Doctor Strange Epic Collection: Master Of The Mystic Arts Paperback – 30 Oct. 2018

I was first introduced to Doctor Strange through a 1967 british comic called Terrific!. Produced in typical comic black and white it was years before I realised that American comics were full colour. Despite the lack of colour, they were a firm favourite. The more recent films reminded me of those comics and I found a few images on the Internet. Then I saw this book and the Kindle price was irresistible. Reading through these adventures now: they are good examples of Marvel comics at its peak. It’s a wonder to think that Steve Ditko and Stan Lee could produce consistently high quality comic stories week after week.The storylines may be a little bit repetitive - something I didn’t notice all those years ago - but those Steve Ditko images are still awe-inspiring. And all the better in full colour!A happy trip down memory-lane.

Currently going for a song on Kindle.There's some negative reviews about the print version, but the Kindle one, where it's currently going for a song, is great! These are the editions with Steve Ditko's stunning artwork.Particularly good is the way you can zoom in on an individual frame, and when you swipe it takes you to the next one and resizes the image to fit.

All the genius Lee and Ditko stuff that started it all. Very retro and stylised but all the better for it. Ages very well .

Okay, before I start, I would actually rate the stories contained within this volume as 5 stars - I am taking a star off for the quality of the book; I haven't experienced any of the horror stories that other buyers have, but I will say that the paper used for this trade, and the card used for the cover, are extremely thin, so if that's a worry, I recommend buying a copy that you can pick up and check over first.With that caveat out of the way, on to the actual comics themselves! They've managed to squeeze Steve Ditko's entire run on Dr Strange into one book, and it's a fine showcase for his artistic achievements. His style was unique even when he first pencilled the good doctor's debut appearance in Strange Tales, but as the series went on and he grew in confidence, Ditko would produce a myriad of phantasmagoric realms and spectacular magical effects quite unlike anything that had been seen in comicbooks.Of course, the dialogue by collaborator Stan Lee only adds to the unique flavour of the character. Strange's incantations, oaths and spells are a gloriously over-the-top suggestion of a sorcerous world, hinting at the Vishanti, the hordes of Hoggoth, and more. As the two creators pitch Dr Strange against ever more bizarre, other-dimensional foes, the stories seem to create a universe all their own.It's all here; the debuts of the diabolical Baron Mordo, the dread Dormammu, the lovely Clea and the mysterious and awesome Eternity. By the end of Ditko's run, such is the swagger of the book that the final epic storyline spans an incredible 17 issues, unheard of at the time. Also included is the team-up with the other Lee-Ditko master creation, the webhead himself, from Amazing Spider-Man annual #2, ensuring that this really is as complete a Ditko Strange volume as you could want.Extras include two pages of original Ditko art, a pin-up, T-shirt ads, covers for Marvel Tales annual #2 and Dr Strange Classics 1-4 (which reprinted stories collected here), two introductions from the latter, as well as the covers of the first two Strange Masterworks volumes and the first omnibus. A magical collection (paper issues notwithstanding) for a magical run of comics.

All the Ditko stories in colour, in one volume. It's genius! 'Nuff said!

All the early Doctor Strange stories from 1963 to 1966 in colour in just under 400 pages, which is of course great. Yes, the paper could be a bit thicker and it is a paperback, so Amazon's usual packing might mean it arrives with an odd slight crease on the cover, but far from as bad as some reviews would have it, which indicate it might fall apart! Maybe those were an earlier print run. My only real gripe is that the pages have been printing too near to the binding/spine of the book (see my picture), which means it's only just possible to read see the edge of the affected panels. Could so easily have been avoided with some basic quality checks at the printers

The stories are great...especially if, like me you like the nostalgic stuff! The artwork is full colour, unlike the ‘essential series’, do it knocks spots of it in every way! Quirky, fun and very collectible!

Too often overlooked at the time, this is a title that is metaphysical fun.

Excelente edición

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First a bit about the format. These started out as 6-page short stories until popular demand called for an origin story, after which they continued as 8-10 pagers. Throughout this entire book, Dr. Strange came at the back of Human Torch and Nick Fury comics.I really enjoyed these, and to be honest I kind it liked how short they were, making it easy to read one in the few minutes before leaving for work. I also appreciated the villains, especially when compared to the guys on the cover fighting the Human Torch. I mean, Paste Pot Pete? Really? That's a recurring villain? I'll take Nightmare and Baron Mordo any day.Like with most of Marvel's work in the 60s you can see the lack of editing, which is maybe understandable if you consider the sheer amount and variety of content being pushed out by Stan every month. Still, you have to look the other way when he occasionally refers to Mormmamu instead of Dormmamu or when someone calls Strange Dr. Doom. How did nobody catch that one?I think over all the comics aged pretty well too when compared to some others. Spider-man, for instance, was sometimes hard to understand due to the heavy use of slang, but Dr. Strange kept things formal and clear.Throughout most of the book, especially the first half, Strange's Amulet is used as a deus ex machina in nearly every comic, which is sometimes a little annoying. But then about halfway through, starting with issue 130, a really long and interesting arc begins, and it continues pretty much for the whole rest of the book.I really enjoyed this collection, and it lasted me for a really long time, so it ended up being money well spent.

These are the classic Dr Strange stories from Marvel comics of the 1960’s. They are simple and entertaining with beautiful artwork by legendary comic artist Steve Ditko.The stories are a refreshing break from today’s style of comic story telling where everything is super serious and feels like a pitch for a Netflix series. Highly recommended!