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Doctor Strange: Master Of The Mystic Arts Omnibus Vol. 1 Frank Brunner Doctor Strange & Clea Cover
Collects Marvel Premiere #3-14, Doctor Strange (1974) #1-22 and Annual (1976) #1 and Tomb Of Dracula (1972) #44.
When Doctor Strange's first solo series ended, there was little doubt the Master of the Mystic Arts would soon return. That moment arrived in MARVEL PREMIERE, where hot new art talents illustrated tales tinged with Lovecraftian horror. Writer Steve Englehart and artist Frank Brunner then brought Doctor Strange to new heights of cosmic consciousness and other-dimensional adventure. Brunner's art mixed a deliriously lush line with psychedelic stylings, while Englehart's scripting plumbed the depths of Strange's soul. The series goes from strength to strength when artist Gene Colan returns, and the entity Eternity declares that the end-times are here. Next comes a Doc Strange-vs.-Dracula crossover and a time-traveling Occult History of America.
When Doctor Strange's first solo series ended, there was little doubt the Master of the Mystic Arts would soon return. That moment arrived in MARVEL PREMIERE, where hot new art talents illustrated tales tinged with Lovecraftian horror. Writer Steve Englehart and artist Frank Brunner then brought Doctor Strange to new heights of cosmic consciousness and other-dimensional adventure. Brunner's art mixed a deliriously lush line with psychedelic stylings, while Englehart's scripting plumbed the depths of Strange's soul. The series goes from strength to strength when artist Gene Colan returns, and the entity Eternity declares that the end-times are here. Next comes a Doc Strange-vs.-Dracula crossover and a time-traveling Occult History of America.
776 pages, Hardcover
First published January 11, 1977
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13 people want to read
About the author
Steve Englehart
1,396 books97 followersSee also John Harkness.
Steve Englehart went to Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. After a stint in the Army, he moved to New York and began to write for Marvel Comics. That led to long runs on Captain America, The Hulk, The Avengers, Dr. Strange, and a dozen other titles. Midway through that period he moved to California (where he remains), and met and married his wife Terry.
He was finally hired away from Marvel by DC Comics, to be their lead writer and revamp their core characters (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern). He did, but he also wrote a solo Batman series (immediately dubbed the "definitive" version) that later became Warner Brothers' first Batman film (the good one).
After that he left comics for a time, traveled in Europe for a year, wrote a novel (The Point Man™), and came back to design video games for Atari (E.T., Garfield). But he still liked comics, so he created Coyote™, which within its first year was rated one of America's ten best series. Other projects he owned (Scorpio Rose™, The Djinn™) were mixed with company series (Green Lantern [with Joe Staton], Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four). Meanwhile, he continued his game design for Activision, Electronic Arts, Sega, and Brøderbund.
And once he and Terry had their two sons, Alex and Eric, he naturally told them stories. Rustle's Christmas Adventure was first devised for them. He went on to add a run of mid-grade books to his bibliography, including the DNAgers™ adventure series, and Countdown to Flight, a biography of the Wright brothers selected by NASA as the basis for their school curriculum on the invention of the airplane.
In 1992 Steve was asked to co-create a comics pantheon called the Ultraverse. One of his contributions, The Night Man, became not only a successful comics series, but also a television show. That led to more Hollywood work, including animated series such as Street Fighter, GI Joe, and Team Atlantis for Disney.
Steve Englehart went to Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. After a stint in the Army, he moved to New York and began to write for Marvel Comics. That led to long runs on Captain America, The Hulk, The Avengers, Dr. Strange, and a dozen other titles. Midway through that period he moved to California (where he remains), and met and married his wife Terry.
He was finally hired away from Marvel by DC Comics, to be their lead writer and revamp their core characters (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern). He did, but he also wrote a solo Batman series (immediately dubbed the "definitive" version) that later became Warner Brothers' first Batman film (the good one).
After that he left comics for a time, traveled in Europe for a year, wrote a novel (The Point Man™), and came back to design video games for Atari (E.T., Garfield). But he still liked comics, so he created Coyote™, which within its first year was rated one of America's ten best series. Other projects he owned (Scorpio Rose™, The Djinn™) were mixed with company series (Green Lantern [with Joe Staton], Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four). Meanwhile, he continued his game design for Activision, Electronic Arts, Sega, and Brøderbund.
And once he and Terry had their two sons, Alex and Eric, he naturally told them stories. Rustle's Christmas Adventure was first devised for them. He went on to add a run of mid-grade books to his bibliography, including the DNAgers™ adventure series, and Countdown to Flight, a biography of the Wright brothers selected by NASA as the basis for their school curriculum on the invention of the airplane.
In 1992 Steve was asked to co-create a comics pantheon called the Ultraverse. One of his contributions, The Night Man, became not only a successful comics series, but also a television show. That led to more Hollywood work, including animated series such as Street Fighter, GI Joe, and Team Atlantis for Disney.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 12, 2025
(Zero spoiler review) 4.5/5
Without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest Doctor Strange omnibus yet released. From the Lovecraft infused earlier issues (which were great). Through explorations of the cosmic and metaphysical (which were great). To finally returning to the slightly more typical Doctor Strange fare of runs passed (whilst still being great). Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts was one of the omni's I had been most looking forward to all year, and it sure as Satannish didn't disappoint.
The art throughout, despite having more artist swaps than I would like, was nothing short of outstanding. If you consider yourself a comic book enthusiast and aren't worshipping at the altar of Frank Brunner than there is something wrong with you. He may have left the book far too soon, but when you get Gene Colan taking up the mantle, you know you've hardly been dealt a bum hand. Then, just to show how amazing this medium used to be, you get Alfredo Alcala, Rudy Nebres and P. Craig Russel as fill in artists. The mind boggles at the former talent within this industry, that all of the above mentioned names can appear back to back.
Steve Englehart, who does the majority of the writing shows why he to is one of comic's most underrated artisan's. If densely layered and intelligent explorations in all things supernatural and metaphysical isn't your thing, then I'm sure you can get your fix of costume clad heroes punching their way to victory elsewhere, but this is (sips a cup of tea with his pinky finger in the air) is the comic book for the more discerning, more intellectual of readers. And it's bloody brilliant. 4.5/5
OmniBen.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest Doctor Strange omnibus yet released. From the Lovecraft infused earlier issues (which were great). Through explorations of the cosmic and metaphysical (which were great). To finally returning to the slightly more typical Doctor Strange fare of runs passed (whilst still being great). Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts was one of the omni's I had been most looking forward to all year, and it sure as Satannish didn't disappoint.
The art throughout, despite having more artist swaps than I would like, was nothing short of outstanding. If you consider yourself a comic book enthusiast and aren't worshipping at the altar of Frank Brunner than there is something wrong with you. He may have left the book far too soon, but when you get Gene Colan taking up the mantle, you know you've hardly been dealt a bum hand. Then, just to show how amazing this medium used to be, you get Alfredo Alcala, Rudy Nebres and P. Craig Russel as fill in artists. The mind boggles at the former talent within this industry, that all of the above mentioned names can appear back to back.
Steve Englehart, who does the majority of the writing shows why he to is one of comic's most underrated artisan's. If densely layered and intelligent explorations in all things supernatural and metaphysical isn't your thing, then I'm sure you can get your fix of costume clad heroes punching their way to victory elsewhere, but this is (sips a cup of tea with his pinky finger in the air) is the comic book for the more discerning, more intellectual of readers. And it's bloody brilliant. 4.5/5
OmniBen.
April 24, 2025
I finally finished Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts Omnibus Vol. 1, the one I started a few weeks back. I was never a big Strange fan before, but this collection won me over. It gathers Marvel Premiere #3–14, Doctor Strange (1974) #1–22, and more—covering his return to solo stories and his rise to Sorcerer Supreme.
The early issues are hit-or-miss. You get standout art from Barry Windsor-Smith and P. Craig Russell, but also some uneven stories and one notorious misfire (Marvel Premiere #5) that even Marvel admitted didn’t work. Still, the arc slowly builds around Shuma-Gorath, an elder god straight out of the Lovecraft-Howard mythos, which gives it a strong thematic spine.
Everything levels up when Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner take over. Brunner’s sprawling, surreal layouts and Englehart’s cosmic, introspective scripts create a run that feels both personal and grand. Strange’s battle with Shuma-Gorath, the death of the Ancient One, and his ascension to Sorcerer Supreme all hit hard. This is where the book justifies itself.
When Brunner exits, Gene Colan takes over art duties. His shadow-drenched, fluid style shifts the tone again—less psychedelic, more moody and expressive. The stories lose a bit of cohesion toward the end, but Colan keeps the visual energy high, and the Dracula crossover is a fun detour.
This is Strange at his most ambitious—philosophical, horror-tinged, and genuinely weird. If you're curious where to start with the character, this volume captures why he’s endured.
The early issues are hit-or-miss. You get standout art from Barry Windsor-Smith and P. Craig Russell, but also some uneven stories and one notorious misfire (Marvel Premiere #5) that even Marvel admitted didn’t work. Still, the arc slowly builds around Shuma-Gorath, an elder god straight out of the Lovecraft-Howard mythos, which gives it a strong thematic spine.
Everything levels up when Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner take over. Brunner’s sprawling, surreal layouts and Englehart’s cosmic, introspective scripts create a run that feels both personal and grand. Strange’s battle with Shuma-Gorath, the death of the Ancient One, and his ascension to Sorcerer Supreme all hit hard. This is where the book justifies itself.
When Brunner exits, Gene Colan takes over art duties. His shadow-drenched, fluid style shifts the tone again—less psychedelic, more moody and expressive. The stories lose a bit of cohesion toward the end, but Colan keeps the visual energy high, and the Dracula crossover is a fun detour.
This is Strange at his most ambitious—philosophical, horror-tinged, and genuinely weird. If you're curious where to start with the character, this volume captures why he’s endured.
December 20, 2025
The artwork a big leap forward while the storytelling takes a step in the right direction.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews