Historically, I’m not a huge fan of Doctor Strange. Yet, I’ve read a lot of Doctor Strange this year. I keep getting tricked. First by Tradd Moore (Fall Sunrise, very good book). Next by Cates (pretty good book). Now, my last review of the year, is covering the Waid and Saiz Doctor Strange from a few years (feels like an eternity) ago.
There are two major reasons why this didn’t click with me, and neither are “this made me think about Benedict Cumberbatch, a person I never want to think about” so, probably mostly valid. And, importantly, they both do have to do with the style of Mark Waid, who I’ll add, is someone I’ve recently called the GOAT of his generation. I like him, he’s been doing very good work for a very long time, and this is enjoyable, at least for people who like normal Doctor Strange comics. But it also shows some of Waid’s weaknesses, such as his infatuation with superhero’s second acts, and also not being able to see the colonization for the gentrification.
The most frustrating thing about this—and really any volume of Doctor Strange—is the perpetual second act of it all. Strange can never develop too much, because then what would the story be about? But he also needs to change just incrementally enough that it seems like a new story every time. This illusion of change is the bedrock of corporate superhero product, it’s why these things can be sold monthly and weekly. And Waid is very much a proponent and also good at it! He’s done it a bunch, he can do it well.
The problem here is that it really gets beaten over the head. Really, how many times in a decade can Strange lose his magic? Also, how often can the guy betray his companions? It was already too many!
Then, who’re we fighting here? Some Mordo, some Dormammu? Yeah, sounds like Doctor Strange all right.
Maybe the next volume remixes things in a new angle. Maybe he feeds someone to Galactus, I don’t know. It’s cool that this isn’t dripping with smarmy self-awareness, but I also don’t think it was nearly aware enough.
Marvel Comics
Now, asking Mark “I invented the Siancong War” Waid to think about the way a character stands for imperialism could be a little dicey. But c’mon. The subtext of Doctor Strange in general is that a white savior climbs an exotic Tibetan mountain and is blessed with great mystical power, and then is charged with traveling around and “protecting” mystical artifacts from those who may use them to harm. You could make this the mission statement of whatever empire you wanted and it’d work.
While this is a criticism of the base concept, that’s not even really what I’m saying. Sure, it’d be cool if anyone wrestled with that, but also Fall Sunrise doesn’t, and it’s rad as hell. Here, though, Waid doesn’t just not interact with the inherent colonialism, he plays with it in the most awkward ways.
From the first issue, Tony Stark drives Strange to the stars to democratize space magic. What is the next step of the exotic Tibetan mountain if not the Skrulls magic? Who can say if Strange could save everyone without the help of his friends whose names he can’t pronounce.
And THEN. We get a whole issue dedicated to the Marvelous Greenwich Village, which is being threatened by an evil (actually textually demonic) corporation.
Now, the horrors of gentrification are real, and communities all over the world suffer by it. It is a major way the rich maintain their hold on their wealth and also make living generally more difficult for everyone, but especially people in poverty. And it’s cool that Stephen Strange wants to help his neighbors and community by beating up a demon.
Marvel Comics
Failing to criticize the general imperialism surrounding Strange to focus so heavily on one specific for of imperialism is a little bit silly, which is then made even sillier when we’re talking about Greenwich Village! A one bedroom, one bathroom apartment there costs $1.4 million; I’m pretty sure you’ve already gotten gentrified, Doctor Strange.
Of course, this also interacts with my previous critique in a messy way. Because comics time works differently, and Strange has really been hanging around since the ’60s but also just the last 10-15 years, but either way; why shouldn’t we believe he has made it so his neighborhood escaped gentrification this whole time? Isn’t protecting people from the evil capitalist landlords what a superhero could, would, and should do? Is that what Waid implies here?
I dunno. I don’t think so. The most difficult part of the long histories these characters have is squaring them up, and this is one of those things that just doesn’t click for me. In most collections, that story would have been the one to shine and really point out the strengths, instead it’s the piece that shouts the flaws of the whole. Fun to wrestle with though. Maybe the next volume will be better.
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