Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) comic books graded by CGC

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 101 CGC 1.8

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4266091003

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers. Human Torch solo series begins in "The Human Torch," script by Stan Lee (plot) and Larry Lieber (script), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; In his home town of Glenville, Johnny Storm investigates sabotage at an amusement park; He finds that the sabotage was aimed at a structure that blocked messages to a Communist submarine. "Skrawkcab" text story, art by John Tartaglione. "The Impossible Spaceship!", script by Stan Lee (plot) and Larry Lieber (script), art by Don Heck; An empty spaceship arrives on Earth, confusing everyone; The ship lands and stays for a time before leaving, disappointed that the humans couldnt realize that the ship itself was alive. "What Is X-35?", script by Stan Lee, art by Steve Ditko; A criminal trying to escape is repeatedly confronted with the number X-35; He is run over and killed by a car bearing the license plate number X-35. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 135 CGC 7.5

Paper: White

Label #4646446001

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Frank Giacoia. "The Man for the Job!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; Nick Fury reports to the Pentagon, encountering Life Model Decoys: replicas of himself; He is driven in a gadget-filled car that converts to flying mode; Fury learns about SHIELD, an international organization whose job is to stop HYDRA, fanatics bent on world domination; Fury meets Tony Stark, in charge of SHIELD's weaponry, who tells Fury he was chosen to lead SHIELD. "Eternity Beckons!", script by Steve Ditko (plot) and Stan Lee (dialogue), art by Steve Ditko; In London, seeking info on "Eternity," Dr. Strange goes to the secluded home of Sir Baskerville, a former disciple of Mordo's, who greets him as an old friend; Meanwhile, Dormammu discovers that Clea set the Mindless Ones free and swears she will pay for her betrayal; Baskerville contacts Mordo, who sends an emissary to trap Strange but it backfires, allowing Strange to discover that Dormammu is the one behind Mordo's attacks and increased power. Notes: 1st S.H.I.E.L.D., 1st Hydra, 1st Nick Fury as agent of shield, 1st appearance of LMD (Life Model Decoy). 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 135 CGC 5.0

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4692837005

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Frank Giacoia. "The Man for the Job!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; Nick Fury reports to the Pentagon, encountering Life Model Decoys: replicas of himself; He is driven in a gadget-filled car that converts to flying mode; Fury learns about SHIELD, an international organization whose job is to stop HYDRA, fanatics bent on world domination; Fury meets Tony Stark, in charge of SHIELD's weaponry, who tells Fury he was chosen to lead SHIELD. "Eternity Beckons!", script by Steve Ditko (plot) and Stan Lee (dialogue), art by Steve Ditko; In London, seeking info on "Eternity," Dr. Strange goes to the secluded home of Sir Baskerville, a former disciple of Mordo's, who greets him as an old friend; Meanwhile, Dormammu discovers that Clea set the Mindless Ones free and swears she will pay for her betrayal; Baskerville contacts Mordo, who sends an emissary to trap Strange but it backfires, allowing Strange to discover that Dormammu is the one behind Mordo's attacks and increased power. Notes: 1st S.H.I.E.L.D., 1st Hydra, 1st Nick Fury as agent of shield, 1st appearance of LMD (Life Model Decoy). 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 140 CGC 5.0

Paper: Off white to white

Slab: Chipped/broken bracket

Label #3709235006

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott. "The End of Hydra!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby (layouts) and Don Heck, inks by Joe Sinnott; Fury defeats the Hunter robot. Surrounded by HYDRA's Tiger squad, Dum Dum, Gabe and fellow agents use a Flying Wedge formation and an Electro-Jab weapon to push thru. HYDRA retaliates with Skate Board Units; Joined by Fury SHIELD overpowers HYDRA while Supreme Hydra realizes he must use Operation Last Resort; In space, Stark disarms the Betraton Bomb; SHIELD orders the arrest of HYDRA agents worldwide. "The Pincers of Power!", script by Steve Ditko (plot) and Stan Lee (dialogue), art by Steve Ditko; Dormammu sends Strange, Mordo & The Ancient One to a neutral dimension; He then uses a sleeping potion on the Mindless Ones, so his domain will be temporarily safe and summons rulers of nearby dimensions; Dormammu arrives to challenge Strange in person to battle for total mastery of Earth! 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 150 CGC 9.0

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4157774003

Cover art by Bill Everett. Nick Fury stars in "Hydra Lives!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby (layouts) and John Buscema (his first work for Marvel), inks by Frank Giacoia; Fury subjects himself to a dangerous test in order to prove that an atomic missile can be detonated long-distance by a sonic weapon which SHIELD believes HYDRA has; While both he & Dugan are recovering from injuries, Don Cabellero, at the urging of an undercover SHIELD man, invites Fury to a party in ancient Karnopolis in the Sahara Desert; Caballero is a disguise for the new Supreme Hydra, who is aware a SHIELD agent has invaded his ranks. First appearance of Umar (the sister of Dormammu) in "The Conquest of Kaluu!", script by Roy Thomas and Bill Everett (co-plot), art by Bill Everett; Kaluu realizes Strange and the Ancient One have escaped to the past of ancient Babylonia where The Ancient One obtains The Book Of The Vishanti; Before Kaluu can extinguish the Flames of the Faltine, Strange returns to the present with the mystic book which hurls his spell back to him; The Ancient One sends Kaluu into Limbo for all time; In The Dark Dimension Clea fears the onslaught of the Mindless One's freed from their prison with Dormammu gone. Letter to the editor from Carl Gafford. Merry Marvel Marching Society info and coupon. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 150 CGC 4.0

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4705499010

Cover art by Bill Everett. Nick Fury stars in "Hydra Lives!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby (layouts) and John Buscema (his first work for Marvel), inks by Frank Giacoia; Fury subjects himself to a dangerous test in order to prove that an atomic missile can be detonated long-distance by a sonic weapon which SHIELD believes HYDRA has; While both he & Dugan are recovering from injuries, Don Cabellero, at the urging of an undercover SHIELD man, invites Fury to a party in ancient Karnopolis in the Sahara Desert; Caballero is a disguise for the new Supreme Hydra, who is aware a SHIELD agent has invaded his ranks. First appearance of Umar (the sister of Dormammu) in "The Conquest of Kaluu!", script by Roy Thomas and Bill Everett (co-plot), art by Bill Everett; Kaluu realizes Strange and the Ancient One have escaped to the past of ancient Babylonia where The Ancient One obtains The Book Of The Vishanti; Before Kaluu can extinguish the Flames of the Faltine, Strange returns to the present with the mystic book which hurls his spell back to him; The Ancient One sends Kaluu into Limbo for all time; In The Dark Dimension Clea fears the onslaught of the Mindless One's freed from their prison with Dormammu gone. Letter to the editor from Carl Gafford. Merry Marvel Marching Society info and coupon. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 151 CGC 3.0 SS Steranko

Paper: Off white

Signed by Jim Steranko on 12/7/24.

Label #4537336002

Cover pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Jim Steranko. Nick Fury stars in "Overkill!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby (layouts) and Jim Steranko, inks by Jim Steranko; Fury lands in Karnopolis and is defeated by a squad of robots; Stripped of his gadget-laden clothes Fury faces the new Supreme Hydra, who tells of Hydra's plans to use the Overkill Horn to detonate nuclear weapons worldwide and emerge as the new rulers of earth; Dugan, upset by Fury's order to launch an H-Missile to destroy HYDRA's weapon (and thus Fury) tries to save his buddy, but is stopped when Gabe shoots him in the shoulder. "Umar Strikes!", script by Stan Lee and Bill Everett (co-plot), art by Bill Everett; Umar uses the "Lamp Of Lucifer" to learn of events during her long imprisonment; She is stunned to learn her brother was defeated by Dr. Strange, and though she & Dormammu hated each other, she still vows to avenge him. Back in NYC, Strange conjures "wealth without measure" so Wong need never again concern him with money matters; To lure Strange into a trap, Umar casts Clea into a void between dimensions. Merry Marvel Marching Society info and coupon. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 152 CGC 8.5

Paper: Off white to white

Label #4095719006

Cover art by Bill Everett. Nick Fury stars in "The Power of SHIELD!", script by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (co-plot), pencils by Jack Kirby (layouts) and Jim Steranko, inks by Jim Steranko; Fury signals SHIELD but after Sitwell realizes Fury is the pilot he still orders the launching of a Strato-Mine which could ignite the atmosphere; Supreme Hydra learns that Laura Brown, the daughter of his predecessor who helped Fury has been captured in Egypt; Donning a new disguise he leaves to exact punishment; Fury turns the plane around, and, discovering the hidden Overkill Horn, dives from the plane, picked up by a SHIELD submarine. "Into the Dimension of Death!", script by Stan Lee and Bill Everett (co-plot), art by Bill Everett; Doctor Strange finds himself once more in The Dark Dimension, the home of Dormammu & Clea; After facing several dangers, he senses the power of a woman behind it all; Umar uses a pair of cloudy "spirits" to summon Strange to her presence; She tells him of her imprisonment, and that she wishes to "make amends" for her brother's deeds; She also tells him that Clea has been captured by The Mindless Ones, and that she summoned him as the one Clea hoped would rescue her. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 159 CGC 6.5 Restored

Restored: C1

Paper: Off white to white

Restoration includes: small amount of color touch on cover.

Label #4037737003

View items consigned by Time Machine Comics: all items, auctions only

Cover art by Jim Steranko and John Romita (alterations). Nick Fury origin retold in "Spy School," script and art by Jim Steranko; Fury reminisces with Laura about his days growing up in Hell's Kitchen; then at SHIELD HQ, offers her a job as an agent; Fury goes to the UNIT academy, where recruits undergo rigorous education; He meets two new agents: Sidney E. Levine, a tech expert and Val, who scoffs at his attitude that the spy game is man's work; Fury takes on Captain America in a display bout for the recruits, but gets dizzy due to a side-effect of the invisibility pill he used earlier; Yancy Street Gang cameo. "The Evil That Men Do...", script by Roy Thomas and Marie Severin (co-plot), pencils by Marie Severin, inks by Herb Trimpe; Strange returns home to find his Sanctum gone!; Wong, who barely escaped its destruction, recounts how Umar used a spell of vanishment; Strange dispels her enchantment and his house returns; Using the Crystal of Agamotto he senses evil mystic powers around the world. Casting a spell he discovers a group of mystics, banded together, working to free an imprisoned mystic to lead them; Baron Mordo appearance; cameo by the Living Tribunal. Merry Marvel Marching Society info and coupon. Letter to the editor from comics writer Mark Evanier. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 162 CGC 8.5

Paper: Off white to white

Label #2062713015

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 1st Series) 164 CGC 7.0

Paper: Cream to off white

Label #4723169003

Cover art by Dan Adkins. Nick Fury stars in "Nightmare!", script by Jim Lawrence and Dan Adkins (co-plot), art by Dan Adkins; Hurling thru the void of space, Strange sees a vision of Victoria Bentley, surrounded by machinery; He lands on a jungle planet inhabited by savage, monstrous creatures; Strange finds an underground cavern, and inside it, an elaborate machine, from which emits a mental challenge; Yandroth, Scientist Supreme, claims to have unlocked the "inner-most secrets of the cosmos"; Yellow Claw appearance. "When Comes... Black Noon!", script and pencils by Jim Steranko, inks by Bill Everett; At the instant the Claw fired The Ultimate Annihilator at Fury, Suwan teleports him thru Hyper-Dimensional Space to the underground lair and then back to SHIELD; In his lair The Claw tests the Ultimate Annihilator by destroying a satellite in orbit. SHIELD medics warn Fury that further stimulation could be fatal; Fury follows a tip and invisibly trails a Claw agent leading him to The Claw & Voltzmann; Fury discovers he's on board The Sky Dragon, a huge airship miles above the city! Marvel Marching Society info and coupon. 36 pgs., full color. Cover price $0.12.

Strange Tales (1951 1st Series) 169 CGC 5.5

Paper: Off white to white

Label #3992631004

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.