Doctor Strange Epic Collection, Vol. 3: A Separate Reality

Doctor Strange Epic Collection #3

by Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Gardner Francis Fox

A host of top-flight creators including Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, Stan Lee and Barry Windsor-Smith begin our collection of Doctor Strange at his very best! They'll take you on a trip to the dark side of the Marvel Universe and bring you before The Undying Ones, Baron Mordo, the cosmic threat of Eternity and the eldritch horror of Shuma-Gorath. Then, Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner break new boundaries of cosmic consciousness and other-dimensional adventure. Their all-time classic Sise-Neg Genesis and Silver Dagger sagas feature deliriously lush art and stories that plumb the depths of Strange's soul.

COLLECTING: VOL. 3; DOCTOR STRANGE (1968) 180-183; SUB-MARINER (1968) 22; INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) 126; MARVEL FEATURE (1971) 1; MARVEL PREMIERE (1972) 3-14; DOCTOR STRANGE (1974) 1-5

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Fantasy, Fiction, Supernatural, Adventure

452 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2016

About the author

Roy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.

Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Strange takes on Nightmare, the Undying Ones, Baron Mordo, and Lovecraftian beasties in a New England town, all leading to the unearthly menace of Shuma-Gorath. Should he survive, Silver Dagger and others wait in the wings...

A Separate Reality is a collection of several Doctor Strange stories from the 1970s. I initially bought it after reading about the craziness during Steve Englehart's run on the title in Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. It's kind of a mixed bag.

The first couple stories saw Doctor Strange, wearing his super-hero costume, complete with mask, take on the Undying Ones, Nightmare, Night-crawler (aka Dark Crawler), and Baron Mordo. The Undying Ones storyline was pretty good and I enjoyed Doctor Strange in the mask.

The story of Starkesboro and Shuma-Gorath seemed like it would never end at times but was eventually pretty good, once they stopped shuffling the creative team and Englehart and Brunner took over. Starkesboro was like HP Lovecraft's Innsmouth with a lick of paint and Serpent-men instead of Deep Ones. It had a pretty shocking ending. It was also interesting that some of Robert E. Howard's mythos material was used.

Once Shuma-Gorath is dealt with, Englehart and Brunner really get down to business. Strange takes on Sise-Neg and witnesses the creation of the universe and battles Silver Dagger. It's not every day that the Eye of Agamotto gets stolen and Strange gets stabbed in the back in the span of five pages. There were also cameos by Green Lantern and Captain Midnight!

Overall, I liked the book quite a bit. Steve Englehart writes a great Doctor Strange. While Steve Ditko will always be synonymous with Doctor Strange to me, Gene Colan and Frank Brunner are both very high in the hierarchy. It's a shame Brunner wasn't fast enough to do a monthly book. The man definitely had chops.

Like I said, I liked it quite a bit but I wish more of Englehart's run on the character was included. Hell, we didn't even get to see the universe get destroyed and recreated by Eternity yet.

Four out of five Wands of Watoomb, adjusted by the passage of time.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of the Epic collection collects Doctor Strange #180-183, Sub-Mariner #22, Incredible Hulk #126, Marvel Feature #1, Marvel Premiere #3-14, and Doctor Strange #1-5.

This was a pretty cool run of stories from the Roy Thomas era. From the Undying Ones and Baron Mordo to Shuma Gorath and the Silver Dagger, Dr. Strange faces a variety of different supernatural threats. Perhaps the best arc was the one revolving around the Ancient One and Suma-Gorath, including a very interesting connection I was unaware of.

A pretty good collection of some classic Dr. Strange stories.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crazy enough to be Grant Morrison's childhood bedtime stories, but hampered by the same thing that brings down all comics from this era: wordiness and dead-simple plotting.

[Tony Romine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Doctor Strange: A Separate Reality Epic Collection volume encompasses 5 years in Doctor Strange's publication history from the cancellation of his initial series (originally called Strange Tales) in 1969 into his return in 1974 in his own series for a second time.

The first 6 issues include in this collection are the final four issues of his original series, which was abruptly cancelled and thus Roy Thomas finished the storyline in two other comics he was working on Sub-Mariner and The Incredible Hulk. These 6 issues make up two separate storylines, the first being Strange battling Nightmare to save the entity known as Eternity. By the end of this storyline Stephen Strange will have a new alias as Stephen Sanders and thus lead directly into the next storyline where he seeks the aid of Namor and The Hulk to battle the Undying Ones, a group of demons set loose on Earth. By the end this storyline, Stephen Sanders decides to give up the Doctor Strange gig and focus on himself for a bit, leaving his sanctum behind.

After this it would be over a year and a half before Doctor Strange would grace the pages of a Marvel Comic, but something interesting happened with that final Strange storyline. The team-up of Strange, Namor, and Hulk was so well received that Marvel experimented with giving them their own comic, possibly including Silver Surfer in the mix. Stan Lee nixed letting them use the Surfer, but in 1971 the world was introduced to The Defenders in Marvel Feature #1, included in this volume. It's a great comic that is packed with lots of action and the trio themselves have a great dynamic. It doesn't really connect with any of the other comics in this collection, but is a welcome addition to it.

With Strange's popularity on the rise from The Defenders he was tested once more in his own series, this time in the series Marvel Premiere (an anthology title ostensibly created to showcase characters who lacked their own series). Doctor Strange would inhabit the pages of this comic for almost 2 years, and all of his original storylines from those 14 issues are included here. The first 10 issues are a giant, overarching storyline that has a lot of Lovecraftian overtones to it. Strange travels the physical world and mystical realms in an epic battle against various evil monsters and spirits while his mentor, The Ancient One, lays dying.

The first 6 issues of Marvel Premiere are good, but drastically different from the later issues and this because the first six were written by various writers include Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gardner Fox, all vets of the Bronze/early Silver age. You can definitely see that old fashioned influence in the overbearing dialogue/narration that at times actually seems quite at odds with the type of story they are telling (the artwork is fantastic, handled by various artists including up and coming Marvel legends Barry Windsor-Smith and Jim Starlin). This difference in writing style becomes very apparent when you get to later issues where Steve Englehart took over the writing and Frank Brunner took over the artwork. Their run in Doctor Strange is legendary, Brunner's artwork is some of the best you'll see of the 70s Marvel era. they wrap up the previous Marvel Premiere issues magnificently, laying the groundwork for Doctor Strange's second series.

The first 5 issues of that second series are included here (only a brief excerpt from issue 3 is included because it was just a reprint of some earlier silver age Strange stories with some minor modern framework to keep it the storyline going). Doctor Strange, at this point, has taken over for the Ancient One as Master of the Mystic Arts and is ready to see what these new powers can do and is promptly assassinated by the Silver Dagger. These five issues take Strange from the physical realm to confront death on some weird metaphysical levels while Clea is held hostage by the assassin. Silver Dagger. This is great stuff, very trippy artwork with some deep, intense themes going on and so many weird surprise appearances from various Marvel characters and even some from other forms of literature. By the end of issue 5 you'll be hooked and ready for some more, but sadly this is where the collection ends. Also included are some promo artwork for the new series and some pre-inked sketches of various pages of the comics, all of it very cool.

I can't recommend this collection enough, it's so good all the way through. A great overview of where Doctor Strange really came into his own and a good testament to how this unique character has held a strong presence in the Marvel Universe since he first came on the scene. Wild, weird 70s Marvel fun and essential reading for any comic book fan. My highest recommendation!

[Michael Emond · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some good and bad in this issue. Really this is a 2.5 star review down the middle. The good stuff is the start and the end. The middle is pretty stinky stuff.

The Good: Gene Colon art at the start. OMG - this man was made to draw Doctor strange. Yes, Frank Brunner comes in at the end and also makes a strong case that HE is the best Doctor Strange artist but sorry Frank, Gene Colon's shading, effortless line work for the magic and his style creates a magical dream-like quality to everything that works so perfectly. And Stephen Strange and Clea have never looked so good as a couple. It is, in fact, only these first issues that put in the effort to make them even seem like a couple. The rest of the stories she is ignored or "someone to capture/save". Thank Roy Thomas for that. I don't always love his work but he did a great job here. And he ALWAYS cares about the characters and fleshing out who they are as people.

Also good - Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner - the middle stories were poopy yuck but the whole Silver Dagger story - while a little too trippy for my tastes - was solid and had amazing art. The villain and the heroes were well defined.
Also good - a Barry Windsor Smith story. It was really cool.

The bad - the middle stuff. This has a lot to do with the fact the writers and artists were changing every month AND this was in the middle of a mutli-issue storyline. What was the editor thinking? If there will be so many different creative teams make them stand alone issues. But trying to write a long story by committee - and the members don't seem to talk to each other - was disaster. It was unreadable crap. And I think THE Gardner Fox wrote some of it so it makes me sad to say this. He was obviously near the end of his writing career at this point.

Overall - I would recommend this for Doctor Strange fans but not casual fans. But be warned - it is a good example why a lot of writers found writing for the Sorcerer supreme so hard. how do you write a challenge for a man who is the greatest mystic on Earth and his powers are so poorly defined because they are magic? I think you still can do it but you need a lot more of a plan going into it than writing (as an example) Batman.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trippy and Lovecraftian. Hella Lovecraftian. I mean plots driven by characters from the Cthulhu mythos. The treatment of Wong made me cringe a few too many times to really enjoy it, but I am delighted at the idea that the Vatican has a copy of the Necronomicon.

[Eddie B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing that Steve Englehart wrote almost half of the stories here, I was expecting to like this book. But I would have never imagined how much I'd love it. If I wanted to choose an unofficial title to that volume, it would be "For the Love of Lovecraft". It is so clear that the creators of this book loved Lovecraft as much as they loved their craft. One of the highest points for me here was "Marvel Premiere #4" written by Roy Thomas. It was a love letter to Lovecraft's Innsmouth. And at this point I was already thinking that these stories might have inspired Alan Moore's "Swamp Thing" and even "Providence". The art was also at its best. Maybe the lowest point was the writing of Gardner Fox (for a handful of issues in the middle) that I found a little disappointing and inharmonious. I'm so grateful for whoever decided to collect all those issues (and runs) in one volume. They really seemed to know (and love) what they were doing. Even the few extra pages at the end of the book were among the most meaningful bonus materials I've seen.

[Nicholas Kaufmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a newcomer to Doctor Strange in the comics, I picked up this collection on the suggestion of a knowledgeable friend. Instantly, I learned things about the character I never knew. For instance, in the early days, Doctor Strange wore a mask that covered his entire head in order to protect his identity! He even went by the pseudonym Stephen Sanders for a brief time! He has a magic-wielding girlfriend from another dimension named Clea, and unlike in the MCU films, Wong has no magic but is instead Strange's manservant, who does things like fix meals, chauffeur, and clean Strange's cloak of levitation for him!

The story arcs collected here feature some of Doctor Strange's most iconic classic villains: Nightmare, the Undying Ones, Shuma-Gorath, Sise-Neg, and Silver Dagger. They're all good fun, with a healthy dose of psychedelic surrealism whenever Strange enters another dimension of reality. Modern comics readers who are used to more naturalistic dialogue might find the highly dramatic and excessively declarative dialogue of writers Roy Thomas, Gardner Fox, and Steve Englehart over the top, but it was the style at the time and there's a certain period charm to it. The art is excellent, particular that of Frank Brunner in the later issues.

This is a very enjoyable collection that I would recommend for Doctor Strange fans and newcomers alike. It's pricey, but the book is worth it for the full-color art. I look forward to reading more Doctor Strange in the future!

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This transitional volume of Doctor Strange covers the end of Strange's first comic, the beginning of his second, and what comes in-between. It's roughly divided into four parts.

First up is Roy Thomas' finale to the original series, featuring Eternity and Nightmare. It feels very much like early Strange with a sense of cosmic wonder, and is well done.

Second is Strange's appearance in the comics of the other people who would become the Defenders, which is better situated in the Defenders omnibus (where I read it), and so I have no additional comments on it here (except that it closes off the plot left hanging at the end of Strange's initial run, so I understand why they included it).

Third is the first part of the Marvel Premiere run, which is by Gardener Fox. It's the most delightful part of the volume because it leans into the Cthulhu Mythos courtesy of Robert Howard. Unfortunately, Fox leaves before he can finish up the story.

Fourth is the run by Steve Englehart closing Premiere and starting the second volume of Strange. It's much more weird and metaphysical than any of the other stories, something that damages the end of Fox's very physical horror, but works a little better in the Strange comic when the Silver Dagger is brought in as a nemesis.

Overall, an OK volume.

[Zack! Empire · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's good but it took me a long time to finish. I've actually been reading this book off and on since it came out in November of last year. It took me that long to finish. I just couldn't get into this long story in the middle of the book. It almost has a video game like structure to it, where Doctor Strange travels different places (levels) and has to fight various minions before he can finally take on the main bad guy (level boss). Then, of course, he fights the boss at on the last level, which was the hardest level so far. I mean, I get that someone so powerful would have underlings, but I just could not get into this story, and it seemed to go on FOREVER.
However, there is a really cool Marvel Comsic and the more Supernatural fringe elements here that I did like. For some reason I'm just being drawn more towards the off beat stuff these days.
I can't say that beyond getting the Ditko stuff when it gets the Epic treatment wither I'll be buying anymore, but I might. I haven't really decided.

[Mr. Stick · Rating 2 out of 5]

"WE LIVE ON A PLACID ISLAND OF IGNORANCE, IN THE MIDST OF BLACK SEAS OF INFINITY, AND IT WAS NOT MEANT THAT WE SHOULD VOYAGE FAR...!"
- H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937)

I'm cheap. So, if I hadn't found this on sale, I probably wouldn't've bought it. Horror/occult ain't my bag of literature. Moreover, it turned out to be a major slog. I struggled through each issue. It was just page after page of florid dialogue and excessive narration. Yeah, I know. It's a comic book. But this was extra. I rather enjoyed the art, "Lovecraftian" though it was.
Honestly, the illustration of the first issue, was quite ahead of its time for 1969. This kind of dark backdrop, melodrama, exploitation of shadow and divergence from the square nine-cell page were distinctions of the 80's.
However, the dialogue was like a bad radio thriller from the 30's.
The last three issues were rather good, but not quite good enough to make me forget the preceding slog
In summary:
This was not over quickly. I did not enjoy this.

[Blue · Rating 1 out of 5]

(pages 1-158 of the 480 page book) Has a weird first arc, then out of nowhere skipped to different marvel characters' series as they are brought in before disappearing without a trace. The conclusion of the arc leaves a human woman who saved him in captivity in another realm which is utterly out of character. Apparently he also left his powers and mystic life which is also super out of character, then regained his role with almost no fanfare but that issue was located AFTER an intervening arc, Defenders, although it took place before it, and Defenders also just used other characters as placeholders, and the entire thing might as well have not happened unless the lighthouse being delayed gets used later.

(pg 158-179) is Marvel Premier 3, starting the 2nd large arc it seems? This collection has been flipping between writing and art styles and not even halfway through.

(180-242) covers Premier 4-6. Sigguth and some cult. How curious that it uses a reversed cross, when the creature is said to predate even humans, let alone modern religions. #7 will continue the arc but in a new location with a new boss fight. Especially with the person coming to hire Strange who immediately accepts and takes off, the character has a lot in common with Sherlock - arrogance, dismissal of others, running off and keeping secrets even from those he relies on, and a sure belief he is supreme while ignoring how he continually needs and gets help.

(pg 242-325) Premier 7-10 Still didn't like this arc, and they kill off the mentor again, probably for real but maybe not. Half-ass some philosophy. Seems like a really grand scope that changes the continuum for some half baked story. Seems to have completely forgot about Veronica.

(pg 326-389) Premier 11-14
This arc is so weird. Not in an interesting way either. Backwards names chicanery, story details that should affect a LOT based on the scale but are used in a throwaway mini arc. Loved he part where Strange is like "why do we do this as muggles, I have magic" and then the very next page is doing the same thing travelling but by less magical cloak instead of poof/teleportation means. Definitely forgot about the HUMAN apprentice character in favor of the person who has no ties to Earth and no intention to stick around. :/

Pg390-480 are the new Doctor Strange title series with issues 1-5. It was a new arc, and okay. Suggests quite a bit of improvement in the new series.

[Martin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it wasn’t for Englehart and Brunner, this would be getting only two stars. They’re the best thing to happen to the character since Ditko.

There’s some nice Gene Colan art at the beginning, but it’s married to Roy Thomas making loads of weird choices for Strange. Then there’s an issue drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith, which looks great but it’s seemingly also scripted by BWS and is possibly one of the worst things I’ve ever read.

The Shuma-Garoth story should be good, bringing Lovecraftian elements into the series but the constant churn of writers and artists makes it incredibly disjointed and underwhelming until the entire book is rescued by Englehart and Brunner.

Brunner’s art is wonderfully atmospheric and stylish, while Englehart is the possibly the first writer to work on Doctor Strange whose ideas and thinking matches the cosmic, ethereal wonderment that Ditko instilled in the character. He gives philosophical depth to Strange that sets him apart from most other heroes and explores deep and off-beat concepts.

[Jimbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this collection was a bit of a mixed bag--artist and writers--I think there was a consistency that Roy Thomas brought to the character and the stories that held it together rather well.

Doctor Strange has always been one of the few singular different characters in the Marvel Universe (Spider-Man, Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine at his best), Strange's world rarely collided with the world of super-heroes--even with the Defenders. The stories were more mythical based and outside.

His battles with Robert E Howard creations through the Marvel Premier issues was a different twelve issue arc, and brought about his ascension to Sorcerer Supreme (Although they didn't put that on the cover of his self-titled 1974 run.

Good reading.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um mergulho no lado mais psicadélico de Doctor Strange, com histórias clássicas onde os conceitos de realidade se fundem, o feiticeiro enfrenta os mais terríveis inimigos, e se vê obrigado a matar o seu mestre para que este transcenda a realidade física. Especialmente divertida a série de histórias em que Strange se cruza com aldeões reptilianos de uma cidadezinha da costa leste, culminando com lutas contra criaturas que dormem sob as profundezas do oceano. Uma brincadeira lovecraftiana entre The Shadow over Innsmouth e Call of Cthulhu, apesar de nos créditos das histórias os personagens serem atribuídos a Robert E. Howard e não a Lovecraft.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect example of comics transitioning from the Silver to the Bronze Age. We have Roy Thomas in the early stories turning Dr. Strange into a more conventional hero with a secret identity; Strange's series getting canceled with the final arc wrapped up in other books; a new series launches, undone by constant shifts in the creative team; and then the very seventies (in a good way) mystical run by Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner, as Dr. Strange witnesses the rebirth of the universe ("I, Sise-Neg, am Genesis — I am God!") then undergoes his own death and rebirth.
A large chunk of this is a mess but the good stuff is so good it gets five stars from me anyway.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bronze age Doctor Strange starts off full of Lovecraftian craziness, then there are a couple collected arcs that are deeply weird. A great stable of artists passed through the title, but Frank Bruner is the dominant artist here and he is top-shelf psychedelic Marvel. The art frequently outstrips the writing, particularly the dialog which is just a firehose of exposition that never lets up. This never could have existed without the Ditko-era, but it is far better, particularly on the writing side.

[Salvador J. Nunez · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not an origin story, you see how Dr. Strange succeeds the Ancient One in becoming sorceror supreme and see familiar faces like Baron Mordo, Clea, and Wong. Time and Reality are confirmed as recurrent motifs for Dr. Strange. The art work is ok. I was expecting more impressive visuals and a deeper story. The commentary on the Catholic church was interesting: a misguided and disappointed cardinal fails in his ambition to become the next pope and instead becomes a formidable enemy looking to vanquish heretic magic.

[Darius Rips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the Marvel Premiere and Dr Strange issues in this volume when they were first published. 40 years later, I am all grown up, and not supposed to be reading comics at my age. I'm glad I don't pay attention to these kinds of rules, because the art and story here have aged beautifully. As writers. Steve Englehardt here and also Jim Starlin around the same time paved the way for Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.

[Maurício Dantas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foi aqui que aprendi a gostar do Frank Brunner (não peguei a fase dele que saiu aqui em Superaventuras Marvel bem no comecinho do título). As histórias são ótimas, com uma embolada grande no meio do arco maior, mas o início da mensal do Estranho (que tem o arco que dá nome ao volume) é excelente.

Inclusive, escrevi sobre isso pro Arte Final: https://artefinalhq.com.br/wp/2019/01...

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd volume. It represents a few shifts in Strange’s status quo, covers a cancellation and a rebirth. The early-mid 70s art (by too many artists to list) is trippy and pretty high quality. A few of the stories (especially the Marvel Premiere ones) are straight up Lovecraft. The rest are just trippy in the way that a lot of stuff from that era could be. Mostly interesting for the history, but this could also be a good crash course in Classic Strange.

[Patrick.G.P · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth! Marvel's sorcerer supreme battles the eldritch horrors that lurks beyond time and space. Great collection of the early 70s run of Dr. Strange, featuring Lovecraftian monsters, Robert E. Howard's Unaussprechlichen Kulten and excellent psycedelic artwork.
Worth reading for the Shuma-Gorath storyline alone!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you might expect from a book collecting such a large number of stories, there are some great ones and some clunkers. Fortunately, the great ones include the run of issues by Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner, which are definitive Dr Strange stories, and their inclusion makes this book well worth the price on their own.

[Rohith Chandramouli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great runs, from Roy Thomas and Gene Colan doing some of the most gorgeous art ever put to page, to the intrigue of the Shuma-Gorath run, to Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner taking the character in different directions.

Great art from Colan, Brunner, Barry Windsor-Smith, Marie Severin, Herb Trimpe, and Jim Starlin, and great writing from Thomas, Englehart and Gardner Fox.

[LadySolitaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it! It was a great collection of series and story arcs. I love the magnificent art and amazing storylines. I would say, though, that the Shuma-Gorath arc took a bit too long to reach its climax. It was a bit too much for me. But I still enjoyed the whole thing.

[Judy Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection goes up to the period when I started reading Doctor Strange. While I found the story line still as good, I was less impressed with the writing than I was as a teenager. He narrates his life too much since he stands alone before evil. Still wonderful to visit.

[Sean Camoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

So campy, such a product of the times. The narrative and dialogue is so over the top. Love it.

[Jillypenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Chris Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as Engleheart gets his hands on the wheel, it kicks into a way higher gear. That last 1/4 of the book earns it 4 stars. The first 3/4 is very OK.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't a huge fan of the '69-'72 issues, but the Englehart / Brunner run from July '73 to Dec '74 is mind-blowing and awesome! Everything I was looking for.