Dr. Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme #1

Meh.

Look, I like the Doc, I do. I was pretty bummed out when he lost the SoSu title back in the early New Avengers days, because I feel like someone of Strange’s ego and intellect needs to be the baddest ass around. Also, Brother Voodoo? Fred Hembeck’s favorite punching bag? No.

Now, we see him in a world where magic is greatly diminished, and he’s nowhere near as powerful…which kind of makes him a little pointless?

Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme #1 (Marvel Comics)

He’s using Magic on the cover! WTF!

Here’s the deal. This issue? It’s boring. There’s a kind of fun run in with a mini-Cthulhu:

Which quickly becomes a frat party for old Sorcerer Supremes, and blah blah big threat blah.

This, in my not so humble opinion, is a character you need to reinvent. First – the only reason why he’s interesting is his magic. His hands are still busted up enough that he can’t return to surgery, so this is why he’s cool – the spells and the eye and the big damn cape. He’s a magical Tony Stark – all arrogance tempered by injury… but apparently he’s going multi class, and rolled a barbarian to add to wizard? WTF?

What’s missing here? The eye (well, forehead now), the big damn cape, and without his magic they figured the shaky hand doctor with weak phalanges should use a battle axe.

Sigh.

He’s literally been turned into a fetch-quest, the character. You know how in every BIG VIDEO GAME #2 they have some dumb reason why you can’t use all the cool gear you collected last time? Yeah, it’s just as head thumping in comic form.

God dammit, MERLIN TOO?

Look, I get it. The Doc is a tough character to write. He’s got the same problem as Superman, in that he’s so overpowered, every single bad guy is either a cake walk, and boring, or SO STRONG that by kicking Dr. Strange’s ass – badassery is proven.

Overall – this misses the mark for me. The artwork is fine, the big plot and threat to the world seems big and scary enough to pull several issues, but if I’m not getting the weird and wacky meditative Dr. Strange, with his house full of creepy beasties – then I’m just not interested.

5.0 out of 10.