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
1. Accessibility to New Readers
2. Doctor Strange Season One
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
Having previously been stripped of his title of "Sorcerer Supreme," Doctor Strange was recently returned to the mantle in a pre-Marvel NOW! issue of New Avengers. Assuming that Strange now possesses the breadth of his former powers once again, this presents an ideal opportunity for writers to begin a new Strange comic.
4. Doesn't Play Well With Others
This next point really ties into the fact that Strange is Sorcerer Supreme again. The duties of the Sorcerer Supreme are many. It involves protecting the entire universe from outside threats that may intrude upon the peace. While Strange's role in New Avengers is certainly on a universe-saving scale, many Strange fans, including myself, have found that his time in the sun is limited in comparison to some of the other characters.
Doctor Strange has historically been a very prominent character with a very type-A personality. As such, he doesn't often play well with others. Being the supreme source of magic that he is, Doctor Strange oftentimes just doesn't need others to help, because they would quite frankly get in the way. Even when Strange was a member of the non-team, the Defenders, the good doctor was still running around saving the universe in his own independent series. Putting Strange in only one team book is doing the character a severe injustice and is, in my opinion, a very poor utilization of the possibilities that the character has to offer.
5. Upcoming Doctor Strange Movie
Rumors of a Doctor Strange film have been floating around for a long time, but Stan Lee recently confirmed plans for the movie in an interview. Furthermore, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige teased a Doctor Strange movie as part of Phase III. Rumors of a tie-in with the upcoming Thor movie have also been circling but have been thus far unconfirmed. In any case, the prospects of a Doctor Strange movie does open new doors for viewers that may inevitably fall in love with the character. A standalone comic for Doctor Strange would naturally be a very good move for Marvel, in this case, and would benefit new and old fans alike.
What do you think? Should Doctor Strange get his own Marvel NOW! series? Comment below or Tweet me!
