diff --git a/Markdown.pl b/Markdown.pl
index 66098f2..ec5cf36 100755
--- a/Markdown.pl
+++ b/Markdown.pl
@@ -609,13 +609,13 @@ sub _main {
 	'validate-xml' => sub {$cli_opts{'validate-xml'} = 1},
 	'validate-xml-internal' => sub {$cli_opts{'validate-xml'} = 2},
 	'no-validate-xml' => sub {$cli_opts{'validate-xml'} = 0},
-	'stripcomments|strip-comments' => sub
-		{!$cli_opts{'stripcomments'} and $cli_opts{'stripcomments'} = 1},
-	'stripcommentslax|stripcomments-lax|strip-comments-lax' =>
+	'stripcommentsstrict|stripcomments-strict|strip-comments-strict' =>
+		sub {$cli_opts{'stripcomments'} = 1},
+	'stripcomments|stripcommentslax|stripcomments-lax|strip-comments|strip-comments-lax' =>
 		sub {$cli_opts{'stripcomments'} = 2},
 	'stripcommentslaxonly|stripcomments-laxonly|stripcomments-lax-only|strip-comments-lax-only' =>
 		sub {$cli_opts{'stripcomments'} = 3},
-	'no-stripcomments|no-strip-comments' => sub {$cli_opts{'stripcomments'} = 0},
+	'nostripcomments|no-stripcomments|no-strip-comments' => sub {$cli_opts{'stripcomments'} = 0},
 	'keepabs|keep-abs|k' => \$cli_opts{'keepabs'},
 	'absroot|a=s' => \$cli_opts{'absroot'},
 	'base|b=s' => \$cli_opts{'base'},
@@ -995,16 +995,20 @@ sub ProcessRaw {
 #               which gets turned into "<p></p><pre></pre></p>" which then
 #               no longer validates).
 #   stripcomments => any-false-value (no action), any-true-value (strip).
-#                 => 1 (strip), 2 (strip-lax), 3 (strip-lax-only)
-#               a non-integer true value will be forced to 1.
-#               an integer value < 0 will be forced to 1.
-#               an integer value > 3 will be forced to 3.
+#                 => 1 (strip-strict), 2 (strip-lax), 3 (strip-lax-only)
+#               a non-numeric true value will be forced to 2.
+#               a numeric value < 0 will be forced to 2.
+#               a numeric value > 0 and < 1 will be forced to 2.
+#               a numeric value > 3 will be forced to 3.
+#               a non-integer value will forced to an integral value.
 #               1, 2, and 3 correspond to the command line options
-#               --strip-comments, --strip-comments-lax and
+#               --strip-comments-strict, --strip-comments-lax and
 #               --strip-comments-lax-only respectively.
 #               since the strip comments mechanism is a function of the
 #               sanitizer, if stripcomments is set to any-true-value then
 #               tag attributes will also always be sanitized.
+#               if stripcomments is not set or is set to the empty string,
+#               then it will be set to 3 if sanitize is true and 0 otherwise.
 #               effective for both ProcessRaw and Markdown.
 #   empty_element_suffix => " />" or ">"
 #               will be forced to " />" if not valid or defined.
@@ -1172,13 +1176,15 @@ sub _SanitizeOpts {
     $o->{keep_named_character_entities} = 0 unless
 	defined($o->{keep_named_character_entities}) && $o->{keep_named_character_entities} eq "1";
     $o->{xmlcheck} = looks_like_number($o->{xmlcheck}) && $o->{xmlcheck} == 0 ? 0 : 2;
-    !looks_like_number($o->{stripcomments}) and $o->{stripcomments} = $o->{stripcomments} ? 1 : 0;
-    $o->{stripcomments} && $o->{stripcomments} < 2 and $o->{stripcomments} = 1;
-    $o->{stripcomments} = int($o->{stripcomments});
-    $o->{stripcomments} > 3 and $o->{stripcomments} = 3;
-    $o->{sanitize} = 1 if $o->{stripcomments} && !$o->{sanitize};
     $o->{sanitize} = 1 if $o->{xmlcheck} && !$o->{sanitize};
     $o->{sanitize} = 1 if ref($o->{urlfunc}) eq 'CODE' && !$o->{sanitize};
+    !looks_like_number($o->{stripcomments}) and
+	$o->{stripcomments} = $o->{stripcomments} ? 2 :
+	    ($o->{sanitize} && (!defined($o->{stripcomments}) || $o->{stripcomments} eq "") ? 3 : 0);
+    $o->{stripcomments} && $o->{stripcomments} < 1 and $o->{stripcomments} = 2;
+    $o->{stripcomments} = int($o->{stripcomments});
+    $o->{stripcomments} > 3 and $o->{stripcomments} = 3;
+    $o->{stripcomments} && !$o->{sanitize} and $o->{sanitize} = 1;
 
     # this is gross, but having the globals avoids unnecessary slowdown
     if ($o->{sanitize} && $o->{xmlcheck}) {
@@ -4503,10 +4509,11 @@ B<Markdown.pl> [B<--help>] [B<--html4tags>] [B<--htmlroot>=I<prefix>]
    --validate-xml                       check if output is valid XML
    --validate-xml-internal              fast basic check if output is valid XML
    --no-validate-xml                    do not check output for valid XML
-   --strip-comments                     remove XML comments from output
+   --strip-comments                     remove XML-like comments from output
    --strip-comments-lax                 remove XML-like comments from output
+   --strip-comments-strict              remove only strictly valid XML comments
    --strip-comments-lax-only            remove only invalid XML-like comments
-   --no-strip-comments                  do not remove XML comments (default)
+   --no-strip-comments                  do not remove any XML/XML-like comments
    --tabwidth=num                       expand tabs to num instead of 8
    --auto-number                        automatically number h1-h6 headers
    -k | --keep-abs                      keep abspath URLs despite -r/-i
@@ -4715,15 +4722,31 @@ B<--no-sanitize> is used in which case B<--no-validate-xml> is the
 default option.
 
 
-=item B<--strip-comments>
+=item B<--strip-comments>/B<--strip-comments-lax>
+
+(N.B. B<--strip-comments> is just a short form of B<--strip-comments-lax>)
+
+Strip XML and XML-like comments from the output.  Any XML or XML-like
+comments encountered will be omitted from the output if either of these
+options is given.
 
-Strip XML comments from the output.  Any XML comments encountered will
-be omitted from the output if this option is given.
+Unlike the B<--strip-comments-strict> option, these options I<will>
+strip any XML-like comments that contain internal double hyphen
+(i.e. C<-->) sequences.
 
 This option requires the B<--sanitize> option to be used (which is
 the default).
 
-However, note that the XML standard section 2.5 specifically prohibits
+If either of these options is given, it will supersede any previous
+B<--strip-comments-strict>, B<--strip-comments-lax-only> or
+B<--no-strip-comments> options.
+
+
+=item B<--strip-comments-strict>
+
+Strip only strictly XML standard compliant comments from the output.
+
+Note that the XML standard section 2.5 specifically prohibits
 a C<--> sequence within an XML comment (i.e. C<--> cannot occur after
 the comment start tag C<< <!-- >> unless it is immediately followed
 by C<< > >> which makes it the comment end tag C<< --> >>).
@@ -4737,56 +4760,56 @@ option), any invalid tags have their leading C<< < >> escaped (to
 C<< &#lt; >>) thus making them ordinary text and this I<includes>
 invalid XML comments.
 
-What this means is that the B<--strip-comments> option I<will not> remove
-invalid XML comments (such as S<C<< <!-----> >>>)!
+What this means is that the B<--strip-comments-strict> option I<will not>
+remove invalid XML comments (such as S<C<< <!-----> >>>)!
 
 But see the B<--strip-comments-lax> option for a solution.
 
-
-=item B<--strip-comments-lax>
-
-Strip XML-like comments from the output.  Any XML-like comments encountered
-will be omitted from the output if this option is given.  Supersedes the
-B<--strip-comments> option if both are given.
-
-While the syntax of XML comments cannot be relaxed (that would require
-altering the XML standard), if they are being stripped out anyway, then the
-standard isn't quite so relevant since they will not be present in the output.
-
-The B<--strip-comments-lax> option acts just like the B<--strip-comments>
-option EXCEPT that the content between the starting comment tag S<C<< <!-- >>>
-and then ending comment tag S<C<< --> >>> is I<NOT> restricted since it will be
-stripped out of the final result which will therefore remain XML compliant.
-
-The only restriction, of course, is that the content between the XML comment
-start tag and the XML comment end tag cannot contain the XML comment end tag
-itself.
-
-With the B<--strip-comments-lax> option, strictly invalid XML comments
-(such as S<C<< <!-- -- -- -- --> >>>) I<WILL> be stripped as well as all
-strictly valid XML comments.
+If this option is given, it will supersede any previous
+B<--strip-comments>, B<--strip-comments-lax>, B<--strip-comments-lax-only>
+or B<--no-strip-comments> options.
 
 
 =item B<--strip-comments-lax-only>
 
-This is a compromise option.  It works just like B<--strip-comments-lax>, but
-I<ONLY> on strictly invalid XML-like comments.  Supersedes the
-B<--strip-comments> option if both are given.
+This is the default option if no other strip comments options are given
+AND the B<--sanitize> option is active (the default).
+
+This is a compromise option.  It works just like the B<--strip-comments-lax>
+option, but I<ONLY> on strictly invalid XML-like comments.
 
 In other words, if a strictly valid XML comment is present, it will be retained
 in the output.  If a strictly invalid XML comment is present which would have
 been stripped by B<--strip-comments-lax> but would have had its leading C<< < >>
-escaped automatically by the default B<--no-strip-comments> mode (because it's
-not a strictly valid XML comment), then it will be stripped by this mode.
+escaped automatically by the B<--no-strip-comments> or B<--strip-comments-strict>
+modes (because it's not a strictly valid XML comment), then it I<will> be stripped
+by this mode.
 
 This option prevents ugly invalid XML comments from slipping through into the
 output as escaped plain text while still passing through valid XML comments
 without stripping them.
 
+If this option is given, it will supersede any previous
+B<--strip-comments>, B<--strip-comments-lax>, B<--strip-comments-lax-only>
+or B<--no-strip-comments> options.
+
 
 =item B<--no-strip-comments>
 
-Do not strip XML comments from the output.  This is the default.
+Do not strip XML or XML-like comments from the output.
+
+This is the default option I<ONLY> when no other strip comments options have
+been give I<and> the B<--no-sanitize> option is in effect (which is I<not> the
+default).
+
+When B<--no-strip-comments> is active, strictly invalid XML comments such
+as those that contain an internal double hyphen (C<-->) sequence will end
+up having their leading C<< < >> escaped automatically and end up as plain
+text in the output!
+
+If this option is given, it will supersede any previous
+B<--strip-comments>, B<--strip-comments-lax>, B<--strip-comments-lax-only>
+or B<--no-strip-comments> options.
 
 
 =item B<--tabwidth>=I<num>