Essential Dr. Strange

    (Marvel, 2001, 2005, 2007)
™ and © 1963-1968, 2001 Marvel Characters, Inc.

It wasn’t until Strange Tales #110 that Stan Lee introduced us to Doctor Strange, master of the mystic arts. From 1962 through 1966, Lee and artist Steve Ditko brought us the adventures of Doctor Stephen Strange, originally a selfish, prominent surgeon who was injured in a car crash and told he would never operate again. Sinking into self pity and despair, Strange gained word of a mysterious “Ancient One” who had remarkable healing abilities. Traveling to the Ancient One’s mountain sanctuary, the former doctor discovered one last shred of decency and tried to warn the old man that his pupil, Mordo, was plotting to kill him. With Strange’s warning, the Ancient One easily defeated Mordo and took on Strange as his new disciple, teaching him the secrets of the mystic arts.

Steven Strange later moved back to New York and took up residence in a house in Greenwich Village where he used his abilities and artifacts to help mankind against the dark terrors that sneak into our world and threaten us.

Volume one of the Essential Doctor Strange reprints in black and white the character stories from Strange Tales #110, 111, and 114 through 168, when Strange was finally given his own title in 1968 as Doctor Strange, picking up the numeration with #169 but only lasting until #183. Doc has since had several more titles and starts, along with various looks and supporting characters, but the Lee/Ditko stories of the sixties remain among the most beloved.

— Ron Black
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  • 3
    #3
    Cover: $16.99
    W: Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Marv Wolfman, Jim Starlin, Roger Stern  ·  A: Gene Colan, Frank Brunner, Alfredo P. Alcala, Dan Adkins, Rudy Nebres, Jim Starlin, Al Milgrom, Tom Sutton
    Collects Doctor Strange #1–29, Annual #1, & Tomb of Dracula #44; ca. 2007
    1 copy for $13.50