Doctor Strange #1: A Place Of Idyllic Magnificence & Beauty

By the Twelve Moons of Munnorpor and the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak! The Doctor is in! Marvel superstar writer Jed MacKay joins legendary artist Pasqual Ferry on this new chapter in the life of the Marvel Universe’s Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Stephen Strange, and the prognosis looks good!

In addition to the main story, there is a backup tale of the Agents of W.A.N.D.!, featuring Pandora Peters and Wong against the Freaky Doktor Zee and his Psycho Zeppelin! So grab the closest lovely assistant because I’m about to pull a rabbit out of this hat! 

It’s just a man and his best friend. A dead dog…

Doctor Strange has been one character that we’ve seen with a steady stream of solo comics ever since hitting it big in 2015, just before making his debut on the silver screen! We’ve seen the Doc wrote by some of the most popular and prolific comic writers today, such as Jason Aaron, Donny Cates, and legendary comic scribe Mark Waid, all putting their stamp on the character. That being said, Jed MacKay has been the architect for Doctor Strange since late 2021, providing a lighter tone to Strange. Strange is flush with personality and humor but not slapstick or a carbon copy of Cumberbatch’s on-screen character, and it’s refreshing. One can almost see the glimmer in Doc’s eye and the smile at the corner of his mouth. Stellar stuff going on here. 

It’s just another manic Monday.

It’s easy to say that Jed MacKay has quickly become one of THE writers spearheading the direction of the Marvel Universe, as he is also relaunching the Avengers franchise, following Jason Aaron’s years-long run, while also managing fan-favorite runs on the Black Cat, Moon Knight, and the recently concluded Strange title, where Clea Strange headlined the book as the Sorcerer Supreme for both the 616’s Earth’s dimension, but also the Dark Dimension. MacKay has been slowly world-building a new corner for the Master of the Mystic Arts of the Mighty Marvel Universe and has given readers the deepest dive into who Clea is, what her personality is, and how she differs from not only Stephen but also her mother, Umar, and uncle, Dormammu, with the latter two being some of the biggest and baddest magic users in the Marvel Universe. 

Cloudy, with a chance of Clea

Legendary comic artist Pasqual Ferry joins MacKay on this magical mystery ride, and he was a perfect choice for this series. If you’ve ever read a book with Ferry’s art mixed with Matt Hollingsworth colors, almost a hazy cloud surrounds these characters like an early spring day, gazing up as the clouds float by. Listening to the music that nature makes with every blade of grass or dandelion as they float along the breeze is ephemeral and whimsical. Lilacs and cherry blossoms fill the empty spaces. It’s a beautifully rendered comic, and a welcome return to the land of the living, Doc if ever there was one. 

It’s like a re-run of H.R. Puff’n’stuf…or something like that.

That’s not all! Jed and Andy MacDonald treat us to a tale about Wong and Pandora, as members of W.A.N.D. (the only two natch), up against the psychedelic tour de force that is Doktor Zee and his Psycho-Zeppelin, and the story is every bit as bizarre and brilliant that it sounds like it is. We also get an adorable backup tale detailing Wong, and his new place in the world. No longer is he the good Doctor’s manservant and confidante, but he is a legitimate force to help shape the magical world, focusing on things that slip by Strange’s ever watchful Eye of Agamotto. I’m just over the moon with how great this book is. Having to wait 30 days is just too damn long.