Doctor Strange: key issues, first appearances and modern firsts to own

Doctor Strange made his first appearance in Strange Tales #110 in July 1963, in an eight-page story by Stan Lee (plot) and Steve Ditko (art and script). Neurosurgeon Stephen Strange becomes the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth after a car accident destroys his hands and a journey to Asia leads him to the Ancient One. Strange Tales was a shared anthology title — the Human Torch and Nick Fury also appeared in its pages — before Strange earned his own solo title with Doctor Strange #169 in 1968, which continued the numbering from Strange Tales #168.

This guide sticks to the verifiable: records documented by Heritage Auctions, GoCollect, sellmycomicbooks.com, and specialist sources cited below. Important: our eBay estimator does not cover the Strange Tales, Doctor Strange (1968), Marvel Premiere, or Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme series — no eBay median can therefore be cited for these titles. All figures below come exclusively from documented web sources; where no public record exists, values remain qualitative.

Doctor Strange key issue ranking (documented data, June 2026)

Records below come from public sources (Heritage Auctions, sellmycomicbooks.com). Where no record is documented, the column says so. Our eBay estimator covers none of the series listed here.

Record sources: sellmycomicbooks.com, Heritage Auctions, GoCollect, comicspriceguide.com.

Strange Tales #110 (1963): the Silver Age first appearance

Published in July 1963, Strange Tales #110 is the founding issue of the Doctor Strange mythology. In eight pages, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko introduce Stephen Strange, the Ancient One, Nightmare, and Wong — four key characters in a single story. The tone is deliberately dreamlike, drawing on pulp fantasy and cosmic horror. This is a true Silver Age key, contemporary with the first appearances of Spider-Man (Amazing Fantasy #15, August 1962) and the X-Men (X-Men #1, September 1963).

Price data documented by sellmycomicbooks.com and GoCollect shows the market peaked shortly after the release of the MCU film Doctor Strange (2016, approximately $677 million worldwide, starring Benedict Cumberbatch): a CGC 9.6 copy reached approximately $60,000. A CGC 9.2 exceeded $42,500, and mid-grade copies (CGC 5.0 to 8.0) ranged from roughly $7,700 to $15,600 at that peak. Since 2022, the book has undergone a notable correction — a pattern common to most Silver Age MCU keys — but it remains the definitive Doctor Strange key.

Strange Tales #115 (1963): the origin of the Sorcerer Supreme

Published in December 1963, Strange Tales #115 tells for the first time the complete origin of Stephen Strange: the car accident, the destruction of his surgeon's hands, the journey to Asia, and the encounter with the Ancient One. Ditko's visual storytelling here establishes the narrative foundations of the character and makes this issue an essential companion to #110 for serious collectors. The issue also contains the first mention of Dormammu, anticipating Strange Tales #126.

Heritage Auctions sold a CGC 9.6 copy for $16,730 in November 2017 — a solid figure for a Silver Age issue that occupies second rank behind #110, but one that underlines the premium placed on top-grade first appearances. Mid-grade copies remain considerably more accessible and allow collectors to fill the slot without the cost of high-grade CGC.

Strange Tales #126-127 (1964): Dormammu, Clea, and the iconic artefacts

Strange Tales #126 (November 1964) introduces two fundamental characters: Dormammu, Doctor Strange's greatest cosmic antagonist, and Clea, his niece who will become Strange's companion and love interest. The direct sequel, Strange Tales #127 (December 1964), sees Strange receive two emblematic artefacts: the Cloak of Levitation in its definitive form and the Eye of Agamotto as an amulet. These two issues form an inseparable narrative diptych — collectors generally pursue them together.

No publicly documented auction record was found for either issue in the sources consulted. Their value remains qualitatively lower than #110 and #115, but they are solid Silver Age keys for any collector working to reconstruct the earliest years of the character.

Doctor Strange #169 (1968) and the first solo series

In 1968, Marvel spun off Strange Tales to create Doctor Strange, numbered from #169 to continue the existing run. The issue — written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Dan Adkins — is the first comic to carry only the Sorcerer Supreme's name on its cover, a symbolically significant editorial milestone. The series ran for only 15 issues (through #183 in 1969) before going on hiatus.

A CGC 9.8 copy sold for $13,100 in September 2022 (ComicConnect) according to available market data — a high figure that reflects the scarcity of top-grade copies of this late Silver Age title. Mid-grade copies are considerably more affordable.

Marvel Premiere #3 (1972) and the Bronze Age revival

After the 1969 hiatus, Doctor Strange returned in Marvel Premiere beginning with issue #3 (July 1972). This issue marks the Bronze Age revival of the character and features art and cover by Barry Windsor-Smith — then at the height of his reputation from his Conan the Barbarian run. Subsequent issues of the run brought in Craig Russell, Jim Starlin, and Frank Brunner, making this one of the most creatively celebrated Doctor Strange runs of the Bronze Age. No public auction record has been found for #3, but its status as the revival key with Windsor-Smith art gives it a collector premium over later issues in the series.

Doctor Strange vol. 2 #1 (1974) and Sorcerer Supreme #1 (1988)

In June 1974, Marvel launched the character's second solo series with Doctor Strange vol. 2 #1. The story — "Through an Orb Darkly!" — was co-plotted by Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner, with Brunner also on pencils (inked by Dick Giordano). This issue introduces Silver Dagger and the Dimension of Agamotto. The Englehart/Brunner run is widely regarded by comics historians as the creative high point of the Bronze Age era for Doctor Strange. No publicly documented auction record was found, but top-grade CGC copies command a notable premium on the market.

Fourteen years later, Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #1 (November 1988, script by Peter Gillis, art by Kevin Nowlan) launched the longest-running Doctor Strange series: 90 issues through 1996. This #1 is an accessible modern-era issue with no notable documented record, but essential for any complete collection.

Doctor Strange #1 (2015): the Aaron/Bachalo relaunch

Published on October 7, 2015, Doctor Strange #1 by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo — "The Way of the Weird" — relaunched the character for the first time in nearly twenty years in an acclaimed ongoing series. Its release came one year before the 2016 MCU film, making it the modern reference entry point for new readers arriving via the cinema. The series ran through 2018 and 26 issues; Aaron develops the threat of the Empirikul, a force systematically destroying all magic in the multiverse. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022, approximately $955.8 million worldwide) subsequently brought a new wave of reader interest to the franchise. This modern #1 remains affordable in ungraded condition and low-grade CGC, with no significant documented auction record.