Strange Tales #110 is a landmark issue in the history of Marvel 616. It establishes repeat villains teaming up against The Human Torch and contains the introduction of a new hero to the universe. Because there are two important stories here, I will be splitting my review of the issue up into two parts. This time I will be going over the C story, which introduces us to the enigmatic and unusual hero known as Dr. Strange. There is a completely forgettable tale sandwiched between these two but it’s not considered part of the Marvel 616 universe so I’ll be ignoring that one altogether.

Dr. Strange is introduced to us as a Master of Black Magic! Strange is differentiated from other heroes at the time for several reasons. For one, he doesn’t gain powers through some random nuclear accident. We’re not told how he becomes this sorcerer in our first introduction to him at all. All we know is he is capable of wielding magic and from the first panel, he’s wearing rather unusual garb.

The story is provided by Stan Lee and as great as the stories here become, Dr. Strange owes most of his success to the incredibly inventive imagination of one Steve Ditko. He’s also the person responsible for the creation of Spider-Man’s iconic look. But in the panels of Dr. Strange, his artistry is allowed to take on the surreal and do so in a way that works to support the story.

It’s in 1963 that Strange makes his first appearance. While this certainly predates the weird and wild later 60’s that would give us free love and hippies, Dr. Strange was definitely out there leading the way. He’s more of a beatnik in the beginning, riffing with his magical prowess in ways other heroes are not. He’s not about strength of mind, but power of soul and spirit.

Not to mention, this is the first hero story since the debut of Fantastic Four where the creators decided even before the first issue was sold, Dr. Strange would have a continuing series.

So, let’s take a look at the humble beginnings of this debut story of our Sorcerer Supreme and see what he’s all about.

We start the story with a man in distress. He’s got a relatable problem. He’s unable to sleep. It seems he’s been having a recurring dream that plagues him and he’s powerless to stop it.

This man gives us our first inkling of Dr. Strange. The man realizes he needs help and and knows of a name spoken only in whispers. One Dr. Strange who dabbles in black magic.

Right from the first page it’s apparent this story is going to be different. This is not someone performing acrobatics to recover bags of gold from a bank robber. This is not someone who is an Asgardian god who has immense power at his fingertips. This is someone who works in secret, in the dark places Marvel 616 has truly not gone yet. And while he’s clearly a helper, he performs black magic. As the reader we don’t exactly know what that means but it sounds like someone playing around with some pretty serious stuff.

We then switch our scene to Greenwich Village and the home of Dr. Strange. The sleep deprived man is let into the house by a servant in a strange green outfit. As the sleep deprived man tries to explain his situation, he is told, “Dr. Strange knows all! Enter!”

On the next panel we get the full picture of Dr. Strange. There is smoke in the room, giant books behind him, and a general feeling of being in an otherworldly place. We also find out he’s got a powerful amulet.

The distressed man tells Dr. Strange about his dream. A figure, bound in chains keeps appearing and staring at him. This is enough for Strange to agree to help. He tells the man he will visit that night and find the answer to his dream. The man asks how it will be done and Dr. Strange simply answers, “…By entering your dream!!!”

It’s clear from this exchange Dr. Strange has some sort of impossible mystical power at his disposal. But how or why it works is much less clear.

We next see Strange sitting in front of an incense burner. This answers where the smoke has been coming from. Strange says it is time for him to visit the master from whom all his powers stem.

We get the first instance of Dr. Strange using astral projection here as his spirit flies to “a hidden temple somewhere in the remote vastness of Asia…”

We see a man with a white beard sitting before Strange. He tells Strange that he senses danger and warns Strange that his days are numbered. He says Strange will need to take his place in the battle against the forces of darkness and evil.

From this exchange, it’s becoming more clear that although Dr. Strange practices so called black magic, he is on the side of good.

The white bearded man then tells Strange to depend upon his amulet.

While there is a lot to like in the introduction of Dr. Strange, there are a few things to criticize here. One, the mysterious man is drawn in what could be considered an insulting stereotype. Secondly, the whole white savior complex is pretty apparent here. This definitely figures more into later stories of Dr. Strange but make no mistake, it’s appearing here too.

Dr. Strange, no longer in astral form, visits the sleep deprived man. Strange instructs the man to sleep. Once the man is asleep, Dr. Strange goes into another trance and his spirit enters the dream.

It’s here we get one of the first instances of wild background art we will start to see from Steve Ditko in this series.

Sure enough, the figure bound by chains appears. Dr. Strange asks the figure why he torments the sleepless man so. The figure states that he is the symbol of evil the man has done. The figure then tells Strange to ask Mr. Crang about it.

We next see the introduction of a major villain who will often return to plague Dr. Strange. This is a thin figure riding on a thin horse. This is apparently Dr. Strange’s ancient foe, Nightmare.

Nightmare reminds Strange of the rule that, “those who enter a hostile dimension must be prepared to pay for it–with their lives!”

Back in the waking world, the sleepless man awakes and realizes Dr. Strange must know all about whatever it is he has done. This man then grabs a gun with the intention of killing the dark magician. Strange sees this as Nightmare points out his imminent physical destruction. Nightmare tells Strange nothing can save him now.

But Dr. Strange is not out of tricks yet. He calls to the master. This master hears the call and decides to help Strange through his amulet.

In the room where Strange is about to be gunned down, his amulet begins to glow with an unnatural brightness. The amulet opens a metal eye and this eye instantly hypnotizes the gunman who goes rigid.

This moment also gives Strange the opening he needs to dash past Nightmare in the dream dimension. Strange makes it safely back to our reality but Nightmare vows revenge.

Dr. Strange then releases the sleepless man from his hypnosis and orders him to tell the truth. It turns out this man had ruined many men in business, the last of which was Mr. Crang. Poor Mr. Crang had been robbed but could never prove it. The sleepless man states he will confess and Dr. Strange tells him it’s the only way he’ll ever sleep again.

We’re left with a teaser for the next story and that ends the introduction of Dr. Strange.

For the most part, when the Marvel team says they have a hero unlike any ever seen before, they are only telling half truths. There had definitely been superheroes who were some sort of magician or had access to magic powers before. So, it’s not quite true to say there had never been a hero like Dr. Strange before. But, it was still an impressive introduction to a newer kind of character in the 60’s. And the artwork that will be displayed in the issues to come is simply out of this world, as it should be.

It’s also great to see this story set up what is essentially a new corner of the Marvel 616 universe, that of magic. It leaves room for lots of wild stories that take tremendously creative turns. For now, we’ll need to leave Dr. Strange where he is but he will be back soon with more mystic tales for us to review.

Next up on the reading list we’ll be checking in once again with the golden haired god of thunder, Thor in Journey Into Mystery #94!