Strange #1 (of 4)

I can't understand why Dr. Strange isn't more popular.

That Master of the Mystic Arts and former Sorcerer Supreme was an early favorite, as presented in the early 1960s by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. That Dr. Strange was heroic, tackling impossible odds and winning through cleverness, determination and will.

After Ditko left, the strip bounced around through numerous hands - some less capable (who shall go unnamed), and others quite capable, including Roy Thomas and Gene Colan, Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner (my favorite version of the character since the original), and Roger Stern and Marshall Rogers (also outstanding).

But the good doctor has been through some rough times of late. He's endured a mini-series that offered a complete reboot (which has since been ignored), a good mini-series about a year ago (that didn't get nearly the attention it deserved), and he was dragged through the mud and depowered in World War Hulk and the New Avengers.

Which brings us to Strange, the latest mini-series to try to breathe new life into the concept.

The good news is, the story is provided by Mark Waid, one of the better writers working in comics. This Dr. Strange is badly outmatched and struggles to take on a demon who threatens to destroy... well, a lot of people.

It's an interesting take on the Doc, and it's a more ground-level approach, pretty close to his original appearance in Strange Tales, where he would make house calls (on living houses) and help people deal with their terrible dreams.

So it's something of a "small" story, but it does introduce a possible new supporting cast member, and it's a different approach to Strange's adventures. But final judgment is going to have to wait on the other three parts of this series.

The artwork is by Emma Rios, whose work I'm not familiar with, and like the story, I think her style may take some getting used to. It strikes me as an interesting attempt to move in a new direction, away from the traditional Ditko visualization and into something more monstrous and nightmare-driven.

Still, some sequences are difficult to follow (especially the action sequence at the end - I know what happens, but I don't follow the events, if that makes sense).

But I'm hopeful that Waid will deal with the problems and restore Dr. Strange to his rightful place at the top of the Marvel hero pantheon.

It's a bit of a shaky start - but the potential is there.

Grade: B