Issue(s): Doctor Strange #170
Cover Date: Jul 68
Title: "To dream-- perchance to die!"
Credits:
Roy Thomas - Writer
Dan Adkins - Penciler
Dan Adkins - Inker

Review/plot:
Strange Tales became Doctor Strange with issue #169 (with the other feature, Nick Fury, getting its own series with a new numbering), and issue #169 was an extended retelling of Doctor Strange's origin story, so this is the first new adventure for Strange in his own book. To celebrate, the villain is Nightmare, the antagonist from Doctor Strange's very first story.

Nightmare invades the dreams of the sleeping Ancient One, and Strange enters his mind in his ectoplasmic self to investigate.

Nightmare is trounced in the fight, thanks in a large part to Dr. Strange's Eye of Agamotto.

Poor Nightmare is finally driven away by Dr. Strange's cloak.

The Ancient One then reveals that he was really fine the whole time, but Strange has been mopey lately so he felt like he needed a victory.

The Doctor Strange title seems to bring out the best in any artist...

...but after Ditko, Everett, and Severin's nice runs, Adkins feels a little bit of a letdown. I'm possibly in a minority on this; the lettercols are abuzz with compliments. We're certainly seeing a modernization (for good or ill) in the page layouts, with non-standard panel sizes and shapes. Nothing too experimental, but sometimes a little difficult to follow.

Nightmare disguises himself as Hamir, the Ancient One's manservant, but Hamir doesn't actually appear in this issue.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Nightmare first appeared in Strange Tales #110.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A