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Doctor Strange: Season One (2012)

by Greg Pak(Favorite Author)

3.61 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0785163875 (ISBN13: 9780785163879)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Marvel

review 1: Having read only scattered bits of the earliest Doctor Strange comics, and seen the 2007 animated movie, I was not sure what I expected when I bought and read this. But whatever I wanted out of it, I got it in spades. Greg Pak manages to take a core concept with definite racist tropes (white man finding spiritual enlightenment with Eastern mystic, the master-servant relationship between Strange and Wong, etc.) and tone down or entirely remove the racism - turning the Ancient One a little more irreverent in tone, and putting Strange and Wong on a more even keel with each other, making them equals rather than master and servant. He also manages to balance real drama and conflict with a good dose of humour without tipping over too far in either direction. Couple this with Emm... morea Rios' drawings, which manages to be entirely her own in style, while at the same time pulling in elements of Ditko's psychedelic 60s visuals, and Doctor Strange: Season One ends up being a really, really well told origin story of a character who is quickly becoming my favourite superhero.
review 2: The first time I read this book, I hated it. Now don't get me wrong - I'm a lifelong comic fan as well as a Doctor Strange fan. But the first time I picked this up, it just didn't grab me. I hated the art, finding it blurred and confusing. The plot was a little convoluted, barely delving into the tradition Doc origin story. I almost put it down a few times, wondering "why am I reading this?" That is until I got it. I'd have to say that this is one of the best Doctor Strange books I've ever read. The art is very manga-esque, and the blurriness that initially saw, really gives shape to the magic. Though this is very much an origin story, it gives more weight to the Doctor's path from fallen surgeon to Sorcerer Supreme. Not that he reaches that goal in this volume. But we don't need to see the brilliant but spoiled Dr. Stephen Strange, the accident that stole his hand's dexterity and his quest for healing that brings him to the Ancient One's door that comprise most retellings of his origin. The brief flashbacks we are treated to are enough for that. When this book opens, we meet a Stephen Strange who has already lost everything and a last desperate attempt brings him to Tibet. Here he is teamed with a martial artist and apprentice sorcerer Wong. It's their interplay, the witty banter that really starts to make this story shine. Along with Sofi Si Cosimo of Il Musso Della Mitologia Antica Rome, they set out on a quest to recover three magic rings from they people who use and sometimes abuse their power. All the while they must stay one step ahead of the villianous Mordo, who is holding the Ancient One captive. I won't spoil the rest suffice to say that this book is amazing, especially for those interested in the more mystical side of the Marvel Universe. This take on Strange's origin becomes much more personal, more emotive than other versions and that makes it seem more original. It reminds me of books like "A Wizard of Earthsea" in that it delves into a wizard's quest, one that will eventually transform Stephen Strange into the Sorcerer Supreme. Here's hoping that Season 2 is on it's way! less

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