Doctor Strange is one of the tougher nuts to crack in the modern Marvel Universe. Magic has always been an interesting part of superhero comics, but it’s become a double-edged sword over the years, especially the way that Marvel uses it. Magic is just another superpower, and one that can do just about anything. This has made big league magical characters a tough sell, since it is hard to come up with threats that could challenge someone like Doctor Strange. The good doctor has had numerous “comebacks” over the years, but they all seem to fizzle out. Doctor Strange #1 is the latest, continuing a status quo that began last year. It’s a good enough issue, but it honestly doesn’t always feel right.
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Doctor Strange went to Asgard last year, after Doom took the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme in Blood Hunt. That particular chapter in his life saw him becoming the Sorcerer Supreme of Asgard, in an effort to get back to the Earth. He’s still stuck there in this latest issue, but Doom is no longer Sorcerer Supreme, and this book needs a new identity. The identity it seems to be going for is the Asgard book; Thor is no longer the main character of that world, and it seems like writer Derek Landy wants to make Strange that character. It works to a point.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
| Angela is the co-star and that’s a great thing | Doctor Strange doesn’t feel right for this story at all |
| Cool story that uses Asgard lore, which we aren’t getting anywhere else right now | The art goes in on the ’90s “American Manga” look and it doesn’t always fit |
One of the thing that has always been hard for Strange as a character since his return to solo comics in the mid ’10s has been finding his niche as a solo hero. Looking at his history since the Jason Aaron/Chris Bachalo run that gave him his solo book back, there’s been so many tries to make him something new. This latest status quo is fine, but it doesn’t really feel new. Landy definitely nails Strange as a character, but he feels weird in Asgard. The overall plot of this book takes a while to get going, and there is a lot of exposition to get through, where Sif is sending him, why she’s sending him, the history of the situation that he finds himself in, all of that. The exposition isn’t all that bad, honestly; Landy does a great job of setting it all up and making it interesting. I’m honestly kind of interested in him writing an Asgard book more than I am him writing Strange in Asgard, and that’s kind ofthe problem.
Marvel has been experimenting with Strange in Asgard, and nothing about this issue makes that work. Angela appears in this book, and I’ll be frank — this issue would be much better if it were an Angela book. She’s a character who doesn’t get a lot of spotlight, and this book deals with Heven and the Light Elves of Alfhiem; it’s right up her alley. Strange just feels like the hook, and it’s honestly not all that great of a hook.
Doctor Strange‘s Art Never Feels Right for It
About 30 years ago now, artist Joe Madureira brought a more manga influenced style to American comics. He and Roger Cruz were always the two who did this style the best (some people say that Chris Bachalo should be among that number, but that honestly depends on who is inking him), and over the years plenty of different artists have tried to use a similar style. I bring this up because Doctor Strange #1 artist Ivan Fiorelli feels like he’s channeling an Americanized manga style, and it both works and doesn’t.
For example, the image above is one of the times it works. His pencils are intricate and detailed, and the issue’s later action scenes have a nice weight to them. However, if you look close, his facial and head proportions don’t always work (several faces are off-kilter compared to the size of the head and hair) and there are other times when his figure work just doesn’t feel right. There are proportion problems a lot. There’s the feeling that this style of art doesn’t really fit the kind of gritty magical feel this book is trying for. Also, there’s something strange about manga Asgard, but that might just be a me problem. Much like the rest of the book, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, and it never really seems quite right.
Doctor Strange has gone through many permutations, and lately Marvel has been trying to fit him into Asgard so they could play hot potato with the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme, and try to find a new place for the character. Strange in Asgard has been an interesting idea, but at this point, it feels like there’s nothing else for the character to do — he can’t go back to Earth yet because we need to get Scarlet Witch as the Sorcerer Supreme, so he might as well stay in Asgard. Doctor Strange #1 would be a much better comic if it was about Angela and Sif dealing with Asgard stuff without Thor around, and Strange feels like a fifth wheel.
This isn’t really a bad comic at all. There are some cool ideas at play, the art is pretty good most of the time, and the comic definitely has some moments where it cooks. However, the more I think about the book, I would have liked it way more if it this weren’t a Doctor Strange comic. It’s a cool comic, and I think it will find its fans, but this isn’t the killer app that’s going to make people love Strange again.
Doctor Strange #1 is on sale now.
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