Strange Tales #130
Meet The Beatles!
After roughhousing around the Baxter Building (and being scolded by Reed and Sue) Johnny and Ben take Doris and Alicia out to see the Beatles perform their Manhattan gig. While the girls get to meet the Fab-Four, Ben and Johnny chase after some common crooks who stole the box office receipts. The two's bickering and some sloppy super-hero work makes an easy job somewhat difficult for the two to accomplish, but they eventually catch the crooks and recover the money, however they end up missing the Beatles' performance.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Thing, Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl), Doris Evans, Alicia Masters, “The Beatles” (“Paul McCartney”, “John Lennon”, “Ringo Starr”, “George Harrison”)
Continuity Notes
The appearance of the Beatles here is a perplexing on that has yet to be discussed. One could chalk up the appearance of the Beatles could be considered a topical reference per the sliding timescale of Earth-616 considering the Beatles have been broken up for decades and that there are only two surviving members (as I write this). Modern readers could assume that the Thing and Torch are taking their girlfriends to see a popular British band, not the Beatles. Another explanation (which I find more entertaining than dismissing this as a topical reference) is that these are actually the Skrulls that have been posing as the Beatles since the 1960s in the Marvel Universe. You know the ones that appeared in the Wisdom mini-series.
The Beatles wig that Thing wears in this issue was first given to him by the Yancy Street Gang in Fantastic Four #34.
The Defeat of Doctor Strange
Dormammu sends Baron Mordo and his minions to attack the Ancient One, who is injured in the initial confrontation and Doctor Strange is forced to leave his side to find a way to defeat these attackers and cure his master of his illness. Mordo meanwhile sends out a message to all evil mystics to help hunt down and destroy Doctor Strange. Traveling to Hong Kong, Doctor Strange seeks the aid of a friend to get a new passport and a change of clothes, however Strange is still found by agents of Mordo, whom he manages to incapacitate before slipping away in to the night.
Recurring Characters
Doctor Strange, Ancient One, Sen-Yu, Baron Mordo, Dormammu, Kaecilius, Hamir the Hermit
Continuity Notes
Dormammu mentions his pledge not to attack the Earth. He made this promise in Strange Tales #127.
The Ancient One's assistant Hamir is not mentioned by name here. He is finally identified in Strange Tales #141.
Doctor Strange flight through Hong Kong is expanded upon in Doctor Strange: Last Days of Magic one-shot.
