Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Doctor Strange, Marvel Comics, Review | Tagged: iron man, Jesus Saiz, mark waid, swamp thing, tony stark

Advance Review: Doctor Strange #1 Is a Mid-Life Crisis Between Swamp Thing and Planet Hulk

Published Tue, 05 Jun 2018 09:00:26 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Once upon a time, somewhere around the mid-eighties, Swamp Thing was killed by governmental forces. Or so they thought. After consulting with Lex Luthor, they built a machine that knocked Swamp Thing out of alignment with the Green, with the Earth, so that he was no longer able to form a body made of plant matter. Instead, the Swamp Thing, the plant elemental drifted to other worlds, those he found he was in alignment with, and recreated his own fake version of the world for comfort. That comfort didn't last long, and it was only when he formed a body on another planet from sentient plant life that a local Green Lantern was able to defeat him, help him and eventually train him to remake his energy form so that he could return to Earth. Um, spoilers. It is probably my favourite Swamp Thing story, with 'Loving The Alien' as a particular highlight, from Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and Rick Veitch and today… well, I seemed to get a remake in the new Doctor Strange #1 by Mark Waid and Jesus Saiz, out tomorrow.

We find a Doctor Strange who is losing his magical powers. Again. And as a result, takes counsel to seek a solution on another planet – using the kind of Stark tech that Elon Musk and Richard Branson would kill for. And that's where we get Planet Hulk.

Remember that Doctor Strange was part of the Illuminati team that decided to exile the Hulk to another planet, only for something to go rather wrong and the Hulk end up on a different, for more hostile world? Also a bit like Khan in Wrath of Khan?

Well, time for a repeat of that formula as well, but this time Doctor Strange as the victim of circumstance – so we have a Doctor Strange without his magic, trying to find his mojo in another world where everyone seems hostile and a danger.

Could this be his mid-life crisis? Or can we also read in it the plaintive cries of a successful writer trying to make his way in the comic book industry today with new fans, new expectations, new challenges and struggling to find their way? That chosen subtext makes for a fascinating read. Even as it tries to give Doctor Strange a new kind of adventure mixed with a fairytale narrator who insists on describing Tony and Stephen as the iron man and the magician, discerning their differences, but painting them as two sides of the same coin.

Talking of painting, this is a beautiful book. Jesus Saiz is penciller, inker and colourist on this title and his mastery of superheroes here seems a mix of Alan Davis and David Marquez, slick characters who live on the page. Marry that to the paint-look of the monsters and marvels, and the smooth ink line for the central characters, from the same hand, the two blend well on the page. It's almost like… magic.

Doctor Strange #1 is published tomorrow by Marvel Comics. A print copy was provided free for review by the publisher.

DOCTOR STRANGE #1
(W) Mark Waid (A/CA) Jesus Saiz
NEW SPELLS, ALLIES & ENEMIES IN THIS NEW SERIES FROM MARK WAID & JESUS SAIZ!
SORCERER SUPREME…OF THE GALAXY!
The Eye of Agamotto is closed! Doctor Stephen Strange has lost his connection to the Earth's arcane power, and he can't wait to recover while nightmares press against the seams of our reality. Tony Stark offers a 21st-century solution: When astral travel fails, try astronautical travel. Enter Doctor Strange: Space-Explorer Supreme! New spells, allies and enemies – new and old – await Strange beyond the stars, along with corners and secrets of the Marvel Universe seen here for the first time! Space is endless, but time is short. After years of threats, Stephen's bill for magic use is coming due – who will come to collect?!
Rated T+In Shops: Jun 06, 2018
SRP: $3.99

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