REVIEW: Strange Tales #110

"Dr. Strange Master of Black Magic"

Story: Stan Lee
Art: Steve Ditko
Review: Will Dubbeld

The cinematic juggernaut that is Marvel drops a Dr. Strange movie on the world later this year, and we've seen our first photos of star Benedict Cummerbund, or whatever the chap's name is. I'm ecstatic over this, as a longtime fan of Stephen Strange, because Marvel hasn't struck out yet with a movie (although Thor 2, Iron Man 3, and Avengers 2 were by no means home runs) and I cannot wait to see the big-screen adaptation. We've already had a hilariously mediocre Dr. Strange telefilm in the late 1970s and I'm sure he's had some animated series guest spots, but until now the best motion picture version of Doctor Strange was the early '90s Full Moon Entertainment masterpiece Dr. Mordrid.

Which is a great movie. I don't care what anyone says.

In any case, it seems fair that we take a look at the good Doctor's first appearance courtesy of a Masterworks collection recently bequeathed upon me by my loving girlfriend for Christmas.
3 cheers for nerd girlfriends . . .


Doctor Strange first appeared, aptly enough, in a comic called Strange Tales.
Serendipitous, really.
At the time, Strange Tales was pretty well entrenched as a Human Torch solo book with throwaway backup stories. Strange had the fortune of serving as one of these supporting features and introduced readers to a hitherto unexplored facet of the fledgeling Marvel Universe.

Although his first appearance only net an underwhelming 5 pages, Dr. Strange was welcomed to the world in masterfully done piece by Lee/Ditko in their respective prime. I was surprised the story didn't contain Lee's usual bombastic dialogue and prose, instead presenting the reader with a rather proper (albeit very 1960s . . .) occult suspense short.

Admittedly, I hadn't read this story prior. I'd read the origin story of Dr. Strange, which I'd lived my whole life thinking was his 1st appearance. Woe betide the unaware . . .
All (well, most, anyway) of the familiar Dr. Strange staples also mark their maiden appearance in Strange Tales #110. His Greenwich Village Sanctum Sanctorum, trusty manservant Wong, Amulet of Agamotto, Ancient One, and perennial foe Nightmare all show up in this five-pager that follows a hapless fellow who is plagued by restless sleep and seeks out Doctor Strange's aid. Astral travel, betrayal, and a splash of mystical combat follow, masterfully illustrated by Steve Ditko in his element and on his A-game.

1960s Marvel is understandably not for everyone. The dated and somewhat frankly hokey scripting turns off a lot of whippersnappers with no damn respect for their roots, but those folks deserve all the mid-'90s garbage books they can eat. There really is a cavalcade, a wellspring, of incredible storytelling to be found in these old books. Some of the dialogue and art may seem a bit primitive by today's standards but that in no way should deter modern readers from exploring these Strange Tales of yesteryear.