Issue(s): Doctor Strange #56
Cover Date: Aug 93
Title: "Blood relations"
Credits:
Roy Thomas - Script
Roy Thomas & Geof Isherwood - Plot
Geof Isherwood - Penciler
Geof Isherwood - Inker
Joe Andreani - Assistant Editor
Mike Rockwitz - Editor

Review/plot:
Ok, so i'm prepared to say that this issue is the best use of an Infinity Crusade tie-in. It actually bothers to explore the implications of the Goddess' suppression of all crime on Earth. It's an exploration very specific to a single character, not exactly like the ideas i was kicking around in the Infinity Crusade #2 entry, but at least it's something.

The idea is that with no crime on Earth, Baron Blood (Dr. Strange's brother Victor), who (like Morbius) survives by feeding on criminals, has nothing to eat. Theoretically he also gets blood from a blood bank and from his girlfriend and willing donor Morgana Blessing, but it's apparently not enough. So Baron Blood has now taken to seek out those that he "knew" were criminals even though they weren't currently committing crimes. Morgana disagrees with his action and intends to kill him if she sees him again.

Dr. Strange learns about this when he takes a break from working for the Goddess to send his astral form to Earth to check on his friends, and when he learns about what's going on he takes possession of Wong. He uses the secondary Cloak of Levitation and Amulet of Agamotto, since Rintrah is no longer using them.

Note Dr. Strangewong saying that Rintrah won't need the artifacts "for a while" which does seem to confirm that Rintrah isn't dead dead.

Strange locates Baron Blood at the remains of the warehouse where Strange used to keep Victor in cryogenic storage (it turns out the work tearing down the warehouse was never completed). Strange admits that he's been turning a blind eye to Victor's vigilantism but it's going to stop now. Strange and Baron Blood fight for a bit...

...but then the Baron's current victim begs to not be killed in Spanish. The Baron thought he was targeting someone that he saw committing a crime before the Goddess' actions, but that person spoke English. So he realizes that he's been potentially attacking innocent people, and he decides that he's "too evil to live" and he kills himself. Morgana attempts to kill herself too, but Wong's wife Imei stops her. However, looking at the MCP, this is Morgana's last appearance. This Baron Blood never resurfaces either, which shows admirable restraint on the part of later writers, considering how easy it would be to bring back a vampire and how tempting it probably is to want to relitigate the idea of Strange turning his brother into a vampire.

Anyway, it's not the greatest story, especially since it's truncated by the Kyllian back-up, and it's not quite the in-depth character study of a villain affected by the Goddess that i had in mind (in truth this story could have been done even without Infinity Crusade, with Baron Blood just targeting the wrong guy). But i still like that it uses the Infinity Crusade premise, even if it's more on a mechanical level. It's also fun to see Strange possessing Wong and wearing Rintrah's cloak and amulet.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place during Infinity Crusade #3, repeating a scene where Dr. Strange spies on the heroes (that's a bizarrely miscolored Vision below).

Among the Goddess-brainwashed heroes, we see a miscolored Sleepwalker (confirmed by the MCP), so this takes place before Rick Sheridan wakes up and Sleepwalker disappears, if you want to be really specific.

You can also see Captain America in the above scan. The MCP doesn't list him, but i've included him.

The Kyllian back-up is covered in a separate entry.

References:

• As seen in Infinity Crusade #3, Dr. Strange uses his abilities to spy on the unenthralled heroes. I had actually flagged that scene in Infinity Crusade as worth mentioning, since i wasn't sure if it was showing Strange using more power than he should have after Doctor Strange #48-50, but then i saw the scene repeated here and i figured if Roy Thomas and Geof Isherwood didn't think it was worth mentioning, than neither should i (until now, ha ha).
  
• It's said that this Baron Blood has taken to calling himself Khiron since the original Baron Blood has returned. That seems to be a rare and unfootnoted reference to a Marvel UK title, namely Knights of Pendragon #10-11, although that story ended with that Baron Blood getting killed again. The story inform us that Khiron comes from Chiroptera, the scientific order of bats.
  
• Rintrah is being held in suspended animation after Doctor Strange #51. Strange gave Rintrah the cloak and amulet in Dr. Strange annual #2.
  
• We learned about Doctor Strange turning his brother into a vampire in Doctor Strange #14-18 after first meeting him in Doctor Strange #10.
  
• Strange mentions having fought Dracula to a standstill and having wiped out all vampires. Those both may refer to Doctor Strange #60-62, but the former may also be referring to Doctor Strange #14.

Crossover: Infinity Crusade

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A