It’s been a good long while since I reviewed a Marvel book. To be honest I’ve not been all that enthused by most of their offerings of late. There are a couple of books I’ve got on my radar to buy, however the graphic novel landscape is open to a lot more. However every once in a while the boys at the ‘House of Ideas’ will nab a couple of creators that I have a huge affection for and will present me with a book that I’m bound to like based on the names attached alone. Just to get a couple of things clear, Brandon Peterson is one of my favourite artists of the 90s. I watched him grow into a powerhouse over at Top Cow, before doing some EXCELLENT issues of X-men for Marvel and then moving onto Crossgen to produce some good work, including a book which I really wish would get collected at some point as I’ve not read it (I’m talking about Chimera, which infuses Brandon’s superb lines with a good deal of 3D imagery in one of the best combinations I’ve seen since The Red Star). J. Michael Straczynski is the creator and writer of one of my favourite TV series of all time (Babylon 5) so you’re bound to get some magic (pun sooo intended) when you mix these two gentlemen together.
This story is effectively the retelling of the origin (this being the first Dr. Stange book I’ve ever brought, I can’t really claim to be an expert on this character) of Dr. Stephen Strange. This is the story of how Stephen Strange becomes the Sorceror Supreme. The only person standing between the force of darkness entering and devouring our world.
The story starts off with the good doctor still in University and how he made it to be for a summer in the Tibetan mountains. Stephen seems to be in place to become a great surgeon as he’s got a gift. However he makes several selfish decisions that hide his true potential. A sking accident causes him to loose the use of his hands and he beings on a mission to try and restore his hands. However fate had other plans for him.
I’ve read a great deal of what JMS has written for the comic book industry. I’ll admit that I’ve not been keeping up with his output this past year or so, but that mainly because he’s been so attached to the Marvel Universe and I honestly believe he writes his best stuff when it’s his own creations. However in all the work I’ve read he’s never really shown his television roots. Strange actually reads like a screenplay to a television pilot put into comic book format. I mean that in a good way. The material is approached in a similar manner to most television series. Set up your character show the elements of promise, put them through hell and make it seem as though there is no turning back from the dark and windy road they’ve taken, only to bring them back in a heroic fashion towards the end of the story. We all know that Stephen Strange will become Dr.Strange Sorcerer Supreme. However if you’ve ever watched any of JMS’s television work, you’ll know that he doesn’t really care about the outcome. That’s not what’s important to him. He’s more interested in the road taken and how the character will reach their final destination.
Brandon Peterson provides some superb artwork for this mini-series. It’s as good as anything that the man has ever produced. It’s clean and clear, tells the story very well and he litters the pages with great Brandon Peterson moments. He’s a big fan of the mystic and it shows how much he’s enjoying drawing this series. In my eyes he’s created the definitive looking Strange. Love his waistcoat, but it’s the look on the doc’s face which really gets to me. He’s got this air that he’s ALWAYS thinking and contemplating something or other. That’s a very difficult thing to pull off. The final page of the mini-series is a perfect way to end the story.
I can’t close this review without singing the praises of the colourist for this book, Justin Ponsor. He’s a familiar name to those that used to read Wildstorm books as he’s one of the best in the business. He’s colours pop off the page when they have to and in general elevate the artwork even further. Brandon always seems to associate himself with the top talent when it comes to colourists and Justin is no exception. I am kind of surprised that Richard Isanove (good buddy of Peterson’s from his Arcanum days) didn’t get the job, however there is little to choose between Ponsor and Isanove.
I enjoyed reading this introduction to Dr.Strange as my only real exposure to him was his cameo appearance in Kevin Smith which was superbly drawn by Joe Quesada (who actually provides the initial character designs). It’s a shame this series didn’t take off as we would have had an ongoing series right about now, but I guess Dr. Stange is a character that needs the right story to be interesting.