In the beginning there was Timely Publications from 1939-1951, then came Atlas Comics from 1951-1961 and ultimately Marvel Comics from 1961 to the present. This historic voyage of comic book publishing saw sweeping changes that resulted in comics becoming a big part of pop culture, with throngs of avid readers, hit TV shows, blockbuster movies and an unfathomable array of associated collectibles. The super-hero genre soared onto the scene in the late-1930s and waned in the post-war era. The '50s were dominated by horror, sci-fi, western and humor tales and thankfully super-heroes came back to prominence in the early '60s, due to the efforts of the genius teams at DC and most importantly the re-branded Marvel Comics Group.

It is the period surrounding the switch from Atlas to Marvel which concerns us here, with this 1960-1963 Strange Tales comic book lot of (24). This fascinating series began in 1951 and ran until 1968 and was also continued in later date revivals. Especially noteworthy about this series and this lot in particular, is the witnessing of the transition from the brilliant Jack Kirby/Dick Ayers sci-fi and monster stories, along with surprise twist thrillers by Don Heck/Paul Rienman/Joe Sinnott and surreal tales by Stan Lee/Steve Ditko during the last stage of the Atlas era, to the even more brilliant super-hero character issues beginning with the Human Torch in 1961 under the Marvel Comics banner, with contributions from the same writers and artists named above, along with others, including the great Jerry Siegel under the pseudonym "Joe Carter".

The genre spanning the Strange Tales run is also famous among collectors for the many "prototype" issues, that introduced characters who were later redeveloped into classic heroes and villains that have thrived to present day. Several of these fan favorite prototype issues are included in the tremendous collection offered here. In addition to the great historic value of these vintage issues, they also benefit from careful storage through five-plus decades by the original owner, who either read them once or not at all. As a result, these new to the market comics report in overall fabulous condition for examples of such considerable age, with a highly desirable grade range of (67% FN-VF 7.0 to VF-NM 9.0, 33% VG 4.0 to FN 6.0).

Highlights are: (4) noted in the Overstreet guide as prototype issues: #76 "Human Torch", #79 "Dr. Strange", #78 "Ant-Man", #92 "Ancient One & Ant-Man"; and (2) semi-key issues: #94 with creature similar to the Thing, #102 1st appearance of Wizard, 2nd Strange Tales issue with the Human Torch

Also present are issue numbers: 77, 80, 81, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90, 91, 93, 95, 96, 98, 99, 100, 113

In case you are wondering if there's more, the answer is yes. Our fortunate consignor maintained a sizeable collection of Silver Age comic books in careful storage since the 1960s. This amazing new to the market collection is being offered by H&S in our November, 2018 and February, 2019 auctions. All major key issues will be graded by CGC and offered on an individual basis, while the balance will be offered in groups of various size, from a few issues to a large "balance of collection" lot. Please review our Americana/Comics category for both auction dates noted above to view this truly impressive collection.