Fanboys Anonymous

If you know me, you know that Stephen Strange, famously known as Doctor Strange, is my favorite comic book character of all time. Formerly an internationally known neurosurgeon, the arrogant Doctor Strange fell from grace when he lost the ability to perform surgery following a car crash. In a desperate search for a cure to his ailing hands, Strange makes a last ditch effort by traveling to the dwelling of the Ancient One. After a trying series of events, Strange falls under the Ancient One's tutelage and eventually becomes the Master of the Mystic Arts that we all know him to be.

As you can imagine, I was quite excited when Marvel announced their Marvel NOW! campaign last year, promising to breath new life into the franchise and bring in new readers by making "soft reboots" to a slew of characters and teams. As you can also imagine, at this point, I was quite disappointed when a new Doctor Strange title wasn't announced. This disappointment was slightly ameliorated when they restored Strange's title of "Sorcerer Supreme" and again ameliorated when they announced Strange's part in the New Avengers title, but I was, and still am, left wanting. Stephen Strange deserves his own Marvel NOW! title, and, by the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, I'm going to give you five good reasons as to why!

1. Accessibility to New Readers

Strange's story is one that many readers can relate to and/or understand. It's a story of redemption, it's a story of forgiveness, and, most importantly, it's a story of the forces of good fighting the forces of evil. While Strange's history has seen its fair share of complexity over the years, his overall background is not that hard to understand. He doesn't carry an incredible amount of "baggage" compared to many other Marvel characters. An explanation of Strange's history could very well be accomplished through one well-written splash page to bring new readers up to speed.

2. Doctor Strange Season One


Not only does Strange have a fairly simple history, curious readers need not delve into decade-old comics to get a full story on his origins. Marvel recently released a series of graphic novels called Season One. Doctor Strange was one of the characters included in this series, and, having read most of the Season One books, I can objectively say that Doctor Strange Season One (by Greg Pak and art by Emma Rios) was one of the strongest, if not the strongest, book of the series. Not only do readers get a beautiful retelling of Doctor Strange's origins, but they also get a tale that has never before been told.

I have personally been responsible for getting quite a few people into Doctor Strange, referring them first to the Season One book. Most have noted how accessible and compelling the character of Stephen Strange is. Marvel did a great job on this introductory book, so why stop there?

3. Sorcerer Supreme Again