If you are looking for some “Strange Tales”, even by Stephen Strange’s standards, look no further than the mid-1990s omnibus collection of Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Volume 3.
The final volume of the third Doctor Strange series that started in 1988 (and ends with 1996 in this omnibus), contains Doctor Strange #60-90, Doctor Strange Annual #4, as well as some favorites and relics from the 1990’s such as the Doctor Strange Ashcan, 1994’s Strange Tales One-Shot, Midnight Sons Unlimited #6, Untold Tales of Spider-Man: Strange Encounter One-Shot, and one of the most celebrated Strange stories, the Doctor Strange: What is It That Disturbs You, Stephen? over-sized special by P. Craig Russell and Marc Andreyko.
The stories capture the essence of the pre- and post- “Comics Crash” era, with some interesting new looks for the Doctor (such as short-lived experiments with a new, edgy mask and a clean shaven face and sunglasses…) and encounters with the Midnight Sons, Doctor Doom, Namor, Hulk, Clea, Salomé, doppelganger Dr. Vincent Stephens, Wong, Baron Mordo, and Chthon.
As zany as some of the stories are, they did help launch the careers of some top writers such as Kurt Busiek, David Quinn, Dan Abnett, Evan Skolnick, Warren Ellis, Todd DeZago, J. M. DeMatteis, Tom Brevoort, Mike Kanterovich, and Roger Stern, and a slew of artists including Melvin Rubi, Max Douglas, John Hixson, Kyle Hotz, Mark Tenney, Gene Colan, David Brewer, Peter Gross, Steve Yeowell, Mark Buckingham, Richard Pace, Marie Severin, Geof Isherwood, Anna-Maria Cool, Gary Frank, Patrick Zircher, Pascual Ferry, Ricardo Villagran, Neil Vokes, Dave Simons, Jay Geldhof, Mike Manley, Fred Harper, Andrew Pepoy, Rich Rankin, Pam Eklund, Lee Sullivan, Art Nichols, Don Hudson, Kev F. Sutherland, and Bud LaRosa.
The arcane tome consists of 1,080 pages for a suggested retail price of $125.00. The Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme volume 3 Omnibus will be available at your local comic shop on April 27, and you can check out that purely 90’s look on Gross’ cover below.
