The ribbons grab Spider-Man

THE RIBBONS OF RAGGADORR

Classification: Magic Spell

Creator: Raggadorr

User/Possessors: Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange);
    possibly Kaluu
    alternate reality versions possibly used by Shaushka;

First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up I#21 (May, 1974)The Ribbons blossoming

Powers/Abilities/Functions: When the Ribbons touch someone or something, they limit that person or object's movement. They are particularly difficult to avoid when they expand near the target, due to their number and to the random directions they take.

Scope: Conjuration

Casting Time: Few seconds
Range: Long (100 feet)
Components: A somatic component: fingers/hands/arms movement

Duration: Concentration, minutes (probably)
Primary effects: A harmless explosion of ribbons beginning from a central point. The ribbons expands in all the directions (720 degrees). If they touch something in movement, they cling to the target limiting its speed and direction.
Collateral effects: The Ribbons also produce sparks. Its blossoming visually appears to be similar to fireworks.

History:
(Marvel Team-Up I#21) - When the sorcerer Xandu enthralled Spider-Man to steal half of the Wand of Watoomb, Doctor Strange guessed that something was wrong in his ally's behavior. Thus, Strange decided to use a non-damaging attack to restrain Spider-Man and better study the situation. The Ribbons' blossoms sprung in all the directions, grabbing the Web-Slinger's neck, wrist, ankle and leg. Nonetheless, Spider-Man used his free web-spinner to knock the Doctor out. Once Strange's concentration on the spell ceased, the Ribbons vanished.

Comments: Created by Len Wein and Sal Buscema.

To date there have been many spells attributed to Raggadorr: the Rings of Raggadorr, the Ruby Rays of Raggadorr, the Rains of Raggadorr.

The Ribbons and the Fires:

  1. The "TSR6870-Manual of Magic (TSR)" defines the Ribbons as "...almost a solid manifestation of fireworks that act to snag opponents...". In MTU21, they produced tiny fires = sparks.
  2. In "The Extinction Key" the Fires are used to hold the Shining Herd, or to delay or restrain some of them. The effect, the purpose, seems the same of the Ribbons.

  Kaluu's spell snagging Ancient One    (a) + (b) = The former are Fires, the latter are Fireworks. It is likely that they are the same spell.Kaluu's spell snagging Strange's ankles

    The Ribbons' snagging property and appearance are very similar to an unidentified magic spell cast by Kaluu in Strange Tales I#149. Invisible forces (yellow shining rings) immobilized Doctor Strange and the Ancient One. Some rings blocked only the ankles and the head, as the Ribbons did with Spider-Man; usually the Rings of Raggadorr surround the whole body. Around the Ancient One and his disciple, there were also many sparks, but they were in the background and weren't an effect of the immobilizing spell.


    Doctor Strange also exclaimed "By the the Rings of Raggadorr!", -- so that's probably what they were? Actually, the Master of Mystic Arts was surprised about Kaluu's magic, which was so powerful that it could imprison two enemies with a single spell. Strange was also concerned about other unknown powers that Kaluu had acquired in the Dimension of Raggadorr. So, Strange was implicitly assuming that that restraining spell came from Raggadorr.

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Presumed alternate reality appearance of what may or may not be the Ribbons of Raggadorr:

  • (Marvel's Avengers: The Extinction Key - prose novel) - In another reality, at the time Niniveh was an important city of the Assyrian Empire, the Fires of Raggadorr were only one of the many spells used by the Sorcerer Supreme of that age: Shaushka (1300-1000 years before Christ in the real world).
         Shaushka used the Fires or Raggadorr in a fight against the twelve members of the Shining Herd, a version of the Zodiac cartel. The Fires rained on some of the Herd, letting Ares, a Valkyrie and the other champions of Shaushka break free and directly attack the Scorpion.
  • As reported by the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z#7, the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme passed from Zoroaster to Queen Semiramis in 1300 before Christ. Then, King Solomon replaced Semiramis in 1100 BC.
    • Shaushka is probably an alternate counterpart of Salomé.
    • Unless Shaushka is one of Salomé's aliases, in which case the appearance could also fit into Earth-616, and Marvel's Avengers: The Extinction Key could be a timeline that diverged from an unspecified time-point past the appearance of the Fires of Raggadorr.
    • The type of magic used by Salomé and by Shaushka seemed different, but if they were the same person, it is possible that Salomé adopted other forms of magic when she started to use Necromancy.
    • The two sorceresses have a particular in common: they both were dancers.

Profile by Spidermay

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Ribbons of Raggadorr have no known connection to:

Images: (without ads)
Marvel Team-Up I#21, page 11, panel 1 (Spider-Man captured by the ribbons)
Marvel Team-Up I#21, page 11, panel 2 (the Ribbons blossoming)
Strange Tales I#149/2, page 1, panel 1 (Kaluu's spell snagging Dr. Strange's ankles)
Strange Tales I#149/2, page 1, panel 1 (Kaluu's spell snagging the Ancient One)

Appearances:
Marvel Team-Up I#21 (May, 1974) - Len Wein (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Frank Giacoia and Dave Hunt (inks), Glynis Oliver (colors), Roy Thomas (editor)

First Posted: 03/13/2024
Last Updated: 03/13/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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