Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) comic books

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 76 CBCS 2.0

Paper: Cream to off white

Label #22-1A209AC-018

Prototype issue (Human Torch). Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers. "I Am Dragoom! The Flaming Invader!", pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; A flaming alien monster terrorizes Earth; A movie director fools him by using special effects to fake the arrival of police from Vulcan in pursuit of the monster, frightening him away. "The Pact" text story. "Beware!! The Ghosts Surround Me!!", art by Don Heck; A fugitive hides in an abandoned house, but aliens from another dimension appear to him; They cannot hurt him, but instead they phase him into an immaterial state and leave him there forever. "The Dummy and Me!", art by Paul Reinman; Some gangsters come for a ventriloquist who has unpaid gambling debts; They corner him in the alley and shoot him. "I Found the Mad Universe!", art by Steve Ditko; A scientist uses a powerful new microscope to discover an entire world existing at the sub-atomic level; He is horrified to find that this world, Earth, is just as barbaric and violent as his own. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.10.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 115 CGC 5.5

Paper: Off white

Label #1362288007

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Steve Ditko. Dr. Strange's 4th appearance finally provides his origin in "The Origin of Dr. Strange," script by Stan Lee (co-plot, script) and Steve Ditko (co-plot, un-credited), art by Steve Ditko; Dr. Stephen Strange, a top neurosurgeon, damages his hands in an accident and seeks out a mystic for help; He saves the seer from his treacherous student, becoming his pupil and finding a new purpose; First mentions of Dormammu and the All-Seeing Agamotto (though no actual appearances). Baron Mordo appearance. Second appearance (and brief origin) of the Sandman in "The Sandman Strikes!", script by Stan Lee (co-plot, script) and Dick Ayers (co-plot, un-credited), art by Dick Ayers; The Human Torch fights and defeats Spider-Mans old enemy Sandman. "Zero of Time" text story. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 129 VG+ 4.5

1/2" cumulative spine split.

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Chic Stone. The Human Torch and the Thing star in "The Terrible Trio!", script by Stan Lee and Dick Ayers (co-plot), pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Frank Giacoia (as Frankie Ray); On the golf course, Doris nags Johnny by comparing him to "gentlemanly" Peter Parker; When the latest emergency arises, she says a girl like her should have her head examined; Johnny falls into a trap of The Terrible Trio, but manages to send out a distress signal to Ben, who takes on these losers and saves Johnny's life in a railway yard. "Beware...Tiboro! The Tyrant of the Sixth Dimension!", script by Steve Ditko (plot) and Don Rico (script), art by Steve Ditko; A panel of three scientists appear on a TV program, rejecting Dr. Strange as an authority on the supernatural and dismiss magic as superstition; When the lights go out the men vanish and Dr. Strange is summoned; He discerns that the idol they dismissed is a gateway to the dimension of Tiboro, a powerful entity set to attack Earth; Strange travels to Tiboro's land and a fierce battle commences. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 136 CGC 8.0

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4419733009

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko (bottom tier), inks by Mike Esposito and Steve Ditko (bottom tier). "Find Fury or Die!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby (layouts) and John Severin, inks by John Severin; HYDRA agents tail Fury intent on finding SHIELD's HQ, but Fury is aware he's being followed. HYDRA Section Leader B, a "Hydra-Hunter," runs the mission and hands over his hood to the Imperial Hydra so he will have no place to hide should he fail; When a few HYDRA agents show up at the barber shop which is the secret entrance to SHIELD's HQ, they're captured and hypnotized into believing the HQ is located in a warehouse blocks away. "What Lurks Beneath the Mask?", script by Steve Ditko (plot) and Stan Lee (dialogue), art by Steve Ditko; Dormammu imprisons Clea, telling her she will witness Strange's defeat. Mordo tells Dormammu that Strange is searching for "Eternity" and is puzzled by the dark lord's violent reaction; Strange continues his search, going from one mystic to another with no results, until The Aged Genghis tells him only he and The Ancient One know the secret; He gives him a scroll, which leads Strange to a being imprisoned in another dimension; a trap he barely escapes. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 137 VG+ 4.5

Cover art by John Severin (signed) and Steve Ditko (lower tier). "The Prize Is... Earth!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby (layouts) and John Severin, inks by John Severin; SHIELD agents attempt to get microfilm to HQ but they fail, sacrificing themselves to prevent falling into HYDRA hands; The microfilm would have revealed the location of the Betratron Bomb, which Hydra will use to ransom the world; Leslie Farrington, chairmanship of Imperial Industries tells his assistant, Brown to track info on every board member, one of which is the Imperial Hydra. "When Meet the Mystic Minds!", script by Steve Ditko (plot) and Stan Lee (dialogue), art by Steve Ditko; Desperate to learn the secret of "Eternity," Dr. Strange probes the unconscious mind of The Ancient One, meeting one deadly trap after another, until at last, he reaches the mind of his beloved Master, and convinces him of his identity and good intentions; Brief Baron Mordo appearance. Order form for the Merry Marvel Marching Society. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 138 CGC 8.5

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4064961007

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by John Severin. "Sometimes the Good Guys Lose!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby (layouts) and John Severin, inks by John Severin; Aboard SHIELD's Intercontinental Ballistic Plane Fury uses the Televiewer Tube to locate the Betraton Bomb launch site; It is destroyed but the bomb was already launched; Agent G unsuccessfully implores her father, Imperial Hydra to come to his senses; He sends HYDRA's Fox Division to deliver his terms to every nation on Earth; Tony Stark prepares to show Fury the Braino-Saur,a new weapon when HYDRA agents capture him. "If Eternity Should Fail!", script by Steve Ditko (plot) and Stan Lee (dialogue), art by Steve Ditko; In another dimension that defies description, Dr. Strange comes face-to-face with Eternity, who learns that Strange is indeed worthy of The Ancient One's trust; He knows that if Mordo & Dormammu are not stopped, all mankind will be in jeopardy; But after all Strange has been through, Eternity tells him he already has the power he needs; First appearance of Eternity; Appearance by Clea. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 138 VG- 3.5

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by John Severin. "Sometimes the Good Guys Lose!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby (layouts) and John Severin, inks by John Severin; Aboard SHIELD's Intercontinental Ballistic Plane Fury uses the Televiewer Tube to locate the Betraton Bomb launch site; It is destroyed but the bomb was already launched; Agent G unsuccessfully implores her father, Imperial Hydra to come to his senses; He sends HYDRA's Fox Division to deliver his terms to every nation on Earth; Tony Stark prepares to show Fury the Braino-Saur,a new weapon when HYDRA agents capture him. "If Eternity Should Fail!", script by Steve Ditko (plot) and Stan Lee (dialogue), art by Steve Ditko; In another dimension that defies description, Dr. Strange comes face-to-face with Eternity, who learns that Strange is indeed worthy of The Ancient One's trust; He knows that if Mordo & Dormammu are not stopped, all mankind will be in jeopardy; But after all Strange has been through, Eternity tells him he already has the power he needs; First appearance of Eternity; Appearance by Clea. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 157 CGC 8.0

Paper: Off white to white

Slab: Scuffing to inner well of case

Label #3774617005

Cover art by Jim Steranko. Nick Fury stars in "Crisis!", script and art by Jim Steranko; Strucker announces that the impregnable dome over Hydra Island will keep them safe from the "Death Spore" plague, and plans to use Fury's body as the basis for an army of HYDRA androids to "police" the world, once he's dead from the Alpha Ray beam; But Fury escapes!; As SHIELD searches the Heli-Carrier for the bomb with no result, Fury, "playing it by ear", takes on one group of HYDRA thugs after another, until Strucker faces him one-on-one. "The End of the Ancient One!", script by Stan Lee and Marie Severin (co-plot), pencils by Marie Severin, inks by Herb Trimpe; In order to pass his powers onto his disciple, The Ancient One allows Zom to defeat him; Before Strange's eyes, his mentor is fused with one of the giant rocks at Stonehenge, but not before he utters a warning; A battle ensues; First appearance of the Living Tribunal. Merry Marvel Marching Society info and coupon. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 158 CGC 8.0

Paper: Off white

Label #3774617006

Cover pencils by Marie Severin. Nick Fury stars in "Final Encounter!", script and art by Jim Steranko; The battle between Fury & Strucker rages until Fury manages to remove his Satan glove; Minutes later, as HYDRA thugs enter the room, they discover 2 Strucker's! One of them is revealed to be wearing a mask, panics, and is incinerated in an Alpha-Particle Reactor Cube; The other orders Laura put aboard the Dyna-Soar and takes off from Hydra Island, despite the imminent detonation of The Death Spore bomb. "The Sands of Death," script by Roy Thomas and Marie Severin (co-plot), pencils by Marie Severin, inks by Herb Trimpe; The Living Tribunal decrees that because Doctor Strange has unleashed a menace to the cosmos Earth must be destroyed; Before he recites the Incantation of Oblivion he recounts events leading up to his decision, agreed upon by his 3 faces of Equity, Revenge & Necessity; Doctor Strange challenges the Tribunal to let him deal with the menace, having defeated the forces of darkness in the past. Strange is granted a reprieve for as long as it takes the Sands of Death to run out of a mystic Hourglass resting in the middle of Stonehenge; Cameos by Dormammu and Umar. Letter to the editor from comics writer Bill Mantlo. Merry Marvel Marching Society info and coupon. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 158 VG- 3.5

Water spotting.

Cover pencils by Marie Severin. Nick Fury stars in "Final Encounter!", script and art by Jim Steranko; The battle between Fury & Strucker rages until Fury manages to remove his Satan glove; Minutes later, as HYDRA thugs enter the room, they discover 2 Strucker's! One of them is revealed to be wearing a mask, panics, and is incinerated in an Alpha-Particle Reactor Cube; The other orders Laura put aboard the Dyna-Soar and takes off from Hydra Island, despite the imminent detonation of The Death Spore bomb. "The Sands of Death," script by Roy Thomas and Marie Severin (co-plot), pencils by Marie Severin, inks by Herb Trimpe; The Living Tribunal decrees that because Doctor Strange has unleashed a menace to the cosmos Earth must be destroyed; Before he recites the Incantation of Oblivion he recounts events leading up to his decision, agreed upon by his 3 faces of Equity, Revenge & Necessity; Doctor Strange challenges the Tribunal to let him deal with the menace, having defeated the forces of darkness in the past. Strange is granted a reprieve for as long as it takes the Sands of Death to run out of a mystic Hourglass resting in the middle of Stonehenge; Cameos by Dormammu and Umar. Letter to the editor from comics writer Bill Mantlo. Merry Marvel Marching Society info and coupon. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 162 FN- 5.5

Cover art by Dan Adkins. Nick Fury stars in "So Evil, The Night!", script and pencils by Jim Steranko, inks by Frank Giacoia; The Gaff presents Fury with his new car which is made entirely out of clear fiberglass, making it completely invisible from 100 feet away; Fury & Val go to SHIELD's rebuilt ESP Division; There, Jimmy Woo detects that The Yellow Claw is in Chinatown; Nick tells Woo it's his job now, and goes there alone; After a harrowing encounter with a pair of Claw goons, Fury impersonates one of them, and in a darkened shop, meets Fang-Chu (The Claw) face-to-face. "From the Never-World Comes... Nebulos!", script by Jim Lawrence and Dan Adkins (co-plot), art by Dan Adkins; Nebulos commands Strange to take hold of his Staff of Polar Power which places Strange under his control; He returns Strange to Earth to face Mordo, whose power is absorbed by the staff; Strange's spell sends Mordo into cosmic limbo; Returning to Stonehenge where the mystic hourglass remains Strange attempts to remove it from earth but both are pulled back to the Planets Perilous by Nebulos, whose staff returns to him. Merry Marvel Marching Society info and coupon. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 165 FN+ 6.5

Cover art by Jim Steranko. Nick Fury stars in "Behold the Savage Sky!", script and pencils by Jim Steranko, inks by Frank Giacoia; As The Yellow Claw is about to destroy NYC, the SHIELD Heli-Carrier arrives and a squad led by Dugan assault The Sky Dragon. Fury breaks loose and defeats Von Voltzmann while several agents corner The Claw, but he lays them out using Hyper-Psionic Brain Emanations; His nervous system drained, The Claws unleashes a squad of robot replicas of himself to cover his escape; Fury catches up with the real Claw using a Magnetic Pelfrag Shooter to weigh him down but the pellets disintegrate. "The Mystic and the Machine!", script by Jim Lawrence and Dan Adkins (co-plot), art by Dan Adkins; Strange continues thru the underground tunnel until he comes to a large set of doors; Upon getting them open, he finds a "Disintegrator" ray is waiting for him; After he takes it out with the "Flames of Faltine," Yandroth realizes his magic is more "potent" than he "calculated", and uses an "Ultra-Spectrum Laser" to incinerate Strange's brain! 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 167 FN- 5.5

Cover art by Jim Steranko. Nick Fury stars in "Armageddon!", script and pencils by Jim Steranko, inks by Joe Sinnott; While Jimmy Woo cradles the body of Suwan in his arms a SHIELD Suicide Squad bursts in via The Dreadnought, a colossal tunneling machine; The Claw vanishes but Fury uses a Pseudo-Elliptoid Wrist Tracer to find him, but arrives just as the villain escapes into the Space-Time Continuum in an Infinity Sphere; Fury finds a Prototype Warp-Vest and follows The Yellow Claw as they have a psychic duel. "This Dream—This Doom!", script by Dennis O'Neil and Dan Adkins (co-plot), art by Dan Adkins; The Ancient One is alive and tells Strange he made Zom believe he was dead so he could pass on his powers to his disciple; With the Cosmic Balance restored he was able to shatter the spell that bound him; In his Himalayan retreat Strange and the Ancient One discover that Victoria Bentley is a prisoner in the Dimension of Dreams; Using a mystic gem and with his mentor to mentally guide him Strange travels to Victoria. Ad for Not Brand Echh and Daredevil. Statement of ownership--average print run 428.603; average paid circulation 241,561. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 169 CGC 8.5

Paper: White

Label #4102698002

Cover art by John Romita. "Brother Voodoo," script by Len Wein, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Dan Adkins; Part one of the origin of Brother Voodoo, who is the union of Daniel Drumm's spirit in twin brother Jericho Drumm's body; Drumm returns to Haiti to find his brother dying from the curse of Damballah This is the first Brother Voodoo story; The first appearance of the character occurred in an article in Tales of the Zombie 2. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.20.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 170 CGC 9.4

Paper: White

Label #2014499002

Cover pencils by Gil Kane. "Baptism of Fire!", script by Len Wein, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Dan Adkins; Papa Jambo trains Jericho Drumm to be Brother VooDoo; Brother VooDoo then returns and stops Damballah, the Serpent God. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.20.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 178 CBCS 6.5 Signed Starlin

Paper: White

Witnessed Signature: Jim Starlin on 4/22/2022.

Label #22-1EB985B-019

Cover art by Jim Starlin. Warlock begins in this title in "Who Is Adam Warlock?", script and art by Jim Starlin; Sphinxor retells the Origin of Warlock, his encounters with Thor and the High Evolutionary, the Creation of Counter-Earth and Warlock's Battle against the Man-Beast; First appearance of the Magus; Cameo appearances by the Hulk. The story continues from Incredible Hulk 178. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.25.

Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) 179 CBCS 7.5 SS Starlin

Paper: Off white to white

Witnessed Signature: Jim Starlin in 4/22/2022.

Label #22-1EB985B-020

Cover art by Jim Starlin. "Death Ship!", script and art by Jim Starlin; Warlock is captured by Autolycus of the Black Knights an brought aboard Magus' Flagship; His fellow prisoners tell Warlock, that survivors of the Wars of the Church are taken as slave laborers, those who refuse will be terminated and their remains will be chemically broken down and valuable elements that can be retrieved will be used to further the cause of the Church; They also tell him, that Non-Humanoids are not considered fashioned in the Magus' image and thus must be disposed of, this also holds true for some Humanoid types—such as Trolls; First appearance of Pip the Troll. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.25.