Doctor Strange Comics: A Complete Collector's Roadmap (Silver Age to Modern)

Doctor Strange is Steve Ditko's most singular Marvel creation. By Ditko's own account, he brought Stan Lee a five-page pencilled story with a full character concept — what became Strange Tales #110, cover-dated July 1963. Lee confirmed Ditko's creative initiative in a 1963 letter: "'twas Steve's idea and I figured we'd give it a chance." The character shared Strange Tales with the Human Torch (issues #101-134) and later Nick Fury (from #135): only the Doctor Strange backup stories in those issues are character keys, not the full title. The series took its own name with Doctor Strange #169 (June 1968), which continued Strange Tales's numbering. MCU adaptations cemented the character's global reach — Doctor Strange (2016, $677.8 million worldwide), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022, $955.8 million worldwide), and major roles in Infinity War, Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) with Benedict Cumberbatch.

This guide sticks to the verifiable: records documented by Heritage Auctions, GoCollect, sellmycomicbooks.com, and ComicConnect. Important: our eBay estimator does not index the Strange Tales, Doctor Strange (1968), or Marvel Premiere series — no eBay median from that tool can be honestly cited for these titles. All figures below come exclusively from documented web sources.

Doctor Strange key issue ranking (documented records)

The Strange Tales, Doctor Strange (1968), and Marvel Premiere series are not indexed by our eBay estimator. All data below comes from specialist web sources (Heritage Auctions, GoCollect, sellmycomicbooks, ComicConnect).

Record sources: Heritage Auctions, sellmycomicbooks.com, GoCollect, ComicConnect, PriceCharting.

Strange Tales #110 (1963): the Silver Age grail

Published in July 1963, Strange Tales #110 is the absolute starting point of any Doctor Strange collection. The story — "Dr. Strange, Master of Black Magic!" — was conceived and drawn by Steve Ditko, with dialogue by Stan Lee. In a single ten-page backup, it introduces Doctor Strange, the Ancient One, Nightmare, and Wong. One critical note: Strange Tales is a shared anthology title — it is the Doctor Strange backup, not the Human Torch lead story, that makes this a key issue. A CGC 9.6 copy sold for $60,000 in a documented sale; a CGC 9.4 brought $55,200 in 2020 and $48,000 in 2021. A CGC 9.2 traded around $42,500 in 2022, and a CGC 8.5 around $19,000. This remains one of the most liquid Silver Age Marvel keys, sustained by consistent MCU-driven demand.

Strange Tales #115 (1963) and the other Silver Age keys

Strange Tales #115 (December 1963) tells the complete origin of Stephen Strange — how a brilliant surgeon loses the use of his hands in a car accident and discovers magic under the Ancient One's tutelage. A CGC 9.6 copy sold for $16,730 in 2017. The Silver Age keys that follow build out the character's mythology: Strange Tales #126 (November 1964) introduces Dormammu and Clea — the character's two most iconic artefacts. Strange Tales #138 (November 1965) marks the first appearance of Eternity, the cosmic entity; CGC 9.6 copies are actively offered around $1,795. These issues, less spotlighted than #110, are strategic purchases for collectors following the complete Ditko run.

Doctor Strange #169 (1968): first issue under his own title

Doctor Strange #169 (June 1968) does not launch an entirely new series — it continues Strange Tales' numbering after Nick Fury and the Human Torch left the title, which was simply renamed for its sole remaining star. The script is by Roy Thomas, the art by Dan Adkins. It is a late Silver Age key, essential for any collector who wants to own the first issue of the solo run. The documented record stands at $7,800 according to sellmycomicbooks, with a floor value of around $15 in very low grade. The short-lived series ran to #183 before the Bronze Age revival.

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

After a gap, Doctor Strange returned in the anthology Marvel Premiere starting with issue #3 (July 1972). That issue was plotted and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith, with dialogue by Stan Lee and inks by Dan Adkins — the Bronze Age relaunch of the character. From issue #9 onwards, writer Steve Englehart and artist Frank Brunner took over and delivered a celebrated psychedelic run, ranked among the ten best Marvel runs of the 1970s by Comics Bulletin. The solo title Doctor Strange (vol. 2) returned with issue #1 in June 1974, also introducing Silver Dagger as a new villain. CGC 9.6 copies of Marvel Premiere #3 trade around $337; the record for Doctor Strange vol. 2 #1 stands at $1,295 per sellmycomicbooks. These Bronze Age issues remain far more accessible than the Silver Age grails.

Building a complete Doctor Strange collection: the roadmap

A coherent Doctor Strange collection falls into three tiers. Tier one — the grails: Strange Tales #110 and #115, which require a budget of several thousand dollars even in mid-grade condition. Tier two — secondary Silver Age keys: Strange Tales #126 and #138, Doctor Strange #169 — more reachable, but in sustained demand. Tier three — Bronze Age and modern: Marvel Premiere #3-14, Doctor Strange vol. 2 (1974-1987), Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #1 (1988), and Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo's 2015 run. This last tier is very affordable and offers continuous high-quality reading. For readers first, the Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts Omnibus Vol. 1 collects the definitive Englehart/Brunner Bronze Age run in a single volume.