The Weekly Pull: Doctor Strange, DC's Legion of Bloom, Order & Outrage, and More
DC's Legion of Bloom
Written by Various
Art by Various
Published by DC
This week's DC's Legion of Bloom might be the oddest, and most intriguing, seasonal anthology for DC yet. This 80-page giant ushers in springtime with an array of green-related stories, involving everyone from Swamp Thing to Floronic Man to Poison Ivy. You'll definitely get a wide variety of concepts and creative teams in this issue, as well as some floral-themed fare. What more can you ask for? -- Jenna Anderson
Doctor Strange #1
- Written by Jed MacKay
- Art by Pasqual Ferry
- Colors by Pasqual Ferry
- Letters by Cory Petit
- Published by Marvel Comics
Whether or not you're a fan of Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme's newest series appears to be a must-read for any Marvel fan. The conclusion of Strange, also written by Jed MacKay, returned Stephen to life alongside his wife Clea and constant companion Wong. That series was itself a triumph that delivered titanic new antagonists and conflicts with plenty of intrigue in a short span of issues. Now Doctor Strange #1 promises to continue that journey (in an entirely new-reader-friendly fashion, of course) with more space for even more of the elements that made Strange a surprise highlight of Marvel Comics' catalog. MacKay's character work on both Moon Knight and Black Cat has shown an impressive range with some of the publisher's oddest heroes, as well as the ability to break grand sagas into very fulfilling individual chapters centered upon heists and mysteries. Now combine that with Pasqual Ferry's recent work on Namor: Conquered Shores which revealed strange twists on familiar settings in a world filled with soft, often beautiful colors juxtaposed by an abundance of sharp edges. Two of Marvel's best creators are teaming up to take on one of the most popular heroes in the modern canon; it's bound to be an absolute blast. -- Chase Magnett
Doctor Strange Epic Collection Triumph and Torment
- Written by various
- Art by various
- Published by Marvel Comics
Alongside launching a brand new Doctor Strange era in this week's Doctor Strange #1, Marvel Comics is also offering fans the chance to revisit one of the Sorcerer Supreme's best-loved adventures in Doctor Strange Epic Collection: Triumph and Torment. This 488-page tome collects the first 13 issues of the Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme series that Marvel launched in 1988, and those stories are likely to delight anyone with a taste for arcane tales from the era. However, the standout inclusion in this volume is Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment, the 1989 graphic novel by Roger Stern and Mike Mignola (yes, that Mike Mignola, of Hellboy fame). The story sees Doctor Doom acquiring Doctor Strange's aid to embark on a journey to hell, challenging Mephisto to save the soul of Doom's mother. Marvel fans talk about this story with awe to this day and while it's long been available to read digitally, it hasn't been reprinted since 2013 and fetches a hefty price on the secondary market. If you're someone who sticks to physical comics, don't let this opportunity to read a Marvel classic pass you by. -- Jamie Lovett
Harvey Knight's Odyssey
- Written by Nick Maandag
- Art by Nick Maandag
- Letters by Nick Maandag
- Published by Drawn & Quarterly
Readers who enjoy absurdist humor and deadpan comedy will find themselves delighted by Harvey Knight's Odyssey this week. Cartoonist Nick Maandag presents a collection of short comics with a wide array of premises, high and low. The eponymous tale presents a grand dystopian vision of a world divided between light and dark, in which the church of the former persecutes the latter to a disturbing degree. Allusions to modern life aren't hard to find throughout as the oddities of daily life are exaggerated in Maandag's direct style. Harvey Knight's Odyssey is bound to leave readers chuckling and pondering in similar measures at the end of each of its stories in a notable diversion from the alternatives. -- Chase Magnett
Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler Vol. 4
- Written by Various
- Art by Various
- Published by Marvel Comics
I'm a sucker for Marvel Masterworks collections that reprint some of the lesser-known components of comics lore, and these Dazzler editions are no exception. The fourth and final reprinting of the iconic 80s solo run arrives this week and follows Alison Blaire on some delightful and zany adventures. Anything that compiles Secret Wars II, the bizarre Beauty and the Beast miniseries, and a string of Dazzler solo stories is a must-buy in my book because I know this will be a campy and wild ride. -- Jenna Anderson
Order & Outrage #1
- Written by Jim Starlin
- Art by Rags Morales
- Colors by Hailey Brown
- Letters by Michael Heisler
- Published by Dark Horse Comics
Jim Starlin knows his way around a space opera. Whether it's charting Thanos and Adam Warlock's course through Marvel's Infinity Gauntlet and beyond or chronicling the adventures of his original creation, the interstellar adventurer Dreadstar, Starlin knows how to spin a cosmic web. His latest is Order & Outrage from Dark Horse Comics, which sees the legendary writer teaming up with Rags Moraes for a story about state control and rebellion. Order & Outrage is based on the idea that beings perfected through gene editing (a topic that has been in the news recently) have come to control the state and have little time for those who haven't undergone similar processing. But control breeds frustration, and frustration leads to action. Anyone with a taste for epic storytelling in the stars should probably give Order & Outrage a look. -- Jamie Lovett
She-Hulk #11
- Written by Rainbow Rowell
- Art by Andres Genolet
- Published by Marvel Comics
I'll always recommend an issue of this latest run of She-Hulk, but this week's is sure to be something special. The installment, which is being billed as a good jumping-on point for new readers, is on the eve of She-Hulk's landmark 175th issue and is sure to deliver on basically every front. Rainbow Rowell has been doing wonderful work on this run, and when you reunite her with her Runaways collaborator Andres Genolet, it's sure to be magical. — Jenna Anderson
