Appearing in "Amidst the Madness"
Featured Characters:
- ⏴ Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) ⏵ (Main story and recap)
Other Characters:
- Aragorn (Illusion or holographic simulation)
- Death (Illusion or holographic simulation)
- Ancient One (Only in recap)
- G'uranthic Guardian (Only in recap)
- Dormammu (Only in recap)
- Clea (Only in recap) (Also as an image in Strange's mind's eye in main story)
- Mindless Ones (Only in recap)
Locations:
- Agamotto's Dimension (Unnamed)
- Earth (Only in recap)
- New York City (Only in recap)
- Sanctum Sanctorum (Only in recap)
- Kamar-Taj (Only in recap)
- Ancient One's dwelling (Only in recap)
- New York City (Only in recap)
- Dark Dimension (Only in recap)
Items:
- Orb of Agamotto
- symbol of Death
- Amulet of Agamotto (Only in recap)
- Flames of Regency (Only in recap)
- Cloak of Levitation (Only in recap) (Also as an illusion in main story)
- Eye of Agamotto (Only in recap)
- Spells
- Crimson Bands of Cyttorak (Only in recap)
- Vapors of Valtorr (Only in recap)
- Hosts of Hoggoth (Only in recap)
- Shades of the Seraphim (Invoked) (Only in recap)
- Rings of Raggadorr (Invoked) (Only in recap)
Synopsis for "Amidst the Madness"
Dr. Strange rides an unreal Aragorn through the corridors of unreality on his way to confront Death at the center of the Orb of Agamotto. However, when he's halfway there, Strange suddenly experiences a strong memory of his beloved Clea. As a ghastly symbol of Death appears within the hazy sky above, Strange finds his mind wandering away into his memory of how he had first encountered Dormammu and Clea in the Dark Dimension.
After reliving that past adventure and reaching the point when the Ancient One had told him that he would one day become the Master, Strange`s mind suddenly awakens from the enchanting memory. He realizes that he would have wandered that nether-realm, endlessly mesmerized, if he were not a Sorcerer Supreme. Having survived another treachery of "this mad Orb," Strange remains determined to confront Death and triumph so he guides Aragorn into the symbol of Death which seems to be a portal.
Notes
- Cover art: pencils, inks and colours by Brunner.[1]
- Plot by Englehart and Brunner, script by Englehart.[2]
- Pencils and inks by Brunner and Weiss.[3]
- Colours by Frank and Jan Brunner.[4]
- Most of this issue is a reprint of the two Dr. Strange stories featured in Strange Tales #126 and #127. The only new material is a framing sequence that consists of a single page at the beginning and a half page at the end. Since the extended memory sequence does not add anything new to continuity, it is a recap instead of a flashback.
- Although not mentioned in this issue, the nether-realm through which Dr. Strange is riding is still the realm of unreality within the Orb of Agamotto that he first entered in Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #1. This realm will not be identified as actually being Agamotto's Dimension until over a decade later.
- The Cloak of Levitation that the present-day Strange is wearing as he rides is an unreal duplicate of the real thing, like the gray stallion (Aragorn) that he is riding. In the present of the main story, the real cloak is still in the real world where it is draped around Strange's then-dead real body, as shown in Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #5.