#silver dagger

When last left Doc (In the previous issue of Marvel Team-Up. He's got so many guest spots, it's necessary to clarify.) he was just drawn into the astral plan by ally(?) Marie Laveau. Ms. Laveau may possibly be doing something not-so-nice to him.

Back on the non-ghost plane, Spidey and Ms. Marvel find their disguises vanishing and the cultists that were surrounding the house have now broken in. Ms. Marvel tells Spidey to get Doc to safety. She'll handle the rest.

Unfortunately, their opponents keep getting up. They may stay fresh as daisies, but our pair of heroes will eventually get tired.

Back on the astral plane, Marie Laveau is giving Doc magical instant knowledge transfer when Chris Claremont remembers the ankh thing and it pops up because Doc is in danger. Go Chris!

Ms. Laveau then casts a spell which causes Doc's astral body to shatter!

Back in the real world, Marie's fears have been realized and Silver Dagger has returned to show off his abs. I think he got that top in the ladies section of a Merry-Go-Round. Also, Spidey and Ms. Marvel have been trapped in the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. They look purple in the restoration, but the original has them as a kind of fuchsia which is okay, I guess.

Doc's astral body shattering must have been metaphorical. He finds himself in familiar company.

The caterpillar tells Doc he's back in the Orb of Agamotto. Fortunately he knows his way around and flies to where Clea was about to be burned at the stake. But, when he gets there, it appears he's too late.

Fire-Clea attacks Doc with power and knowledge she shouldn't have. Well, we know that Clea is Umar's daughter, but neither of them do.

Back on Earth, Spidey devises a clever way to get him and Ms. Marvel free. The Three Stooges would have been proud.

Spidey and Ms. Marvel keep pounding away at Silver Dagger while Marie Laveau manages to grab his discarded dagger.

We're now going back and forth between real and astral planes. Dagger is trying to kill Spidey and Fire-Clea is trying to kill Doc. Dagger has tossed Spidey aside and it's Ms. Marvel's turn. Doc is trying to figure out how to win against Clea without killing her and she smashes through his shields while he hesitates. The Orb of Agamotto grows tentacles again and tries to suck Spidey in. Inside the Orb, Clea has started to warp it to look like the Dark Dimension. Spidey, now inside the orb, starts to overwrite Clea's reality and the many, many threats he's faced distracts her enough so he can overpower her.

In the real world, Dagger is growing giant to land the final blow on Ms. Marvel when Marie Laveau stabs him. Doc exists the orb with Clea's soul. Both are returned to their bodies. Doc adjusts Clea's memory (without consent) but it sounds like he may put it back after he's had some time to recover and explain. Dagger is about to die so Doc sends him back into the Orb.

Marie Laveau now performs an info-dump and explains that she was Dagger's slave and managed to bend the rules enough to warn Doc. Her original plan was to draw Doc onto the astral plan and kill his body thereby trapping Dagger. Seems to have worked out. Marie is still a force for good. In a decade she and Doc will meet again as adversaries.

Now that that's all done. It's time for some kissy-face time for Doc and Clea..

Whoa! That was quite a ride. The start of the issue was a bit messy, but things came together and Chris nicely wrapped up all the plot threads. Doc seems a bit nerfed here. Was it just concern, or was he reduced because the plot called for it. Clea is the opposite and shows her true potential as a sorceress. Right now it only happens when she's possessed or not in her right mind. Eventually, sound minded Clea will find her way there. It won't be Mr. Claremont who gets her there. Doc's compassion and willingness to sacrifice come through nicely.

Silver Dagger returns multiple times so we know Agamotto heals him up. It was cute to include a cameo of our godlike cosmic entity, but there really should have been a line or two of his unparalleled wit.