Rating: 
Summary: By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, this is great stuff!
Review: Cultists who oppose Harry Potter books and Dungeons and Dragons games claim that those books somehow contain instruction in real occult magic. 'Fraid not. If you want to learn real black magic spells that actually work, you should start here.The high Marvel Silver Age prose style, rich in polysyllabic adjective and epithet, seems odd and dated anymore in the mouths of mere superheroes. But it still seems natural coming from the likes of Dr. Strange, the Ancient One, and Dormammu. In fact, you can't imagine mystic, hyperintelligent characters speaking any other way. The perennial problem with occult themes in comic books is that they seem to be full of arbitrary, drop-in plot devices that lack the campy, contrafactual charm of "scientific" explanations. But Dr. Strange does it right. The repeated use of murky characters and symbols like the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, the Omnipotent Oshtur, the eternal Vishanti and the all-seeing Eye of Agamotto gives the magic presented here internal consistency and the appearance of a system. Steve Ditko's art, of course, defined the look of Dr. Strange; it is vaguely psychedelic, much more impressionistic than the art of Jack Kirby, and well suited to drawing the weird dimensional landscapes seen here. This material is presented as just the inked line art, without colour. The art itself is strong enough to stand up to the loss of the original colours, which were made by primitive printing processes in the original books in any case. Other classic artists who contribute here include the much cleaner and more conventionally Marvellish Bill Everett, and the dark stylings of Marie Severin. Most of the important characters from the Dr. Strange mythos, including the Ancient One, Baron Mordo, the dread Dormammu, Umar the Unspeakable, and Clea are included here. This book covers the entire run of Dr. Strange in -Strange Tales-, which he shared with Nick Fury, Agent of Shield. Many of the covers that are printed here refer to the other stories, but you also get some fine Steranko cover art as a lagniappe here. True believers, assemble. This is great stuff.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEAUTY OF TIME
Review: FOR ME THIS STARTED BY PURCHASING SILVER SURFER & SPIDERMAN FOR MY SONS BUT I BEING A CHILD OF THE 60'S ALWAYS LOVED "DR. STRANGE" BUT I COULDNT REMEMBER WHY , BUT AFTER THE PURCHASING THE BOOK, I SOON DISCOVERED WHY THE SOPHISTICATION OF THE STORY LINE'S AND THE GREAT & I MEAN GREAT ART WORK (VOID OF COLOR) BUT BRILLANT IN ITS SIMPLICITY...THATS ALL FOLK'S ....
Rating: 
Summary: Great book, cheap paper
Review: Great collection of dr. strange comics. the paper is newsprint so don't expect color glossies. reading these 20 years later makes me wonder about plot.
Rating:
Summary: Lee and Ditko introduce the Master of the Mystic Arts
Review: I did not start reading Doctor Strange until the Master of the Mystic Arts got his own comic book and stopped sharing "Strange Tales" with Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., at which point he was being drawn by Gene Colan one of my favorite artists. By that point in the history of the Marvel Universe Doctor Strange's original artist, Steve Ditko, was working for Charlton Comics, which in our estimation was below even Archie Comics on the comic book scale. Having already formed a negative opinion of Ditko's artwork it was rather strange, for lack of a better word, to see he was the original artist on Spider-Man. But Ditko's work on Doctor Strange I just totally dismissed. Now, several decades later, I am able to look at Ditko's entire run on "Doctor Strange" from a fresher perspective. One reason is because of these "Essential" volumes put out by Marvel, which reprint dozens of a particular issue in black & white. In reading over the first couple of volumes of "The Essential Spider-Man" I found myself paying more attention to Ditko's artwork than I did when it was in color. What I discovered was that Steve Ditko was a master of composition. His figures always seem to have these forced postures (like George Perez, only more so), but his shifting perspectives from frame to frame and his arrangement of characters are superb. I will go so far as to say I think that Jack Kirby, John Romita, Gene Colan and anybody else you want to name are not as good in this regard as Ditko. The other point of comparison for these first Doctor Strange stories (Volume 1 collects "Strange Tales" issues #110, 111, and 114-168) are the heights the character reached during the Steve Englehart-Frank Brunner period (see: "Doctor Strange: A Separate Reality"), when once again the character got his own comic book (the second time emerging from "Marvel Premier"). Although I found these stories by Stan Lee and Ditko to be better than I remembered (or expected for the new ones), the best Doctor Strange stories will be coming up in the next pair of volumes. Hopefully "The Essential Doctor Strange" will get that far, but I know we have a waiting list for a whole bunch of other second and third volumes. One think that is painfully clear is the Doctor Strange was a second-class citizen in the Marvel Universe. Not only did he have to share "Strange Tales" (first with the Human Torch, then with the Human Torch and the Thing, and finally with Nick Fury), but unlike other split titles, Doc did not get half the covers (either in terms of each month or every other month). You can understand this once Jim Steranko was drawing "Nick Fury," but this was true from the start. Maybe it was become the Master of the Mystic Arts was off in his own dimensions, literally, or because for some strange reason Lee and Ditko did not offer by an origin for Doc until they had already published the first three stories. It could be that Lee was laying on the weird names in the mystic spells a bit much or that Ditko's drawing of magic was a tad hokey. Whatever the reason what we have here is good, but not great. However, the character does get there for a while down the mystic road.
Rating:
Summary: Lee and Ditko introduce the Master of the Mystic Arts
Review: I did not start reading Doctor Strange until the Master of the Mystic Arts got his own comic book and stopped sharing "Strange Tales" with Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., at which point he was being drawn by Gene Colan one of my favorite artists. By that point in the history of the Marvel Universe Doctor Strange's original artist, Steve Ditko, was working for Charlton Comics, which in our estimation was below even Archie Comics on the comic book scale. Having already formed a negative opinion of Ditko's artwork it was rather strange, for lack of a better word, to see he was the original artist on Spider-Man. But Ditko's work on Doctor Strange I just totally dismissed. Now, several decades later, I am able to look at Ditko's entire run on "Doctor Strange" from a fresher perspective. One reason is because of these "Essential" volumes put out by Marvel, which reprint dozens of a particular issue in black & white. In reading over the first couple of volumes of "The Essential Spider-Man" I found myself paying more attention to Ditko's artwork than I did when it was in color. What I discovered was that Steve Ditko was a master of composition. His figures always seem to have these forced postures (like George Perez, only more so), but his shifting perspectives from frame to frame and his arrangement of characters are superb. I will go so far as to say I think that Jack Kirby, John Romita, Gene Colan and anybody else you want to name are not as good in this regard as Ditko. The other point of comparison for these first Doctor Strange stories (Volume 1 collects "Strange Tales" issues #110, 111, and 114-168) are the heights the character reached during the Steve Englehart-Frank Brunner period (see: "Doctor Strange: A Separate Reality"), when once again the character got his own comic book (the second time emerging from "Marvel Premier"). Although I found these stories by Stan Lee and Ditko to be better than I remembered (or expected for the new ones), the best Doctor Strange stories will be coming up in the next pair of volumes. Hopefully "The Essential Doctor Strange" will get that far, but I know we have a waiting list for a whole bunch of other second and third volumes. One think that is painfully clear is the Doctor Strange was a second-class citizen in the Marvel Universe. Not only did he have to share "Strange Tales" (first with the Human Torch, then with the Human Torch and the Thing, and finally with Nick Fury), but unlike other split titles, Doc did not get half the covers (either in terms of each month or every other month). You can understand this once Jim Steranko was drawing "Nick Fury," but this was true from the start. Maybe it was become the Master of the Mystic Arts was off in his own dimensions, literally, or because for some strange reason Lee and Ditko did not offer by an origin for Doc until they had already published the first three stories. It could be that Lee was laying on the weird names in the mystic spells a bit much or that Ditko's drawing of magic was a tad hokey. Whatever the reason what we have here is good, but not great. However, the character does get there for a while down the mystic road.
Rating:
Summary: Forget Spider-Man. It Doesn't Get Better Than These Comics!
Review: I have been a big fan of the Fantastic Four for many, many years. I found some of the early stories really enjoyable, with Dr Doom being of course being my favorite evil character. Spider-man, The X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Ironman and others were interesting, with Spider-Man probably being my second favorite comic series next to The Fantastic Four. I thought nothing could compare to the surreal storylines involving Reed Richards and his family, with adventures in outer space or trips into the past, etc. UNTIL I READ THESE STORIES. I had always avoided reading Dr. Strange in the past for some reason. I remember enjoying the early Defenders series but that was just because I was really into The Hulk and Submariner at the time. Anyway, this has been a real treat! I find the stories highly imaginative and although brief, very compelling. Dr. Strange is the most overlooked Superhero in my opinion, although I've noticed there are some websites devoted to the "Master of Sorcery and Black Magic." Now I know why there are some devoted fans. Stephen Strange has good intentions that rival Super-man and the villains are as exciting as anything I've ever encountered in fiction, all written in a wonderfully spooky manner. I recommend this book to any fan of early Marvel comics. If you've enjoyed The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, The X-Men, etc. then this is too good for you to miss!
Rating:
Summary: No Color!! :-(
Review: I spotted this a few months ago in the Amazon catalog and marked it as something to buy without really reading the remarks. As such, I missed the fact that this edition was so essential that it left off the color. Had I realized it was just black and white I probably would still have bought it, bit I would have been less disappointed when the book finally arrived. Other than the outer cover, there really is not one jot of color. Naturally, this doesn't interfere with the narrative or the line are, but I can't help but feel that the addition of some color work would have made this trip down nostalgia lane even more fun. Doc Strange is quintessential 1960's comic bookery. Of course, being a late bloomer, I didn't discover comic books until I was in college in the sixties. As such, Marvel Comics defined what I thought of as 'the comic' until I discovered anime, much later. Reading through them now leaves me with a strange, whimsical sense of nostalgia as I find myself happily absorbed in what is really some of the pompous and overblown dialog in American literature. There is something almost Shakespearian (emphasis on 'almost') about all the posturing and declamation, but I have to admit, it was fun 40 years ago, and it still is now. So, if you remember way back when, or wonder what all the to do was about, you will find this volume the appropriate Akashic introduction to the mystic world of the Ancient One, the Dread Dormammu, and the All-Seeing Eye of Aggamoto. In the world of Marvel Comics the bad guys are really, really bad, and the good guys, well, they're out of sight. Stan Lee's imagination is astonishing and Doctor Strange is one of his most extreme creations. Even today, Strange would need only slight updating to remain popular with a whole new generation of readers. This is the complete Doctor Strange as he appeared in Marvel's Strange Tales along with other characters like The Torch, The Thing and Nick Fury. Most of the writing is Stan Lee's and the illustration is Steve Ditko's. Step back to the time when comics where a big 12 cents and take a trip into the world of black (and white) magic with the marvelous Doctor Strange.
Rating:
Summary: No Color!! :-(
Review: I spotted this a few months ago in the Amazon catalog and marked it as something to buy without really reading the remarks. As such, I missed the fact that this edition was so essential that it left off the color. Had I realized it was just black and white I probably would still have bought it, bit I would have been less disappointed when the book finally arrived. Other than the outer cover, there really is not one jot of color. Naturally, this doesn't interfere with the narrative or the line are, but I can't help but feel that the addition of some color work would have made this trip down nostalgia lane even more fun. Doc Strange is quintessential 1960's comic bookery. Of course, being a late bloomer, I didn't discover comic books until I was in college in the sixties. As such, Marvel Comics defined what I thought of as 'the comic' until I discovered anime, much later. Reading through them now leaves me with a strange, whimsical sense of nostalgia as I find myself happily absorbed in what is really some of the pompous and overblown dialog in American literature. There is something almost Shakespearian (emphasis on 'almost') about all the posturing and declamation, but I have to admit, it was fun 40 years ago, and it still is now. So, if you remember way back when, or wonder what all the to do was about, you will find this volume the appropriate Akashic introduction to the mystic world of the Ancient One, the Dread Dormammu, and the All-Seeing Eye of Aggamoto. In the world of Marvel Comics the bad guys are really, really bad, and the good guys, well, they're out of sight. Stan Lee's imagination is astonishing and Doctor Strange is one of his most extreme creations. Even today, Strange would need only slight updating to remain popular with a whole new generation of readers. This is the complete Doctor Strange as he appeared in Marvel's Strange Tales along with other characters like The Torch, The Thing and Nick Fury. Most of the writing is Stan Lee's and the illustration is Steve Ditko's. Step back to the time when comics where a big 12 cents and take a trip into the world of black (and white) magic with the marvelous Doctor Strange.
Rating:
Summary: Forget Spider-Man. It Doesn't Get Better Than These Comics!
Review: I've never been a fan of Dr. Strange until I read the graphic novel Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom. It instantly made a fan of Dr. Doom of me. Anyway, I bought this essentials with a grain of salt hoping to get some insight on this mystic hero. First of all, all B&W didn't do much to diminish the story. Good artwork and visable penciling and words. But the bad is the stories. They are old and short. Old meaning they appeared in the 60's and 70's and Short because they run maybe 10 pages a story. That's bad because there are a lot of cliche's and at times the action is boring. It is also uninteresting because half the time the villians are Mordon or Nightmare. No more. Nothing interesting in those battles.
As for 10 pages a story, let's just say that a good story takes a little more to display intrigue and depth. I was so excited, but yet I was disappointed at the characterization and the brief stories. They were part of Strange Tales which mostly feathered other heros and Dr. Strange is only a part of the side-story.
Rating:
Summary: Short Short stories
Review: I've never been a fan of Dr. Strange until I read the graphic novel Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom. It instantly made a fan of Dr. Doom of me. Anyway, I bought this essentials with a grain of salt hoping to get some insight on this mystic hero. First of all, all B&W didn't do much to diminish the story. Good artwork and visable penciling and words. But the bad is the stories. They are old and short. Old meaning they appeared in the 60's and 70's and Short because they run maybe 10 pages a story. That's bad because there are a lot of cliche's and at times the action is boring. It is also uninteresting because half the time the villians are Mordon or Nightmare. No more. Nothing interesting in those battles.
As for 10 pages a story, let's just say that a good story takes a little more to display intrigue and depth. I was so excited, but yet I was disappointed at the characterization and the brief stories. They were part of Strange Tales which mostly feathered other heros and Dr. Strange is only a part of the side-story.
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