DOCTOR STRANGE - DON'T PAY THE FERRYMAN

Flames of the Faltine! Is it getting hot in here, or is it just Mephisto? When Doctor Strange joins Reed and Sue Richards in battle with the Lord of Lies, the enchanting sorceress Topaz is freed from hell. But half her soul remains in torment. Can Strange complete her -- or will he fall prey first to a siren's song? Or perhaps to a feral feline demon? With a key part of his costume clawed to pieces, Stephen's going to need a new Cloak -- but when the unholy Urthona strikes, he might need a new body, too! The old saying goes: don't pay the ferryman until you get to the other side. But before Strange can reach it, there might even be a new Sorcerer Supreme!

Collecting: DOCTOR STRANGE (1974) # 75-81, written by Roger Stern & Peter B. Gillis; drawn by Sal Buscema and Chris Warner; cover by Mike Mignola

Roger Stern enjoyed well-regarded runs on Doctor Strange, as well as on Avengers, Captain America, Incredible Hulk, and Amazing Spider-Man, in which he introduced Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) and the Hobgoblin. He launched West Coast Avengers and wrote numerous tie-in miniseries starring Earth's Mightiest Heroes. At DC, he relaunched the Atom and co-created Starman (Will Payton) before collaborating in one of comics' most talked about stories: the 1992 "Death of Superman." He later returned to Marvel to write Marvel Universe, Marvel: The Lost Generation, Iron Man, Amazing Spider-Man and related titles.

Peter B. Gillis began as a 1970s freelancer on Marvel Two-in- One, Super-Villain Team-Up, and other titles. Later, he became regular writer on Defenders, Eternals and Strange Tales, in which he subjected Doctor Strange to a soul-searching gamut of good and evil magic. Elsewhere in the Marvel multiverse, he wrote the short-lived Micronauts: The New Voyages and launched Strikeforce: Morituri with Brent Anderson, telling tales of a universe in which superhumans must embrace death to protect the Earth. He has also written for First Comics, TSR Games and others; he co-created Shatter, the first digital comic.

After a start as inker to his older brother John, Sal Buscema penciled Captain America, Defenders, Incredible Hulk and more. Famed for his ability to meet tight deadlines, he spread his talents across multiple genres, ranging from Ms. Marvel and Nova to Sub-Mariner and Spider-Woman's first appearance in Marvel Spotlight. He was the uninterrupted artist on Spectacular Spider-Man for more than 100 issues. After handling more team-ups in the Thing's Marvel Two-in-One, he reunited with brother John on Fantastic Four. He later provided inks for Spider-Girl and Thunderstrike.

Chris Warner has served as artist on Moon Knight and Doctor Strange. He has worked on such diverse properties as Aliens vs. Predator and Barb Wire for Dark Horse Comics.