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Cover: Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko & Mike Esposito

Strange Tales #136

Name: Strange Tales #136
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Sep 1965 · Marvel · 0.12 USD

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★ 1st appearance — Aged Genghis★ 1st appearance — Rama Kaliph

About this Issue

Strange Tales #136 is the second chapter of the landmark dual-feature era that simultaneously advanced two of Marvel's most consequential franchises in a single split book. On the S.H.I.E.L.D. side, it introduces the first appearance of the barbershop as a secret entrance to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters — a detail clearly inspired by the tailor-shop hidden entrance in the contemporaneous TV spy hit The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — and continues to build the spy-thriller mythology that would later define Jim Steranko's run. On the Doctor Strange side, it is part seven of the 17-issue 'Eternity Saga' (Strange Tales #130–146), the first sustained multi-part superhero story arc of its kind, which culminated two issues later in the debut of Eternity — a cosmic entity whose creation seeded the entire Marvel cosmic pantheon for decades. The issue's two creative visions — Kirby's gadget-heavy Cold War espionage and Ditko's increasingly abstract metaphysical odyssey — sit in remarkable contrast within a single 36-page package, making it a snapshot of the breadth of the Silver Age Marvel experiment.

"Find Fury or Die!" marks a pivotal moment in the early Marvel Universe, spotlighting Nick Fury in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse with HYDRA. Written by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, with art by Kirby and John Severin, the issue delivers tense espionage and clever misdirection as Fury outmaneuvers HYDRA agents using a devious ruse. The cover, a dynamic collaboration by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Mike Esposito, captures the intensity of the mission in bold, iconic style.

Contains 2 stories

Find Fury or Die!

12 pp · Spy

Hydra [Imperial Hydra (unnamed)Hydra-Hunter (Section Leader B, death)]

In "Find Fury or Die!", Nick Fury races against time as HYDRA agents close in, tracking him to a seemingly ordinary barber shop—the hidden entrance to SHIELD's headquarters. With HYDRA Section Leader B leading the hunt and sacrificing his anonymity to prove his loyalty, Fury turns the tables by hypnotizing captured agents into attacking a decoy warehouse, setting a trap that ends in betrayal. The story unfolds with tense espionage and clever misdirection, leaving Fury to consider what comes next.

What Lurks Beneath the Mask?

10 pp · Superhero

Abu Ben Hakim

In "What Lurks Beneath the Mask?" from *Strange Tales* #136 (1965), Stephen Strange races against time to uncover the truth behind Dormammu’s obsession with Eternity, following a trail of cryptic clues from mystics across the world. With only a scroll from the Aged Genghis and a dangerous journey into a forgotten dimension behind him, Strange must now confront the final, most perilous path—entering the mind of his long-dead master, The Ancient One.

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (VG) $15

CGC 9.6 · 3 in census $1,099*

CGC 9.4 · 11 in census $563*

CGC 9.2 · 17 in census $326

CGC 9.0 · 23 in census $121

CGC 8.5 · 22 in census $121*

CGC 8.0 · 23 in census $106

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CGC 7.5 · 18 in census $88

CGC 7.0 · 8 in census $78*

CGC 6.5 · 14 in census $70

CGC 6.0 · 11 in census $57

CGC 5.5 · 16 in census $47

CGC 5.0 · 4 in census $46*

CGC 4.5 · 4 in census $36*

CGC 4.0 · 3 in census $36*

CGC 3.5 · 5 in census $28

CGC 3.0 · 2 in census $23*

CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 2.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 1.5 none in existence

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 1 in census $20*

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History

Strange Tales #135 (cover-dated August 1965) had just replaced the long-running Human Torch/Thing feature with the inaugural Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. story by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, tapping directly into the James Bond and Man from U.N.C.L.E. spy craze then sweeping popular culture. Issue #136 followed immediately as part two of that opening Hydra saga, with Kirby providing layouts that veteran Atlas-era artist John Severin finished in ink — Lee reportedly made a point of welcoming Severin back, a mainstay from the 1950s. The Doctor Strange backup, by contrast, was driven by the increasingly autonomous Steve Ditko, who under the Marvel Method served as the story's plotter and sole artist, with Lee adding dialogue after the fact; their collaboration was growing more distant even as the Eternity Saga they were building together approached its climax.

Trivia · 7 facts

Nick Fury story 'Find Fury or Die!' — script by Stan Lee, layouts by Jack Kirby, finished pencils and inks by John Severin; this is Fury's second appearance as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (his first was Strange Tales #135).
First appearance of the S.H.I.E.L.D. barbershop headquarters — explicitly noted as a tribute to the tailor-shop secret entrance to U.N.C.L.E. HQ in the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
First appearance of the Hydra-Ram, a flying saucer-type attack vehicle used by HYDRA in their assault on what they believe to be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base.
Doctor Strange story 'What Lurks Beneath the Mask?' — plotted and drawn by Steve Ditko, dialogue by Stan Lee; this is Part 7 of 17 of the 'Eternity Saga' (Strange Tales #130–146), the first extended multi-part story arc in superhero comics.
In the Doctor Strange story, Dormammu imprisons Clea as punishment for her earlier role in freeing the Mindless Ones; Strange consults the Aged Genghis, who provides a scroll that leads him into a dimensional trap rather than to Eternity — setting up the saga's endgame two issues later in #138.
An unnamed woman Strange encounters during his quest tells him 'You — who saved my life many years ago!', with the caption 'Remind us to tell you about it sometime — Stan and Steve'; this plot thread was never resolved in the original run and remains a mystery, though later writers speculatively linked the woman to Madeleine St. Germaine (Doctor Strange Vol. 2 #39).
The issue has been reprinted multiple times, including in: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #16 (Nov. 1970); Essential Dr. Strange Vol. 1 (Dec. 2001, black and white); Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Vol. 1 (Oct. 2007); Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange Vol. 1 (Dec. 2010); Doctor Strange Omnibus Vol. 1 (2016); and Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange Vol. 2 — The Eternity War (2022).