Strange Tales #150 (1966)

1st App Umar, 1st Buscema Marvel Art | Grade: 3.5 - 4.0 (VG-/VG)

The Narrative Absurdity (Story Summary)

If you have ever found yourself wishing that the geopolitical anxieties of 1966 could be resolved by a man in an eye patch strapped into a padded armchair while a giant brass trumpet threatens to vaporize him, Strange Tales #150 is the historical document you’ve been searching for.

In the lead feature, Nick Fury faces off against HYDRA and their latest technological marvel: the "Overkill Horn." Because when standard international espionage fails, protocol apparently dictates building a sonic weapon the size of a Buick and handing out earplugs supplied by Irving Forbush.

Meanwhile, over in Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange is busy dealing with Kaluu, a man who makes the catastrophic mistake of blowing out a couple of magical candles. This inadvertently unleashes Umar—the green-clad, perpetually furious sister of Dormammu—who emerges from the Dark Dimension looking ready to ruin everyone's Tuesday.

Why This Paper Artifact Matters (Historical Significance)

For those who track the lineage of four-color paper investments, this issue holds two distinct claims to fame:

• First Appearance of Umar: The cosmic villainess, sister to Dormammu, and future mother-in-law nightmare to Doctor Strange makes her very first entrance.

• John Buscema’s Marvel Interior Debut: This marks the first time legendary artist John Buscema provided interior art for Marvel, working over Jack Kirby’s kinetic layouts to give Nick Fury his signature furrowed brow.

The Forensic Pathology (Condition Report: 3.5 VG- to 4.0 VG)

Let us be entirely candid about the physical reality of this comic book. It has survived six decades of human existence, though not without accumulating the physical trauma typical of something originally sold for twelve cents to a ten-year-old.

• Spine & Edges: Features visible spine stress ticks with color break, mild corner rounding, and a subtle spine roll that gives the book a gentle, relaxed curve.

• The Liquid History: The top and bottom margins display prominent, tide-marked moisture staining. It is the classic footprint of someone who, back in 1967, made the unfortunate decision to set a wet glass of iced tea directly beside their reading material.

• Interior & Back Cover: The newsprint inside has aged into a warm shade of toasted oak (tanning), with minor edge chipping along the upper rim. The back cover features a classic Norman Rockwell "Famous Artists School" advertisement asking if you "like to draw," rendered slightly more dramatic by the halo of water staining along its upper edge.

• Verdict: Complete, fully attached, and structurally sound, but firmly residing in the 3.5 (VG-) to 4.0 (VG) grade bracket due to its watery past.

About Grumpy Comics & Our Free (Snail-Paced) Shipping

At Grumpy Comics, we specialize in rescuing mid-grade Silver Age relics for collectors who prefer their nostalgia served with full transparency and zero illusion.

A Word on Shipping: Shipping is 100% FREE. However, you must adjust your expectations regarding time. "Free" in our establishment means standard economy ground mail—a postal tier that moves with the deliberate, unhurried velocity of continental drift. It will arrive. Eventually. You may complete a few puzzle books, file your quarterly taxes, or watch the seasons change while waiting by the mailbox.

Rest assured, your comic will be packed between rigid slabs of corrugated cardboard so it arrives in the exact, delightfully imperfect condition described above.