Doctor Strange Reading Guide: The Darkhold

Hi! Welcome to the Darkhold comics reading guide! 

This article is the NUMBER ONE most important reading guide for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In the selections below, we’ll learn about Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff’s history with the Darkhold, as well as the demonic elder god Chthon, the Book of the Vishanti, and much, much more.

The Darkhold comics quick start:

• Avengers/Doctor Strange: Rise of The Darkhold
  • Avengers (1963) #185-187 (aka “Nights of Wundagore”)
  • Doctor Strange (1974) #59-62, 67, 81 (aka ”The Montesi Formula”)
  • Amazing Spider-Man Annual #22
  • X-Men Annual (1970) #12
• Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Omnibus Vol. 1
  • Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (1988) #6-23, 26-27, 31-37
• Midnight Sons: Midnight Massacre (1993)
• The Darkhold (2021)

These 43 issues cover everything you need to know about Doctor Strange, Wanda, and the Darkhold to be primed for the movie coming out this May.

If you’re excited about Wanda specifically, then check out our Scarlet Witch comics reading guide! For stories about the different universes and characters we expect to cameo, we also have a Multiverse of Madness comics reading guide as well. But if you want to dive even deeper into the history of the Darkhold, then check out the reading guide below. Listed here are every major story involving Doctor Strange and the Darkhold that may be critically important for the upcoming movie. Strong recommendations are in bold. Enjoy reading!

 

Following his first appearance in 1963’s Strange Tales #110, Doctor Strange proved to be such a breakout hit that the comic was retitled from Strange Tales to Doctor Strange with #169. With work from the superstars like Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Dennis O’Neil, Roy Thomas, and Gene Colan, this is still a high point for the character. Most relevantly for our discussion, this run introduced the Book of the Vishanti, which we exclusively confirmed would serve an integral the role in the upcoming movie.

A book of pure light, the Book of the Vishanti often serves as the “Anti-Darkhold” (even though the Book of the Vishanti was created first!). There are only a few early appearances of this spellbook in the comics, so if you pay close attention, you’ll quickly get everything you need to know.

• Doctor Strange Omnibus Vol. 2
  • Strange Tales (1951) #147-150
    
  • Doctor Strange (1968) #176-177
    

Extra reading:

• Strange Tales (1951) #116 [B Story Only]
• Doctor Strange (1974) #32-33

Introduced a few years later, the Darkhold is the sinister book of dark magic that MCU fans might recognize from WandaVision, Agents of SHIELD, or Runaways. Aptly nicknamed “the Book of Sins,” the Darkhold is the collection of evil spells archived by Chthon, the Lovecraftian demon god who pioneered dark magic in the Marvel comics universe. In the comics, this entity is responsible for everything from possessing Wanda to creating the werewolves and vampires that haunt the Marvel universe!

• Avengers/Doctor Strange: Rise of The Darkhold
  • Avengers (1963) #185-187 (aka “Nights of Wundagore”)
  • Doctor Strange (1974) #59-62, 67, 81 (aka ”The Montesi Formula”)
  • Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (1988) #9-13, 15
  • Marvel Spotlight (1971) #3-4; Werewolf By Night (1972) #1,3,15; Tomb of Dracula (1972) #18-19; Marvel Chillers #1-2; Thor (1966) #332-333; Dracula Lives #6; Amazing Spider-Man Annual #22; X-Men Annual (1970) #12

This stellar collection includes the first appearance of the Darkhold, the first appearance of Chthon, a Werewolf By Night/Dracula crossover, a Thor/Dracula crossover, and two of the greatest Darkhold comics stories ever! Some of my favorite hidden gems are a short story from Dracula Lives #6 and the complete history of the Darkhold & vampirism from the pages of Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme. Although the comics are from separate series and even different decades, the issues connect to each other seamlessly into one cohesive Darkhold saga.

In “Nights of Wundagore,” we learn about the dark origins of Wanda Maximoff and the Darkhold, and the deep connections between them. Following that, “The Montesi Formula” picks up the story with a hugely important story where Doctor Strange tries to use magic to wipe out all the vampires across the Marvel universe, with guest appearances by Wanda, Blade, and Monica Rambeau as Captain Marvel.

Lastly, Doctor Strange #81 details the first appearance of the green minotaur Rintrah (seen in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer!) in the same storyline where where the Cloak of Levitation rips and needs to be repaired (remember the Cloak has a new blue patch, also seen in the trailer!). If you are going to read one book from this list, Rise of the Darkhold is a great option.

Jumping ahead a few years in time, the next relevant book is the Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme series. The run was launched as a continuation of Peter Gillis’ Doctor Strange series from the 1970s, but Roy Thomas quickly takes over again by issue #5, leading to another stretch of Doctor Strange comics which seem to have been essential influences on the new movie.

This run is your #1 essential reading for Rintrah, Doctor Strange’s green minotaur friend. See below for further reading.

• Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Omnibus Vol. 1
  • Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (1988) #6-23, 26-27, 31-37
  • Storylines include:
    • The Mordo Chronicles (#6-8)
    • The Curse of the Darkhold (#9-15)
      • Also collected in Rise of the Darkhold
    • The Vampiric Verses (#14-18)
    • The Mark of the Vodu (#16-17, 20)
    • Legends and Lore of the Dark Dimension (#21-23)
    • Legacy of the Wolf (#26-27)
    • A Gathering of Fear (#31-33)
    • Infinity Gauntlet (#34-36)

Also collected as:

• Doctor Strange Epic Collections Vol. 8-10

Featured in several major storylines in a row, the Darkhold and the Book of the Vishanti were wildly important during Roy Thomas’ second run, as well as our green friend Rintrah and even a few guest appearances by Wanda. If you want Doctor Strange stories specifically, then Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme is the best run for you.