With Doctor Strange hitting the theaters this weekend, and my scheduled showtime six hours away, it is appropriate that I take a look at one of the latest Marvel One-Shots : "Dr. Strange: Nexus Of Nightmares #1." With Dr. Strange being created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, this tale comes from the pen of Ralph Macchio. The mysticism is kept intact by the amazing artwork of Ibrahim Moustafa, with Neera J. Menon adding colors and VC's Cory Petit contributing the crisp lettering. The cover, which is a masterpiece in itself, was done by Todd Nauck and Rachelle Rosenberg.
Castle Dracula had nothing during its heyday on Castle Mordo. We are not dealing with vampires here. Instead, Mordo is preparing to enter the Dream Dimension and resurrect Nightmare to roam among the living. There is only one problem. The spell needed to make this happen is contained in the Darkhold book, which is currently hidden within Stephen Strange's library.
In an attempt to get closer to the waking world, Nightmare has invaded the dreams of Dr. Strange to mess with his confidence. This includes forcing dreams involving Strange's life as a Neurosurgeon. Everything is as clear as if it was yesterday, as Strange relives the accident that caused the nerve damage limiting the use of his hands. He also gets to see how he never showed any empathy toward those in need.
Strange first met Baron Mordo when he went to visit the Ancient One at his Temple, hoping to receive a cure for his current condition. Strange's arrogance wasn't received very well by the Ancient One. Wong lends an ear to Strange's dream experiences and his babbling about not being a worthy Sorcerer Supreme. With Nightmare already invading the good doctor's sleep, Mordo figures this is the perfect time to act out his plan. With the help of Wong, Strange regains his confidence which allows him to come down on Mordo as a Sorcerer Supreme should. Being a One-Shot, the story obviously ends here. However, this doesn't mean that this can't continue through other storylines. Having the power to rule the Dream Dimension kind of gives a villain an edge to allow any attack to be that much more effective!
