STRANGE TALES #133

Cover shows moderate wear consistent with a mid-grade Silver Age book: visible vertical crease/waviness through the center of the cover, some surface rubbing and slight color loss along the spine area, and mild corner softness at top right and bottom corners. There is a small vertical mark near the top center of the cover art. Colors remain bright and the gloss appears mostly intact under the protective sleeve. Interior and back cover were not assessed.

Strange Tales #133 arrived in June 1965 as part of Marvel's twin-feature anthology format, pairing a Human Torch solo adventure with the Steve Ditko-drawn Doctor Strange serial. This issue falls within the celebrated Ditko run that pitted Strange against Baron Mordo and, ultimately, the dimension-lord Dormammu, a storyline widely regarded by Silver Age readers as the high-water mark of the character's early mystical adventures. Stan Lee scripted the Doctor Strange story, with Ditko's linework defining the psychedelic, otherworldly visual language that became the character's signature.

Market activity for #133 reflects its status as a solid, well-collected mid-run issue rather than a headline key: certified sales are steady across the grading spectrum, with over 300 census copies and consistent turnover from grade 5 through 9.4. Demand tracks the broader Ditko Doctor Strange collector base and the general strength of mid-1960s Marvel anthology books, with the price curve showing typical Silver Age behavior — modest appreciation through mid grades followed by a sharp premium at the top of the census, where high-grade survivors are scarce relative to demand.

This issue suits collectors building a complete Ditko Doctor Strange run or a Strange Tales set rather than key-issue speculators, so it trades in the shadow of true series landmarks like the character's 1963 debut or the Nick Fury/S.H.I.E.L.D. launch two issues later. Raw copies in low and mid grades move steadily as reading and run-filling material, while pristine certified copies — genuinely scarce at 9.6 and above — command outsized premiums driven by census scarcity rather than first-appearance status.