Strange Tales is a classic Marvel anthology title with unique historical significance. Originally published in the Fifties, when superhero comics were no longer the dominant genre of the medium and Marvel itself technically didn’t even exist, the stories showcased in Strange Tales were mystery and horror, which were the popular genres of the time. It wasn’t until 1963 that they introduced Doctor Strange —himself named after the book— in issue #110 when it became something of a secondary title for that character, teaming him up with characters like the Human Torch and Nick Fury before reverting back to a general anthology series published on and off throughout the years.

Flash-forward to 2025, and Strange Tales is being revived as a spooky limited series just in time for Halloween. The anthology aspect seems to be retained here, though with a central narrative throughline. After a D&D game unexpectedly comes to life, Nico Minoru seeks the help of the Scarlet Witch to set things right, but it’ll take more than a few lucky rolls of the twenty-sided dice to contain the fantastical threat.

Written by Jeremy Whitley and drawn by Bayleigh Underwood, Strange Tales #1 is a delightful introduction to this series. It’s especially a must-read for fans of Scarlet Witch, Wiccan/Hulkling, and Nico/Karolina (which is probably just a fully overlapping circle if we’re being real) who receive a major spotlight here, but solicits for future issues tease Ghost-Spider, Doctor Strange (duh), and Shuri, reflecting the anthology nature of this title’s original run as aforementioned. It’s spooky, but not scary, so those who may wince at Marvel Zombies can rest easy. It’s more Jumanji than Friday the 13th. Underwood’s art indicates as much, with a playful, youth-skewing aesthetic that looks great on the page with Jim Campbell’s colors. If you’re in the mood for a Halloweeny superhero romp, then you can’t go wrong with this first issue of Strange Tales.