Cover Date: April 1979
On-Sale Date: January 9, 1979
We have our final step-away from the Dweller-In-Darkness saga. This one has Dweller Dude's 'cousin' and one of my favorite villains, Nightmare! Our dream demon manipulates an early Defenders antagonist Cyrus Black. Plus, we get to meet his familiar, Nebuchadnezzar the Rat! Ralph (not the Karate Kid) Macchio writes while Tom Sutton and P. Craig Russell handle the art and it's a doozy. This is the pair at their surreal best in an anything can happen Dream Dimension!
Doc is finishing reading A Midsummer's Night Dream. Wong stops by with some tea and Doc asks for him to take it to the bedroom. Will Clea join? Eventually, she's still studying.
Doc expresses some concern about Clea's alien nature and he bead's to bed. We see an unfamiliar occupant following Doc.
Somehow, this enchanted little familiar has worked his way into the Sanctum Sanctorum without tripping any alarms. I guess the spell from the last two issues still haven't fixed the holes in his security grid. Still, Doc feels it and expresses so. He also expresses some nice beefcake.
Doc falls asleep and Nebuchadnezzer gets going. Also, more beefcake!
Finally, Doc disappears and we get a clue that perhaps Doc rests au naturel.
Where's Doc? In the Nightmare World!
Doc strikes first.
But is quickly rebuffed.
Nightmare doesn't finish Doc. He has other plans for his ancient enemy. After some back and forth, Nightmare explains his clever plan. He dug up someone else who has as big a beef with Doc and empowered him. Cyrus Black will be the one to off Doc.
Cyrus Black then boasts of his new prowess.
Doc throws a doozy of a spell which Cyrus brushes off. I love his pose!
Cyrus then leads us into a flashback where we see a young Doc and Cyrus battle over halves of the Wand of Watoomb.
Cyrus is pissed off over his loss and studies hard so he can beat Doc. His next attempt was what happened in Defenders #6. After that Nightmare approached him and he became the dream demon's apprentice.
The respite give Doc a chance to escape his bonds and there's more back and forth between the two. Doc doesn't do too well. Doc uses his fallback weapon: The All-Purpose Amulet. Doc does his thing and shows Cyrus himself.
Cyrus doesn't like what he sees.
Doc is about to k-o Cyrus when Nightmare steps in and seals Doc in mystic energy. Cyrus claims the right to end Doc's life and Nightmare agrees. However, things don't go quite as planned.
Yup, Cyrus decided to off himself after Doc's revelations. Nightmare no longer want's to blast Doc into smithereens. That will have to wait. Instead he sends Doc home. Doc ruminates over the events and we see outside. Nebuchadnezzer is still around and what the heck is he eating?
I normally don't like interruptions to a major story arc, but this one is definitely worth it. Overall, the story is a rather simple revenge tale. It just happens to occur someplace totally bonkers. And this book really needs something bonkers as often as possible. Mr. Macchio has a good grasp on Doc's character, I think. He has concerns about his lover. He is gracious to his servant. He is clever with his enemies even when he's outmatched. He uses all tools available to him even if some may feel the Eye of Agamotto is a cop out.
Doc did cause his enemy to commit suicide. Some writers may end it there, but Ralph has Doc at least think it over. It'll haunt him for a while, I believe. We don't get Englehart's philosophical debates, but the dialogue is thoughtful. Doc has grown a lot since his early days and he acknowledges that he was like Cyrus before finding the Ancient One.
I think this is one that goes beyond entertaining. it's a delight to read. But, seriously. What was the rat eating?
