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Author:
Title: STRANGE TALES No. 169 * 1st Brother Voodoo
Place Published:
Publisher:Marvel [Indicia: Marvel Comics Group]
Date Published: September, 1973
Description:

CGC certified: VF- (7.5). Off-white to white pages. Cover: John Romita. Script: Len Wein. Pencils: Gene Colan. Inks: Dan Adkins. Origin and 1st appearance: Brother Voodoo. GPAnalysis: A 7.5 sold for $690 in February 2022.

Old-timers will remember when this mag was bargain bin fodder at every comic shop in the land. But in January 2022, a copy of Strange Tales #169 CGC-slabbed at 9.8 sold for over 20 grand. Even a lowly 1.0 sells for almost two bills these days. What's behind this mag's sudden surge? Market manipulators? Money launderers? First appearance speculators gone wild? Or is it just that ol' black magic?

"It is quite evident that Brother Voodoo is a black version of Dr. Strange... The similarities between the two are clear. Each character wore a high-collared cape, was drawn with prominent gray streaks in their hair, and both were masters of the occult, which led them to fight on the supernatural plane of existence... another classic example of how black superheroes are often clones of an established white character... He did not confront cosmic, supernatural threats to Earth like his white counterpart, Dr. Stephen Strange repeatedly did. Instead, Brother Voodoo became a victim of the zombie trope, making him a static and provincial character." — Adilfu Nama, Super Black: American Pop Culture and Black Superheroes. University of Texas Press: 2011, pp. 107-108, 110 (edited).

Consignments welcome for PBA's Fall 2022 Comic Book sale. Pre-Code Horror, Golden Age and Silver Age comics, original art, vintage comic-related photos and ephemera sought. Send inquiries to ivan@pbagalleries.com.