Issue(s): Marvel Team-Up #76, Marvel Team-Up #77
Cover Date: Dec 78 - Jan 79
Title: "If not for love... / Death waits at Bayou Diable!" / "If I'm to live... my love must die!"
Credits:
Chris Claremont - Writer
Howard Chaykin & Jeff Aclin - Penciler
Juan Ortiz - Inker

Review/plot:
Let me preface this review by saying whenever a comic writer pulls out the ol' tarot deck, my eyes immediately glaze over.

There's nothing inherently wrong with teaming-up Spider-man with Dr. Strange. But something about this story, which left both Spidey and Ms. Marvel with nothing to do but beat up convenient thugs while Dr. Strange got on with the main plot, just didn't work for me.

Worse, the villain of the arc, the Silver Dagger...

...is depicted as a generic baddie, totally undermining the interesting 'Witch-hunting agent of God' aspects of his character. This was acknowledged as an error in a subsequent letter column.

There are comics that are just poor quality, and there are comics that are competent and professional but just have bad stories. I don't know which type is better, but these issues fall into the latter category.

These issues also re-introduce Marie Laveau, "Voodoo Queen of New Orleans", to the Marvel Universe. She previously only appeared in a back-up story in Dracula Lives #2.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 2

Chronological Placement Considerations: Carol Danvers is still working at Woman Magazine, so this has to take place before Ms. Marvel #22. Note also that in the first scan of her above, she says that so far none of the Avengers have seen her in her new costume except the Wasp (who made it). Therefore this has to go before Avengers annual #8. For Spider-Man, takes place between ASM #186-187.

References:

• Ms. Marvel recognizes Wong from having met Dr. Strange in Defenders #57.
  
• Spider-man met Ms. Marvel in Marvel Team-Up #62, but he doesn't recognize her because she was still wearing her old costume at that time.
  
• The original Silver Dagger story was in Dr. Strange #1-5.
  
• The Silver Dagger learned the spells necessary to escape the Orb by looking through the Eye of Agamotto during the Xenogenesis plot in Defenders #58-60.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Marie Laveau was an actual 19th-century American figure whose death was falsely reported at least twice. She was also black.

This story was originally announced as a Marvel Team-Up Annual co-starring the Avengers to be drawn by Byrne. Later the Avengers were replaced by Dr. Strange and Ms. Marvel with Chaykin replacing Byrne. I'm guessing the need for Jeff Aclin caused it to be split between two regular issues instead.

A trippy little pocket-world inside the orb of Agamotto? Strikes me as a pretty obvious ripoff on Jim Starlin's idea of the Soul-world inside Adam Warlock's soul gem (which, like Agamotto's eye, resides on the hero's forehead). There might be other more literary precedents for this idea, but if so I'm unaware of them.

Holt, the pocket world inside the orb was first seen in Doctor Strange 1-5, before Starlin's run on Warlock.

Aha! I stand corrected. Thanks! If I ever read it I'd forgotten it.

Dr. Strange #1-2,4-5 (#3 was reprints)... I remember now.