciple Rintrah does everything he can to protect his master. The Enchantress's motives are believable and she's often been shown to partake in various mortal criminal endeavours (most notably the Masters of Evil) when she can secure her own ends in the process. The presence of the Executioner may surprise many as he had died by this point, but a suitable explanation is given. Otherwise this is a relatively quick character piece that helps develop both Rintrah and Clea, Strange's wife, without doing too much wider in the broad scheme of things.

There's also a back-up story, another chapter of "The Book of the Vishanti", telling here how the Darkhold scrolls came under the protection of the Roman Catholic Church and specifically the Montesi dynasty. It's not as compelling as the previous chapter and on the last few pages the story seems to realise its dullness so resorts to recapping how the Darkhold contains the spells that could clear the Earth of all vampires for good and how the latter tried to get hold of it.

All in all this a rather dull entry in the overall crossover and suggests that perhaps not every issue of every month needed to be given over to it (and indeed we'll see some series which only have one or two entries). The fact that it resorts to a villain Strange has encountered before just adds to the padding nature of it.

Dr Strange Sorcerer Supreme #12 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

Dr Strange Sorcerer Supreme 11 - Acts of Vengeance

The title on the cover of this issue is a little confusing as the phrase "Sorcerer Supreme" is missing; nevertheless this is part of the series's full title (and hence causes a lot of confusion for people trying to navigate the various different Doctor Strange series). Back in the day further confusion was caused by this series being a direct market only one, allowing it a higher price tag, artwork right up to the edges and fewer adverts, but at the cost of a lesser prominence. In universe, the lead character would no doubt like such a lower profile.

Dr Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #11

Writer: Roy Thomas (all)
Writer: Dann Thomas (main)
Writers: Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier (back-up)
Artist: Jackson Guice (main)
Artists: David Day and Dan Day,
Lettering: Janice Chiang (main)
Lettering: Joe Rosen (back-up)
Colours: Tom Vincent (all)
Assistant Editor: Mike Rockwitz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The issue focuses on Doctor Strange first trying to deal with the consequences of his younger brother having become a vampire, including a flashback detailing Stephen's dirty secret about how he neglected his family, leading to Victor's death. The problem is that this is a very awkward addition to the hero's backstory. As he himself admits, the accident that killed his brother didn't lead him to remorse about his attitude, and instead he paid to have his brother's body cryogenically preserved, paid for by a trust fund that wasn't affected by his later descent into alcoholism. The idea that a top surgeon would put his faith in the possibility his brother could one day be brought back to life, or even just pretend as a way to avoid his guilt, doesn't ring true. Nor does the idea that Stephen was careful enough with his finances to ring-fence the arrangements to keep Victor on ice, yet drank everything else away after the accident that ruined his hands. The result is a bodged continuity implant that in the long run can only really be justified if something sufficiently interesting is done with Victor.

The other part of the story focuses on a sensational biography of Doctor Strange recently written by Morgana Blessing, leading to both author and subject winding up on a late evening chat show with Strange hoping to be dismissed as a fake and have the attention disappear. The tactics of the show in getting both guests onto the set are somewhat dubious as is the instant publicity, but this is the hook to draw in the villain of the piece, the Hobgoblin. This is the second Hobgoblin, widely dismissed by other characters, writers and readers as a joke sullying the Goblin legacy, and recently he received a curious power upgrade during "Inferno" when he was given demonic powers that also transformed his appearance. As a result he is now a stronger match for the magician than the latter assumes, able to evade a number of the spells. However he's true to his mercenary roots, having been sent by Doctor Doom to dispose of Strange, and the resulting battle feels more balanced than it might otherwise have been. It also has some consequences for the fall out from Blessing's biography. As a result the wider crossover easily fits into the ongoing flow of events without any significant disruption to the ongoing flow of the series, instead enhancing it.

There's also a back-up story, "The Book of the Vishanti: The Curse of the Darkhold Part III - Dawn of Blood". This is another piece of mythology building and refining that explains some of the key mystical forces and books through the ages. It's a decent piece but, as is often the case with these sorts of back-ups, it has no bearing on the main strip.

Dr Strange Sorcerer Supreme #11 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)