Issue(s): Marvel Fanfare #6
Cover Date: Jan 83
Title: "Switch Witch / The showdown!"
Credits:
Mike Barr & Sandy Plunkett / Roger Stern - Writer
Sandy Plunkett / Charles Vess - Penciler
P. Craig Russell / Charles Vess - Inker
Al Milgrom - Editor

Review/plot:
Two mystical stories with art by artists that we don't get to see much in mainstream Marvel stories. The first, a Spider-Man/Scarlet Witch Team-Up, is inked by P. Craig Russell. It has the two facing off against the wizard Xandu. Xandu has retrieved the Wand of Watoomb and used it to partially revive his dead or mostly dead girlfriend, Melinda Morrison, and he uses the Scarlet Witch's soul to try to more fully revive her.

Xandu tries to put Melinda's spirit in the Scarlet Witch's body. It doesn't really work, but he seems content to have Scarlet Witch as a slave. Then Melinda's spirit does come back, but Xandu fears that she's really after revenge for killing her in the first place. Spider-Man is able to stop Xandu. Then Melinda suggests that the four of them return to Earth, but Xandu decides that he's happy being a god in the planet that he's created in a Death dimension. So Melinda goes back without him. And it turns out that Xandu has unwittingly traded places with her in death.

Unfortunately, the Scarlet Witch is completely useless in this story. She does absolutely nothing except get possessed.

The second story, with nice art by Charles Vess, has Dr. Strange being challenged by a young sorcerer named Ian McNee for the title of Sorcerer Supreme.

Strange allows Ian to apparently win, in order to demonstrate the incredible burden of the position, which Ian is not ready for.

A good self-contained short story by Roger Stern.

Marvel Fanfare is a good place to highlight these artists, but the stories don't feel like they have much consequence.

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The Scarlet Witch starts this episode alone on a beach. The fact that she's alone could possibly support the placement of this during the time when the Vision is inactivated. We'll place is after Avengers #235, when, thanks to the Wasp, Wanda is able to relax a little bit about her husband's condition so that she might try to go to the beach and clear her head. Spider-Man and Dr. Strange's appearances are context free.

References:

• Xandu was first seen in Amazing Spider-Man annual #2, and later in Marvel Team-Up #21.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Ian McNee would later reappear in the Mystic Arcana series in 2007.

In that case, tagged him as a Character Appearing. Thanks!