Neilalien : A Doctor Strange Fansite : A Comic Book Weblog  

February 02020

Today marks TWENTY YEARS of comic book/Doctor Strange/Steve Ditko/weblog goodies from Neilalien at this website! Excelsior!

[25 February 02020]

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Marvel's April 02020 and May 02020 solicits include Dr. Strange, Savage Avengers, Strange Academy; big Empyre event

DR. STRANGE #5
MARK WAID (W)
KEV WALKER (A)
Cover by PHIL NOTO
MARVEL ZOMBIES VARIANT COVER BY LUKE ROSS
THE SORCERER SUPREME ROBBED!
Someone is stealing magical artifacts from Dr. Strange!
With the help of Dr. Druid, Strange must go undercover to discover a magical black-market arms dealing ring...
...but is Strange walking into battle with an ally or another enemy at his back?
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

DR. STRANGE #6
MARK WAID (W)
KEV WALKER (A)
Cover by PHIL NOTO
DARK MARVEL VARIANT COVER BY DAVE JOHNSON
Doctor Strange is hot on the trail of the magical thief infiltrating the Sanctum Machina!
But as his investigation leads him deeper into a magical black arms-dealing market, the danger of being discovered mounts higher and higher...
...and what he discovers will leave him reeling!
32 PGS./Rated T+ $3.99

SAVAGE AVENGERS #12
GERRY DUGGAN (W)
ADAM GORHAM (A)
Cover by VALERIO GIANGIORDANO
Something is killing the Shuma Goraths! That's usually great news, but Kulan Gath thinks he's finally figured out how to consume the elder god, and it's BAD NEWS for our plane of existence. Dr. Strange and Elektra recruit Conan for their plan to kill Kulan Gath. Now that is some GREAT NEWS.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory $3.99

SAVAGE AVENGERS #13
GERRY DUGGAN (W)
Patch Zircher (A)
Cover by VALERIO GIANGIORDANO
The Savage Avengers assemble! Wolverine, Conan, Dr. Strange, Elektra, Black Widow, Hellstrom, Voodoo, Magik... and more.
The heroes draw up a battle plan against Kulan Gath, and you'll be thrilled as Conan wields a most unexpected weapon in the fight against darkness.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory $3.99

STRANGE ACADEMY #2
SKOTTIE YOUNG (W)
HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT VARIANT COVER BY TBA
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
Go to class with the students at STRANGE ACADEMY! Your class schedule:
8:159:15 HISTORY OF MAGICAL OBJECTS with THE ANCIENT ONE
9:2510:25 ELEMENTS OF CHAOS MAGIC with SCARLET WITCH
10:3511:35 GYM with COACH TAYLOR
11:4012:10 LUNCH (cooked by MINDFULL ONE)
12:201:20 INTRODUCTION TO THE UNDEAD with BROTHER VOODOO
1:302:30 INFERNO 101 with MAGIK
2:403:20 (Pending survival) STUDY HALL
3:304:30 MAGICAL PLANTS AND THE CARE THEREOF with PROFESSOR MANTHING
32 PGS./Rated T $3.99

STRANGE ACADEMY #3
SKOTTIE YOUNG (W)
HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT VARIANT COVER BY TBA
VARIANT COVER BY RYAN OTTLEY
DOYLE DORMAMMU, HEAD OF THE CLASS?
Anyone who has been to New Orleans knows that it's a magical place, but the students of STRANGE ACADEMY are about to see it firsthand.
Their first field trip as a class shows them a city (and the stakes of what they're living) in ways that light a fuse that is going to blow up in a big way.
32 PGS./Rated T $3.99

"Empyre": Marvel's next big event: Kree-Skrull hybrid Hulkling unites the two alien races and invades Earth. Mostly an Avengers/Fantastic Four event, with the usual slew of tie-ins. Marvel can't win with Neilalien: If he's not lamenting Doc's exclusion from the big Marvel events, he's breathing relief-sighs when Doc fans and collectors are spared his inclusion from crappy-sounding money grabs.

[22 February 02020]

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Updating: Tracking recent Dr. Strange appearances; adding braindumps/reviews/links/more as time permits...

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Update: Out 12 Feb: Doctor Strange (Surgeon Supreme) #3
Out 29 Jan: Doctor Strange (Surgeon Supreme) #2
Out 25 Dec: Doctor Strange (Surgeon Surpeme) #1

The new series is basically business as usual- which is fine considering that's not as bad as whatever absurd medical procedural Neilalien was picturing/dreading when "Surgeon" was announced. 'Doc in a hospital' makes a lot more sense than the 'Doc in outer space' that started the previous series.

Neilalien doesn't mind if Doc's a House-like consultant on weirder medical mysteries, or if that's the jumping-off point for stories, in the way Superman gets the jump on situations by being a reporter. It should have been that way all along.

But still- the fewer comic panels in the hospital, about the hospital, the paperwork in the hospital, surgeries without a magickal aspect, etc., probably the better. We don't read Doctor Strange comics for that.

Dr. Druid's re-appearance is welcome, but desperately needs something more here to distinguish himself from Baron Mordo. Non-standard-for-Doc villain Wrecker was enjoyed here in an 'Acts of Vengeance' way.

The 'mystic forge'/'Sanctum Machina'- Neilalien's still not convinced re: Doc using weapons- but it's about time that Doc's reached a high-enough D&D level to finally make magic items. Someone in the campaign has to be making all these purple gems and sling rings and swords +1! But who would even know the forge exists already to steal something from it?

Still undecided about Doc restoring his hands. Aren't the car-crash-damaged hands akin to his Uncle Ben or Bruce Wayne's parents- they can't come back from the dead or the motivation to dress up is weakened. One could argue Doc was very reckless to risk this dimension's protection to save one child. There's maybe only two story payoffs for restoring the hands: Doc gains new abilities, perhaps he can cast new spells that require more intricate movements- or the other shoe drops- perhaps he gets problematically arrogant again.

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Update: Out 12 Feb: Savage Avengers #10
Out 8 Jan: Savage Avengers #9

Enjoying! Neilalien's favorite book right now. This Conan/Strange/Doom team-up versus evil sorcerer Kulan Gath is a great hot mess. Fun crazy page-turning action and interaction among all four of them.

Doom saves a mortally-poisoned Strange by putting him inside a suit of armor sent from orbit in the best Doctor-Strange-transformed final splash page since Dr. StrangeZom in World War Hulk #3.

Doctor Strange Just Became... The Infamous Iron Man?

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Out 5 Feb: Savage Avengers #0

All this issue does is contrast just how dense Claremont X-Men comics were with just how much less than that we get for our comics buck these days.

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Out 29 Jan: Doctor Strange: The End

This story did nothing for Neilalien. He enjoyed the What If Magik Became Sorcerer Supreme? one-shot from this same creative team more.

Doctor Strange: The End Reveals The Fate Of Marvel's Magical World

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Out 29 Jan: Tarot #2
Out 1 Jan: Tarot #1

Positive review at AIPT ["the kind of Avengers/Defenders book that'll make you go back to your long boxes thirsty for more... Alan Davis has solidified himself as one of the greatest Marvel Comics creators ever"]

Enjoying! Neilalien has almost always liked Alan Davis's story and design sensibilties- and he's loving that apparently Davis is just doing any old-school characterizations, costumes, combinations, etc., here that he damn-well wants. Did NOT like that Avengers Mansion is home to mystical artifacts Doctor Strange does not know about. Neilalien has often mused that the alchemist Diablo would have made a good Dr. Strange villain. And Oberfuhrer Okkulte would make an excellent Dr. Strange villain!

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Update: Out 12 Feb: Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality #3
Out 8 Jan: Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality #2

Enjoying! Peter David writing; clean crisp Greg Land art. Good Doc and Spidey team-ups always have a "children of Ditko" charm, contrasting their powers and personalities. Lots of magical goodies here- Baron Mordo too. A bummer that Doc is powerless in this tableau, but the story kind of requires it, and at least he hasn't been useless.

Spidey not only outruns the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak that Hobgoblin casts- he also redirects them onto the caster! Neilalien is always wary of seeing the Bands trifled with, easily cast, easily broken, easily outrun- but maybe Hobgobby's not skilled with magic enough yet, the Bands do have a "seeking/lasso" element to them, and not sure what different spell could have been used here to be avoided/redirected, so it's fine.

It appeared for an issue that one of Neilalien's biggest pet peeves was going to manifest- Spidey was about to learn Doctor Strange's decades-long hard-fought magickal skills in five minutes- but they ended up training in Kamar-Taj for a year where time doesn't pass, and only defensive spells.

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Out 19 Feb: Valkyrie: Jane Foster #8
Out 15 Jan: Valkyrie: Jane Foster #7
Out 11 Dec: Valkyrie: Jane Foster #6
Out 27 Nov: Valkyrie: Jane Foster #5
Out 23 Oct: Valkyrie: Jane Foster #4

Warning: Neilalien triggered: Not a fan of Dr. Strange during this run. One big thrill: seeing Mordo's Minions again- Kaecilius, Adria, and Demonicus- and freed from their Purple Gem prison from Doctor Strange #56. [+4!] Hope to see them active in Doc's rogues' gallery going forward. And maybe Doc's clothes and pimp hat in #4. [+1] But his watch is slow? [-1] Astral form with the Cloak? [-1] Didn't mind the Minions looking good via having the element of surprise and getting power-ups in the Purple Dimension. The Sorcerer Supreme the Aunt-May prop to be rescued? [meh] Doc enjoying his restored hands with card tricks. [cute] We get Night Nurse back (love her haircut) [+1], as part of the Mighty Medics, but her and Doc are on the outs? [likely, but boo] Knowing Yazz? [-1] Blurting out like a novice, "What am I seeing?" [-1] Excalibur being rashly right when Doc advised caution instead? [-1] The Sorcerer Supreme punked by a guy with a taser stick? [-2] The canvases show how Death has touched each of them- something more creative could have been done instead of having Doc's canvas be nothingness-blank because he's seen the death of reality. [-2] Shouldn't Doc's canvas be more soul-crushingly full than anyone else's then, rather than empty? Perhaps Doc having faced the Test of Death and how he doesn't age should have been mentioned somewhere in this close interaction with Death (at least Doc wasn't shown with a "death ball" via Valkyr-Eyes). Liked the philosophical ending with the Death of Death convinced to not let this plane go Cancerverse. [+1] Except for opening Death's gate, Doc does nothing. [-2] And continuing in #8: Doc does nothing against the monsters; can't contain them; Valkyrie 'advising' Doc not to do something magickal? [-1] The monsters are an ancient magic of a sort he's not familiar with (complete with sad face)? [-1] Calling Thor "Sparkles"? [-1]

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Out 29 Jan: Jessica Jones (Blind Spot) #2 [this is a digital comic from 02018 getting a paper-print run]

Didn't need this Jessica-Jones-verse douchebag version of Doctor Strange. The Snakes fit in wonderfully though, naturally.

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Magnificent Ms. Marvel #9, #10, #12

Not much for Doc fans. Doc cameos in his new role as mostly-mundane surgeon. Might as well be Night Nurse here.

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Out 15 Jan: Ruins Of Ravencroft: Sabretooth has a flashback-glimpse of Shuma-Gorath

[5 February 02020]

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