Strange Tales 110 way undervalued

[supapimp]

strange tales 107 is HOT and strange tales 114 is not far behind in HG.

[jjonahjameson1]

Unfortunately, Doc Strange is and will continue to be a tier 2/3 character. Until he's able to raise his status and gain pop culture momentum, he's doomed to maintain his lack of notoriety and hence low desirability.

 

When's the last time you bought a book JUST because Doc Strange was in it? Heck, does he even have his own comic right now?

 

same thing was said for iron man, then BAM!

 

Seriously?

 

IM was a second tier character since inception until the first movie, when his popularity exploded.

 

He's been in continuous print since '63 and a founding member of the Avengers with on again/off again membership, Chief gizmo supplier to military and SHIELD, which established himself as a more important and prominent character in the Marvel universe than Dr. Strange could ever 'dream to project'.

 

Strange Tales 110 is a fun read, with great conceptual art by Ditko, and the book would certain be worth more if the good Doctor appeared on the cover and/or had his Origin story in the same issue (whereas Tales of Suspense 39 has both).

 

But at the end of the day, Doctor Strange is at best a third tier character operating on the fringe of the Marvel universe and I don't foresee a significant price spike on this book.

[rodan57]

But at the end of the day, Doctor Strange is at best a third tier character operating on the fringe of the Marvel universe and I don't foresee a significant price spike on this book.

 

Perhaps a third tier character in terms of popularity and sales, but the Ditko/Lee run in Strange Tales -- especially #125-#146, battling Dormammu and the search for Eternity-- is a highlight of Silver Age Marvel.

 

I scanned the following pages for an earlier thread to make a similar point of the quality of this run. I can't remember where I posted them but I hope they are worth the rerun for fans of this period ...

 

 

 

Strange Tales #129 p.8 • February 1964

 

 

 

Strange Tales #134 p.2 • July 1965

 

 

 

Strange Tales #136 p.3 • September 1965

 

 

 

Strange Tales #137 p.10 • October 1965

 

 

 

Strange Tales #138 p.10 • November 1965

 

 

 

Strange Tales #139 p.10 • December 1965

 

 

 

Strange Tales #140 p.10 • January 1966

 

[Ted Knight]

Unfortunately, Doc Strange is and will continue to be a tier 2/3 character. Until he's able to raise his status and gain pop culture momentum, he's doomed to maintain his lack of notoriety and hence low desirability.

 

When's the last time you bought a book JUST because Doc Strange was in it? Heck, does he even have his own comic right now?

 

same thing was said for iron man, then BAM!

 

Seriously?

 

IM was a second tier character since inception until the first movie, when his popularity exploded.

 

He's been in continuous print since '63 and a founding member of the Avengers with on again/off again membership, Chief gizmo supplier to military and SHIELD, which established himself as a more important and prominent character in the Marvel universe than Dr. Strange could ever 'dream to project'.

 

Strange Tales 110 is a fun read, with great conceptual art by Ditko, and the book would certain be worth more if the good Doctor appeared on the cover and/or had his Origin story in the same issue (whereas Tales of Suspense 39 has both).

 

But at the end of the day, Doctor Strange is at best a third tier character operating on the fringe of the Marvel universe and I don't foresee a significant price spike on this book.

 

You are 100% correct. He couldn't sustain his own title for more than 15 issues or so. Comparing Dr. Strange and Iron Man is apples and oranges. The truth is that very few people are interested in collecting Dr. Strange. It's just not that interesting of a storyline. Baron Mordo and the Dread Dormammu. And repeat over and over again.

 

Therefore, not undervalued.

[dem1138]

 

I scanned the following pages for an earlier thread to make a similar point of the quality of this run. I can't remember where I posted them but I hope they are worth the rerun for fans of this period ...

 

Strange Tales #129 p.8 • February 1964

 

 

 

My friend owns the OA to this page - really quite striking in person!

[Hibou]

Dr. Strange isn't even mentioned on the cover of ST 110! Pretty obscure key to me. I much prefer Doctor Strange 1 for the cover art.

 

 

 

Sweet book!

[Unca Ben]

Rodan57, that is beautiful stuff. I just re-read the Strange Tales run and it is great Ditko storytelling.

 

A couple of observations:

 

Strange Tales #146, Ditko’s last issue, was the first ever full cover appearance of Doctor Strange. Strange Tales #130 comes close, but still is a split cover. When SHIELD came on board Strange Tales, many covers didn’t even mention Doctor Strange. I wonder if Ditko felt a little slighted by this.

 

Strange Tales #146 feels rushed, like Ditko had to wrap up the great Dormammu / Eternity opus before he left. The pacing seems off compared to prior installments, as if Ditko compressed two or three 10-page stories into one.

 

I have always suspected that Stan’s blithe treatment of the Doctor Strange strip may have had more to do with Ditko’s departure than the conflicts over Amazing Spider-Man. After all, Doctor Strange was totally Ditko’s baby from the beginning, unlike ASM.

 

I never completely believed the rumor about the disagreement over the Green Goblin’s identity, as Ditko started leaving clues about Osborn while he was plotting ASM, such as Norman’s attempted assassination of Mendel Stromm in ASM #37. How did Norman get up to that outside window if he didn’t use something like the Goblin glider?

 

[rodan57]

 

Strange Tales #146, Ditko’s last issue, was the first ever full cover appearance of Doctor Strange. Strange Tales #130 comes close, but still is a split cover. When SHIELD came on board Strange Tales, many covers didn’t even mention Doctor Strange. I wonder if Ditko felt a little slighted by this.

 

Strange Tales #146 feels rushed, like Ditko had to wrap up the great Dormammu / Eternity opus before he left. The pacing seems off compared to prior installments, as if Ditko compressed two or three 10-page stories into one.

 

 

... and the cover to #146 is not even a Ditko composition. The figure of Strange is a flip from page 5 and I would not hesitate to ascribe the rest of the cover to another hand. In the story, all space is within Eternity. On the cover there is a weak background.

 

 

I think you're right on about the rushed storytelling in #146.

 

From Blake Bell's Stranger and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko p.79 ---

 

 

[namisgr]

While the book may or may not be undervalued, I think the book and the character are underappreciated.

 

The Ditko run is fantastic, and there is much more to it than Mordo and Dormammu (Eternity and Nightmare immediately come to mind). In addition to the best of SA Ditko, John Buscema, Dan Adkins, Barry Smith, Frank Brunner and Michael Golden had excellent stints as pencillers.

 

Most of you are probably too young to appreciate how big a pop culture figure Dr. Strange was in the late sixties. He was the comic book character Pink Floyd wrote into song and snuck onto the album cover for "Saucerful of Secrets". He was considered the coolest comic hero on college campuses. His return during the Bronze Age in Marvel Premiere #3 was the superhero book that Barry Smith most wanted to draw. His blacklight posters were the most common to have on your wall (see below).

 

His character was too different and the stories a bit too cerebral and lacking in brute force for the mass acclaim of Spidey, the FF or Thor, but he was responsible perhaps as much as any other 1960s creation for comics' transition from children's fare to young adult hip. Given the incredible popularity of the sorcerer in books and movies (Harry Potter anyone?), there is an excellent chance for the character to achieve popularity once again.

 

[Unca Ben]

[rodan57]

 

I scanned the following pages for an earlier thread to make a similar point of the quality of this run. I can't remember where I posted them but I hope they are worth the rerun for fans of this period ...

 

Strange Tales #129 p.8 • February 1964

 

 

 

My friend owns the OA to this page - really quite striking in person!

 

I don't suppose your friend has a scan or link he wants to share?

[mrchocholat]

Since no pics were here thought i would add one! Love ST 110!

[Unca Ben]

Since no ther pics were here thought i would add one! Love ST 110!

very nice!

 

[JuliusSeizure]

This has turned into a very interesting thread. Thanks for the contributions.

[Illustrious]

Am I the only one who think Dr. Strange looked cooler like this?

 

 

[namisgr]

Am I the only one who think Dr. Strange looked cooler like this?

 

 

Yes.

[Unca Ben]

sorry, yes.

[Zack1973]

Thanks for welcoming me to the boards - the grade I picked up was a CGC 4.5 and it was quite reasonable. Looking forward to the book, as I always loved the character and a cool movie with hopefully Hugh Laurie would be the perfect casting. House meets magic

[Dollarbill]

Am I the only one who think Dr. Strange looked cooler like this?

 

 

 

Yeah sorry, but this is .

 

Kind of looks like the Blue Beetle.

[RickL]

Strange is, far and away, my favourite Marvel character. I've got a healthy swathe of the Strange Tales books featuring the Doc. I've got the earlier issues in Collector's Item Classics.

 

I kind of hope 110 stays under-valued a bit longer, as I have yet to score a copy. It's probably the only key SA book I'll be able to afford in the mid term.

 

The cover is pretty awful, but the Paste-Pot Pete character is kind of hilarious in a ridiculous sense. The cover provides pretty strong competition for another Strange Tales cover where the bad guy is shaking the dew off a tree to douse the Human Torch's flames and the Torch is kind of freaked at the threatening situation.