Strange Tales 1951 #133 - back issue - $15.00

Deciding to switch his M.O., The Puppet Master builds robotic "statues" he can control, and undergoes plastic surgery so no one will recognize him. The masquerade is short-lived, as he lures Johnny & Ben into a trap in a department store.

After escaping from Mordo, Strange plummets thru dimension after dimension, finally coming to a stop in a world ruled by Shazana, a female tyrant who once conned a wizard into giving her some of his powers, which she repaid by destroying him. Believing her sister has recruited Strange to overthrow her she battles Strange into submission. Allowing himself to be imprisoned so he can recover from his earlier battle with Mordo, Strange gets the lay of the land, then helps Shazana's sister overcome the evil ruler, destroying the source of her power even as he uses it to begin his journey back home.

On-sale date from 1965 Periodicals, Copyright Office, Library of Congress.

• The Terrible Toys! - Puppet Master's previous appearance in FANTASTIC FOUR #28 (July 1964); next appearance in FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #3 (November 1965), with his original face incorrectly shown intact. Puppet Master's appearance would remain altered for several years, before he eventually restored his original face.
• A Nameless Land, a Timeless Time! - Part 4 of 17. The sisters in this story apparently served as the inspiration for Craig Russell's later Strange epic, a virtual remake of this story, which he did twice-- in DR. STRANGE ANNUAL #1 (December 1976), and DR. STRANGE: WHAT IS IT THAT DISTURBS YOU, STEVEN? (October 1997).
• - Letters of comment from Dale Palof; Frank Mastropolo; Joe Hartlaub; and Willie Woodruff, as well as The Mighty Marvel Checklist.