For some time, I’ve lamented the fact that Marvel has lacked team books made up of students. Sure, titles like New Mutants regularly appear on the shelves, but lately, they have focused more on legacy characters that have long since outgrown the classroom environment. Thus, when Strange Academy was announced, it seemed like it was filling a necessary gap in the larger universe, featuring many new characters as they traverse the challenges of adolescence while exploring their powers. Best of all, the creative team of Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos clearly understood the tone the title needed to distinguish itself from other titles. With Strange Academy: Year Two, the fruitful imaginative partnership between these creators ended and collects some enchantingly fun and delightfully rendered comics.
Collecting Strange Academy #13-18 and Strange Academy: Finals #1-6, this trade essentially ends the current run about the magical school set up by Doctor Strange to train the next generation of magic users. Clearly building on the concept of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, the Academy was an enjoyable setting to introduce a slew of new characters to the Marvel Universe, while bringing in some celebrated mainstays onboard as instructors. Plot wise, there are a few clear storylines present here: one focusing on the mysterious origins of Zoe Laveau and the cast’s adventures in New Orleans confronting an evil force known as Gaslamp, and the second focusing on which characters were the prophesied savior and destroyer of Strange Academy, splitting the student body in two. Both storylines provide ample teenage angst within the comfy confines of the larger Marvel Universe, bringing satisfying arcs to its main cast of characters.
Strange Academy benefited from a clear vision established by Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos, with its laser-like focus on making this team feel like a bunch of teenagers thrown into forces larger than their individual selves. Issue #16 perfectly reflects this ethos, seamlessly building on the larger plot involving Gaslamp while also having the cast deal with a school dance and the social drama that comes with such high school events. Ramos, whose art I have always appreciated, did some of the best work of his career on this title. Each page is dripping with vibrant detail and exuberance; it’s a true triumph of the comic medium. If Marvel ever decided to adapt this book to the MCU, it would inevitably fall short of the sheer effervescence Ramos infuses into each panel. Edgar Delgado’s colors should also receive praise, as they add so much to the pulsating line work.
We are treated to several variant covers at the end of the trade (which is standard for a collection of this nature), but it’s the creator notes that are such a wonderful addition. Even if they are small statements, giving space for this splendid creative team to share some final thoughts on Strange Academy only further endeared me to this series.
Strange Academy: Year Two is an excellent collection, and one hopes these trades will find a larger audience, as this is one of the best comics Marvel has put out in some time. From the engaging new characters to the beautiful art, this is a book that should find a home on any comic fan’s shelf.
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