Issue(s): Doctor Strange #48, Doctor Strange #49, Doctor Strange #50
Cover Date: Dec 92 - Feb 93
Title: "To serve in heaven" / "The wrath of gods" / "The heart of darkness"
Credits:
Len Kaminski - Writer
Geof Isherwood - Penciler
Bob Petrecca, Charles Barnett III, & Don Hudson / Bob Petrecca & Don Hudson / Geof Isherwood - Inker
Barry Dutter - Assistant Editor
Mike Rockwitz - Editor

Review/plot:
Roy Thomas is off of Doctor Strange, although another way to look at it is that he's just moved over to Secret Defenders where he's still writing the character. These issues are written by Len Kaminski, but it seems like this next run is really defined by Geof Isherwood, who in addition to penciling will at least co-plot but often fully write the issues between #51 and #59. These three issues are about setting up a new status quo for Doctor Strange in which he loses most of his powers. That set-up allows for the premise of Secret Defenders, where Strange is forced to recruit others to fight the threats he detects. We also get a sample of that in this story. But for the longer time in this book, i suppose it addresses what is a common complaint about Strange, that he is too powerful and can snap his fingers to solve any problem. I don't think that's ever really been a problem for the character in practice, at least in his solo series, but this premise does require him to handle things differently than he otherwise would have.

Dr. Strange detects some ill omens and things quickly escalate into an attack by some demons - Ygothic Cyclopeans - that Strange says shouldn't even be able to exist in our plane of existence.

Overwhelmed, Strange calls on the Vishanti for help, and they show up in person (with Agamotto happily not in his Manic Caterpillar form).

They tell Strange that there is a war going on between them and some other mystical entities called the Trinity of Ashes.

And they'd like Strange to help them in this war. He balks when he hears that the war is likely to last 5,000 years. They don't exactly appreciate his refusal, and they try to force him to agree, and he flees through the multiverse. He tries to survive by calling on other mystical beings that he's called upon in the past, some that we've seen before (like Cyttorak - recently - and Satannish and Ikonn) and some that we've only heard invoked (Watoomb, Munipoor), and some that i'm not sure i've even heard of (Denak? - see the comments; it's not a new name) but they all just try to recruit him too.

So Strange recites the Emancipation Incantation. This frees him from any obligation to the entities, but also prevents him from ever calling upon their powers. As we'll see, this doesn't completely eliminate Strange's magical abilities, and he'll even retain the ability to use the Eye of Agamotto, but it severely limits them. In the lettercol for issue #55, it will say that Strange is now drawing on his own lifeforce for power.

Meanwhile, Clea goes with "Flyx" to the Dark Dimension to try to reclaim it from Umar and Baron Mordo, who Flyx told her were becoming despots. But Flyx turns out to really be Dormammu.

So when Strange returns to Earth, he finds that Dormammu is on a rampage.

So, in basically a test run for the Secret Defenders, Strange calls on the Hulk, Ghost Rider, and the Silver Surfer to help him.

They go to the Dark Dimension and fight their way past Mindless Ones and the G'uranthic Guardian.

The Guardian has been animated enough times that i am now accepting position papers on whether or not it ought to be listed as a Character Appearing.

Strange absorbs Ghost Rider's (or Noble Kale's?) spirit into his body to fight Dormammu.

That leaves Ghost Rider to mind Strange's body while Strange astrally projects himself to attack Dormammu's soul and ego directly.

Since Strange is still able to use the Eye of Agamotto, he uses it to show Dormammu what his soul really looks like (a Dire Wraith!).

That causes Dormammu to hesitate, giving the "Secret Defenders" and Clea an opening to attack his physical body. Wounded, Dormammu flees the Dark Dimension, promising to return and do something even worse in the future. Clea stays behind to help her dimension rebuild. When the others get back to Earth, Strange explicitly (but silently) names them "secret defenders".

Geof Isherwood is a good artist. He's maybe a little too "straight" for what i think of as a Doctor Strange artist, but i like his depiction of the mystic dimensions and the entities, some of whom we haven't seen before. I think if any book ought to be driven by the artist, it's this one, so i like that Isherwood will begin taking on writing credits next issue. On the downside for this issue, while the plot accomplishes what it needs to, the character interactions are pretty dry, and they all accept their recruitment without complaint. It's unusual to see the Hulk getting bossed around without pushback, for example. Of course if anyone's going to do that, it's Dr. Strange, but i just feel like there's no personality in the characters. Still, i consider these issues an improvement over Roy Thomas' flippant verbosity.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - Strange loses his powers. Set-up for Secret Defenders.

Chronological Placement Considerations: The Hulk is found at Pantheon headquarters. This can really fit in any gap for the guest stars. Next issue begins with a flashback focusing on Rintrah that takes place concurrently with this story, and then it continues more or less directly for Dr. Strange. So issue #51 should follow this directly.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Ghost Rider? Seriously, replace him with Namor and the band's back together.

Didn't Isherwood pencil Conan The Barbarian? I thought he did quite well with the fantasy element and feel his art is suited to Dr Strange.

I've definitely heard Strange exclaim "Demons of Denak!" somewhere before, perhaps in the Gerber issues of Defenders. But the demons of "Danak" were summoned by Kaluu way back in Strange Tales 149.

This is the start of a string of bad stories and odd status quos that last until the series is cancelled.
The Wars of the Seven Spheres plot is eventually resolved by Warren Ellis when Strange agrees to fight alongside the Vishanti for 5,000 years and the Vishanti agree to send him back only a few months after he left. This was the obvious way to end the plot. But it makes Stephen and the Vishanti look like idiots for not considering it in this story. Strange can travel through time and the Vishanti presumably have power over time, so if there was some reason why it wouldn't work, Kaminski should have explained it in the story.
I never did like the idea that Strange's incantations put him in debt to the entities he draws power from. If that's the case, then why does he invoke Satannish? Why would Strange put himself in debt to a demon?
Munipoor and Raggaddor are usually described like they're planets- "Moons of Munipoor" and "Rings of Raggador".
Strange uses the Emancipation Incantation- I never knew that in addition to calling upon deities and demons, Strange could also call upon dead Presidents. :)
Note that Dormammu absorbs Umar and Mordo into himself in this story- it's never shown how and when they escape, so I'm not sure if you want to include them as Characters Appearing during Dormammu's next appearances.

Re: Strange being too powerful- it's not usually a problem in his own book where he can go up against Dormammu, Nightmare, Umar, etc. but it's definitely a problem when Strange appears in other books- Defenders had to introduce gimmicks like Strange being hypnotized by Xemnu or confused by Mastermind's illusions to prevent him from winning the battle singlehandedly.
@Andrew- Strange has used "Demons of Denak" many times. My favorite is Defenders 100 when he's fighting Satannish's demons. :)

Any idea what movie Hulk wants to show the Silver Surfer? "Yes green friend, I agree that this 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights' is fine entertainment!"

I can't find a reference, but I have read that Len Kaminski's idea for the War of the Seven Spheres to be a hoax. The more I think about it, the more I think that the "War" was good for an impetus, but then it just makes Strange look bad.

One other weird thing- what happened to Sara Wolfe? She was around during Infinity War but she's vanished with this storyline.