Strange Tales #115
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeStrange Tales #115 (cover-dated December 1963) is the cornerstone origin issue for one of Marvel's most distinctive characters: it is the first time readers learned how Dr. Stephen Strange — a brilliant but morally hollow neurosurgeon — had his hands destroyed in a car accident, sought out the Ancient One, foiled Baron Mordo's treachery, and committed himself to the mystic arts. Remarkably, that eight-page origin story runs as the back feature behind a Human Torch lead, yet it carries the entire weight of the issue's historical importance, establishing the character's redemption arc — the selfish man humbled and reborn as a hero — that would become a template echoed across the Marvel Cinematic Universe decades later. The issue also introduces the first named invocation of Dormammu and the first use of Doctor Strange's classic spells, seeding an entire cosmology of mystical antagonists and arcane nomenclature that Ditko would expand into some of the most psychedelically imaginative storytelling of the Silver Age.
In "The Sandman Strikes!", Dr. Stephen Strange—once a renowned neurosurgeon—faces a life-altering crisis when an accident destroys his hands, forcing him to seek mystical healing. With the help of a mysterious seer and his dangerous student, Strange begins a journey into the hidden realms of magic, discovering a path far beyond medicine. Written by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, with art by Steve Ditko and colors by Stan Goldberg, this landmark issue features a cover by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, capturing the eerie tension of a world where science meets sorcery.
In "The Sandman Strikes!", the hero known as the Torch learns that the Sandman has escaped custody, setting off a high-stakes chase across New York City. When Spider-Man confronts the sand-based villain atop the Empire State Building, the battle escalates quickly—only for the Torch to arrive and intervene, leading to a surprising turn when Sandman encounters a set of sprinklers and discovers a vulnerability he hadn’t expected.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 22 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 8.5 ▾ $1,056–$1,098 2 listings
CGC 8 ▾ $1,095–$1,175 2 listings
CGC 6 ▾ $425–$600 2 listings
CGC 4 ▾ $220–$521 3 listings
CGC 2.5 ▾ $178–$280 2 listings
Raw — VG ▾ $169–$450 7 listings
Raw — GD ▾ $105–$165 3 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $120–$530 8 listings
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The character of Doctor Strange was the invention of Steve Ditko, who in 1963 brought Stan Lee a fully penciled five-page story with a panel-by-panel script as his own initiative — not a Lee editorial assignment. Lee, writing to fan correspondent Jerry Bails shortly before publication, described it as Steve's idea while expressing cautious optimism. Because Ditko held a deliberate creative philosophy of introducing characters before revealing their origins — believing a character must earn that disclosure — Strange had already appeared in Strange Tales #110, #111, and #114 without any backstory. By the time #115 arrived, reader interest had built sufficiently that the origin splash page carried the editorial note that it was presented 'in answer to an avalanche of requests.' It was also in this issue that Stan Lee coined the character's first name, 'Stephen' — a detail Ditko later confirmed was Lee's contribution and, per Ditko's own account, was Lee's 'little joke' at using his own first name.
Trivia · 12 facts
- Cover date: December 1963 (on-sale date: September 10, 1963); published by Marvel Comics as part of Strange Tales vol. 1 (1951 series).
- The issue contains two superhero stories: 'The Sandman Strikes!' (lead feature, art and co-plot by Dick Ayers, script by Stan Lee) and 'The Origin of Dr. Strange' (back feature, art and co-plot by Steve Ditko, script by Stan Lee), plus a prose text story titled 'Zero of Time.'
- The cover was penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Steve Ditko.
- 'The Origin of Dr. Strange' is Doctor Strange's fourth published appearance and the first full account of his origin — the car accident that ruins his hands, his journey to the Ancient One, his exposure of Baron Mordo's treachery, and his acceptance as a mystical apprentice.
- This issue marks the first mention of Dormammu (by name only, invoked by Baron Mordo as a power source in a spell); Dormammu does not physically appear until Strange Tales #126.
- Also the first appearance of Doctor Strange's classic invocations/spells, including the Vapors of Valtorr; and the first mention of the Vishanti (Agamotto, Hoggoth, Oshtur), though none appear in person.
- This issue also gives Doctor Strange his first name, 'Stephen Strange,' which Stan Lee added to the origin script — the character had been unnamed in his three prior appearances.
- 'The Sandman Strikes!' is the second appearance of the Sandman (Flint Marko), who had debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #4 (September 1963); it is also the first time Sandman fought the Human Torch rather than Spider-Man, a narrative hand-off that eventually fed into the villain joining the Frightful Four in Fantastic Four #36 (March 1965).
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) appears in a brief cameo — in reality only in the final panel — while the Human Torch impersonates him for most of the lead story.
- The origin story's placement of the Ancient One's home in India contradicts Strange Tales #111, which located it in Tibet; the India detail was later quietly retconned out of continuity.
- The origin story has been reprinted in dozens of collections, including Origins of Marvel Comics (Simon & Schuster, 1974), Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange Vol. 1 (first published 1992), Essential Doctor Strange Vol. 1 (2001), Marvel Visionaries: Steve Ditko (2005), the Doctor Strange Omnibus (2016), and Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange Vol. 1 (2021), among many others; a facsimile edition was also produced by the Folio Society in 2023.
- Doctor Strange's origin, as established in this issue, served as the primary template for the 2016 Marvel Studios film Doctor Strange starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Adventures into Weird Worlds #7 (1952)
Reprinted in Marvel Tales Annual #2 (1965), Terrific! #1 (1967), Marvel Tales #18 (1969), I Fantastici Quattro #14 (1971), The Avengers #1 (1973), Marvel Premiere #11 (1973), Origins of Marvel Comics #[nn] (1974), Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts #[1] (1978), Strange Spécial Origines #139 (1981), Marvel Tales #137 (1982), O Espectacular Homem-Aranha #1 (1983), Σπάιντερ Μαν [Spider-Man] #167 (1984), Nova #82 (1984), The Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe #10 (1986), Heróis da TV #100 (1987), Marvel Masterworks #23 (1992), Spider-Man Classics #1 (1993), Marvel Limited: Fantastic Firsts #[nn] (1994), Marvel Milestone Edition: Strange Tales #110 #[nn] (1995), Origins of Marvel Comics Revised Edition #[nn] (1997), Essential Doctor Strange #1 (2001), Fantastic Firsts #[nn] (2002), Marvel : Les origines #1 (2002), Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange #1 (2003) + 24 more
Key issues in Strange Tales
Variants (1)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.