Appearing in "The Way of the Weird"
Featured Characters:
- Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) (Main story and recap)
Supporting Characters:
- Doctor Voodoo (Jericho Drumm)
- Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff)
- Shaman (Michael Twoyoungmen)
- Zelma Stanton (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Tribe of Soul-Eaters
- Spurrgog the Hell-Breather (First appearance; dies)
- Numerous unnamed others
- Malebranchian Psyche-Leech (First appearance; dies)
- Mind Maggots (First appearance) (Unnamed)
Other Characters:
- The Ancient One (Only in recap)
- Dormammu (Only in recap)
- Baron Mordo (Only in recap)
- Wong (Only in recap)
- Clea (Only in recap)
- Shuma-Gorath (Referenced)
- Valtorr (Invoked)
- Ikthalon (Invoked)
- Munnopor (Invoked)
- Numerous unnamed New Yorkers
- The Thing (Ben Grimm) (Toy)
- Wolverine (Logan) (Poster)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Poster)
- God (Yahweh) (Invoked)
- Triage (Christopher Muse) (Cameo)
- Tempus (Eva Bell) (Cameo)
- Chris Bachalo (First appearance) (Cameo)
- Jubilee (Jubes Lee) (Cameo)
- Storm (Ororo Munroe) (Cameo)
- Marvel Girl (Rachel Grey) (Cameo)
- Monako
- Chondu (Harvey Schlemerman)
- Professor Xu (Xandra Xian Xu) (Mentioned)
- Count Kaoz (Ygor Kaoz) (Mentioned)
- Michael Twoyoungmen's grandmother (Mentioned)
- Nazis (Mentioned)
- Avengers (Mentioned)
- Jeannie (Zelma Stanton's friend) (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and recap)
- Faltine (Only in recap)
- Faltine Hybrids (Only in recap)
- Soul-Eaters
- Mutants (Cameo)
- Interdimensional Bacteria (First appearance)
- Cats
- Dogs (Mentioned)
- Rabbits (Mentioned)
- Rats (Mentioned)
- Demons (Mentioned)
- Mind Maggots (First appearance)
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and recap)
- United States of America (Main story and recap)
- New York State (Main story and recap)
- New York City (Main story and recap)
- Manhattan (Main story and recap)
- Upper East Side (Only in recap)
- Lenox Hill (Only in recap)
- New York Hospital (Only in recap)
- Lenox Hill (Only in recap)
- Upper West Side
- Bar With No Doors (First appearance)
- Greenwich Village
- Upper East Side (Only in recap)
- Bronx (Mentioned)
- Ryker's Island (Referenced)
- Queens (Mentioned)
- Manhattan (Main story and recap)
- New York City (Main story and recap)
- New York State (Main story and recap)
- China (Only in recap)
- Subterranea (Only in recap)
- Netherworld (Only in recap)
- Timbuktu, Mali (Mentioned)
- United States of America (Main story and recap)
- Astral Plane
- Sixth Dimension (Mentioned)
Items:
- Eye of Agamotto (Main story and recap)
- Cloak of Levitation (Main story and recap)
- Vapors of Valtorr (Invoked)
- Icy Tendrils of Ikthalon (Invoked)
- Moons of Munnopor (Invoked)
- Wolverine's Suit (Poster)
- Spider-Man's Suit and Web-Shooters (Poster)
- Axe of Angarruumus (First appearance) (Unnamed)
Synopsis for "The Way of the Weird"
The story begins with Doctor Stephen Strange inside of a young boy's "soulscape" confronting a tribe Soul-Eaters and demanding they leave. The Soul-Eaters refuse and battle with Strange, eventually releasing their champion upon, which Strange defeats handily. Strange then begins making out with one of the Soul-Eaters who he could tell was attracted to him.
In the reality plane of existence, the parents of the boy whose soul Strange is inside walk into the room and find Strange floating in the air and making kissing sounds. As they are commenting on this, Strange returns to reality and lets them know that their son's soul is free from the the parasites that were residing in it. They exchange conversation and Doctor Strange leaves, wandering through the streets of New York while observing the supernatural happenings he passes by.
As he is walking, Strange finds a Psyche-Leech attached to an old man. Strange finds this odd, and removes the leech from the man before continuing on his way to the Bar With No Doors where he meets with his magician friends Doctor Voodoo, Scarlet Witch, and Shaman. Doctor Strange converses with them about the unusual creatures he had been encountering that day with the Soul-Eaters and the Psyche Leech and asks the magicians if they have noticed anything out of the ordinary. While they are talking, the quartet are interrupted by Monako, the owner of the bar, and an old and famous magician. Monako warns Strange that there is a universal balance that needs to be kept for using magic and asks Strange is he is paying his debts. The two argue and eventually Monako leaves.
Later, in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum, Strange meets a woman named Zelma Stanton standing in front of the door who is debating with herself to knock. Strange, not revealing who he is, discusses with her about the house and the man who owns it. He eventually convinces her to knock and as she does, he welcomes her inside. Strange guides her through the Sanctorum and finally convinces Zelma to take off her hat and show him why she came. Zelma does so to reveal a host of parasitic creatures growing on her head that then leap out and run amok in Strange's house.
Appearing in "The Coming Slaughter"
Featured Characters:
- Magister Szandor Sozo (First appearance; dies)
Antagonists:
- Empirikul (First appearance)
- Witchfinder Wolves (First appearance)
- Eyebots (First appearance) (Unnamed)
- Imperator (First appearance)
- Unidentified members
Other Characters:
- Odogo (Invoked)
- Ice Duchess (a magician) (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Crimson Gypsy (a magician) (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Dr. Warlock (a magician) (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Thelema (Invoked)
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Witchfinder Wolves (First appearance)
- Eyebots (First appearance)
Locations:
- Somewhere far across the Dimensional Gulf (First appearance)
- The Mother Lodge (First appearance)
- Thirteenth Dimension (Mentioned)
Items:
- Indigo Chains of Odogo (First appearance)
- Eye of Thelema (First appearance)
Synopsis for "The Coming Slaughter"
This short story is placed after the Letter from the Editor page and is a precursor to future issues.
A bloodied and mysterious wizard is seen dragging himself up the stairs and into a medieval room where he collapses on the floor. Behind him, bounding up the stairs are a pack of ferocious dogs coming after the wizard. The elderly man casts a spell on the door, causing it to slam shut and be chained magically. He then turns to the window and laments his doomed fate, mentioned that he can feel his spells dying. He also reveals that he is the Sorcerer Supreme of the 13th dimension and he leaves a magical message for other sorcerers warning them that the a race called the Empirikul are coming to kill all magic-users. This message floats out of of the open window in the form of a trail of butterflies, and just then the Empirikul's dogs manage to burst break through the door and mutilate the sorcerer. A group of sinister, robotic beings enter the room and inspect the caranage left by the dogs before a cloaked man named the Imperator enters. The Imperator speaks and then destroys the room and the trail of butterflies leaving.