THE FANGS OF FARALLAH
Classification: Magic Spell
Creator: Farallah
User/Possessors: Ancient One, Black Night (Dane Whitman),
Darryl Berenson, Clea,
Silver Dagger, Ironclad, Iuriale,
Lucius
Dilby, Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom), Hulk, Magus,
Morgana
Blessing, Baron Mordo (Karl Mordo), Nightmare, Nox,
some Sorcerers Supreme (Kushala, a young Ancient One, a mature Wiccan,
the Conjuror), Doctor Stephen Strange, Umar, Nicodemus West, X-Ray
Likely Captain America and the Vision
Possibly Drax the Destroyer
First Appearance: Strange Tales I#116/2 (seen, January,
1964);
Doctor Strange II#1 (named, June, 1974)
Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Fangs of Farallah was a spell which complexity, purposes and effects were numerous. Even when appearance, size and shape of the Fangs were the same, from version to version of the spell, the result could be different. The Fangs were used as an offensive weapon (see Evocation), as a defense against other spells (see Abjuration), many times to travel to other planes of existence (see Conjuration), and sometime as means to empower other spells (see Metamagic). Many are the times the Fangs seemed an inanimate macabre entity in an alien background. Their passive stance is usual in the Dark Dimension, in the Dimension of Dreams, and most of all, in the Crossroads Dimension. They are also present in alien dimensions of other realities (see below).
Aliases: Fangs of Faralloh
Powers/Abilities/Functions:
Counterspell some kinds of enchantments, banish objects or
creatures back to their plane of existence or on another
plane, negation or limitation of targets' abilities.
Casting Time: few seconds, possibly
instantaneously
Range: long or more, probably 300 feet (by
approximation)
Components: varying
from version to version
Duration:
Concentration, maximum time unrevealed
Primary effects: A gaping maw with a double pair of
Fangs, superior and inferior, floating, and an oozing tongue able to
entrap body and mind. Size: variable, from 5 to 50
feet.
Collateral effects: None.
History:
(Doctor
Strange II#1) - The evil Silver Dagger opened the Fangs of
Farallah to counteract the effect of another spell. The magical
streaks of warning were swallowed by the Fangs and never fulfilled
their purpose.
(Doctor Strange II#49) - The Fangs of Farallah conjured by Baron Mordo
had a double purpose. The most important was to defeat his enemy, and
to do that he let the tongue pull Doctor Strange and Morgana Blessing
into the dimension beyond the Fangs: the Realm of Madness. The second
purpose was to limit his enemies' abilities, the green tendrils had a
snuffing effect on Doctor Strange's mental call for help sent to Clea.
(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#23/1) -
Baron Karl Mordo needed to vanquish the gargantuan tentacles coming
from the Dark Dimensions that were created by Dormammu. Mordo called
on the power of the Fearsome Fangs, but he banished only few of the
towering tendrils.
Powers/Abilities/Functions: Physical ranged attack.
Casting Time:
few seconds
Range: middle, probably 120 feet
Components: probably
only a somatic component: fingers/hand/arm movement.
Duration: Concentration, maximum time unrevealed
Primary effects: A maw with a double pair of Fangs,
superior and inferior, floating, able to rend, sever, cleave through,
cut the target. Size: variable, usually 4x3x2 feet.
Collateral effects: trail of rectangular shapes of the same color of the Fangs, at the
end of which appeared the Fangs.
History:
(Doctor Strange II#13) - In the dimension of Dreams, Nightmare
used the Fangs to attack Doctor Strange. Before the maw could
reach the Sorcerer, Strange reduced it into pieces with a single
magic blast.
(Marvel Team-Up I#77 - BTS) - Clea, corrupted in a powerful
blazing Faltinian form, was trying to kill her master and lover,
Stephen Strange. Among the many spells she used against him, Clea
also called the Fearsome, fatal Fangs of Farallah. However, Doctor
Strange protected himself with a the Shield of the Seraphim, and
managed to hold against the attack.
(Doctor Strange II#45) -
Doctor Strange used the Fearsome
Fangs of Farallah to gnaw at a demon's tentacle. It worked. The pain,
for the N'Garai was so sudden that he had to release the grab on Clea.
However, the Elder Demon God adapted to the material nature of the
Fangs, so, when a second attack came, doubled in number, the demon
slashed them using two daggers.
(Infinity Abyss#3) - During a mental battle, Moondragon threw damaging
and deceiving attacks to Doctor Strange. Many of those attacks were
illusions, and among them there also were the Fangs of Farallah.
Recognizing the attack for what it was, Doctor Strange dispelled the
illusions.
Version:
ConjurationPowers/Abilities/Functions: Create a dimensional passage for another place, time, plane or universe
Casting Time: few
seconds
Range: long or more, probably 300 feet (by
approximation)
Components: one
or more among:
Duration: Concentration,
maximum time unrevealed; it is likely that it can be made permanent
Primary effects: A gaping maw with a double pair
of Fangs, superior and inferior, floating. Size:
from medium to huge (approximately from 6 to 300 feet).
Collateral effects: Sometime it is possible to see what lies beyond the portal.
Sometime, the arrival on the destination plane produces smoke.
History:
(Strange Tales I#116/2) - In the Nightmare Realm, walking on the Path of Hoggoth,
leading to a hole in the space, Doctor
Strange crossed the Fangs of Farallah, apparently inactive.
(ClanDestine I#8 (fb)) - Doctor Strange and
Dominic Destine crossed a maw of the Fangs of Farallah that was before
the G'uranthic
Guardian. They were leaving the Dark Dimension.
(Strange Tales I#147/2) - In the place where dwells the Shades of
the Shadowy Demons, the Fangs of Farallah floated in the void of
space.
(Strange Tales I#148/2) - The Fangs of Farallah, with their
sprouting tongue, were surrounded by shapes of evil entities, some
of them resembling Shadowy Demons. The place was not recognized by
Doctor Strange, because of the interference of Kaluu's
spell.
(Strange Tales I#155/2) - In the Dark Dimension, Umar was
restoring her forces in order to reach Earth, and slay Doctor
Strange. The Fangs of Farallah, apparently inactive, floated in
the darkness behind the Unspeakable One.
(Captain Marvel I#28) - Thanos assaulted Drax the Destroyer's
mind, disconnecting his mind from the time synchrony. The effect
was madness and imprisonment into madness. The Destroyer clung to
his own soul to fight madness. In the myriads of illusions created
by Thanos and the memories distorted by the Titan, the Destroyer
saw the Fangs of Farallah, floating in the blackness of the far
space.
(Giant-Size Avengers I#2/1) - During the fight between Rama-Tut and
Kang, time ruptured and the past collided with the future. In one
of the several different times, visible around the fight, Captain
America and Vision walked on a path coming out from Fangs. Around
them, an unidentified alien environment.
(Warlock I#9 (fb)) - In the In-Betweener's domain, a bizarre land
between time and space, and between reality and illusion, in a
future that was erased from the death of Adam Warlock at the hands
of the one year-younger Adam Warlock, Fangs of Farallah were
crossed by Warlock's protective cocoon to be transported back in
time. The cocoon emerged 5,000 years in the past of the same
erased future reality.
(Warlock I#11) - In the kismet, at the center of Adam Warlock's
future, among five paths which led to possible futures, one of
them pointed to an open mouth resembling Fangs of Farallah. That
path was black and Warlock could see it brought to an infinity of
vile darkness. That was the path that Adam Warlock destroyed in
order to cancel the Magus' existence.
(Doctor Strange II#23) - When Doctor Strange dimension-journeyed
for the first time to the Quadriverse,
arriving in that realm, he crossed Fangs of Farallah.
(Doctor
Strange II#26) - The Ancient One opened a dimensional portal
from Earth, to another dimension. Doctor Strange transported his
master with him beyond the entrance. They crossed another
dimensional opening which other exit led to an outer dimension
and was right in the center of an enormous open mouth with too
many teeth, resembling the Fangs of Farallah. Above the floating
mouth, a nose floated in the void, and a couple of eyes, too. A
concrete path departed from the exit and led to the
In-Betweener.
(Amazing Spider-Man Annual I#14) - In the Dark Dimension, the Fangs
of Farallah floated under a sky full of yellow lesser
demons. An earthling appeared on
the serpentine tongue protruding from the maw. The little man was
Lucius Dilby, and, with the assistance of Doctor Doom, he had
built a device that opened a gate from Earth to Dormammu's plane
of existence. Doom coerced Dilby to use the the gate, so Dilby
reached the Dark Dimension, and when he opened his eyes he was on
the Fangs' tongue.
(Doctor Strange II#49) - The Fangs of Farallah conjured by Baron
Mordo had a double purpose. The most important was to defeat his
enemy, and to do that he let the tongue pull Doctor Strange and
Morgana Blessing into the dimension beyond the Fangs: the Realm
of Madness. The second purpose was to limit his enemies'
abilities, the green tendrils had a snuffing effect on Doctor
Strange's mental call for help sent to Clea.
(Doctor Strange II#52) - In
a journey to find Morgana Blessing's psychic essence, Doctor Strange
ventured in worlds beyond reality till he heard a call from Nightmare.
The call came beyond the Fangs of Farallah and, crossing them, Strange
met the lord of nightmares.
(Ghost Rider II#77) - Again, in the Dream Dimension, Fangs of Farallah
floated near the path run by the Ghost Rider to reach Nightmare.
(Captain America Annual I#7)
- Bernard
Worrel used a dormant Cosmic Cube forcing it to awake, and
reshaped the Earth. When the Cube probed Worrel's brain, the man was
not able to restrain his unconscious from recreating the reality
around him. Worrel's fear and hate drove the Cube to create a world of
aberrations, and among those there were Fangs of Farallah, with
tendrils and paths crossing their maws.
The Shaper of Worlds calmed down the baby Cube, and restored reality
as it was before.
(Incredible Hulk II#300,301,302, 304,305,308,309,311,312,313 / Incredible Hulk Annual#13 / Symbiote Spider-Man: Crossroads#1,2,4) - The Crossroads
Dimension contained uncountable portals to other dimensions.
Many of these portals had the shape of Fangs of Farallah. Most of them
were apparently floating in the void of space and had pathways leading
to or crossing them.
During his banishment at the Crossroads, the Hulk
crossed many of them.
(Incredible Hulk II#305) - When the U-Foes reached
Hulk to the Crossroads, the clash of the battle reverberated along the
pathways and through the Fangs, reaching the dimensions beyond,
sometime with cataclysmic effects. The structure of the Crossroads and
the position of the Fangs of Farallah were twisted and changed when
Vector used his repelling powers on that reality. X-Ray and Ironclad
ended in two hostile dimensions beyond the Fangs of Farallah.
(Avengers I#304 (fb)) - Ironclad succeeded in using the Fangs of Farallah to get back to the Crossroads Dimension.
(Doctor Strange II#68) - Months later,
Doctor Strange conjured the Fangs of Farallah to use them as a gate
for the Realm
of Madness. When Dane Whitman acknowledged his curse, Strange
led him out of the Realm through the Fangs.
(Doctor Strange II#76) - A long ritual was performed by Darryl
Berenson, who craved to join Iuriale. Iuriale was a demoness, confined
in another plane, who had managed to enthrall Berenson. Later, Doctor
Strange would recognize the spell as terribly dangerous for the
caster. Darryl had studied the magic spell from an ancient book
written in an unidentified language. He performed the first part of
the ritual in his house. Inside a pentacle he used the wedding picture
of her wife and he, and a page of the book. That part of the ritual
had alien roots and branches sprout from the picture frame and all
over his study. Darryl learned that he had to cast the spell from an
underground place, the deepest he could reach. He managed to use a
tunnel which was deeper than the lair of Sigmar
the Eternal, unused at that time. There, he read the spell from
the tome, encircled by candles. The spell worked, and a maw
of many teeth appeared, with Iuriale inside. The alien, however,
could not cross the maw if Berenson wouldn't ask for her to enter in
the world. A thin veil in the maw still separated her dimension from
Earth. In spite of Doctor's Strange appeals, Berenson welcomed Iuriale
and the barriers, that negated her the access from eons, went down.
The veil was no more. The Fangs, however, remained open. Strange
succeeded in casting a banishing spell which hurled Iuriale back into
the Fangs and closed the maw.
(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#12/1) - Clea,
when was the rightful Queen of the Dark Dimension, traveled from the
Dark Dimension; when she reached Earth she crossed a dimensional gate
that was the Fangs of Farallah.
(Infinity War#2 (fb)) - When Adam Warlock expelled good and evil from
his being, the Magus was recreated, appearing at the Crossroads
leading to several strange realities. In that bizarre place where
paths intersected, and different universes seemed be adjacent to each
other, one of the paths of the Crossroads came from Fangs of Farallah.
On another side, into another sky, other Fangs of Farallah waited,
open.
(Shadows and Light II#2/3) - Apparently
inactive Fangs of Farallah were crossed by a pathway in the void of
space, in an unspecified place where Doctor Strange protected the
birth of a butterfly-like alien.
(Over the Edge#7) - In the Nightmare's realm, when Doggerel
was questioned by Doctor Strange about where Nightmare was, two
portals floated behind him. The nearer one was the Fangs of Farallah,
with a path crossing the maw, and leading to the other portal. The
other portal was open. It was possible to look beyond the exit of the
other side.
(The Mystic Hands of Doctor Strange#1/2) - While investigating into
Saul Sinclair's mind-sphere, Doctor Strange learned that his patient
had become prey of some Nightmare's minor demons. Among the torments
that troubled Sinclair, there were also the Fangs of Farallah at the
center of a web.
(Incredible Hulk II#632) - Umar
magically traveled from the Dark Dimension to Earth via Fangs of
Farallah. The maw did not have fangs, but teeth and lips, similar to
Umar's.
(Incredible Hulk II#633)
- Umar used the Fangs' tongue to unwrap the Hulk. He and she crossed
the Fangs of Farallah and left Earth for the Dark Dimension.
(Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers
Supreme#6) - The magic item of the Bones of Eh-Yuh enabled the user to
travel in time and space within the dimension where the Bones were
activated.
When Doctor Strange activated the Bones in a
trap-dimension chosen by Isaac Newton, the Bones opened myriads of
portals (in time and space) that were Fangs of Farallah. Strange used
the item and crossed different Fangs many times, alone or with other
Sorcerers Supreme like Kushala, a young Ancient One, a mature Wiccan,
the Conjuror.
Sometime the Fangs would grab the guest passenger
using its tongue, and dragged him back to the source location.
Casting Time: more than few seconds
Range: Unrevealed, probably anything seen or
perceived by the caster
Components:
Duration: Concentration,
maximum time unrevealed
Primary effects: Unrevealed.
Varying from spell to spell.
History:
(Doctor Strange Sorcerer:
Supreme#39) - Nox,
one of the Fear
Lords, empowered the strength of the magical night she had
created before. She wanted to use it to slay Rintrah and Clea.
Nox called for the power of many evil entities that loved the night,
also the Fangs of Faralloh. However, the enchantment was immediately
counter-spelled by Doctor Strange, using the Eye of Agamotto's light.
(Avenging Spider-Man#8 (fb) - BTS) - Doctor Strange conjured the
Pentagram of Farallah, using the Fangs of Farallah as component of the
spell.
Comments: Created by Steve
Ditko.
Invoking powerful Entities to bolster and
strengthen defenses, attacks, purposes and so on is quite logical. It
could happen not only when a long verbal formula is spelled, but also
with simple exclamations like "By Vishanti!". In Doctor
Strange: The Oath#2, Nicodemus West invoked "By the Fangs of
Faralloh!" but was probably by surprise.
In Strange Tales I#116
and in ClanDestine I#8 the Fangs seemed inactive, if compared to the
portals opened by Mordo and Doctor Strange. However, in both cases,
the Doctor was traveling from a dimension to another. The same thing
was likely happening in Doctor Strange II#23.
In Doctor Strange II#1,
there's also the possibility that the warning streaks sprung from the
Amulet were not annihilated/counter-spelled by the maw but they were
simply sent in another dimension or plane of existence, unable to
reach their destination, then fading.
The "Fearsome" attribute apparently
didn't add any fearsome effect to the spell in Doctor Strange II#45.
If it was intended to cause fear to the target, a fear so strong that
limited in some extent the enemy's abilities, the version of the spell
could be included in the school of Illusion. There is the high
probability that the Elder N'Garai, both being a fiend of powerful
build, or being a creature used to be feared by his victims, was
immune to fear and other mind-affecting attacks.
The "Fangs" seen in Doctor Strange II#26 were the
only sample carrying eyes and nose with them.
The gateway-device built by Lucius Dilby and Doctor
Doom (ASM@#14) allowed a one-way inter-plane journey to the Fangs of
Farallah of the Dark Dimension. It is unrevealed if it was used to
transport Dilby's
robot back, using the Fangs of Farallah as source point. It is
likely that the Fangs-connected device is still in Doctor Doom's
possession.
It is unrevealed if there is a favorite connection
between the Fangs and the Realm
of Madness. Clues:
There is a strong
connection between the Crossroads Dimension and the Fangs of Farallah.
Many Fangs floated around the Crossroad, probably infinite in number,
as well as other dimensional portals with other shapes: mirrors,
circles, pyramids, and so on. When the function of the Fangs involves
dimensional hop, or time-travel, establishing its appearance in a
correct chronological order could become a daunting goal. In those
cases, the "history" could mention them as "perceived" by some
observers. For example, in Giant-Size Avengers#2/1, the Fangs are
mentioned as an event happened when Rama-Tut and Kang fought. The two
could have spotted the Fangs in "their" time. Of course, the
perception that could come from Captain America and the Vision would
be very different. Considering the appearance of the two Avengers, we
still don't know if it was a flashback or a flash-forward.
The Fangs
of Farallah also appeared in the imaginary digital world created by Angela
Bradford, while building her Mobile Virtual Reality Inducer (see
The Amazing Spider-Man I#438, page 9). The Fangs were in a landscape
very similar to the Crossroads Dimension or the Dark Dimension,
scenario apparently spawn of Bradford's creativity.
In Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme#54, Doctor Strange
approached a gateway shaped like the Amulet of Agamotto. The gateway
tried to devour him and assumed a shape interestingly similar to the
Fangs of Farallah.
When Strange dived into
Sinclair's mind (tMHoDS#1/2) it is not clear if he entered into the
Fangs of Farallah and met Dormammu's minions on the other side.
Profile by Spidermay.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Fangs of Farallah are strongly connected to the Pentagram
of Farallah.
The Fangs are connected to but are different from the Talons
of Farallah.
The Fangs have no known connections to:
(Doctor Strange: Dimension War) - In an alternate reality, Baron Mordo set up a trap for Doctor Strange, in events similar to those happened on Earth-616 (in Strange Tales I#114). Mordo constricted Strange in the Chains of Krakkan, and Doctor Strange thought for an instant to use the Fangs of Farallah to free himself. He knew that the Fangs were the traditional counterspell against the Chains. However, he couldn't call the Fangs on because he was also immobilized by the Mists of Morpheus.
(Spider-Man: The
Animated Series, Season#3, Episode#1) - A maw of
Farallah's Fangs floated, broken, into the void of the Dark
Dimension.
(Ultimate Spider-Man Animated Series, Season 1 Episode 13: Strange
Day) - In the Realm of Dreams, a very large maw was crossed by a
corridor upon which many doors faced. The doors led to the dreams of
the people.
(Guardians of
the Galaxy Annual I#4) - Even in the divergent future
of Earth-691,
the Fangs of Farallah stood still in the unreal void of the Dream
Dimension, welcoming a narrow path into their maw.
(Justice League of America I#197) - A maw of Fangs of Farallah stood
open and still in the void of Limbo while Ultra-Humanite tried to
escape from his previous allies of the Secret Society of
Super-Villains. Beyond the open green mouth, green flames were
visible.
(Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Season 1 Episode 10) - In a totally
different Multiverse, the Fangs of Farallah lied in the void of the
same space where the Library of Infinity was. A floating path crossed
the maw. When Doctor Fate freed himself by Wotan's magic bands, he
teleported himself right into the Fangs, immediately followed by
Wotan.
(Marvel
Untold: Sisters of Sorcery, Prose Novel) - In the universe of
Earth 618, Clea, Talisman (Elizabeth Twoyoungmen), Margali Szardos
and Holly LaDonna were in the Crossroads Dimension. From there,
several dimensional portals seemed open mouths and some of them
showed colors and worlds on the other side.
Clea used the power of the Fangs
of Farallah to empower another spell: the
Pentagram of Farallah! Clea modified the original spell,
because the Pentagram wasn't enough to break through Umar's
barrier. The Faltine woman used a portion of the life-forces of
her allies: Agatha Harkness (her spirit), Talisman (Elizabeth
Twoyoungmen), Margali Szardos, Holly LaDonna and Ardina. Clea
hoped that the force that enabled Agatha to appear in spirit form
in the Dark Dimension also would help the modified spell. The
spell worked. The women were teleported out from the Dark
Dimension, to Earth.
Comments:
The Fearsome Fangs of Faralloh are one of the
spells described in the TSR6870-Marvel Super Heroes Realms of Magic
role-playing game (by TSR).
In the prose novel "Marvel Untold: Sisters of
Sorcery", many portals are named, because near the heroines, some
portals were even crossed by them. Unfortunately, no image was
provided to ascertain if the mouth-resembling portals had teeth or
tongues. In an introduction
on Reddit, Anjuliaconyte stated that the five "strands" of
Aconyte books were settings of 616. Shortly after she also added that
"...are Aconyte-618 - working close to the current Earth-616...".
The author, Marsheila Rockwell, declared
an interview that the Aconyte version of Earth-616 "is just a
bit off from that…say, Earth-618, or something".
George Pérez told that
in 1981 at DC Comics, the comics scripts were full scripts,
differently from what happened (and George was used to adapt) at
Marvel Comics (the "Marvel Method"). He also confessed that he
struggled and found enticing trying to add particulars and panels
where possible without altering the final effect of the story. Were
the Fangs of Farallah in the DC's limbo his idea? Or did they come from Gerry Conway's detailed
script of JLA#197? The best (and even weak) link between
Doctor Strange's authors before JLA#197 and DC authors in
1981 was Marv Wolfman. The DC Limbo showed "dimensional doors" in JLA#232
and Adventure Comics#460, too, but they were not Fangs of
Farallah.
Appearances in other realities:
Justice League of America I#197 (December, 1981) - Gerry Conway
(writer), Keith Pollard & George Pérez (pencillers), Romeo Thangal
(inker), Carl Gafford (colors), Len Wein (editor)
Guardians of the Galaxy Annual#4 (1994) - Michael Gallagher (writer),
Jim Hall (pencils), Tom K. Christopher (inks), Evelyn Stein (editor)
Spider-Man: The Animated Series Season#3 Episode#1 (April, 1996) -
John Semper, Jr. & Mark Hoffmeier (writers), John Vernon (Doctor
Strange's voice), C.K. Horness (editor)
Batman: The Brave and the Bold Season 1 Episode 10 (February, 2009) -
J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Ben Jones (director)
Ultimate Spider-Man Animated Series Season 1 Episode 13: Strange Day
(July, 2012) - Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau (writers), Jeff
Allen (director)
Marvel Untold: Sisters of Sorcery - Aconyte - Novel (2022) - Marsheila
Rockwell (writer)
Doctor Strange: Dimension War (2024) - James Lovegrove (Author)
The
Dimensional Gateway (the Funhouse mirror) The Funhouse
mirror seemed a mirror which reflected distorted images but
actually it was an alien technological device, a means of
transport, a gateway between Earth and an alien dimension, the
Dimension X.
The mirror was encased into a gaping maw, recalling the open maw of the Fangs of Farallah. The maw was the mouth of a clown mask.
The dimension-crossing function from Earth could be activated by an
operator. Its activation allowed to see what was on the
other side, in the Dimension X, and opened the passage for few
seconds. Crossing the gateway during its shutdown would cause the
traveler's atoms to be scattered throughout the universe. By an
unique coincidence, the unfortunate user could be molecularly
transformed into a new form of matter, very similar to living
unstable molecules.
The passage in the opposite direction
apparently didn't need any activation, nor had time limits. It
wasn't possible to look beyond the threshold..
The device was quite delicate. A hammer smash onto the mirror did suffice to destroy the portal.
The creator was likely the Scientist
Supreme of the Dimension X.
History:
(Slapstick#1) - The dimensional gate mirror was used several times
by some aliens, to kidnap humans and bring them to the other side
of the gateway. The gateway was perfectly disguised, fitting in a
carnival House of Mirrors.
During one of these abductions, Steve
Harmon saw one
of the goons of the Dimension X activating and using the
dimensional portal modeled as a clown's smiling mouth. Harmon,
too, crossed it. The portal led Steve to the
Dimension X. On the other side of the portal its shape was
different, it was only a melting hole in the void of space; it
wasn't the only gaping in the sky.
Later, when Steve met the Scientist
Supreme of Dimension X, the alien called the portal
"Dimensional Gateway" mentioning the vibrational state and the
scattering of atoms (quite technological and very few magical).
Slapstick managed to free the human prisoners, and run away from the Overlord's henchmen. He followed a floating path which led to another mouth-like hole. He chose well, because that other gaping led to the funhouse gateway. Once on Earth, Slapstick shattered the mirror inside the mouth, producing an explosion and myriads of glistening debris. The damaged portal produced a whirlpool which sucked back the Overlord's goons, closing, annihilating itself.
Comments:
The Dimensional Gateway seemed a technological marvel, not a magical creation. Still, some differences with the Fangs of Farallah can be explained:
--Slapstick#1
images: (without ads)
ClanDestine I#8, p13, pan4 (an apparently inactive portal in the Dark
Dimension)
Amazing Spider-Man Annual#14, p6, pan1 (Fangs' tongue, sections
separator)
Doctor Strange II#1, p6, pan1 (Fangs of Farallah conjured by Silver
Dagger)
Doctor Strange II#49, p7, pan3 (the oozing tongue of the Fangs of
Farallah)
Doctor Strange II#45, p13, pan1 (the Fearsome Fangs of Farallah rent the
tentacle of a N'Garai)
Amazing Spider-Man Annual I#14, p5, pan5 (Dilby plane-landing on the
Fang's tongue in the Dark Dimension)
The Incredible Hulk II#301, p1, pan1 (the Crossroads and the Fangs)
Warlock I#11, p7, pan7 (Magus' cocoon toward madness beyond the Fangs)
Doctor Strange II#26, p16, pan6 (a maw with eyes and nose)
The Incredible Hulk II#632, p20, pan1 (Umar coming out from the Fangs of
Farallah)
Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme#54, p9, pan3 (an amulet-shaped gateway
looking like the Fangs of Farallah)
Slapstick#1, p22, panels 3-4-5 (the smiling Gateway destroyed by
Slapstick)
Slapstick#1, p20, panel 7 (the other side of the Gateway, without teeth)
Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Season 1 Episode 10, minute 2:10 (Doctor
Fate and Wotan fought before the Fangs of Farallah)
Strange Tales I#116, p4, pan8 (in the Realm of Nightmare, the Path of
Hoggoth crossed the Fangs of Farallah)
Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme#12, p21, pan1 (Clea summoned the Fangs
to plane-shift from the Dark Dimension)
Appearances:
Strange Tales I#116/2 (January, 1964) - Stan Lee (writer), Steve Ditko (pencils and inks)
Strange Tales I#147/2 (August, 1966) - Stan Lee and Dennis O'Neil (writers), Bill Everett (artist)
Strange Tales I#148/2 (September, 1966) - Dennis O'Neil (writer), Bill Everett (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Strange Tales I#155/2 (April, 1967) - Stan Lee (writer), Marie Severin (artist)
Captain Marvel I#28 (September, 1973) - Mike Friedrich & Jim Starlin (writers), Jim Starlin (pencils), Dan Green (inks)
Doctor Strange II#1 (June, 1974) - Frank Brunner and Steve Englehart (writers), Frank Brunner (pencils), Dick Giordano (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Giant-Size Avengers I#2/1 (November, 1974) - Steve Englehart (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Neal Adams, David Cockrum, Crusty Bunkers (inks), Bill Mantlo (colors), Roy Thomas (editor)
Warlock I#9 (October, 1975) - Jim Starlin (writer, pencils and colors), Steve Leialoha (inks), Len Win (editor)
Warlock I#11 (February, 1976) - Jim Starlin (writer and artist), Steve Leialoha (inks and colors), Marv Wolfman (colors)
Doctor Strange II#13 (April, 1976) - Steve Englehart (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks and colors), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Doctor Strange II#23 (June, 1977) - Marv Wolfman (writer), Jim Starlin (pencils), Rudy Nebres (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Doctor Strange II#26 (December, 1977) - Jim Starlin (writer, layouts), Rudy Nebres (finishes), Janice Cohen & Phil Rachelson (colors), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man Annual I#14 (1980) - Danny O'Neil (writer), Frank Miller (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Ben Sean (colors), Al Milgrom (editor)
Doctor Strange II#45 (February, 1981) - Chris Claremont (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Frank Giacoia, Dan Green, Al Milgrom, Tom Palmer, Wendy Pini, Joe Rubinstein, Walt Simonson & Bob Wiacek (inks), Mary Jo Duffy (editor)
Doctor Strange II#49 (October, 1981) - Roger Stern (writer), Marshall Rogers (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Doctor Strange II#52 (April, 1982) - Roger Stern (writer), Marshall Rogers (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Ghost Rider II#77 (February, 1983) - Bob Budiansky, Jean Marc DeMatteis (writers), Bob Budiansky (pencils), Kevin Dzuban (dzuban), Andy Yanchus (colors), Tom DeFalco (editor)
Captain America Annual I#7 (August, 1983) - Peter Gillis (writer), Brian Postman (pencils), Kim DeMulder (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#300 (October, 1984) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#301 (November, 1984) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk Annual#13 (November, 1984) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Alan Kupperberg (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#302 (December, 1984) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Doctor Strange II#68 (December, 1984) - Roger Stern (writer), Paul Smith (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#304 (February, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#305 (March, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#306 (April, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#307 (May, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#308 (June, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#309 (July, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#311 (September, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Mike Mignola (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#312 (October, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Mike Mignola (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#313 (November, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Mike Mignola (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Carl Potts (editor)
Doctor Strange II#77 (April, 1986) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Mark Badger (breakdowns), Chris Warner (pencils), Randy Emberlin (inks), Bob Sharen (colors) Carl Potts (editor)
Avengers I#304 (June, 1989) - Danny Fingeroth writer), Rich Buckler (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Christie Scheele (colors), Howard Mackie (editor)
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#12/1 (December, 1989) - Dann Thomas and Roy Thomas (writers), Jackson Guice (pencils and inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#23/1 (November, 1990) - Dann Thomas and Roy Thomas (writers), Jackson Guice (pencils), Doug Hazlewood (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#39 (March, 1992) - Jean-Marc Lofficier, Dann Thomas & Roy Thomas (writers), Geof Isherwood (pencils), James Sanders III (inks), Michael Rockwitz (editor)
Infinity War#2 (July, 1992) - Jim Starlin (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
ClanDestine I#8 (May, 1995) - Alan Davis (writer/artist), Mark Farmer (inks), Helen Nally (colors), Paul Neary (editor)
Shadows and Light II#2/3 (Apr, 1998) - Jim Stalin (writer/artist)
Over the Edge#7 (May, 1996) - John Rozum (writer), Stephen B. Jones (penciler), Mike Whiterby & Ralph Cabrera (inkers), Glynis Oliver (colorist), James Felder (editor)
The Mystic Hands of Doctor Strange#1/2 (May, 2010) - Pete Milligan (writer), Frank Brunner (artist), Jody Leheup & John Barber
Incredible Hulk II#632 (September, 2011) - Greg Pak (writer), Paul Pelletier (pencils), Danny K. Miki (inks), Jesus Aburtov & Morry Hollowell (colors), Jacob Thomas (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#633 (October, 2011) - Greg Pak (writer), Paul Pelletier (pencils), Danny K. Miki (inks), Morry Hollowell (colors), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Avenging Spider-Man#8 (June, 2012) - Dan Slott & Ty Templeton (writers), Matt Clark (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Elizabeth Pyle (editor)
Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme#6 (May, 2017) - Robbie Thompson (writer), Javier Rodriguez (pencils), Alvaro Lopez (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Symbiote Spider-Man: Crossroads#1 (September, 2021) - Peter David (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Frank D'Armata (colors), Nick Lowe & Devin Lewis & Danny Khazem (editors)
Symbiote Spider-Man: Crossroads#2 (October, 2021) - Peter David (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Frank D'Armata (colors), Nick Lowe & Devin Lewis & Danny Khazem (editors)
Symbiote Spider-Man: Crossroads#4 (December, 2021) - Peter David (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Frank D'Armata (colors), Nick Lowe & Devin Lewis & Danny Khazem (editors)
First Posted: 06/24/2021
Last updated: 05/16/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel
Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should
check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
