In Strange Tales #110,  a second key marvel character graced the pages with his own story. This will lead me to review not only the Human Torch Tale, but a tale by another key figure.  Who is this character? Why none other than Dr. Strange, a character much more suited to fill the pages of a comic book magazine titled Strange.

Just because his name does not grace the cover of this comic, The Human Torch is still the star story and character of Strange Tales; this would be the beginning of a game changer for the marvel universe. As such it is that much more important that I do a comic book review of it.  Worry not Torch fans, you can find his strange Tales #10 Review here as well.

Story

In fact Dr. Strange First tale, was only 5 pages long in Strange Tales #110, but it was five pages that where well used.  Creating much more than just a new character and super-hero.

This story seems like a simple tale,  of a mystic helping a man with his nightmarish dreams, and in fact he is haunted more by himself then anything beyond the normal.

However this story establishes the dreaming world, as a dimension of its own, as well as the idea of an out-of-body experience.  a simple story that gives our star character a lot of room for growth by not over defining him from the start.

Art

Steve Ditko did a wonderful job with Doctor Strange, making all the art work seem dark and mystical as needed; giving that eerie feeling that a reader would expect from a story of a “master of Black Magic” without  making it overly creepy.

Just take a look at the image I included, of Dr Strange in the dream world, the use and choices of colors and  shadowy glow tell as much as the drawing itself, and set the mood for the peace and dimension.

The Pinks blacks and blues seem to make it just a few steps above being black a white, giving it color without definition of color. a great creative choice for the Doctor Strange works.

Originality & Continuity

So unlike many of our hero’s first stories, this is not an origin story. We learn little about what led Dr. Strange down the path he is on, or  how he got the magical amulet we see used in this issue.

In fact, we are more or less entering into his world, with the understanding that he has been operating for some time, but quite quietly.  This seems to be unseen in most of our other superhero stories, where we are given origins and a starting point.

Also unlike the other stories, where science is key, this one seems to go mystical and magical.  I have no idea if they at this point planned for Dr. Strange to ever be crossed over into the main marvel universe or just thought he would have his own world. but this character and the magic it brings would forever shape the marvel universe.

Characters & Development

This is the trickiest one to rate after this first short story, as it  served as a short introduction, but did not have the pages to give the characters much depth. so I will simply say, for a first story, and being 5 pages long, it is all that I would have expected and hoped for.

Comic Book Review Summery

If you’re a Dr. Strange Fan, for you it’s already a must read.  also if you like a comic that’s a little different then your regular super hero comic, it is a good choice.   I would recommend it as an enjoyable if short read.