Who Is This NEW and REFRESHING Dr. Strange? - A Review of Dr. Strange #1

If there is one character that draws my attention more than most of the others it’s Dr. Strange.

The reasons are numerous, but the primary one is...it’s a story of lessons learned, second chances and redemption.  You thought I was going to say that he is able to cast cool spells, didn’t you?  Well, that factors in as well, I can’t lie.

Dr. Strange, if you’ve read his history, is about a surgeon who is brilliant, but whose conceit and inflated self importance makes him virtually unbearable.  One of his first stories showed him telling a colleague that a case wasn’t worthy of his attention despite the condition of the patient.  As you know, Dr. Strange met with a car accident and it left him unable to use his hands for surgery or almost anything else.  Long story short, he went to a “secret mountain” where he met with an elder sorcerer who, very patiently, taught him the error of his ways.  He eventually was given the mantle, “Sorcerer Supreme” much to the dismay of another long time student who wanted that title.

But, I’m sure you know most, if not all of this, so let’s get to the latest volume of Dr. Strange.

The first thing that struck me is that Dr. Strange speaks directly the reader.  He talks to the reader as if they knew nothing about him.  He relates his story, he talks about the way he loves what he does and why he does it, and he is doing all of this while fighting a group called the “Free Rovers”.  It pulls you in immediately and forms a bond between you and the good doctor.  In a rare twist of Dr. Strange humor he touts himself as the reason the reader isn’t fighting demons right now and he goes on to say, “You’re welcome, by the way.”

The first few pages go on to establish Dr. Strange as a human with human frailties and human emotions.  It takes a gigantic step away from the Dr. Strange you see in the Illuminati, a person who can do no wrong, is steadfast in his opinions, and truly stands above the rest.  In this edition you even get the feeling that you and he are alike and that you could be a Sorcerer Supreme if you wanted to.  I confess, reading Dr. Strange all these years, I wondered how he remembered all the spells and hand gestures.  The new Dr. Strange shows it’s not always easy.

His “humanness” (if that is a word) goes on to become the humane.  When he is not saving us from the Dread Dormammu he is in the neighborhood healing kids and helping people with maladies that would baffle the common doctor.  When one parent offers to give Dr. Strange anything he would ask for saving his child, Dr. Strange replies, “Your neighbor is despondent.  I can feel the heat waves of his aura reverberating through the walls.  He has a birthday coming up, and he dreads the thought of spending it alone.  Bake him a cake and buy him a goldfish and consider your debt paid.”

Wow!  Who is this new and human Dr. Strange?  Interestingly enough the comic continues to get better.

He reveals to the reader how he sees the burdens of each person as he passes them by.  He refers to parasites that the soul attracts calling them 'inter-dimensional bacteria'.  The humor continues as he tries to get rid of one by “Shooing” it away from someone and it winds up eating him.  If you look carefully you can see the man who no longer has the parasite feeling refreshed while Dr. Strange is being eaten by the parasite.

Another thing that becomes evident in the comic is that all of the other sorcerers are being “humanized”.

To relieve stress Dr. Strange goes to a ‘sorcerers only’ coffee shop.  There he meets with Doctor Voodoo (the former Sorcerer Supreme), Shaman and The Scarlet Witch.

What do they discuss?  The stresses of the day,  just like you and I would.

Dr. Strange:   They were spooked.  Running from something.  “The Coming Slaughter” she called it.

Scarlet Witch:  Great.  Another one of those.

It’s such a human, and familiar, conversation I couldn’t help but laugh at how they talked about demons like we talk about paperwork.

There is a twist that seems to set this story up for some incredible storylines.  THIS IS A SPOILER IF YOU DIDN’T READ IT YET.

They talk about how there is a “bill coming due”.  The bill refers to how the universe needs to be in balance.

Monaco, the Prince of Magic:  There’s always a price to what we do.  A cost.  You do it too long without paying it, life will find a way of paying it for you.  You damn well oughta know that, Stephen.  In my day, every time I used a spell to clobber a buncha nazi warlocks and save some poor blonde’s life, I’d go home that night...and drown one of my rabbits.

Doctor Voodoo:  Not the rabbits again.

Monaco, the Prince of Magic:  Better to drown a thousand rabbits than to see some baby in Timbuktu drop dead ‘cause of what I’d done.  A life for a life.  That’s how you keep the cosmic balance.

The variety of storylines that can come from this realization is staggering.  It is also a dictum that I was taught from the time I was a child.  I remember mom saying, “If you do bad things, bad things will happen to you.  If you do good things, good things will happen to you.”  Good ‘ole mom.

The bottom line is that Dr. Strange is going in a new direction.  This is a new and wonderfully human Dr. Strange.  It’s not the Dr. Strange you saw in Secret Wars.  It’s not the Dr. Strange who was faithfully a member of the Illuminati.  Heck, it’s not even the Dr. Strange from the last volume!  He’s now you and me.  He makes mistakes, he has the need to meet with other to decompress, he uses his powers for the common good, and he’s far from perfect.  There is something remarkably refreshing about the ‘new’ Dr. Strange.  Keep it up Jason Aaron, Christopher Bachalo, and Timothy Townsend, this is a winner and I cannot wait for the next issue!

The Comic Whisperer’s Ratings:

Overall Rating:             6 out of 6 Infinity Stones
Recommendation:        BUY and COLLECT

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The 10 Super-Heroes I’d Like To See Done PROPERLY In The Movies

I just finished a blog about the 10 villains I’d like to see done properly in the movies, so let’s just say that the introduction is the same as that one.  I don’t try to even out DC and Marvel heroes, nor do I list them in the order of preference or importance.  There may even be some that have been in movies already that I’d like to see redone and redone properly.  All that being said, let’s cut to the meat of it.

1.)  The Flash:  Come on, arguably the most powerful of all the heroes in the DC Universe and he’s been absent?  “Most Powerful”?  Come on, what about Superman?  (this is you saying this to me in case it’s unclear).  Yes, the most powerful (this is me again).  He can run super fast, he can travel in time, he can mess with the time stream, he can vibrate through walls, and other things you already know.  I think he is out and out a powerhouse.  Not muscle-wise, but in other ways.  He’s been done on TV (done poorly, but he has been done), now let’s get him into a movie....but done properly.

2.)  Ghost Rider:  But, but, but hasn’t he already been in a couple of movies?  Yes, he has, but not done well.  If you’ve seen the movies you know what I’m talking about.  Voted by many as the worst comic character movies ever made, Ghost Rider was a disaster.  With updated CGI and better actors that Nicholas Cage there should be no reason that one of the coolest characters in comicdom can’t be remade into a huge hit.

3.)  Grendel:  The only one to make it on both of my lists, Grendel is a versatile character.  Books could be written about the arguments you could make with this character.  First, Grendel is not DC or Marvel.  In fact, you may not even know Grendel.  If you don’t, get some of the books you won’t regret it.  Second, for those of you who do know Grendel, which version should be used?  The male?  The female?  The young?  The old?  The Villain who fought Batman and The Shadow?  The “hero” who tried to escort a child safely across dangerous lands?  Who cares....just put Grendel in a movie and make him/her/it look awesome!  Grendel is, perhaps, my favorite comic character of all time.  I have the books, statues, etc.  A big thanks to Matt Wagner who made Grendel possible.

4.)  Doctor Strange:  The one time Sorcerer Supreme is a great candidate for his own film.  I know there one is in the making.  Let’s hope they do it right.  It won’t take much...get a strong actor...put him in a well made costume....add some special effects to show his magical might...add script and shake well and you have a movie!  Have him square off with any of the fan favorite villains and you should have a success!  Is there a doctor in the house?

5.)  Martian Manhunter:  I have mixed emotions about this one.  His character in the comic books is so powerful it is said that he could beat Superman in an all out fight to the death.  Yet, it is rare that they show him as being so formidable.  That could be rectified by showing him as the juggernaut that he is in a movie.  Start with his origin, show why he came to Earth, and then give him a solo project away from the Justice League.  CGI would be needed to give the full breadth of his power, but Guardians of the Galaxy showed that CGI can be made to look as real as real can be.  

6.)  Midnighter:  Hands down one of my top 5 favorite characters Midnight is an incredible hero that deserves a shot at the silver screen.  With his ability to think a fight all the way through before it even begins, put him up agains Jet Li or something creative like that.  Again, just a guy in a costume would  do it along with some well choreographed fight scenes. Sure, he’s been with The Authority and Stormwatch, but let him go solo on this gig.

7.)  Grifter:  With all the shoot-em-up Rambo like movies that have made it big, how could they have not made a film with Grifter in it?  Incredible reflexes, down and dirty, guns-a-blazing, and a hanky covering his face, Grifter is a character worthy of his own flick.  Put him in the next Expendables movie next to Sylvester Stallone or in a Full Metal Jacket II.  He’ll quickly become a fan favorite, I can guarantee it.

8.)  Iron Fist:  Again, with all the successes had by the martial arts films I am stunned that there hasn’t been an Iron Fist movie.  As both DC and Marvel have used up their top characters in films already this would be the perfect time to introduce Iron Fist and his origin.  It’s a cool story and could make for some great special effects.  You would draw the male demographic, the martial arts demographic, and the women who like guys with dragons on their chest demographic.  No matter how you spin it an Iron Fist movie would be awesome!

9.)  Scarlet Spider:  If you don’t know the origin of the Scarlet Spider I’m going to need you to research it yourself.  It’s far too in-depth for me to elaborate on here.  The long and short of it is that the Scarlet Spider is a stronger, cooler, more agile version of Spider-Man minus the ethics.  Scarlet Spider pretty much marches to his own drummer and if that means beating up an old lady, so be it.  It’s everything Spider-Man would never be except for the fact that he’s a clone of Peter Parker.  Wait, I said I wouldn’t get into that.  If you want to really juice up the ratings, put him in a movie with Spider-Man...it would be double the fun!

10.)  Cloak and Dagger:  Yes, I know it’s two super-heroes but it still counts as my tenth choice.  Not only do Cloak and Dagger have a great background that is relevant to this day and age they are also a powerful duo.  With Cloak able to send people to some nether realm Dagger being all beautiful and able to throw daggers of light, this team would translate well to the big screen.  The only drawback?  They aren’t exactly household names like Wolverine or Superman.  All characters started there, however, and the way to bring them out is through advertising and making them into kid’s meal toys.  Bring this pair to the general public and watch people swoon.

Well, there you have it.  The top 10 super-heroes they should bring to the big screen if they agree to do them PROPERLY.  It’s high time to start moving away from Batman 12 and Superman 17.  Give them a rest.  You’re running out of ideas and it shows.  Bring people up from the bench and watch the box office overflow.

Give me your feedback, who would you choose?