Strange Tales #2
Jamison Nilsson
Recap
On Halloween night, in the middle of a game of the very obviously Dungeons & Dragons-inspired “Hoosegows and Hydras,” Wiccan, Hulkling, Karoline Dean, and Nico Minoru were thrust into a Jumanji-esque scenario that saw Wiccan teleport Nico Minoru away to someone who can help, the Scarlet Witch. After defeating Nightmare and freeing themselves from the game, Scarlet Witch and Nico Minoru set off in search of Doctor Stephen Strange to help them locate and confront the true orchestrator of their friend’s abduction.
Review
Strange Tales #2, written by Jeremy Whitley (Future Foundation) and drawn by Bayleigh Underwood (It Took Luke), expands the list of both heroes and villains wrapped up in its magical adventure on Halloween night. The two characters, Doctor Stephen Strange and Ghost-Spider, are fantastic additions to the series’ four-issue run that immediately fit into the vibe established in Issue #1 back in October without slowing down the pacing of the second issue’s twenty-four pages. Pacing is well used by Whitely, as the writing establishes this month’s “strange” setting and sets up its main action sequence fairly quickly while still leaving time for just a bit of exposition to move the plot forward.
Gwen (aka Ghost-Spider) is characterized really well here. Her fun-loving attitude when swinging through NYC late to her set as a drummer for the Mary Janes and later her sarcastic humor when taunting Green Goblin all bring out the best of her in just a handful of carefully drawn, well-written pages.
Bayleigh Underwood’s art continues to be a fantastic choice for this series, with great background shading and fluid motion that follows the characters from page to page, even as they sling spells and shoot webs at one another. No page space is wasted either, as tiny bits of unimportant but immersion-building detail are woven into each scene. Jim Campbell (Undead Iron Fist) brings Underwood’s pencils and inks to life with colors that make the magical effects pop off the page or screen and goblins green.
Strange Tales continues to be a very goofy and fun comic that nails the vibe it’s already going for as a four-issue miniseries inspired by RPGs. However, some fans pulling energy from the dark dimension that remember the original Strange Tales from the ’50s might still associate the title with horror and mystery. While the mystery is nailed here, what about the horror? Not so much. It’s not that Whitley’s Strange Tales is failing to deliver the horror that’s long been a part of the title, but rather that the 2025 miniseries is meant to be much more lighthearted and fun.
Final Thoughts
Strange Tales #2 (of 4) is a very silly comic in the best way. The writing and the artwork both work towards the same goal of accentuating the sheer goofiness of a magical adventure backlit by Halloween. Whitley’s writing is full of humor, and Underwood’s art is full of heart. If you enjoy Marvel’s magical stories or stories centered on any of Strange Tales’ principal characters, then I recommend picking up Strange Tales #2.
Strange Tales #2: Was I Supposed To Wear A Costume To This Thing?
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 7.5/107.5/10
- Art - 8.5/108.5/10
- Color - 8.5/108.5/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10
