Marvel Comics Group · Strange Tales #164 · January 1968 · 12¢ · 36 pages
Grade: VF 8.0
Approved by the Comics Code Authority.
“Nightmare!” leads the issue — a Doctor Strange story that puts Stephen Strange back in the dream dimension squaring off against Nightmare, the dread lord of that realm and one of Strange's most persistent antagonists. Nightmare is not a villain who fights fair; he operates on the terrain of sleep itself, where Strange's physical power means little and his mastery of the mystic arts is the only foothold he has. It's the kind of Strange story that leans into what separated the character from every other Marvel hero at the time — the threats are metaphysical, the stakes are consciousness itself.
The Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. backup delivers the espionage counterweight — Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. doing what they do in this era of the book, which is high-concept Cold War action with gadgetry and attitude. The Strange Tales Nick Fury run was one of the weirder experiments in late Silver Age Marvel: pure spy-pop energy crammed into the back half of a supernatural anthology. It worked because it had no business working.
Strange Tales #164 lands near the end of the line for this dual-feature format. By June 1968 — just five issues out — the book splits: Doctor Strange gets his own title at #169, Nick Fury spins off into his own series. This is the home stretch of a pairing that ran for years and defined a certain corner of Silver Age Marvel. Collectors who want that complete Strange Tales run know these final issues are where it gets tight.
Condition VF 8.0 — .
We use what the scientists are calling artificial intelligence to research and write our descriptions — it gives us more time to add books to our website and provide you with a wider array of inventory. We think Klaatu would approve. Details are verified but the robot does slip up. We're not infallible. Every book is graded by a human collector who has actually held it. If anything ever looks off, reach on out at robopictocomics@gmail.com.
Marvel Comics Group · Strange Tales #164 · January 1968 · 12¢ · 36 pages
Grade: VF 8.0
Approved by the Comics Code Authority.
“Nightmare!” leads the issue — a Doctor Strange story that puts Stephen Strange back in the dream dimension squaring off against Nightmare, the dread lord of that realm and one of Strange's most persistent antagonists. Nightmare is not a villain who fights fair; he operates on the terrain of sleep itself, where Strange's physical power means little and his mastery of the mystic arts is the only foothold he has. It's the kind of Strange story that leans into what separated the character from every other Marvel hero at the time — the threats are metaphysical, the stakes are consciousness itself.
The Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. backup delivers the espionage counterweight — Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. doing what they do in this era of the book, which is high-concept Cold War action with gadgetry and attitude. The Strange Tales Nick Fury run was one of the weirder experiments in late Silver Age Marvel: pure spy-pop energy crammed into the back half of a supernatural anthology. It worked because it had no business working.
Strange Tales #164 lands near the end of the line for this dual-feature format. By June 1968 — just five issues out — the book splits: Doctor Strange gets his own title at #169, Nick Fury spins off into his own series. This is the home stretch of a pairing that ran for years and defined a certain corner of Silver Age Marvel. Collectors who want that complete Strange Tales run know these final issues are where it gets tight.
Condition VF 8.0 — .
We use what the scientists are calling artificial intelligence to research and write our descriptions — it gives us more time to add books to our website and provide you with a wider array of inventory. We think Klaatu would approve. Details are verified but the robot does slip up. We're not infallible. Every book is graded by a human collector who has actually held it. If anything ever looks off, reach on out at robopictocomics@gmail.com.
