Dr. Strange would travel to the small town of Starksboro in New England after a man named Ethan Stoddard told the sorcerer supreme that his fiancee may have fallen prey to something evil while she was there doing research on the occult arts. Dr. Strange would go to the local church and discover that the townspeople were turning into reptilian humanoids. Dr. Strange is eventually overwhelmed when the evil aura from the town makes him weak. Dr. Strange is placed on a slab and placed in chains when the dark priestess Ebora summons a follower of Shuma-Gorath named Sligguth. Ebora tells Dr. Strange the origin of Sligguth and how fishermen settled in the village centuries ago. They found an inverted cross intertwined with a serpent and the villagers became reptilian as the power of Sligguth was alive upon the land. Ebora was the only human in the village when she became the dark priestess and offered sacrifices inside the Starksboro Church to please Sligguth. Dr. Strange was able to escape from his shackles as Sligguth approached him. Sligguth struck Dr. Strange with a foul fungus that started to drain the life from him but the sorcerer supreme kept on fighting and Sligguth was forced to retreat. Dr. Strange would come upon Sligguth in his secret lair and call upon the Eternal Ones-those who have bear the name Vishanti for help. The Eternal Ones momentarily lifted the evil aura that deprived Dr. Strange of his mystical strengths. Dr. Strange hurt Sligguth but had to retreat when the lair started to fill with ocean water. Dr. Strange started to swim to the surface when Sligguth appeared. Dr. Strange found the inverted cross floating nearby and dazed Sligguth with it. Dr. Strange covered the gills of Sligguth with his bare hands until Sligguth drowned to death.  

Creation

Sligguth was created by Archie Goodwin, Barry Smith and Frank Brunner in 1972 and first appeared in Marvel Premiere # 4.