Set Description:
Synopsis: This set currently consists of 70 books from 8 titles.
Background: Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange was created by Steve Ditko and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 (July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as the Sorcerer Supreme, the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats-yeah, I know, right out of Avengers Infinity Wars. Strange was introduced to bring a different kind of character and themes of mysticism to Marvel Comics.
The character starts out as an intelligent and egotistically arrogant neurosurgeon who is injured in a car accident. Because his hands had suffered severe nerve damage from the accident, he was told that current medical therapy and rehabilitation would not be enough to enable him to practice again as a surgeon. Unable to accept this prognosis, he travels the world searching for alternative ways of healing, which leads him to the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme. Strange becomes his student and learns to be a master of both the mystical and the martial arts. He acquires an assortment of mystical objects, including the powerful Eye of Agamotto and Cloak of Levitation, and takes up residence in a mansion referred to as the Sanctum Sanctorum, located at 177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. Strange assumes the title of Sorcerer Supreme and, with his friend and valet Wong, defends the world from mystical threats.
In live-action adaptations, the character was first portrayed by Peter Hooten in the 1978 television film Dr. Strange. Since 2016, Benedict Cumberbatch has portrayed the role of Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This set picks up all of Doctor Strange’s 57 appearances in Strange Tales (#110-167), his 15 issue run in Doctor Strange (#168-#183), and his guest appearances in ASM (2), Avengers (2), FF (2), Daredevil, JIM and X-Men, a total of 81 books.
Our Collection: I honestly don’t recall ever seeing this set before or even registering our books, maybe my son did, but I must admit it is a rather cool set since it pulls books from eight Marvel titles.
From our standpoint, we have long collected Strange Tales, although quite frankly it is by no means our best collection of those we started over 20 years ago and still has a few holes. But we do have many of the books in the set from other Marvel titles where Doctor Strange makes an appearance. I am a big fan of how Marvel integrated the character into the MCU, so maybe this is one where we will try to put together something.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 110 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 110 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1200221001
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Owner Comments
Strange Tales #110 is the early Silver Age Marvel key that introduced Doctor Strange! An early, enduring superhero in the Marvel Universe, Doctor Strange is the preeminent mystical hero that Marvel ever created. The "Master of the Mystic Arts" is now more popular than ever due to the character being introduced to billions of fans worldwide via the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character's visibility has been elevated worldwide, into an entirely different "plane of existence!" Significant to many storylines through the decades, this year, in film, Strange makes appearances in both Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday!
In addition to the first appearance of Doctor Strange, this issue also features the first appearances of the Ancient One, Nightmare and Wong. It also features the first Paste-Pot Pete and Wizard team-up, both of whom would later join forces with Sandman and Medusa to become the Frightful Four in FF #36. Our 9.6 is one of seven highest graded copies and one of the stars of our Marvel collection, as we have been bidding unsuccessfully in this book for over 15 years, but finally one came along at a better price and we mortgaged the house and jumped. We acquired the book from the 5/28/2026 ComicLink Auction. Please no 9.8s of this one CGC.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 111 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 111 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0201583004
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Owner Comments
Here’s another book valued more for its back-up story than the lead one of the Human Torch clashing with the ridiculous Asbestos Man. What it does have going for it is that Issue #111 features the second-ever appearance of Doctor Strange and the first appearance of the Ancient One's fallen apprentice, Baron Mordo, who would become one of Dr. Strange's everlasting foes. This is a tough book to find in decent grade and, while we would like a better copy, we decided to fill the slot now with this 9.2. We acquired the hook from the 2/26/2026 ComicLink Auction.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 114 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 114 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
4233965001
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Owner Comments
This 1963 classic cover marks the first appearance of Captain America since the Golden Age( actually the Acrobat disguised as Captain America). This issue came out before Avengers #4 which is the true Captain America first Silver Age appearance
Nonetheless, despite the masquerade, this Jack Kirby Captain America vs. Human Torch cover heralds the return of Captain America to comic books. It is thus one of the keys within the Strange Tales series and also within collections of serious Captain America fans.
Our 9.6 is tied for second highest graded trailing four 9.8s. We acquired the book from the 9/17/2023 Heritage Auction.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 115 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 115 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2035863001
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Owner Comments
Spider-Man appearances, origin of Docto r Strange, second appearance of the Sandman, this issue has it all. To boot, it is our favorite ST cover. This gem is second highest graded, bested only by a single 9.8.
Acquired in a CC auction on December 18, 2019.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 116 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 116 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2087165019
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Owner Comments
Issue #116 marks the first Thing cross-over, along with the second appearance of Nightmare along with the Puppet Master-no, he did not die in FF #8. This high-grade example is bested by only two 9.8s.
Acquired in the May 10, 2018 Heritage auction.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 117 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 117 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0707716001
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Owner Comments
The Human Torch again encounters the Eel in this high-grade example, bested by only two 9.8s. Acquired in the 7/9/1011 CL auction.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 118 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 118 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1272934001
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Owner Comments
As you can see on the cover, ST #118 features both the FF and the Wizard. It is also a OW/WP John Fantucchio and looks seriously undergraded to my eyes. Fantucchio was a well-known artist in '60s fandom, drawing covers for RBCC and the Comic Buyers Guide (including the #1 cover), and even worked as an illustrator for the CIA from 1963 to 1988. During this time he amassed full runs of Marvel, DC, Gold Key, Charlton, ACG and Dell, among others, keeping them locked away and untouched, which resulted in uniformly high grades and near perfect cover inks. After his passing in 2016, the family auctioned the collection through Comiclink. Even though the books have no distinctive markings, many were CGC graded.
We acquired the book from the 3/14/2018 CL Auction.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 119 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 119 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2078435016
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Owner Comments
The Human Torch clashes with the Rabble Rouser in Issue #119. This is a particularly difficult book to find in high grade, as our 9.4 is tied for second highest graded trailing a single 9.6. We acquired the book from a 5/16/2021 E-Bay Auction.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 120 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 120 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1278791001
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Owner Comments
Strange Tales #120 features an Ice-Man appearance. I am honestly not sure where or when we acquired this 9.6 SS copy, although we definitely did not have it signed by Stan Lee, so it was after 2014. It has been in our collection for several years and my best guess is that it was an E-Bay acquisition. It is the single highest graded SS copy, and now probably always will be, although I do not count such books as single highest unless there are no universal label books graded as high. In this case, it is bested by two blue-label 9.8s.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 121 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 121 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
4279510003
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Owner Comments
Issue #121 features a return of the Plantman, including his origin. Our WP 9.8 comes from the John Fantucchio Collection and is the single highest graded example in the census. Fantucchio was a well-known artist in '60s fandom, drawing covers for RBCC and the Comic Buyers Guide (including the #1 cover), and even worked as an illustrator for the CIA from 1963 to 1988. During this time he amassed full runs of Marvel, DC, Gold Key, Charlton, ACG and Dell, among others, keeping them locked away and untouched, which resulted in uniformly high grades and near perfect cover inks. After his passing in 2016, the family auctioned the collection through Comiclink. Even though the books have no distinctive markings, many were CGC graded.
The book is also one of three John Fantucchio Strange Tales, which we acquired in the March 14, 2018 CL auction.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 122 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 122 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
4014695001
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Owner Comments
Issue #121 features a return of the Plantman, including his origin. Our copy is tied with six others for highest graded and is one of three John Fantucchio Strange Tales acquired in the March 14, 2018 CL auction. Fantucchio was a well-known artist in '60s fandom, drawing covers for RBCC and the Comic Buyers Guide (including the #1 cover), and even worked as an illustrator for the CIA from 1963 to 1988. During this time he amassed full runs of Marvel, DC, Gold Key, Charlton, ACG and Dell, among others, keeping them locked away and untouched, which resulted in uniformly high grades and near perfect cover inks. After his passing in 2016, the family auctioned the collection through Comiclink. Even though the books have no distinctive markings, many were CGC graded.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 123 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 123 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1495570003
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Owner Comments
This is the third of three John Fantucchio pedigree Strange Tales acquired in the 3/14/2018 CL auction. It features the first appearance of the Beatle, Abner Jenkins, and the first Thor crossover, along with appearances by the Thing and Loki.
Our WP 9.6 is tied for second in the Census trailing four 9.8s.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 124 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 124 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1295232011
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Owner Comments
Issue #124 marks the return of Paste-Pot Pete and the Thing becoming a regular in the next 11 issues of ST. Our 9.6 is an upgrade from a 9.4 and tied with three other copies for highest graded. We acquired the book from a collector in the UK in January 2025.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 125 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 125 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0750065018
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Owner Comments
The Human Torch and the Thing once again square off with the Sun-Mariner in ST Issue #125. This is one of six 9.6s trailing a single 9.8. This book hails from the prestigious Doug Schmell Collection, which was auctioned off on Heritage ion July 26, 2012. We actually acquired this book off an e-bay listing on 4/5/2018.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales 126 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales 126 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1249955002
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Owner Comments
The Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master team up to take on the boys in this one, along with the start of a two issue Doctor Strange story featuring the first appearance of Cleo and Dormammu.
Our 9.6 is tied for second highest graded trailing two 9.8s. We acquired it in the 10/1/2011 CL Auction.*
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