Doctor Strange (Folio Society Edition)

The Folio Society, the upscale publisher of limited editions, has released a fifth book in their Marvel Heroes series. (I previously talked about the Folio Society when I covered their Black Panther collection.) This time, it’s one of my favorite Marvel characters: Doctor Strange!

As with the other books, Roy Thomas has selected the 13 stories reprinted here and written an introduction, explaining his choices.

The hardcover is brilliantly colored, representing the psychedelic peak period of the Sorcerer Supreme. It comes with a separate reprint of Strange Tales #115, originally published in September 1963. That’s important because it contains the eight-page “Origin of Dr. Strange” by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. It’s not his first appearance (it was his fourth), but a significant one, and the issue reprint is complete with period ads and tanned pages. It comes in an envelope, making it easier to store in the slipcase without damage.

The first appearance of Doctor Strange of course kicks off the hardcover, and there’s at least one story from every decade since. It’s quite the journey, demonstrating just how much writing and art styles have changed over the years. The stories are scanned from the comics, creating a more authentic reading experience — except for the weight of this substantial hardcover.

I found the graphics most compelling, particularly in the first few Ditko-illustrated pieces, with their cosmic images and mystic mindscapes. This year is the Doctor’s 60th anniversary, and if you’d like to mark it in style, this is an excellent celebration. (The publisher provided a review copy.)

You can see some pages for itself in this promotional video: