Doctor Strange Epic Collection, Vol. 8: Triumph and Torment

Doctor Strange Epic Collection #8

by Peter B. Gillis, Roy Thomas (Contributor), Dann Thomas (Contributor)

Collects Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (1988) #1-13; Marvel Graphic Novel: Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom - Triumph and Torment (1989).

The Doctors are in! The world believes Doctor Strange is dead - but he might soon be when Dormammu steals his body! Can Clea and Topaz help Strange regain control of his corporeal form? Then, the New Defenders return and Strange takes on a new apprentice: the other-dimensional Rintrah! But the Doc's soul is at stake when Baron Mordo strikes - and demon-lords Satannish and Mephisto make their move! NOW magazine makes Stephen its cover star - but what is his brother Victor's secret? And when the Acts of Vengeance erupt, Strange and Clea must face the Hobgoblin, the Enchantress and Arkon! Plus, in a graphic novel classic illustrated by Mike Mignola, Doctor Strange joins Doctor Doom on a journey into Hell!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Fantasy, Collections, Supernatural

484 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 23, 2019

About the author

Peter B. Gillis (born December 19, 1952) is an American comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and First Comics in the mid-1980s, including the series Strikeforce: Morituri and the digitally drawn comic series Shatter.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection has equal parts good and bad going for it.

the good:
Beautiful art by Jackson Guice and Mike Mignola, both at the top of their game.
Strange fights Dormammu while in the body of a rat and talks to magic frogs.
Roy and Dann Thomas write some fun romance stories thinly disguised as supernatural.
Just about everything about the Strange/Doom graphic novel is cool. Especially the colors and the gothic story by Roger Stern.

the bad:
Ugly 80's art by Richard Case in the first few issues, not a great start for the beginning of a series.
Peter Gillis writes a story that ties up some loose ends about some Defenders characters, it doesn't make much sense.
Although Guice does such a good job in the art department, he goes out of his way to make every supporting female character look like a model. So the character of Sara Wolf went from being skinny and plain, to looking like a supermodel. It's jarring.
Did I really need to see up Clea's skirt? Sexuality makes for some great stories, but when they over-do it, it just seems forced.
Such a cool idea, to create a long lost brother who has been dead for years and locked in cold storage with vampire fangs. But then they do nothing with it.

[Jonathan Ammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection has three very distinctly different types of Dr. Strange stories. First is the end of Peter Gillis and Richard Case's 80's strange, which I enjoy very much. SORCERER SUPREME #2 is a favorite issue of mine culminating in Dr. Strange in a rat's body clutching the wings of needless sorrow between his rat-paws and fighting of Dormammu who has taken possession of Dr. Strange's body. It gets better. Dormammu is ultimately not defeated by Strange but by Topaz the empath healer who defeats Dormammu by "healing" him. I didn't even yet mention the fact that Strange-in-a-rat befriends a tribe of frogs in order to perform a ritual. I adore this issue.

There are a couple of duds right after as Gillis tries to tie up some storylines from The Defenders and then Roy Thomas returns to Dr. Strange with Jackson Guice. Thomas's Strange is immediately different. It's full of jokes, pop-culture references, and idiomatic turns of phrase. Guice's art is just as big a departure. So much so that they had to explain that Strange had started lifting weights. I disliked Guice's art as a teenager, but he clearly has mountains of talent and style. He gives a more sensual treatment to both the men and women which once or twice crosses lines of decency. The art matches the stories as Thomas is more interested in romance than previous Strange writers. A number of storylines are seeded that will have big payoffs later, but this collections only contains the openings.

Finally the TRIUMPH AND TORMENT graphic novel written by Roger Stern and illustrated by the famous Mike Mignola. This was my first time reading it, and this is one my favorite stories I've ever read in the medium. Spectacular. I love Dr. Strange. I love Dr. Doom. Stern understands them both and the archetypal themes they bring with their characters, and he has more than just a hero story to tell.

[Niko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Triumph and Torment is 4/5

The rest is very uneven. It varies everywhere between 1/5 moments to 5/5 gems.

I'm giving it 2.5/5, rounded up to 3.

[Nicholas Dehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book can essentially be split up into 3 segments: Dr. Strange (1989) issues #1-13, Book of the Vishanti B-stories, and the Triumph and Torment graphic novel. The Dr strange issues were all solid and enjoyable- nothing life changing, but I will think back on them fondly and am glad I read them. The book of the vishanti actually had more substance to me, being a vessel for explaining lore and backstories in a darker tone with quicker pacing. I really enjoyed them. Triumph and Torment, of course, was absolutely leagues above the rest of the book in quality. Stern’s story is incredible and I will be looking into reading more of his work; And of course art by the great Mike Mignola is enough to make me read anything. The novel was an excellent character study of the fascinating Doctor Doom as well as a contrasting Dr. Strange. Both characters are written and picked apart with great care and I was shocked by how well I felt that they fit together in this story. I didn’t want this story to end- and yet I couldn’t help but read it in basically no time. In my opinion it was one of the greatest books i have ever read. I will read it again and I will recommend it to friends📖

[Omni Theus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too Text Heavy & Poor Art Fail an Excellent Story
OVERALL RATING: 1.75 stars
Art: 1.5 stars
Prose: 1 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars
Pacing: 2 stars
Character Development: 4 stars
World Building: 3 stars
Purely rated for Triumph and Torment arc. It seems anything Marvel pre 1998 is just not for me...

[Zuuru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Triumph and Torment is a real good, well-paced, dramatic story. One of those that becomes an instant classic and is the result of a lot of talent and care. So 5/5 for that one.

Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #1-13 are somewhat mixed. I was sometimes put off by Strange's voice. Maybe I was still used to his more stern, though not cold Ditko-era personality, but here he was a bit too... the first word that came to mind was "horny" :DDD. But maybe "youthful" is better. In any case, I found his voice a bit odd. Clea was #queen of course and I really liked how self-assured and determined she was. His supporting cast is a lot of fun, that Mordo and Sara Wolfe attraction was surprisingly enticing (and I am a slut for these kinds of things, so naturally I enjoyed it). The art was so-and-so, the men tended to look better, which is funny considering all the women posed like they were traced from magazine shots (I presume that was the case. Still better than a certain porn-tracing individual).

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. It started off a little rough dealing a lot with the aftermath of Secret Wars II, but once the book was able to be on its own it really took off. The Marvel vampire history stuff was interesting, Baron Mordo selling his soul to two different demons was a nice high stakes story, and the Acts of Vengeance tie-in issues were a lot of fun. However, the best part of this collection was the reprinting of Dr Strange and Dr Doom: Triumph and Torment. Just perfect comic book storytelling. One of if not the best Dr Doom story in comics. Roger Stern has a perfect understanding of these characters, Mike Mignola’s art is perfect for these various mystical worlds, and Mark Badger’s colors just add so much to this story. A perfect one and done story that adds so many layers to the Dr Doom, Dr Strange, and even Mephisto characters. This story alone is worth reading this collection. If you are vaguely familiar with Dr Strange, I highly recommend this book.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so this collects a 13-issue run of Strange by Gillis and Thomas, and then the titular graphic novel Triumph and Torment by Stern.

Honestly, I struggled to enjoy the stories in the 13 issues. Some were hard to follow and others just put me to sleep. The art was decent enough, but reading these were just a slog and the whole time I was holding out, hoping the graphic novel at the end would make it all worthwhile…

And it did! Stern’s writing was like a breath of fresh air compared to what came before it and Mignola’s art was way more to my taste, just way more pleasant to look at. And the story of Strange and Doom going to hell to free Doom’s mom was more interesting and coherent than I expected after the pain I suffered through to get to it LOL

Wish i could say I enjoyed the whole package, but the graphic novel is the only reason I’m keeping this collection.

[Lucas Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

five stars for Gillis and Stern, you can skip the Thomas arc in the middle

Gillis and Stern really understand the character and are able to bring so much to the story and are paired with great artists here. Gillis ends a decade of work with Strange with such a nice end that really shows the character. Stern provides one of the all time great Marvel stories with Triumph and Torment. Roy Thomas on the other hand is really just mediocre “by the hoary hordes” stuff that doesn’t match the quality of the other two. That’s comics though

[Robert Cahill · Rating 3 out of 5]

While you get a great value, save yourself reading the first 13 stories and read Triumph and Torment because it was the best sorry within the collection. The collection starts after Dr Strange has been declared dead. Of course, it is a ruse to throw his enemies off the scent. The next 13 issues cover various events that are somewhat notable. Regardless, the volume concludes with Strange and Dr Doom joining forces to free Doom's mother from the underworld. That story is worth reading.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gems include Dormammu steals Strange’s body, Rat Strange & the Frogs of Central Park perform a summoning, Strange & Clea wed, Strange & Doom v. Mephisto, Mordo plays a double Faust gambit, Rintrah disguises as Howard the Duck, revelation of Agamotto the All-seeing, Mordo v. Drac, Darkhold history, Strange v. Morb & Hobgoblin, & Clea v. Enchantress & Arkon

[Ruben Cordova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic, demons, origins, sorcerers

hit the spot. easy to understand , engaging, encore, informative, cleverly delivered, good read, landscapes the dark dimension Universe very well.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well apparently comics loosened up in the late 80's and early 90's. There were a lot of 'male gaze' moments in this volume.

[Martin Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gillis/Case issues are shaky, but it really picks up when the Thomases and Guice take over (though I was surprised to see Guice was so cheesecakey at this point in his career).

[Josh Dormammu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ah, magic, the cause of and solution to all of Doctor Strange's problems.

[Nicholas Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars for Triumph and Torment. Best Marvel graphic novel in my opinion.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The true gem of this collection is the Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom Graphic Novel Triumph and Torment. It’s a fantastic tale seeing Strange and Doom team up to try and save the soul of Doom’s mother. Roger Stern’s crafts a fantastic tale and Mike Mingnola’s art is hauntingly beautiful. The other stories are good some better than others. I greatly enjoyed the Faust Gambit. And the Vampire arc has me interested enough to seek out other volumes. Roy and Dann Thomas are fun writers. This is a fun read. Worth the price alone for Triumph and Torment.

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed this collection, but really wish that Marvel would publish volume 2.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The shining star in this collection is the graphic novel, Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom:Triumph and Torment. Roger Stern and Mike Mignola are both at the top of their game with the two doctors teaming up to try and save Doom's mom from Hell.

The regular series is not very good. Peter Gillis has some good ideas at the start of this new series. Strange's powers have been lowered and he's missing an eye. Dormammu takes over his body leaving Strange in the body of a rat. It all sounds cool but it's so overwritten that it bored me to tears. Then Roy and Dann Thomas take over the book with the fifth issue. The writing is a little better but the plots aren't great. Jackson Guice's art is terrific though. We get the return of Baron Mordu and then some Acts of Vengeance issues. There's a dumb subplot about a tell all book coming out about Dr. Strange being a sorcerer that all gets hand waved away.

[Tacitus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection had some fun, well-written, well-illustrated issues, but overall they lacked a theme or longer arc that could hold my interest. Many highlight Strange's romantic involvements, primarily to Clea. One issue sees him trying to fight Dormammu while in the body of a NYC rat. Some of the female depictions draw attention to themselves and border on tasteless, as they seem to use reference torn from “Vogue” or “Playboy” circa 1988.

The star, here, though, is the graphic novel “Triumph and Torment,” which is a stand-alone at the end of the collection and can be safely read in isolation. In it, Drs. Strange and Doom journey to Hades to wrest the soul of Doom's mother away from Mephisto. This was a strong story and the creators displayed mastery of the art form, chiefly through Doom’s characterization.