Doctor Strange #12: Help Me Stephen Strange…You’re My Only Hope. Maybe

Art: The cover as always from Jesús Saiz was breathtaking. And the visual of Strange being impassively overlooked and dwarfed by Galactus was truly memorable. But with Jesús Saiz relegated to the covers I had to wonder how the art of the book itself would compare this arc. It is a stark and obvious style change, and nothing that hasn’t been part of the comic industry before. So I wasn’t expecting anything Earth shattering and so wasn’t surprised. That isn’t to say I think badly of Barry Kitson’s current work, just the way it is so opposed to Jesús fresh polished style initially makes it a little harder to take on board. Though it does fit into an 80’s vibe nicely and there was even a hint of the John Byrne in Strange’s face during the confrontation here.The art isn’t out of place in and of itself, but we have been a little spoilt in the last few months. I would say it was vaguely pedestrian at worst and capably fitting the story at best, but nothing extraordinary. As of yet anyway. And there are a few visually dynamic scenes that also stand out. Notably the image of Strange looking at the previous women in his life including Zelma, Wanda, Clea and even Night Nurse Linda Carter from Doctor Strange: The Oath. Which I heartily recommend reading if you haven’t already. Also the depiction of Galactus being banished to the Mystic Realm is a sight to behold, as well as when Strange initially goes up against Zoloz and he does his Images of Ikonn trick again.
But aside from the mentioned images the rest isn’t as consistent. For instance the scene of him returning to his Forge should have had far more impact, but it barely even registered. It was all at least helped by the colors of Brian Reber, who makes each panel stand out and pop visually. Also Scott Koblish was suitably bold, his inking something I’ve enjoyed immensely in the past during the final year of Excalibur. And he has also done great work on Deadpool before now and draws the eye inward to the action. I was also drawn to the one memorable splash page showcasing all the past events of Strange’s life. From his origin, through his time with the Defenders and the Illuminati, right up to the Empirikul and the Forge. A lot to fit in but they artistic team do very well to make it not too busy and yet informative. As well as a great nod to the past.
Characters: And so on to the good doctor. Strange himself narrates, and at first I was relieved to finally get in his head. But no. The change in art was not the only change here. Strange alone isn’t carrying the story as well as he did in the first issue, where he was last seen without allies to interact with. Gone are the fleshed out support characters and we instead get a cardboard cut-out antagonist, who initially comes to the narrative as person seeking help against the threat of Galactus, but who did little but grate on my nerves. And on the subject of Galactus, I am sceptical about his inclusion here. I can understand the need to widen the scope on suitable foes, and Strange himself even notes at the start that his life seems to be one long rinse and repeat of the same old same old.
But this is a little on the risky side. Having Galactus as his tipping point could severely hamper any sense of acceptability in terms of actually feeling real drama. Up close and personal has been the watchword so far this whole run and now that will all be a little lost when coming face to face with a Cosmic Entity such as Galactus. Seeing Zoloz attempting to rid the universe of Galactus is similarly fraught with peril as we all know. Strange knows it too and even the thought of Strange having to save him is a hard dilemma to swallow. But maybe Waid can pull this off and make it seem organic to the plot. Although I feel nervous about it all, as he seems to be ignoring anything Slott has set up in the past regarding Galactus. The posturing of Zoloz seems a little redundant as well, given Strange has already tangled with alien mystics of a far superior quality in terms of being a good foil for him. Not least because he is so severely grating narratively speaking.
Writing: You are the addled one? Please!!! This statement alone was just a tad too juvenile, in comparison to where we have been led so far. So let me get this right. Space magician arrives claiming Strange is his worlds last hope. He goes on to posture, threaten and ignore Strange when he states it wasn’t him that defeated Galactus. Also declares Strange to be all powerful and yet wastes the energy imbued upon him by his whole race to fight him. Before coveting the many impressive artefacts in Strange’s domicile, forgetting about who it is that has collected them in the first place. And instead of considering them to be a testament of his prowess, and therefore not a good idea to go against him he takes them and uses them? This would give me pause for thought if I were in his shoes. You come demanding help from the one man who has been promised can save you, witness and marvel at the impressive collection and then decide to fight him for them, while ignoring any sense of wisdom he may impart? Maybe he got it wrong and he was meant to call on Doreen Green, because we all know…never mind. That still isn’t as odd as the goings on here. Zoloz is more like Zoloser.