Doctor Strange #174
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeDoctor Strange #174 marks the full debut of Satannish, one of Marvel's major demonic hell-lords — a soul-bargaining, extra-dimensional demon whose power rivals Mephisto's and who would become a recurring threat to Strange, the Defenders, and the Avengers for decades. The issue also delivers the first kiss between Doctor Strange and Clea, a milestone in one of Marvel's longest-running supernatural romances. Together, these two developments make the issue a pivotal node in the mythology Roy Thomas and Gene Colan were building for the solo Doctor Strange series — a mythology grounded in Faustian bargains and horror-tinged psychedelia rather than the pure Ditko-esque surrealism that preceded it. Satannish's introduction here seeded an entire cult — the Sons of Satannish — whose scheming would dominate the very next story arc and ripple forward into the Avengers, Defenders, and Sorcerer Supreme titles.
In "The Power and the Pendulum," Doctor Strange faces off against the formidable Lord Nekron, who has struck a dangerous pact with Supreme Satannish to secure eternal life—on the condition that he finds a willing mystic to take his place within a year. With time itself as his weapon, Strange pushes the limits of magic in a race against the clock, as Satannish watches from the shadows, eager to claim his prize. Written by Roy Thomas and illustrated with moody precision by Gene Colan, with inks by Tom Palmer and colors by the same, this 1968 Marvel classic features a cover by Colan and Palmer that captures the eerie tension of the spellbinding showdown.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
By late 1968, the Doctor Strange solo title was only a few months old, having launched in June 1968 when *Strange Tales* was retitled after the Nick Fury feature spun off into its own book; the series retained the original numbering, so *Strange Tales* #168 was directly followed by *Doctor Strange* #169. Roy Thomas — who later recalled that Stan Lee essentially 'asked' him to write the series — was joined on issue #172 by penciler Gene Colan and inker Tom Palmer, a pairing Thomas described as transformative: Colan brought an entirely personal vision of alien dimensions rather than imitating Ditko, and Tom Palmer's inking debut on the title gave the book a distinctively moody, atmospheric finish. Issue #174 falls squarely in the middle of this founding creative partnership, with Stan Lee serving as editor-in-chief and Art Simek lettering.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full appearance of Satannish (Supreme Satannish), the extra-dimensional demon hell-lord and soul-bargainer — co-created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan (November 1968).
- Satannish had been name-dropped as early as Strange Tales #144 (November 1966), but this is his first on-page manifestation as an active character.
- First appearance of Lord Nekron, the human sorcerer who struck a Faustian bargain with Satannish: one year of enhanced power and immortality in exchange for delivering a mystic soul (Strange's) as a substitute.
- First kiss between Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) and Clea — a landmark character moment in their long romantic relationship.
- The Sons of Satannish, Satannish's mortal cult, appear behind the scenes in this issue (their full identified debut comes in #175); this issue sets up the multi-issue Sons of Satannish arc running through #178.
- Written by Roy Thomas; pencils by Gene Colan; inks by Tom Palmer; lettering by Art Simek; edited by Stan Lee. Cover art also by Colan and Palmer.
- Story title: 'The Power and the Pendulum!' Published November 1968 at the standard Silver Age cover price of 12 cents.
- Reprinted in: Essential Doctor Strange Vol. 2 (2005), Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange Vol. 3 (March 2007), Gene Colan Tribute Book #1 (2008), Doctor Strange Epic Collection Vol. 2 — I, Dormammu (2023), and Doctor Strange (The Folio Society, 2023).
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Reprints
Reprinted in L'Uomo Ragno [Collana Super-Eroi] #3 (1970), Eclipso #52 (1975), The Avengers #69 (1975), Essential Doctor Strange #2 (2005), Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange #3 (2007), Gene Colan Tribute Book #1 (2008), Doctor Strange Omnibus #2 (2021), Doctor Strange #[nn] (2023), Doctor Strange Epic Collection #2 (2024), Conan #5/1974, Doktor Strange der Magier #6
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