Doctor Strange #51
Published and © by Marvel, February 1982
Title: “A Time for Love, a Time for Hate!”
Synopsis: Doctor Strange, Nick Fury and others come together during World War II to thwart a time-travel plot from Dormammu.
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciler: Marshall Rogers
Inker: Terry Austin
Review: This comic is… a lot. Writer Roger Stern deftly weaves together multiple plot threads and romantic entanglements, but his story also features enough time paradoxes and mystical gibberish to have some readers reaching for Excedrin. On the art side, Marshall Rogers delivers excellent cartooning and innovative use of color while Terry Austin adds a sumptuous level of detail. But the artists’ creative reach often exceeds the production capabilities of the era, ultimately undermining storytelling clarity. As a whole, this incredibly dense outing still earns high marks as it’s fun seeing top-notch creators pushing the boundaries of the medium’s mainstream.
Grade: A-
Second opinion: Recommended by The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide (second edition), 2003.
Cool factor: Damn, Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin are good.
Notable: Cameo appearance by Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos.
Collector’s note: According to MyComicShop.com, there is a Mark Jewelers variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “Behold the woman Clea! She of my own Dark Dimension … she, the disciple of the accursed Doctor Strange…she, the traitor! Her death shall fuel the fires of my rebirth!” – Dormammu, with a mad on for Clea
Editor’s note: This review was written May 14, 2025.
