Strange Tales #163
Strange Tales #163 (December 1967) is a double-barreled key from Marvel's Silver Age, packing two distinct debut moments into a single twelve-cent comic. On the spy side, Jim Steranko introduces Clay Quartermain — a wisecracking S.H.I.E.L.D. field agent who would become one of Nick Fury's most durable allies across decades of Marvel continuity, from the Incredible Hulk's supporting cast through the Brian Michael Bendis era. On the cosmic side, the Doctor Strange back-up delivers the climax of the 'Sands of Death' arc (Strange Tales #157–163), in which the Living Tribunal — destined to become the supreme judicial authority of the entire Marvel Multiverse — renders its verdict over Nebulos and his staff of evil, cementing its status as perhaps the most powerful recurring figure in Marvel's cosmic hierarchy. The issue thus marks the moment that two very different but lasting corners of Marvel's universe — street-level espionage and multiversal abstraction — crystallized in the same anthology.
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Strange Tales #163 arrived in December 1967 near the tail end of the anthology's original run, which would close with issue #168 before spinning off into separate Doctor Strange and Nick Fury solo titles. The Nick Fury lead, 'And the Dragon Cried... Death!', was written and penciled by Jim Steranko — by then the sole creative voice on the feature — with inks by Frank Giacoia; it constitutes part five of a nine-part Yellow Claw saga. The Doctor Strange back-up, 'Three Faces of Doom!', was scripted by Jim Lawrence with Dan Adkins contributing co-plot and full art; Adkins had taken over penciling duties on the Doctor Strange strip beginning with issue #161, working in a style that the Grand Comics Database notes drew closely on Steve Ditko panels. The Living Tribunal itself had been conceived by Stan Lee along with artist Marie Severin and inker Herb Trimpe starting with issue #157, making issue #163 the concluding chapter of that landmark cosmic arc.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full named appearance of Clay Quartermain (S.H.I.E.L.D. agent), created by Jim Steranko; introduced by Contessa Val de Fontaine as a spy-school graduate assigned to assist Nick Fury against the Yellow Claw and A.I.M.
- Concluding chapter (part 6 of 6) of the Living Tribunal's debut story arc, 'The Sands of Death' (Strange Tales #157–163, June–December 1967); the Living Tribunal — created by Stan Lee, Marie Severin, and Herb Trimpe — here confronts the demon Nebulos, uses 'Cosmic Lightning' against his home planet, and compels Doctor Strange to resolve the crisis.
- Nick Fury story titled 'And the Dragon Cried... Death!' — written, penciled, and plotted by Jim Steranko with inks by Frank Giacoia; cover art also by Steranko.
- Doctor Strange story titled 'Three Faces of Doom!' — scripted by Jim Lawrence, co-plotted and fully illustrated by Dan Adkins.
- The Grand Comics Database records that Steranko modeled Clay Quartermain visually on actor Kirk Douglas, and that the ornate dragon statue in the Fury story pays deliberate homage to The Maltese Falcon.
- The Yellow Claw and Fritz Von Voltzmann appearing in the Nick Fury story are later revealed in Marvel continuity to have been robot duplicates created by Doctor Doom, not the genuine article.
- Multiple major reprints documented: Nick Fury story reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Vol. 2 (2009), S.H.I.E.L.D. by Steranko: The Complete Collection (2013), S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete Collection Omnibus (2015), and Steranko Is... Revolutionary (2020); Doctor Strange story reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange Vol. 2 (2005 and 2013 editions), Doctor Strange Omnibus Vol. 2 (2021), and Doctor Strange Epic Collection Vol. 2 – I, Dormammu (2023).
- The Living Tribunal received a cameo appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), decades after its Silver Age debut in this arc.
Cast · 13 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
The Living Tribunal learns that Nebulos' staff is a force of evil which he must destroy. As the Tribunal & Nebulos battle, Strange fears for the life of the missing Victoria. The Tribunal uses "Cosmic Lightning" to begin destroying Nebulos' home planet! As Nebulos refuses to hand over his staff to the Tribunal, Strange wrests it away as Nebulos is buried under an avalanche. Strange hands the staff to the Tribunal, declaring the "Cosmic Balance" restored! In reward, the Tribunal sends Strange to the world where Nebulos imprisoned Victoria, warning him of the terrible dangers that await him.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).