LABOR DAY : MASTER and SERVANT

Today, here in America, is LABOR DAY.
A day created to give hard-working people an official day off.

Yet, not only are real flesh and blood people hard-working, but also those of the 4-color variety.
None more so than Dr. Strange's loyal "man-servant", Wong.

Due to our living in a more "Politically Correct" (P.C.) age, that nomenclature is sometimes dropped and, depending on the writer, they're no longer "master" and "servant" but friends and colleagues. If handled well, either type of relationship is great! 

Writers who understand the nuances between their complex relationship embrace the more age-old traditional relationship between the mystic and his aide, and keep the master/manservant angle close to the surface. "Doctor Strange: Flight of Bones" author, Dan Jolley had Wong as a tech-savvy, aide-de-camp. "Doctor Strange: The Oath" author Brian K. Vaughan had Wong as a bodyguard and acolyte. Brian Bendis had Wong as much of Strange's protege' and student as his servant. Current Avengers scribe Jonathan Hickman, while edging Wong more towards servant status has at the same time made these two men seem closer than ever before.

Other writers, like Greg Pak, who chafe at the idea of Wong being subservient and servile, write against what they perceive as wrong, often turning Wong into an almost totally different character.

However, to anyone who is concerned about the "Master/Servant" aspect of the Strange/Wong relationship, I like to direct them to a GREAT sequence from an old issue of Doctor Strange's book (Master of the Mystic Arts # 15).

Written by Steve Englehart, the scene has Wong grocery shopping in Chinatown, and some other Asians give him grief for being a servant to a rich, white Doctor.

Wong tells them that service to a wise man is an honorable calling. Especially in his native land, which is the tradition that he is upholding, and that if they have any problem with that, it is THEIR problem to get over, not his.

This is the same thought that modern naysayers of the Doctor Strange / Wong relationship should keep in mind. 

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Steve Englehaert (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks)

It's not as though Doctor Strange abuses Wong, or takes advantage of their relationship. Stephen often tells Wong to take time off, and Strange is so often secluded in meditation or away in other dimensions, that much of Wong's time is his own.

After a sequence of many issues in the mid 1990's, when David Quinn, Warren Ellis and  J.M. Dematteis each strove to make Wong an independent man who hated Dr. Strange for perceived slights and neglect (Wong's fiance' Imei having been turned into a demon, then dying and Wong being upset that Doc did nothing to stop it), there was a long, slow healing process wherein Wong would not call Strange "master" - only "Stephen". Strange also, in turn, sought to treat his longtime caretaker as more of a friend and equal.

As with all things in comics, that trend has seemingly passed.

Enough time has gone by (nearly 20 YEARS real time), so it shouldn't be seen as a quick return to status quo.

Some of Doc's most recent writers understand the workings of their relationship, and the most recent caretakers of his tales have had Strange and Wong in a closer relationship than ever before.

Still, the life path of someone who chooses a life of servitude has nothing about which to feel ashamed.

On that line of thought, here is a snippet of my old review for Greg Pak's Doctor Strange; Season One original graphic novel, wherein Pak, who - quite rightly - takes issue with the poor portrayal of Asians in comics that he unfortunately allowed that view to cloud the Strange/Wong dynamic and nearly rewrote Wong as the star of the book.

"However, that probably doesn’t fit into the cultural mores where an honorable servitude to those who serve “the gods” might be one’s fate (be it destined or a self-sought calling). There is nothing wrong with being of service to others – just as long as you are treated in a respectful and humane fashion by those you serve. Wong stands alongside a grand tradition of helpmates to “crime-fighters”, such as Batman’s Alfred and The Avengers’ Jarvis. Oft of late, Wong has been much akin to Green Hornet’s Kato (whom everyone knows is far cooler than the Hornet anyway). Wong can also be seen as a monk serving a high-priest, such as the Dali Lama, with a total submission of self in the path to his service of another, greater personage. There is no shame in such a path. Indeed, it is of high honor.

Perhaps, it is time for many vanguards of Politically Correctness to rethink some of their knee-jerk reactions to perceived wrongs, and look at the whole of the portrayal. Wong as a manservant is un-PC? Get over it. He need not be turned into some kung-fu/mystic/bad-ass. Wong as man-servant (and sometimes protector) to the Sorcerer Supreme of the entire dimension is a job that is more important, and with more responsibility than that of the President of any country. Sometimes the greatest among us are given the lowliest tasks. That they do not see it as making them any lesser than the rest, continues to make them greater than us all."

So, whatever your profession, be it chosen or something which you find yourself - there is no shame or fault in honest work, no matter how unglamorous. As long as you are treated fairly, and not regularly turned into a newt... take pride in what you do.

And enjoy your day off!

If anyone has interest in reading more of that review, it can be found [HERE]/

A previous LABOR DAY tribute to Wong can be found [HERE].

DOCTOR STRANGE: SEASON ONE AN IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Writer: Greg Pak
Illustrator: Emma Rios
Additional Inks: Alvaro Lopez
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Julian Totina Tedesco
Editor: Ellie Pyle
Consulting Editors: Alejandro Arbona & John Denning
Executive Editor: Tom Brevoort
125 PAGES
 Hardcover

$24.99

DOCTOR STRANGE: SEASON ONE

AN IN-DEPTH REVIEW

---------- THE INTRODUCTION ----------

Wednesday, September 12^th, 2012 brought with it the long-awaited, eagerly-anticipated release of DOCTOR STRANGE: SEASON ONE by writer Greg Pak and illustrator Emma Rios (as well as the other members of the creative team, listed above).

Here’s how it is described in the solicitation text (which also happens to be the back-cover blurb):

“A window-crashing, high-flying, globe-traveling, ghost-battling adventure from the earliest days of Doctor Strange’s training in the mystic arts! Part Indiana Jones, part Lord of the Rings, thrill to this new tale of how a selfish, arrogant surgeon collided with a hot-headed martial artist to become the greatest team the mystic arts have ever seen! If only they can stop hitting each other and figure out how all this magic stuff works anyway.”

That sets up some pretty heady stuff and lofty goal for the creative team of Greg Pak and Emma Rios; both of whom have shared their talents on previously told exploits of Doctor Strange. Writer Greg Pak frequently used the good Doctor in his work on the ‘INCREDIBLE HULK(S)’ title, and artist Emma Rios having last delineated a Doctor Strange mini-series, entitled ‘STRANGE’ (vol.2), written by veteran writer Mark Waid. Thus readers can have a fairly clear idea of just what is going to be presented (at least as far as quality) in the pages of this original graphic novel. Depending on your opinions based upon experiencing those past works, this creative team-up could either be a good thing – or not.

Behind a majestic cover, painted by Julian Totina Tedesco, Greg Pak sets out to weave a tale showcasing a heretofore unknown, untold story of the formative early days/months of Doctor Stephen Strange’s tutelage in the mystic arts at the Tibetan lamasery of the Ancient One.

Such a timeframe has long been territory left untrodden by generations of previous Marvel writers – which always struck me as “strange” (no pun intended). Within that time, we have a period of great learning of new wisdom and shedding of old beliefs. A time of great supplication and the rising and advancing of the spirit. A time when all that the selfish, avaricious Doctor Stephen Strange; the man, who once was, would be shed to be replaced by all that Doctor Strange; the mystic, will become.  Few and far between are the glimpses into this time of formative experience for the Master of the Mystic Arts.

Thus it is that Greg Pak seeks to be one of the few to leave his footprints in those rarely traveled snowy peaks.

---------A BRIEF SUMMATION & CAVEATS---------

Just as a head’s-up, this is to be less a typical “review” and more an examination (a dissection), as I go into the full depth of this work. As followers of this blog may know, my “reviews” tend to be much deeper than the norm. This review is less for those looking to determine IF they should purchase this book than for those who have already bought it, read it and wish to see if their experience is shared – or who are looking for greater context (or those who may not yet have read it, don’t mind the spoilers and just like to read my take on things).

To me, the most important demographic that can read my review would be for those who may never have read the origin of Doctor Strange, this perhaps being their first foray into the early life of the character, and thus, my in-depth cross-analysis with other, similar, previously told versions can help them determine what has been added, changed, retconned or enhanced in this new novel.

If you simply wish to know IF you should buy the book, I will simply state, that I am sure there are other, more traditional reviews, on both sides of the spectrum, which may shed light on the work. Still, in my opinion, if you are simply looking  to read the origin tale of Doctor Strange, you could do no better than the original 8-page Stan Lee / Steve Ditko story from ‘STRANGE TALES’ # 115 (or obviously, any reprint of same). Of course, you could also read my personal favorite: ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ (vol. 1) # 169 (which was really # 1, since the original Strange Tales ended with # 168, and the title continued, renamed after its then-rising star) by Roy Thomas and Dan Adkins, and/or issue # 56 of ‘DOCTOR STRANGE: MASTER OF THE MYSTIC ARTS’ by Roger Stern and Paul Smith, which is often the most reprinted version of the origin tale (with the possible exception of the very first). Those are THE best of the many tellings of the origin story.

However, since this graphic novel only briefly deals with the origin and soon delineates a story of “what came next”, if perhaps, you are interested in reading stories of those “early days” of Strange’s training in Tibet, then aside from this work there are, sadly, few other resources (but I do list them elsewhere in this review).

Still, and all, while this work is entertaining as all heck, fast-paced, exciting, with some good laughs, delivering on ALL promises in the promotional blurb, and has many excellent points of merit, I find it little more than an oversized (and overpriced) issue of “WHAT IF?”, that could have been - should have been – better. 
I know... if it was so good, how can I say it should have been better?

Well, it was good as a stand-alone work, not tied to the history (past or future) of published Doctor Strange "canon".


To me, Greg Pak's "DOCTOR STRANGE: SEASON ONE" seems to be an attempt at a movie-script-friendly modern origin update.

Thus, I can only truly recommend it for the die-hard Doctor Strange completeists, and/or fans of Greg Pak and/or Emma Rios – or those who are more open to major change / retcons in their classic tales. Although, and I feel that I truly SHOULD make this known: as far afield as some of these changes are, MOST (but not all) of them can fit into the current canon (or at least be made to fit, with a little forgiving and tweaking of previously published canonical reference).

That said, if you wish to know WHY I think the way that I do, then read on – HOWEVER - I will begin this review to IMMEDIATELY STATE that there are SPOILERS APLENTY!

I give away much of what happens, as I examine this work in some great detail. ALSO, I am reviewing this work not only as it stands on its own, but also how it compares and contrasts to other works that deal with this time-frame in the tale of Doctor Strange; his origins and early steps into magic. For while this original graphic novel is partially just that; an original story, it also serves in many ways to retell (or more accurately, re-imagine) the classic origin tale, and as a reinterpretation (like a remake of a film) the review must look at the original work upon which this exploration is based.

The review is broken-down into sub-categories:

•         THE REVIEW: PART THE FIRST: “THE ORIGIN”
•         THE REVIEW: PART THE SECOND : “WHAT CAME NEXT”
•         THE WRITING
•         THE ARTWORK
•         FINAL THOUGHTS

Of course, as is obvious, all opinions are merely as I see them. Opinions and tastes differ.

Also, as I order my comics from an online discount resource (Discount Comic Book Service - since there are no local shoppes in my area), my physical copy has yet to arrive. Thus, I am reviewing this work based upon the digital download code that a friend gave to me from their own physical copy.

Ready? Then let’s get on with the review of this adventure!

--------- THE REVIEW ---------

PART THE FIRST: “THE ORIGIN”

In the original tales of Strange, told in the pages of STRANGE TALES (vol. 1), by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Strange is nearly immediately portrayed as a competent mystic; no learning curve being shown. For one story, his origin tale (told several issues after his introduction), we are given the all-too brief look at Strange’s fall from grace and the first formative steps to his rise to greatness. In 8 pages, Lee and Ditko told an origin tale that carried with it the weight of more than even a full issue. The economy of craft (and limitations of space) hindered not the abilities of those two icons to produce something that has lasted the test of time – one of the all-time greatest origin stories ever imagined for a Marvel comics character (if not ANY character in the history of publication). They crafted an origin tale of great highs, deepest lows, the path of personal growth – and redemption. Still, they left ample room for others to come in and expand the story.

This is what is attempted in the pages of this book. It succeeds in many places, and in others… does not.

Greg Pak starts the story with Strange about to enter the Lamasery – his long, tiresome journey already a fait accompli. This is a shame, as the journey has yet to be told, in depth, by any writer, and remains unexplored. A literal and literary terra incognita.

There have been a few glimpses into the trek as written in other, earlier works: first undertaken in ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ (vol. 1) # 169 by Roy Thomas and Dan Adkins, Strange’s journey, by plane and then on foot, is beautifully – yet all-to-briefly – illustrated. The journey next explored in the original graphic novel; DOCTOR STRANGE: INTO SHAMBALLA by J.M. DeMatties and Dan Green, Strange is shown walking the last leg of the journey – again - with scenes shifting from his then-current time, with Strange by then already Sorcerer Supreme – as well as the original, fateful trek, shown in flashback. Next we were given a brief account, in the pages of STRANGE TALES (vol.2) # 5 & 6, by Peter B. Gillis (in dialogue between Strange and his former Sherpa) of the broken-down Stephen Strange’s original sojourn thru the Himalayan mountaintops, as well as a renewed passage of the peaks.  J.M. DeMatties revisted the journey (while also mentioning the SHAMBALLA work) in DOCTOR STRANGE: SORCERER SUPREME # 84). Interestingly enough, probably the most intensive foray into that aspect of the story took place in J. Michael Straczynski’s ‘STRANGE’ (vol. 1), which, like this new story, sought to re-work Doctor Strange’s origin for a more “modern” audience (as it was originally penned as a movie-treatment). It failed, and was immediately rendered out of canon - into an alternate universe tale – and thus, out of our consideration, like several other origin re-imaginings.
You may wish to remember that particular point for later.

Still, with those other brief looks into the journey, (ironically, with the sole exception being the JMS ‘STRANGE’) we are never really given a glimpse into the villages and people that lay below the mountaintop retreat. Here, Greg Pak at least touches briefly upon the matter (as much as Peter B. Gillis before him), by showing Strange enter a tavern somewhere in the village below - or at least he will – further on in the book.

However, here at the start, Strange is about to take his first steps into his destiny.

His first words at seeing the Temple: “What a Dump.”

Thus, Greg Pak returns us to the days and mindset of the arrogant Stephen Strange, a man used to the finer things in life. For a man who has always seen great rewards for his labors, no doubt he is unimpressed by the humble, unadorned edifice that has been the goal of his long and torturous physical endeavor.

The interior of the temple is another matter, as immediately, Emma Rios begins to gift us with a sense of atmosphere, showing gossamer thin, wispy, wafting fabrics, carried to and fro by the obvious chill drafts that permeate the finely detailed and ornamented ancient Himalayan retreat.

When we first see Stephen Strange, he looks like some old-world explorer, with sideways-sweeping, winged mustache and choppy-looking beard. Rios’ costuming choices for the journeying Stephen Strange are quite good, authentic (and almost exactly as drawn by Steve Ditko in the original): fur-rimmed parka and baggy pants tucked into insulated hiking boots. Only the curious choice of a wide-rimmed fedora style hat seems incongruous (both in Ditko’s version as well as now), as surely the winds that would whip around the snowy peaks would blow that sort of hat off one’s head in short order. Sadly, with Rios’ unrefined inking style, the hat (along with the overall depiction of Stephen Strange) only lends itself more to the old world explorer (Spaniard or Frenchman… or Dutchman for that matter) as if a portrait rendered by an old-world artist utilizing an unrefined technique.

Immediately Pak and Rios deviate somewhat from the classic Lee / Ditko origin tale in several ways of ever-differing levels of seriousness.

First by having Strange try to bribe the Ancient master with cash (or credit card “if you’re set up for that”), as opposed to every other incarnation of the tale wherein Strange had to sell or pawn off the last of his possessions with which to make the trip, here Strange seems like he’s still fairly liquid. He’s not as completely destitute as in other versions. For good or ill, this might allow him to retain a level of cockiness and arrogance that the earlier versions had nearly tempered out of him.

Next, Strange states that his hands have been crushed, when in the original his hands had merely suffered nerve damage, with no outer harm. I can see nothing to be gained by this alteration of events. Interesting, that Pak also crushes Strange’s hands in his earlier work, “World War Hulk” (in a bit of “made-no-sense” new interpretation of rules for astral form interaction).

Also different, the choice made to NOT have the Ancient One levitate the arrogant westerner, while mystically examining his spirit. Here, the Ancient One is portrayed less as a stoic, sedimentary living statue and more as a walking, humorous and somewhat eccentric curiosity. The loss of this simple act has more weight than you might well imagine, as I’ll detail soon enough.

Also changed, that in the original, once Strange decides that the Ancient One is a fraud, his desire to depart the temple was halted only by the onset of a freak snowstorm. Created as if by… magic. Here, the storm is apparently already transpiring (even though the artwork doesn’t quite show that to be the case). Strange is merely told to stay a few days – and he does – in defeat, as opposed to the original where he has no choice despite his protestations. Here, Strange is cowed, dejected somewhat. What is odd here, is that while Strange seems to have more still left in reserve (as shown in the bribery scene) he has less overall determination than shown in the original tale, where he was totally down-on-his-luck and frustratingly grasping for any lifeline that could anchor him to his former life. As this line of thought is not pursued in this version, it turns out to be just a weird observation by myself (but one that continues to demonstrate – perhaps subconsciously - wherein Marvel renders Stephen Strange as being portrayed lesser than he once was.)

Although truthfully, if I were in his penniless, well snow-peaked-mountain trod shoes, I’d also be less inclined to simply storm off and turn back to an unknown future.

I might need to pause here and point out a possible coloring error, as it is one that could be confusing to the story. When Stephen is showing his hands to the Ancient One for the first time, they appear to be glowing – as they are haloed by a pale yellow. Perhaps, as in later scenes, there were squiggly lines which the colorist may have mistakenly taken to mean “glowing with power”, which were really to portray nerve-damaged shaking. This is evident, as in the next scene where Strange is trying, in vain, to open a can of foodstuffs, and is unable to manipulate the can-opener (resorting to then smashing the can against the countertop repeatedly. A nice, comical touch, presumably written in by Greg Pak). I will speak more of the coloring in this work near the end when I also examine the artwork as a whole.

However, speaking of Strange’s hands, Rios draws them as being deeply lined with scars with obvious signs of surgical stitching from operations intended to heal his damaged hands. This makes more sense here than it did in the universally-acclaimed mini-series; ‘THE OATH’, by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin. In that earlier piece, the scars are used as a shocking story’s-end reveal, but being that the events therein took place so many years after Strange’s accident, made little sense to be so evident. Here, in this story, the wounds are fresh, the scars still new, and they can be easily accepted - even welcomed - by this reader.

While this Lamasery is home to the Ancient One, within established canonical record it is also inhabited by at least one acolyte, (Hamir the Hermit – the father to Wong,) although, usually more than one have been seen, who serve as caretakers of their ancient master and the temple where they meditate and study. Here, no acolytes or even other students, save for Baron Mordo, are shown to be present. Maybe they are in other parts of the building, and are not seen during our “visit”. Since this is such a minor thing, I’ll give the benefit of the doubt and say that they are. There is a valid reason why I am pointing out something so trivial. You’ll find out soon enough when Wong enters the story.

Baron Mordo, who at the time of Strange’s arrival is already a pupil of the Ancient One, has succumbed to the “dark side” of magic, and is still represented very close to his early canonical appearances. Older, more driven to use magic to garner power to himself, Mordo replays his earliest Lee / Ditko tale as trying to use the power granted by the other-dimensional warlord, Dormammu, to slay the Ancient One, and thus take his power and place.

In the original tale Strange stumbles upon Mordo’s treachery and finds himself concerned for the wizened master. In this new version, Mordo himself, mistaking Strange’s selfishness for dark strength tries to take Strange under his wing and shows him what he is up to. This is an interesting twist. It shows Mordo as feeling more secure in his vile ways than the cravenly, secrecy-coveting version in Strange Tales of old.

Unfortunately, with the usage of the mystical mouth-clamp – which makes it impossible for Stephen to warn the Ancient One to Mordo’s machinations (of which are also examples of Mordo’s magic to which Strange is witness) – it is Mordo’s magic which Strange first feels and not the more gentle probing of the Ancient One. Strange is first introduced to dark magic, with no reference of good magic with which to counterbalance. A seemingly minor alteration, but a strong one, as to the uninitiated Strange, he might not know that there IS a difference, but may merely believe magic can be used for good and/or evil.

Perhaps this is why later, when Strange sees the name of Dormammu in the Book of the Vishanti, he speaks the name with little heed to its consequences. (Note: even in the earliest Stan Lee-penned Strange Tales, Doc used to call on Dormammu every now and then (heck, even the Ancient One did so). Lee hadn’t nailed down the finer workings of good and evil entities at the time.)

Also within this sequence of magical treachery and discovery, we see a huge diversion from the original. In the original Lee/Ditko joint, Strange struggles to warn the Ancient One of Mordo’s plot, but due to the invisible magic clamp can not do so. He struggles and realizes that he can speak of OTHER things, just not Mordo. It is thus, that he first foregoes his selfishness and begs to study at the feet of the Ancient One – to protect him, and the world – from Mordo. Here, in this new version, Strange’s acceptance of the offer is seemingly for the same reason, but without much of the weighty context of the original story, and for those who may never have read the original that point might be lost. This is, unfortunately, due to passing out of vogue the use of “thought bubbles” which could show the inner struggle that Strange underwent in the original tale. Here, Strange simply adds the addendum; “So I can help you FIGHT”, (which removes all the inner conflict of the original).

I feel I should also point out that when the Ancient One accepted Strange’s offer of discipleship in the original tale, the Ancient One conveyed his acceptance with much more spiritual balance (and/or a perhaps clichéd or perceived stereotypical manner as a “wise Asian mystic”) than Greg Pak’s new version of the Ancient One, who retorts with the inane; “No takesy-backsies”. This may be to better “humanize” the Ancient One who in tales of old had oft been portrayed as more removed (or at least stoic) to the others around him, but to me this simply reduces the overall (suggested) greatness of the learned master into someone that Strange aptly surmises is; “…really weird.” However, even this “weird” type of personality is immediately dropped and never pursued again, so I wonder… what was the point? If Pak was hoping to bring the Ancient One more “down-to-Earth” then why only the one cutesy statement?

One last point on the origin, before we move on to “what came next”, and that is the departure of Mordo. In the original telling of Strange’s origin, after the Ancient One removes the mystic restraints that Strange placed upon Stephen, there is no suggestion that Mordo discovered that the Ancient One knew of Mordo’s deception and role in the mystic attack upon the aged master. It wasn’t until ‘Doctor Strange’ # 56 that Roger Stern detailed that Mordo stayed on, under the watchful eye of the Ancient One (better to keep a known evil where one can monitor it). Then it was not until an envious Mordo challenged Strange to a magic duel, which ended with Strange the victor, that Mordo departed the lamasery in shame. Here, in Pak’s rendition, Mordo departs immediately after his attack on the Ancient One is foiled, and Strange has made his bid for discipleship. A simpler, neater chain of events? Perhaps. Pak certainly gives information that the Stan Lee / Steve Ditko origin did not. A forgotten plot point (or open for later telling?) that Pak quietly wraps up. However, I confess to liking Stern’s later interpretation even if Pak’s does make more sense. Either way, to help keep this tale in canon, one could suppose that the upcoming battle between Strange and Mordo in the rest of this original graphic novel could be seen as being the battle that Stern first mentions.

--------- THE REVIEW ---------

PART THE SECOND: “WHAT CAME NEXT”

As many fans already know the origin of Doctor Strange, this new work only truly gets started once the formality of retelling of that chapter is complete and Strange begins “what came next”.

Jumping two months ahead, we see Strange in a small, dark chamber within the Ancient One’s retreat, attempting to learn his first spell; a flame conjuration. The truly odd thing about it is that the entities entreated to summon the flame is not the Faltine (as in the oft-summoned: “the flames of the Faltine”) but instead the trinity of the Vishanti themselves. Perhaps their blessing is required for any pupil of white magic, but it does seem a bit of overkill; like if you lost your keys and you were asking God to open your locked door when a call to a locksmith would do. But I digress.

After months of unsuccessful attempts at this first (and assumedly basic, entry level) spell, Strange, in disgust, simply lights a match. (An ironic thing, as he was unsuccessful at even that mundane task, instead having his matches snap in half, when he first entered the lamasery.)

Immediately afterwards, in a particularly hard-to-discern panel, the Ancient One seems to blast the former surgeon through the window and into the mountain snow. Not sure why. Tough love, perhaps? Either way, it seems that according to the Ancient One, the Vishanti have rejected Strange as unworthy – his desires clouded, his faith unclear.

After this altercation, Strange leaves to go to the village below (still carrying the Book of the Vishanti) and heads into a bar.

I want to THANK Greg Pak for sidestepping the all-to-frequently mistaken memes of having Strange be either a “Chosen One” or some kind of alcoholic, as those are simply wrong-minded directions to follow. This is as I discussed in parts 1 and 2 of my FINGERS OF DEATH FOR DOCTOR STRANGE series [PART 1: “chosen one” HERE] [PART 2: “alcoholic” HERE], [Intro to the Series HERE].

Still, while Strange is trying to work out his frustrations with a drink, he still has the discipline to ask the tavern keeper for a candle, with which he can continue his practice. A beautiful touch by Pak.

Still, Pak’s Stephen Strange seems, at the onset, to be wavering between his pledge to the Ancient One and his desire to simply find the cure for his hands and go. Thus, when he sees the name of Dormammu in the book, the name obviously remembered from the power-play with Mordo, he speaks the name aloud and all the lights in the bar go out… but his candle begins to glow! POWER! MAGIC!

But also aglow, are Strange’s eyes… red. Thus, one direction that the story could go would be for Strange to be tempted by this dark power, but he never has the chance as at that moment Wong bursts through the door.

Upon realizing the name that has been uttered, Wong attacks Strange and accuses him of being Mordo.

It is here that I remind everyone of my point very early on in the review wherein I pondered at why there were no other acolytes or students shown in the temple. For here Wong states that he has studied all his life in the mystic arts of Kamar-Taj to protect the Sorcerer Supreme - but he doesn’t know that Strange is not Mordo. Thus, are all the students kept separate and anonymous from each other? The retreat is vast, so it could be possible. Sadly, it is not really explained.

Either way, the two mystic students begin to pummel each other until the intervention of the Ancient One who punishes them by decreeing that they train…together.

The inclusion of mystic study in with Wong's duties as protector of the Sorcerer Supreme has never been one ever shown (or even mentioned) in any other Doctor Strange story before. It wasn’t really until the fairly recent ‘THE OATH’ by Brian K. Vaughan, or ‘NEW AVENGERS’ by Brian Michael Bendis that Wong’s even being a pupil of Doctor Strange had ever been mentioned.

So as not to basically give a blow-by-blow reading of the work, I’ll now jump to a few different, yet vitally important, points within the story.

While Greg Pak managed to avoid the clichéd (and wrong-minded) memes of having Strange be either a “chosen one” or an alcoholic, he falls squarely into the trap of trying to make this a modern tale – and thus ignores the fact that Doctor Stephen Strange’s origin should take place in the 1950’s-1960’s. As I’ve mentioned ad nauseum in other posts, according to Marvel’s own Official Handbooks, Stephen Strange was born in 1930. For a better timeline, feel free to read my summation which can be found in Part 3 of the FINGERS OF DEATH series [HERE].

Pak transgresses this point in three ways: Once by an off-hand remark by Strange wherein he asks if a mystic device (a magic map) “gets email”, the second by having the characters communicate to each other by cell-phone, and the third by the inclusion of his pet character; Sofia Di Cosimo (of Il Museo Della Mitologia Antica, Rome – which she states every time she says her name) – a modern character (who was previously seen – albeit later in history – in the pages of ‘INCREDIBLE HULK(S) ). Thus, unless Sofia is, by some untold story, a long-lived person somewhat outside of the passage of time, this tale is set in the very present day. And while cell phones and email have been available to the general public for several decades, the availability of tablets (which the mystic map resembles) and/or other devices which can receive email have only been on the market for only about 5 years. Thus, this origin can’t even be at the “10 years ago” point of Marvel’s sliding timeline. The Fantastic Four have been given the status of the 10-year mark (by which nearly all the Marvel Universe is measured) and it has been long accepted that Doctor Strange’s origin predates the FF’s by several decades (Strange having finished his mystic studies and returning to America when a newly scarred, college-age Doctor Doom was still searching the far east for the monks who would help him forge his mask and armor.) With one vanity project (Sofia), a casual usage of very modern technology and a seemingly innocent line (a joke for the sake of being “with it”), Greg Pak truly screws the pooch of Doc’s history.

Pak’s “pet” is present to initiate a quest for the story’s maguffins; a trio of long-lost magic rings that allow the wearer to command the Vishanti – despite the wearer’s worthiness. Convenient, huh? A seemingly unworthy Stephen Strange can’t seem to command the Vishanti to empower his spell (and he also can’t seem to get his hands fixed). Well… here ya go!

Ugh.

Also of all-too convenient coincidence is that there are 3 Vishanti, 3 Rings, and the 3 protagonists to quest for them. In fact, each ring is acquired - one-for-each – by each member of this impromptu, ersatz team by the usage of their particular strengths: Strange’s medical background, Wong’s audacity and Di Cosimo’s ties to her museum.

Team-building via design…er…serendipity.

To make sure readers fully grok how cool it is to have a ‘Lord of the Rings’ riff going on, Sofia Di Cosimo, who acts as “ring-bearer” for much of the story, is referred to as their “Hobbit”. Also, in one scene, a power-hungry Strange has his own Gollum moment as he glares at the rings hanging around her neck, hissing his “S’es”, his eyes again glowing red with evil intent. Yes. Yes. We get it. They’re rings of power and he is tempted.

Sadly, this obvious LotR “homage” was probably an important selling point of the story to Marvel editors. It is believed by today’s standards to be “kool” to reference pop-culture, and it makes a new project more palatable if it is comparable to something popular that already exists (exactly as JMS’ ‘STRANGE’ was a heavy-handed riff on THE MATRIX).

As an aside, it strikes me that many of these new “retellings” of classic origins are really just R&D enterprises by which to use as compost for the new Marvel Hollywood money-tree of which Disney/Marvel is now seemingly but an I.P. greenhouse.

Without giving everything away, Strange does manage to summon the Vishanti – a situation of which I can not express the magnitude of “wrongness” (despite their awesome visual stage-entrance as drawn by Emma Rios – although she is only redrawing their classic incarnations, it is very well done).

The Vishanti first appeared to Doctor Strange in the pages of ‘MARVEL PREMIER’ # 5. The second time he saw them, in the classic ‘DOCTOR STRANGE / DR. DOOM: TRIUMPH & TORMENT’, Strange states that he had only seen such energies manifest “once before” – thus alluding to the Marvel Premier story. Of course, just to play ‘Devil’s Advocate’ for Greg Pak, we can assume that perhaps, in THIS instance, the Vishanti did not coalesce in the same energy glow that Strange found so singular. Thus his statement in Triumph & Torment could be seen as technically true and accurate.

 However, such a summoning in this story, within two months of Strange’s entering the Ancient One’s tutelage, just seems infinitely wrong to my sensibilities. There was no effort to achieve this. Strange has no pedigree at this point. To be able, in essence, to not only see the face of “God”, but also make commands of same with no study or sacrifice, is like winning the inter-dimensional cosmic lottery. The odds against it are so immeasurable, and the prize far, far too immense. It’s an iteration of exactly what is wrong with today’s culture. Instant gratification. Immediate fame. Think of the “American Idol” phenomenon, wherein people, some who have never truly “earned” it, are suddenly, overnight, granted fame and fortune. Now, take that to a universal scale. If Doctor Strange’s origin and apprenticeship into the mystic arts is to mean anything, then such a feat has to be earned, else he’s little more than “Harry Potter”, destined greatness, or Charlie of the “Willy Wonka” tale, winning the ultimate “golden ticket” (to use two more pop-culture references).

It also lessens every other meeting with other-dimensional entities that Strange would go on to meet in the many, many stories which had been told. For if Strange saw the Vishanti, when he was but a novice, then how impressive can meeting any other entity truly be? Gone is all (or most) sense of future wonder.

The story of the quest for the rings does, at least, have some interesting turns, and at least one excellent character-growth moment for Doctor Strange, in which he, while aiding a fellow doctor in a foreign land, almost tenderly forsakes his selfish, arrogant ways for a renewal of his potential early motives as selfless healer. To help. To heal. To do good.

Bravo to Greg Pak for this sequence, and to Emma Rios who sublimely shows the subtle change in Strange.

As the adventure unfolds, and the need for magic-usage increases, it is certainly odd that Strange, who has seemingly only attempted one spell (and has been trying to use it in even the most nonsensical situations) suddenly pulls new ones out of his head. It seems that if it rhymes, it’s a valid spell. It could be understood that if the Vishanti-flame spell was a “graduation” spell of sorts, and that Strange had passed many other, lesser challenges, then he would have a decent array of spells to choose from in these later instances. However, it had been fairly obviously stated that he was only beginning his studies and the Vishanti-flame spell was lesson 101, so these new off-the-cuff spell castings are more “writer needs a way out”. It might have made more sense to have Wong recite the spells for Strange to cast, since Wong had been studying the magicks since he was a child. His studies had yet to be successful, but he would know more than Strange. However, Wong is given the role of “kung-fu fighter” in this story, with only minor mystic abilities, despite his years of study.

There are some strange and interesting divergences from the historical portrayal of the use of magic of the Marvel Universe which Dr. Strange has ever partaken. However, for Strange to use some of them here, at the onset of his studies, would make it seem truly odd that he never again sought to tap those long-dormant sources. Such is Strange’s calling upon the gods of Greek and other pantheons. Again, if this were a modern tale, and not an “origin-era” story, this would be PERFECT, and would set up Strange to access newer sources for magical energies.

Sadly, Greg Pak set up far too many drastic changes to the characterizations and histories of Strange and Wong. Perhaps that is why the “final battle” with Mordo later in the story, seeming ever so much more wrong than Strange’s summoning/commanding of the Vishanti is when Wong does so. I won’t say anything more about it, because while a fabulous piece for inclusion in the annals of “WHAT IF?” (aka: “official fan-fiction”), it has no business being considered for inclusion of canon, or for this story as a whole to be anything that will ever be accepted as more than a fun alternate-universe tale.

Still, the pacing of the story is break-neck, and the action is dynamic! All that the solicit blurb text promises is delivered! If you care not that significant portions of canon are either changed, ignored, or “fan-fictioned”, and are not a die-hard Doctor Strange “historian”, or if you are simply looking for an exciting tale, then this will undoubtedly be a must-read! Part action-thriller, part buddy-cop comedy, and all ghost-busting, Indiana Jones style adventure!

---------THE WRITING---------

Obviously, much of my critique of the writing can be found in the body of this review. Still, there are some finer points that I can call attention to here. First off, Greg Pak is a writer whose work I appreciate. I won’t state that he is without flaw in his prior handlings of Strange, but at least he has tried to do right by the good Doctor. It is obvious that Pak has affection for the character, and that does shine through.

Thus, I am fairly sure that none of the slights, slip-ups and/or “wrong-turns” (at least as perceived by this reader) presented in this work (or his other, earlier handlings) are meant maliciously – or are intended to be means to “take Strange down a peg”. In fact, it seems that despite some contrary steps, Greg Pak is trying to elevate Doctor Strange to a much more dynamic level of high-adventure. (As long as Pak steers clear of making Doctor Strange a “super-hero” – which has been Marvel’s main problem in their handling of Doctor Strange – then he’s one step closer to doing it right.)

However, as you could tell from my review of this work, all was obviously not what I would consider to be “right”.

This is besides the fact that Doctor Strange’s origin needed no tweaking, updating or renewed interpretations – as it is one of the cleanest, clearest and universal origin stories ever told (a tale of growth and redemption). Pak (perhaps at Marvel’s behest) simply mucks around with the story for no reason that I can identify.

One nit which I feel I must pick at is Doc’s overall speech-pattern. It seems that nearly every page has Doc saying; “Dammit!”(8 instances), “What the hell?” (7 instances), “Stupid.” (4 instances), “Whoa.” (5 instances), a bunch of  “Ack!”s , “Hey, wow”’s, a “whatever” or two and even an “oy”.

Nearly every word out of Wong’s mouth is “Shut up!” (although, oddly, as soon as Strange stops saying Dammit that is when Wong starts.)

Hardly, eloquent for either a world-class, highly educated, high-class Surgeon or a monk-initiate.

That’s still not the worst of it. When the Vishanti first appear (and this is really GOD-appearing-to-mere-mortals-LEVEL stuff here), Greg Pak has Doctor Strange say; “uh…hi.”

In speaking of the Vishanti and the 3-ring maguffin, I must ask WHY would the Vishanti create artifacts that could be used to command and control them? Mystic entities oft impart some of their mystic energies within an item as a means of reserve or a device that engenders its user to be beholden to them. I can not recall of any “god-level” entity creating something that can bind them to the will of a mortal. Usually, such things are created by an enemy of that entity. So is that what these rings are? Some other mystic entity’s “genie lamp” with the Vishanti “trapped” by it? As a maguffin, Pak gives no explanation.

I am going to do my best here to assist Greg Pak in making this tale correspond with what has been accepted as canon. In order for the Wong of this story to ever be the one who first appears on Strange’s doorstep, as shown in ‘Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts’ # 56, it can be explained ONLY if he has been long-away from Doc after this tale and/or is truly, drastically changed so that he needed to introduce himself, humbly, as a servant, to the man with whom he shared this adventure. In fact the change in him needs be quite drastic, which would explain why Strange had to use the Eye of Agamotto to see if this was in fact true. Then, this portrayal of Wong can synch-up somewhat with what has been told. In point of fact, the statement that Strange says in that issue (DS: MotMA # 56)  that he did not reveal “everything” while recounting the tale of his origins, would help Pak’s case.

---------THE ARTWORK---------

I’d like to take this moment to discuss the artwork – that of Emma Rios as well as Color Artist, Jordie Bellaire.

I will come right out and state that for a project aimed purportedly at new readers, Emma Rios might not have been the best choice.

Before I get into any negative areas, I must state that Emma Rios' storytelling - her use of ‘panel-by-panel continuity’ - is excellent. With a few instances where overly-detailed panels became difficult to parse, the overall page layouts told the story without any use of words (I know because I made a point of trying to do so). This is a sure sign that the artist is doing their job in the graphic narrative. The body language and facial expressions which she imparts on her “actors” is often a joy. At times dynamic, other times sublime her characters “feel” real.

Conversely, her portrayal of people, - their physical forms, not their acting - leaves much to be desired here. Almost ALL of Rios’ characters are drawn with peculiar anatomy, most often with elongated limbs and malformed heads; a mess of grotesque faces and curiously proportioned bodies. Mordo is often drawn as if seemingly suffering from microcephaly (a skull that never developed properly and thus has little room for cranial or brain growth).

Of all the characters in the book, the female character of Dr. Sofia Di Cosimo is the most realistic, while nearly all of the men are poorly drawn. Perhaps not-so-ironically, this is a reversal of the frequent occurrence by male artists where they draw male figures excellently but females are rendered poorly (or as sex-objects).  Even in her portrayal of the giant heads of the Vishanti, while the artwork is breathtakingly beautiful, her portrayal of Oshtur (a woman) is gorgeous, while Hoggoth (a man) is a sketchy, poorly drawn portrayal. Agamotto (rendered as a lion’s head) however, is fabulously drawn.

While I have called into question Emma Rios’ rendering of men in this work, I have to give her a world of credit for capturing perhaps what could be the best incarnation of the Ancient One ever put to print outside of Steve Ditko's original. Her portrayal of the aged master makes him look as ancient, as wise, as weird, and as Oriental as he should be. (You’d be surprised how many previous artists drew him as simply an old guy, with maybe the inclusion of a beard or a slanted eye.) At times (towards the middle of the tale), Rios’ Ancient One absolutely looked picture perfect!

This uneven showing is not usual for Rios, as I have seen her do beautiful work in other publications (Cloak & Dagger: Spider-Island, Spider-Man, etc…) but here (and coincidentally in her other, earlier published work featuring Doctor Strange) she seems to produce work sub-par for most (American) publication. Of course, this work, with its many sweeping, blur-effect brush-strokes, with speed lines and typically European sensibilities, is the stuff which Manga and Euro-comics are made. Perhaps it is just the stunted visual “taste-buds”, of a comic-reader used to an ocular diet less exotic that is at fault. Still, while I have read and enjoyed many Japanese Manga (including ‘Lone Wolf and Cub’) and European comics (mostly French and Italian original works) I find that Emma Rios’ work – here, at least – to be, if not an unpalatable, then at least difficult to digest, stylistic blending of the two.

Her inking is often rushed-looking, sloppy, and smudged, seeming to this reader as someone with whom inking is not a comfortable exercise. Often dozens of blotchy lines are used when only one or two would do. (Perhaps, in an attempt to hide inferior – or rushed - drawing behind too much technique? Or merely an experimental technique, not quite mastered as of yet.)

Of course, the confusing listing on the creative team of Alvaro Lopez providing "additional inks" makes it hard to assess proper blame or credit. Suffice it to say, the overall effect with the inking is mixed.

Many of these swirling, frantic etchings are an attempt to portray movement. Sometimes this effect works. Most times it is distracting and confusing, as these lines always compete with so many other lines which are there to give (often unnecessary amounts of) detail.

Sometimes Rios is effective in her use of her inks to convey mood. She manages to effectively play with light and shadow, but then only as long as nothing too dynamic is happening to confuse matters.  Sequences of events are often difficult to discern.

Still, if anything, Emma Rios’ strength (and it is shown here in numerous instances) is her use of non-paneled sequencing; events blending one into the next as a miasma of phantasmagoric swirling pictorials. In most of those instances, she shines!

She also draws some visually interesting and imaginative demonic entities! One such instance is the attacking onslaught of spirits and demonic manifestations that seems like a 3-dimensional representation of Picasso’s famous “Guernica” – with a bull-headed entity at the forefront of a mass of bodies, faces and otherworldly (or perhaps just deceased from this world) horrors.

Much credit and thanks has to go to colorist Jordie Bellaire. Looking at Rios’ too-busily-inked artwork and trying to discern what is what and where one thing ends and another begins must have been a daunting task. Overall this visual work is only understandable because of Jordie Bellaire’s vibrant palette and keen eye. If this were printed in black and white, I think I’d still be reading it trying to figure out what was going on. 

* UPDATE*

I have just seen Emma Rios' ORIGINAL inked pages... and they are BEAUTIFUL!
They are for sale (link to the art site: HERE) and seeing them at original size, would actually endorse someone purchasing them. The prices are great!
So, to this, I can only surmise that the busy inking style, looks excellent at ORIGINAL SIZE, but when reduced to comic size, becomes a murky mess, lines coalescing into masses of ink instead of being seen as individual lines. Oddly enough, that was my original thought when seeing the work, but I'd have thought that a published professional would have sidestepped that beginner's pitfall.

If only this was printed as an oversize book - OR - in black/white/greytone... then her work would have appeared much better.

Such a shame.

---------FINAL THOUGHTS ----------

Of course, many of my points, counterpoints, comparisons and finger-pointing can be laid at the feet of my being a dyed-in-the-wool, own-and-read-every-appearance, life-long fan of Doctor Strange, and that this work is intended for a new, fresh-faced market. That is totally understood (and understandable). Marvel is trying to attract the “next wave” of reader; fans of the films and other media franchises (video games, toys, etc…) to bring them in and introduce them to these characters, without forcing them to be steeped in 50 years of continuity. That should be a constant goal. However, I do not see that the two are mutually exclusive. One can produce a canon/continuity-friendly piece that appeals to both the uninitiated and the lifer. Also, if universal appeal is to be the goal, then perhaps a choice of artist who can produce clearer, less difficult-to-follow visuals should also be a top priority. If a world-wide base was the demographic (as Manga is a much more popular style than typical “American” comic art, world-wide) then perhaps choose a Manga artist whose style is crisper and more refined.

If the goal of these “Season One” books is to hook new readers, I see no reason to try to fix what isn’t broken. Doctor Strange’s classic origin tale works perfectly as-is. The dynamic between Strange and his assistant (if you want to steer clear of the un-PC term; “manservant”) Wong is fine as it has been cultivated over the years. While, yes, Wong was originally strictly a subservient acolyte, he had been given much greater weight and importance in the service to the mystic master. While the role of servant, caregiver and some-time body-guard for the Sorcerer Supreme is no small duty, Wong was gradually turned into a student of sorts, as well as a teacher to Strange (keeping Strange’s martial-arts skills finely honed), a confidant, and an aide-de-camp. A friend.

So, it seems to be an unnecessary alteration of events to turn Wong into some Jet-Li bad-ass rival, and a total dishonor to have him be anything other than what his family’s tradition had trained him to be; THE caretaker of the Sorcerer Supreme – as his father and father’s father were before him. Certainly, it would be a typical Hollywood angle, to have the young man rail against his fate and strive to be more than what he is destined to be, but look at the culture from which he is raised. Great honor and prestige is already his for the duties in which he is bestowed. Any self-sacrifice that might entail is a badge of honor and to shirk it or reject it would bring shame to his family line – something that Wong is far too loyal to do. Perhaps that is why Pak removes any mention of Hamir the Hermit (Wong’s father, and caretaker of the Ancient One), for if the father is no longer a factor, Wong can rebel with no repercussions.

I mean no offence to the man in saying so, but I know, Greg Pak takes Asian portrayal in media very seriously, often tweeting about the slights given to Asians by those sticking to stereotypical (and often insulting) assumptions. I couldn’t agree with him more. Just because a practice or erroneous belief once was a reality (or a falsely perceived one) doesn’t mean that it should be propagated into the current or future of the world.

However, that probably doesn’t fit into the cultural mores where an honorable servitude to those who serve “the gods” might be one’s fate (be it destined or a self-sought calling). There is nothing wrong with being of service to others – just as long as you are treated in a respectful and humane fashion by those you serve. Wong stands alongside a grand tradition of helpmates to “crime-fighters”, such as Batman’s Alfred and The Avengers’ Jarvis. Oft of late, Wong has been much akin to Green Hornet’s Kato (whom everyone knows is far cooler than the Hornet anyway). Wong can also be seen as a monk serving a high-priest, such as the Dali Lama, with a total submission of self in the path to his service of another, greater personage. There is no shame in such a path. Indeed, it is of high honor. 

Perhaps, it is time for many vanguards of Politically Correctness to rethink some of their knee-jerk reactions to perceived wrongs, and look at the whole of the portrayal. Wong as a manservant is un-PC? Get over it. He need not be turned into some kung-fu/mystic/bad-ass. Wong as man-servant (and sometimes protector) to the Sorcerer Supreme of the entire dimension is a job that is more important, and with more responsibility than that of the President of any country. Sometimes the greatest among us are given the lowliest tasks. That they do not see it as making them any lesser than the rest, continues to make them greater than us all.

There is a GREAT sequence from an old issue of Doctor Strange's book (Master of the Mystic Arts # 15), written by Steve Englehart, where Wong is grocery shopping in Chinatown, and some other Asians give him grief for being a servant to a rich, white Doctor.

Wong tells them that service to a wise man is an honorable calling. Especially in his native land, which is the tradition that he is upholding, and that if they have any problem with that, it is THEIR problem to get over, not his.

This is the same thought that modern naysayers of the Doctor Strange / Wong relationship should keep in mind. 

---

I guess I should mention that this volume, like the other entries into the ‘Season One’ publishing project, also comes with a modern tale reprinted as a back-up. Included with this original graphic novel is the first issue of the most recent ‘DEFENDERS’ series, by writer Matt Fraction and illustrated by the Dodsons. For a complete and comprehensive review of that issue, feel free to check out my post on it [HERE]. Otherwise, let’s just say that if Marvel was looking to include a recent comic that featured Doctor Strange it is curious that they would choose one that was selling so poorly, and seemingly destined for cancellation (which, as point of fact, it has been). Of course, they may have been hoping that this exposure would help bolster sales of the Defenders title, and help save it from the chopping block, but still, if you wish to choose an issue from that series, would it not have been better to use issue # 4 (a Doctor Strange centric issue)? My detailed, in-depth review of that issue can be found [HERE].

Otherwise, a better selection for inclusion would have been the fairly recent; “Doctor Strange: From the Vault” # 1, by Roger Stern and Neil Vokes, which detailed a “Year Two” type of tale, showing Strange’s first night in his Sanctum Sanctorum. Still, I’m sure that Marvel was hoping to turn sales of this new work into a stepping stone for new readers to follow the modern adventures (and continue to purchase publications) of its star. Sadly, with exception to the flawed ‘DEFENDERS’ series, the only other exposure to Dr. Strange available to current audiences is his appearances in Brian Bendis’ ‘(NEW) AVENGERS’ franchise, yet even there, finding an issue that shows Strange in his best light is a near impossibility.

If a new reader comes to me and asks me what to read to “get” Doctor Strange, my suggestions, almost exactly as stated at the top of this review will ever be; First find a reprint copy of Strange Tales # 115 – the origin story. A mere 8 pages, and it gives you all you need to know – all told beautifully. Then, read Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts # 56 – the origin expounded – with some magical battles tossed in. Then read # 55 for the full effect. After that… you may read what you wish with full understanding and appreciation. Of course, my personal favorite retelling of the origin tale: ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ (vol. 1) # 169 by Roy Thomas and Dan Adkins is lushly illustrated and gives many of the first views into the two lives of Doctor Stephen Strange.

(Of course, I’d also toss in: DOCTOR STRANGE; INTO SHAMBALLA, DOCTOR STRANGE & DR DOOM: TRIUMPH & TORMENT and lastly “THE OATH”.)

---


As I stated at the start, to me, Greg Pak's "DOCTOR STRANGE: SEASON ONE" (like JMS' "STRANGE" before it) seems to be an attempt at a movie-script-friendly modern origin update and this “SEASON ONE” tale, while filled with some truly good stuff, can only truly be assessed as a giant-sized issue of “WHAT IF?” (“What If? Doctor Strange had his origin TODAY?” – or – “WHAT IF? Wong was Totally Bitchin’?”), and like JMS’ “STRANGE” (vol. 1) which was meant to be a new in-canon reinterpretation of Doc’s origin, Greg Pak and Emma Rios’ ‘DOCTOR STRANGE: SEASON ONE”,  should be seen as an alternate universe tale that had many good points, but probably should not be included into canon (or at least CAN not, if taken as-is), and is suggested only for the die-hard collectors, the completists, and/or fans of the creative team.

However, as it IS a rip-roaring, fast-paced, high-adventure story, if you care not that significant portions of canon are either changed, ignored, or “fan-fictioned”, and are not a die-hard Doctor Strange “historian”, or if you are simply looking for an exciting tale, then this will undoubtedly be a must-read!

---END---

EYES WITHOUT A FACE! -or-Tell me, WHO ARE YOU? Who, Who... Who, Who? A Review of New Avengers v2 # 5 (and much, much more!)

With only a few days remaining until the NEXT issue ships, allow me to FINALLY
present my long-delayed, and much-anticipated review of
NEW AVENGERS v2 # 005

and the extensive insight into the continuity-heavy ramifications surrounding the circumstances of the events within.

Get ready... this is a LONG entry.

Seriously. Pack a lunch.

NOTE: Due to the need for past canon reference material, many scans are NOT from New Avengers # 5.
Whichever scans are NOT from NA # 5, I have credited which title and issue # from which they originated.

Remember - clicking on images makes them all "HEROIC AGEY" in size.

---------

 Not content to merely be IN every character's comic, Wolverine will soon BE every character.

WRITER: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
COVER and PENCILS: STUART IMMONEN
INKS: WADE VON GRAWBADGER
COLORED BY: LAURA JEAN MARTIN
LETTERED BY: NEUROTIC CARTOONIST, INC

Before I get to New Avengers issue # 5 let me get this out of the way, right off the bat and start by gloating a little.
I WAS "RIGHT"!

Yup.
Nearly everything I wrote in my review of issue # 4 – found [HERE]
was correct…at least as far as the end of issue # 5.
The next issue could reverse it all.
(Damn Bendis and his make-it-up-as-you-go-along story “writing”).

Actually, I even predicted all this going back to issue # 3 (as I related in the comment section of the most excellent "Strange Occasions" blog's post for that issue [HERE].

So, I will take my falsely bloated sense of self-congratulatory jerkiness and cry… because what good is it to be right… when what you’re right about is so terribly WRONG.

Sad. Isn't it?

But, that is over and done with.

I am here now to say that, as usual, Bendis isn't dealing us the cards from the top of the deck.
He is bottom-dealing, and is, in the terms of "stage-magic; "forcing" cards to us.

Like the end of each issue thus far, the end of issue four was an obvious cliff-hanger with falsehood written all over it in bold letters.
It screamed of the classic "Republic Serials" wherein the hero is doomed by whatever impossible threat or blow is to befall him, only to miraculously appear in no such peril by the start of the next installment.

This is how issue # 5 resolves the situation.

Gone is the menacing threat of Iron Fist's challenge (and implied bodily injury) of Doctor Strange.
Over is the anger and misunderstanding, all seemingly swept under the rug.
All off-panel...between issues.
Shoddy scripting. Classic Bendis.

---

Now. Before I go all "Bendiz haz no cheezburger or friez" with the rest of this post, I will say (as I have on other occasions) that if Brian Michael Bendis wrote a Spider-Man, Luke Cage, non-continuity, "Marvel Team-Up" type title, I would be ALL over it. I would eat that stuff up.
Especially if he tossed in Spider-Woman and Iron-Fist (for a little extra oomph).
Seriously. Because it would give BMB the freedom to pull all the "no-such-thing-as-continuity-or-character-history-save-what-he-needs-to-tell-his-story" crap that he pulls, and would allow him to write all the snappy patter that causes those characters to blossom under his pen. (At least superficially, which would be fine in a Team-Up style title.)

That good grace aside, I need to now dive into the supposed meat and potatoes of what makes issue # 5 a bad-for-you, indigestible glut of MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) and mystery meat.

---

Starting the issue is a scene from "years ago" with one-time Doc-villain MR. RASPUTIN trying to make a deal with the Hand Ninjas in order to get his own hands on the Eye of Agamotto.

This is seemingly from a time where Mr. Rasputin (originally from Strange Tales v1 #145 - in 1966) was still a bad guy, evil-sorcerer wanna-be and wearer of heavy eye make-up.

 Mr Rasputin; Member of the KISS Army since 1966.

Despite having no idea what the Eye of Agamotto is - or Agamotto himself, for that matter - Rasputin is hell-bent on killing Dr. Strange for it, and has come to the Hand for assistance.

It is here that Bendis already ignores published history.

For in the story from Strange Tales # 145, Mr Rasputin seems to be completely unaware of the existence of the Eye (for when Strange uses it to attack the foe, Rasputin wonders what it is).
By that issue's end (the same day), Strange is victorious and erases all memory of magic from Rasputin's mind (again, with the Eye).

Rasputin would then retire from villainy and become an insurance claims adjuster (as seen in Cloak and Dagger v3 # 1). No. Seriously. If you have never read that account, anything you need to know about Mr Rasputin can also be found on the "Unofficial Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel U". [HERE].

So, at no time would Rasputin have the kind of meeting with the Hand that is shown in this issue.
In fact, in that 1966 issue of Strange Tales, Mr Rasputin is SO secure in his own power and abilities that such a meeting wouldn't have even crossed his mind.

Brian "makes-em-up-as-he-goes-along" Bendis, strikes again.

Don't take my word for it, here's a page from Strange Tales v1 # 145.

Ain't no disputin', Mr. Rasputin.

A Lee / Ditko joint.

The continuity snafu's aside, however, to move the story along, the subject of who Agamotto truly is must be addressed.
So, Bendis has the only logical person available to do so, tell of such things.
...WONG.

  Only a Manservant may serve up such a helping of exposition... best with tea and finger cakes.

Wait...what???  WONG!?!?
That's not right (that's SO "wong")!
At NO time in their early history is it even hinted at where Doctor Strange has Wong along for any adventure.
Such a relationship was simply not the case in those early Strange Tales issues. As Mr Rasputin states in the flashback scene in New Avengers, Wong was Dr Strange's manservant.
Nothing more.

In fact, such a "Holmes and Watson", or more accurately; "Mandrake and Hojo"-like duo-of-equals history of having Wong along for the adventures is something that was started in the 1990's Amazing Spider-Man animated series (1994's season 4, episode 1: Sins of the Fathers; Dr Strange).

That relationship would be hinted at in the comics in 1999's "Doctor Strange; Flight of Bones" mini-series
and then the "kung-fu and mystic" team-up would be pursued deeper in the excellent "Doctor Strange; The Oath" mini from 2006.
In one or two regular issues of Doctor Strange's titles, would Wong be an active participant to the adventure, but such things were rare, and at first purely by accident or chance.

At no time anywhere near where this flashback occurs would such a teaming have happened.
(It took a serious falling-out between the master and servant for Doc to treat Wong as a true equal, and for Wong to not want to kick Strange's ass. Mid-1990's arcs. Looooooong story - but in the course of explaining other pertinent info, that is also touched upon briefly a little later in this post.)

Still, even Bendis gets ONE thing right...sorta.

Having Mr Rasputin pull a handgun on Wong is a tip of the hat to the events of that Strange Tales story, since, in that tale, Dr Strange is near fatally wounded by a gunshot wound delivered by Rasputin. But that merely points out the time-line problem and brings us BACK to the point where Rasputin had no idea about the Eye. (Or after the fact of that issue when he would have been mind-wiped.)

And moreso, why would he pull a gun on Wong?
Rasputin was secure in his mystic abilities - only pulling the gun on Strange in that Strange Tales issue after a long mystical battle had proven to him that Strange was his better.
Surely, Wong would pose no such threat.
Argh.

I'm going to skip past this opening scene, because if I didn't, I could pick apart the mistakes all day. *  -  **

Instead, I'll just show the last segment of that intro scene because, even though it is erroneous, it is still an awesome visual by Stuart Immonen.

Doctor Strange and Wong "educate" the Hand Ninjas. "Old School" education!

---

What happens next is a set-up to how the spirit of Daniel Drumm (the previous Brother Voodoo) is now separated from his brother (Jericho Drumm, the most recent Brother Voodoo and current Sorcerer Supreme; Doctor Voodoo) and seems to be about to meet the architects of this entire mystic menace.

 I... I really hope this doesn't mean what I think it does. ***

(I'll explain in footnote # 3 at the end of the post)

We also see the current Sorcerer Supreme, the aforementioned Doctor Voodoo, trying to study up on whomever or whatever could be behind these chain of events and how to best remedy the situation.

However, unlike his predecessor; Stephen Strange, Jericho Drumm doesn't seem to have the natural aptitude and is struggling with his studies.

The spirit is wailing and the flesh is weak.

Here we FINALLY see the current location and status of the Cloak of Levitation.
(check the first panel).
It seems that Voodoo has no use for it (or has yet to master it) and so it sits, unused in his "Sanctum".

Actually, that's a minor nitpick with me as well.
Bendis keeps calling Dr Voodoo's location as his "Sanctum Sanctorum" and while that nomenclature is apt, it is not truly accurate as Voodoo's "sanctum", is called the "HounFour" (as most Voodoo Temples are so called - wiki here).
This was detailed in the truncated Doctor Voodoo series, but... as I said, a minor nitpick.

All told, that little scene with Doctor Voodoo and his brother tell us a great deal as to how this entire story will end.
Oh, I'll get to that before I wrap up this post, don't you worry.

It is now that we finally get a wrap-up to the angst of last issue's end.
Instead of the sidewalk smack-down that was seemingly unavoidable at the end of last issue, we see the New Avengers sauntering down the road back to Avengers mansion to have a watered-down scene of a penitent Stephen Strange and a thick-skulled Iron Fist having a talking-heads exposition-fest.

So you see, Iron Fist, as anyone who has been a super-hero for more than 5-minutes knows...
...bad guys LIE to you.

Skipping past the slightly confusing and momentum-sucking scenes with Hawkeye just showing up to state that he is going to be on the other team of Avengers, we find that, after much discussion, Spider-Man states (in jest) exactly what I stated in my review of the last issue:

Maybe AGAMOTTO just wants his Eye back?

After shared (implied) head-slaps, and without any further questioning of that hypothesis, both Stephen Strange and Daimon Hellstrom realize that this is indeed the case. And if so, that this would be seriously bad joob-joob.

Why?
Because Agamotto is seriously one of the big guns in the Marvel Universe.
He is hardly ever handled as more than a joke (I'll get to that in a moment), but as one-third of the Immortal Vishanti, and as the power behind the Eyes and Orb of Agamotto, he empowers much of the magic that gets tossed around in mystic battles.

If he were to become a threat... an actual participating enemy... then the scales of magic have just gone ass over teacup. In a handbasket.
Although... it really wouldn't (as I'll get to a little further on).

Now, even though I foretold the "Agamotto wants his Eye" scenario, I am willing to buy into it ALL being a massive "TEST" by Agamotto to get Strange back to the level of Sorcerer Supreme.

That wouldn't be outside of the line of reason or past example.

Agamotto frequently alters his appearance and he has presented challenges to Doctor Strange on several other occasions.

Usually, Agamotto appears in any one of a few different guises:

- When in the presence of the other two entities of the Vishanti, Agamotto usually appears as a Tiger's head with flaming eyes. This is how he first appeared to Dr. Strange.

Visions of the Vishanti.

Marvel Premiere # 5.

 - When alone, he appears as the Caterpillar from 'Alice in Wonderland' (because that "down the rabbit-hole" image is what was the image in Stephen's mind when Strange first entered Agamotto's realm)

Strange harshes Agamotto's mellow.

Dr. Strange; Master of the Mystic Arts # 1

- In battle conditions, Agamotto has changed his caterpillar shape from one of cartoonish friendliness to a frothing, fearsome insectoid creature that uses its mandibles to attack and spinning web-silk to bind his foes.

 Agamotto attacks.

Dr. Strange; Master of the Mystic Arts # 1

- He also appeared as a variation of that when fighting Galactus to a standstill.

 He was a One-Eyed, Multi-Horned, Flying, Purple-Planet-Eater-Beater

Dr. Strange; Sorcerer Supreme # 43

- He has, on a few occasions taken a form of an ant-like insect - and allowed Hoggoth to use the tiger head (possibly an artist/writer error). It was in this form that he granted secret knowledge to Strange, aiding him slightly, although he had also, in the company of the Vishanti, agreed to empower an enemy to defeat Strange.

Agamotto plays both sides to the middle.

Dr. Strange; Sorcerer Supreme # 72

- In a test to see if either was worthy of using the Eye(s) of Agamotto, the entity tested both Stephen Strange and Silver Dagger by allowing the villain to "steal" the lesser eye in order to battle Doctor Strange for the "greater" eye.

If an Eye offends thee... kick its ass.

Doctor Strange; Sorcerer Supreme #  32

- Agamotto has also been portrayed as a strange otherworldly sojourner (however, it was an issue of "What If?" and while that might not technically "count", it was here that the origin of the Eye was first truly explored. A history that has been accepted, as per the "Marvel Tarot" as being possible for the main "616" universe, as well).

Agamotto finds something better than a lucky-penny on the side of the interdimensional road.

What If? v1 # 18: What If Doctor Strange were a disciple of Dormammu?

With the possible exceptions of the case being with Agamotto leaving Strange to fight alone against Sligguth and Shuma Gorath (Doc's Marvel Premiere run) and testing a "powerless" Strange against a Vishanti-empowered ex-Sorceress Supreme; Salome' (Sorcerer Supreme # 71-75), those other instances were not to this level of threat to the universe as we know it.
However, thus far, the only threats in these New Avengers issues have been more or less "implied" (a few hundred demons and a torn sky notwithstanding).

But, even with the next scene, where the emissary of Agamotto appears, first in Agamotto's tiger-guise, and then as the "Ancient One", and then finally as a glowing humanoid... nothing is really being done to harm anyone (physical possession and threats to Strange notwithstanding).

Note the last thing this entity says:
RESPECT ME, STRANGE!

The entity is not Agamotto himself (since it refers to him in the 2nd person; "Give HIM what he wants"), nor is it the Ancient One... so who is it? He certainly seems malicious and malevolent, but... nothing really happens.
(Is that by the entities design or is it because Bendis needed to pad out an arc and we wont see any more real action until next issue?)

In issue # 3, there are two distinct voices speaking to Iron Fist.
One of them was this apparition.
Was the other Agamotto - or not?

And what (or where) is this "Light Dimension"?
It's not a stretch of the imagination to surmise that if there is already a so-called "Dark Dimension" that the balance of things would mean that there must be a "Light Dimension".
Of course, the Dark Dimension wasn't always named as such.
That nomenclature was coined after Dormammu and Umar took over.

So, who are the rulers of this "Light" Dimension?
Agamotto?
Was this one of the realms that he discovered / created during his mystical journeys while he ascended to near godhood?
Those selfsame paths of discovery when and where he first discovered / created the Orb and Eyes?
And, either way, who are the "hoards" that are described as existing there?
Is that what Daniel Drumm saw in that strange, dimensional plane?
Will they be the "midichlorians" of the new Marvel Magic? ***


Either way, this could seriously ALL be a massive testing.
...Or not.

The hints given by the "Ancient One" in previous issues (# 3 specifically), where it is stated that he considers Stephen Strange to be "...my greatest failure" might have some weight to it in the coming denouement.

After mentoring other "star" pupils, including;
Mister Jip, Dr. Druid, Baron Mordo, and Nicodemus West,
citing a "greatest failure" is a matter of the pot calling the kettle black!

There have been prior canonical references made to the Ancient One citing Stephen Strange as potentially being his greatest failure.

Among them:

• Strange Tales v2 # 8 (Strange reads a scroll written by the A.O., where such fears of Stephen being his greatest failure cut Strange deeply)
  
• X-StatiX presents; Dead Girl mini (although, this is quite probably out of continuity as it also presents a scenario where the Ancient One's spirit resided in hell.)
• Doctor Strange; The Oath # 4. (Nicodemus West - the "last" pupil states that he was chosen in case Strange failed to meet expectations.)
  
• And, to an extent, in the "Into Shamballah" graphic novel (as a test was given to Strange... one that he would eventually pass, but would cause him doubt and dismay.)
  

If you keep the canonical references in mind, the Ancient One has had many pupils:

• Kaluu (a co-student, learning at the same time as the Ancient One)
• Mister Jip
• Anthony Ludgate Druid (Dr. Druid)
• Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo
• Dr. Stephen Strange
• Dr. Nicodemus West

With the exception of Doctor Strange (and, for the majority of his life, Dr. Druid), each of them pursued evil intents, so calling Strange his greatest failure could only mean that Stephen was the only one with whom there lay any hope of success. Thus, the loss of the one "good son" would seem to be the deepest cut.

Perhaps Bendis and Marvel editorial will produce yet another long-lost pupil of the Ancient One. One whom finds favor with the aged mentor.

Perhaps this will factor in somehow.
(Personally, I doubt it. We only have one issue left in this arc - barring a continuance later.)

It could also be that the Vishanti are indeed disbanded - or worse...Dead - and Agamotto needs to bolster his power reserves to keep himself safe.

The Vishanti consist of "All-Seeing" Agamotto, "Omnipotant" Oshtur (Agamotto's Mother), and "Hoary" Hoggoth. Three nearly all-powerful eternal entities who reside in their own realms, but, when united, become the "All-Knowing" Vishanti.
If anything were to happen to either or both of the others, Agamotto would lose his cool like this and prepare to do battle with who or whatever the enemy was that defeated his fellows.
Basically, he'd take his toys back and go home.

That's how he behaved when Galactus invaded his realm, so at least his behavior is in keeping with past instances.

In such a way would the powers-that-be at Marvel be able to take away much of Strange's arsenal of magic and artifacts.

There has been some discussion in fan circles that the Eye is not necessarily a vestment of the office of "Sorcerer Supreme". That is true, in that it hadn't ever been stated as being as such. At least not explicitly.
It had been noted as being an article of power that was wielded by those who have ever opposed Dormammu.
The Ancient One bequeathed it to Strange after he first faced and "defeated" Dormammu, even though the Ancient One was Sorcerer Supreme and Strange was still but a pupil.

However, seeing as how Agamotto, ostensibly the first Sorcerer Supreme of our dimension was the one who first opposed Dormammu, while in that capacity, it could stand to reason that since the Eye is worn by the primary opposition to Dormammu, that such a person would be the Sorcerer Supreme.
Ergo, the Sorcerer Supreme would wield the Eye.
(It could have been at that moment after Strange first bested Dormammu, that the A.O. decided that this student would be his true successor and thus, bearer of the eye.)

Certainly a bit of circuitous logic, but it could answer many niggling doubts and nay-says on the matter.

Of course that could also be seen as a case of "post hoc ergo proptor hoc".

Still, either way, in truth, it hasn't really been stated one way or the other, so whichever way Marvel wishes to go with this still "works" from a canonical perspective (and that right there will get me some hate-comments).

Still, all of of this flies in the face with the fact that the EYE of AGAMOTTO was stolen (not to mention the many times that its theft was ATTEMPTED) all. the. time.

Many instances it was indeed carried off by various ne-er-do-wells.
Just a few of those occurrences include:

• MARVEL FEATURE # 1 - back-up story (Mordo "steals" the eye and cloak as he takes the guise of Dr. Strange)
• DOCTOR STRANGE v2 # 1-5 (Silver Dagger steals and uses the eye after he "kills" Strange to get it.)
• DEFENDERS v1 # 58-60 (the excellent XenoGenesis arc with Devil Slayer and Vera Gemini. The eye is indeed used for an act of "evil".)
• UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL # 4 (While in a magically-created "Hell", Marglai Szardos is able to summon the Eye from its Amulet and Strange can not prevent it.)
• CAPTAIN AMERICA / NICK FURY : THE OTHERWORLD WAR (1shot) (Red Skull and Dormammu steal the eye from the Ancient One). 
• DR. STRANGE; SORCERER SUPREME # 32 (Silver Dagger actually implants the original Eye of Agamotto into his own eye-socket and uses it against Strange and the newer, more powerful Eye. Although, it was all allowed by Agamotto - as a test for both Silver Dagger and Strange.)

Each time, while Strange was upset because he truly revered and cherished the Eye, it was never hinted at that the loss of the Eye would lead to the end of life as we know it. Instead, Strange would go retrieve it - either alone or with a team (usually the Defenders) and reverse whatever nefarious plot the thieves has set into motion.

One instance, shows quite the opposite of having the Sorcerer Supreme be the bearer of the Eye.
In Doctor Strange; Sorcerer Supreme # 61, after Salome' (a former Sorceress Supreme) defeats Strange, she seeks to take all the artifacts of that mantle.
Doctor Strange vanishes with the Cloak AND the Eye (much to the furious anger of Salome' - who screams for her treasured prizes)!
Ostensibly,  Salome' was the Sorcerer Supreme, and yet, Strange kept his artifacts. Robbing her of total victory.


However, on the other side of the equation, Agamotto DID INDEED take back BOTH the EYES and the ORB when he thought that Strange was allowing Galactus to have access to them (back in Doctor Strange; Sorcerer Supreme # 43 - scan seen above with the others of Agamotto's many guises). It negates any supposition of mine or Bendis; that he is unable to merely take back what is his out of some semblance of mystical rules of etiquette.
Of course, he does let Doc retain the artifacts in the end - but only at the behest of the others in the Vishanti; Hoggoth and Oshtur.

However, in that same Doctor Strange issue, Agamotto flatly states that he cares little what happens to our universe since he already has it all "on tape", and can re-watch its every event at his leisure. It is this lacking attitude towards our very continued existence that Agamotto echoes in New Avengers # 5.

And if the other Vishanti are indeed gone, there is no one to talk Agamotto into relenting in this quest to regain his possessions.

However, the argument being given by "Bendis/Agamotto" is that Agamotto currently NEEDS the Eye and all his power.
Well, if he "needs" all his power, mightn't he wish to regain some other mystical artifacts belonging or originating from Agamotto?
These include:

• Orb of Agamotto (currently in the possession of Doctor Voodoo)
• Amulet of Agamotto (the Original square-shaped "lesser" Eye - theoretically in Dr. Strange's possession - or at least tucked away at the Sanctum.)
• The Oracle of Agamotto (Seen in Marvel Premiere # 4. A back-up scrying device used by Dr.S.after the ORB was broken and before Clea mended it.)
• The Spine of Agamotto (an artifact used by the Minorus' of "the Pride" to instill individuals with power)
• The Moebius Stone (an artifact created by Agamotto, which can traverse time. It's been destroyed, but heck... it's comics.)

Agamotto might also wish to obtain the following items created and/or co-created by his mother; Oshtur:

• The Book of the Vishanti (created by all three of the Vishanti)
• The Tome of Oshtur
• The Sword of Bone (created by Oshtur as one of the "cornerstones of creation", but to be utilized by Agamotto's avatar; "Cadaver")

The reason that Agamotto states for needing all his power is that "the Vishanti are no more".
The fact that the "Eternal Vishanti" are no longer unified, is not a totally bad idea.
At the very least, it could lead to some interesting stories and/or choices.
Maybe.
That, of course, depends on their being a consistent editorial dictate that will monitor this course of events.

With the Vishanti out of the equation, much of the mystic power structure of the Marvel Universe will shift.
This could theoretically lead to spells not working, or old ties and allegiances being declared null-and-void.

It could also mean squat. Zilch. Nada. Bupkis.
Face it, it's fiction.
And fiction with a bad history of no known parameters, which is WHY Marvel wanted to change the rules of magic to begin with.
If the power base of magic is altered, and without any clear-cut diagram of what that meant to start with, such a change is arbitrary and frankly, useless.
It's like changing Thanos from a villain into an anti-hero (which he has been on occasion).
As long as he is able to cause some mayhem along the way, it's no different than when he was evil, but constantly setting himself up for defeat.
You've changed the name of the dance, but you're playing the same song and making the same moves.

Agamotto and other hardly-seen entities walking off the board and taking their spells and items with them will only leave a vacuum that will be filled by a writer who needs some way with which to portray magic.

Bendis has already broken the seemingly binding new dictum of "magic must have rules" by having his spells in these issues simply be Strange and company waving their hands and a glowing footnote tells us what made-up spell (complete with book title, page number and author) is being used.
Hell. The only thing he hasn't bothered to fake is the Dewey Decimal numbering and/or ISBN for the tome. Or...y'know... any rhyming for the random spells.

Unless an actual outline of what spells will be allowed going forth (possibly with a published "Book of Spells" issue; $4.99 with 10 holographic, foil cover variants) then this is all just a case of sound and fury - signifying nothing.

Certainly, it is not a likely concept. Or, at least, it is unlikely that it will be properly maintained.
Back in the 1980's famed (and infamous) editor; Mark Gruenwald had dictated that there was too loose a system for time-travel, and that everyone was using it as a magic "back-door".
So, he created a moratorium on time-travel with the exception of certain, explicit manners of utilizing it.
That policy was adhered to and strictly monitored in all the titles that not only he edited, but across the Marvel publishing line-up.

THAT is the only way to re-write, create, or enforce any new "rules" for magic.
Sadly, such an editorial landscape is nonexistent today.

And what if the Eye, Orb and other trinkets are removed from use?
While they are, and have always been, very cool looking badges of office, and "important" status-symbols, frankly the Orb is nothing but a cliche'd Crystal Ball and the Eye hasn't been used properly in years - if ever.

Since the first usage of the first "minor" Eye, the Eye(s) of Agamotto have been used as a can-do-whatever-is-required "sonic-screwdriver".
It has been used to do any and all of the following:

• Repel ancient evils with its "pure light of truth".
• Dispel illusions
• force those in its gaze to tell the truth
• Read minds 
• Observe memories (even those of FISH - no. Seriously.)
• Rewind and view past events.
• track both ethereal and corporeal beings by their psychic or magical emissions
• Use its light as a tractor-beam thus lifting others in flight along with Strange
• See through dimensions
• See through matter
• Cause the amulet's casing to expand in size and be used as a dimensional doorway
• create a mystical shield
• transport those who are bathed in its light to other dimensions
• put those who are bathed in its light into a state of suspended animation
• much, much more...

Basically, the Eye of Agamotto is the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card.

If Strange were to lose it (or if writers were to... I dunno... specify its uses) then his too-powerful status might not be a factor. 


Thus far the story is that the Eye was discovered and/or created by Agamotto.
It having floated amongst the stars for untold eons and/or blinking into existence when Agamotto peered into new realms of consciousness and paths of existence.


Perhaps, we will see an official origin to the Eye of Agamotto.
It could be that Marvel has decided upon its beginnings and determined its end.

One irritating facet to the Vishanti's being removed from the board (and a sure-fire way to return them, should it be needed), is that the Vishanti are still (by all rights) still embroiled in the "War of the Seven Spheres", and shall be for the next 5,000 years (give or take a year or fifteen).



--- A now, a brief aside to explain the "War of the Seven Spheres" ---

The War of the Seven Spheres was a huge mystic battle that was an on-again, off-again subject from the mid-#40's issues to near the end of the "Sorcerer Supreme" title.
It was also touched upon in issues of the Avengers and other titles all during the mid-1990's.
Obviously, it was going to be a big deal.
Sadly, due to the sales of Strange's title fluctuating (and floundering), that never happened, and it popped up now and again, until it was all wrapped up quickly and with little fanfare (mostly off-panel).

It was a battle that was to take about 5,000 years and incorporated every mystical entity in this and every other reality.
The Vishanti were among the many entities that wished to draft Stephen Strange to their cause and to fight under their banner.

Long story short, after Strange refused to participate (because he would not leave Earth mystically unprotected for that long a time), he gave up nearly all of his "power", and ties to ALL mystical entities - removing himself from being able to call upon them for aid or empowerment, and eventually created his own power-source for magic.
It was then that the Vishanti returned to insist that he fight on their side or face destruction.

Having little choice, he assented, but requested that they return him to Earth only mere months from the time that he left, so as to coincide with a celestial syzygy from which he would use to create yet another new magic base.

 5,000 years of exposition in 3 pages.

Doctor Strange; Sorcerer Supreme # 80

Oh, heck... here's another (but there are more).

Remember before when I mentioned the whole Wong hating Doc story?

This touches upon that as well.

Doctor Strange; Sorcerer Supreme # 81

Some (including the most honored, revered and esteemed Strange-o-phile; NeilalieN) believe (due to a one-panel explanation in an issue of Spectacular Spider-Man - shown below) that the reason Strange returned to Earth only months after leaving was that time flowed differently in the realm where the War took place. ****

 It was a storyline meant to last for years. It was wrapped up in a heartbeat.

Sensational Spider-Man # 22

 However, there is a lot of actual dialogue and "Marvel Handbook" entries that state otherwise, and that indeed, Strange fought by their side for 5,000 years and was returned via mystical time-travel to the time-frame mere months from which he left, at his request.

If the war ended in a "nanosecond" here on Earth, then why would Strange have the Vishanti bring him back to Earth several months later? Why not just reappear after that "nanosecond"?
In fact, if this issue of Spectacular Spider-Man was correct (in that once the war was over, that Strange regained his ties to the Vishanti), then why did he need to invent / create several new magic resources after his return?
The answer... Marvel lost interest in the storyline, and lost interest in the "new and improved" magic Strange was using, and in order to bring Strange back to his status quo, merely retconned the "over in a blip" wrap up just to move on.

Either way, whether or not if the war lasted 5,000 years and Doc was magically time-shunted back to within a few weeks (which, the Vishanti - and all participants could have done for themselves - which is why they'd be around NOW), OR if the war indeed was a blip in "our time", the Vishanti (and Strange) should still have aspects of themselves embroiled in that war. *****

Such could be the way a good magic writer can undo any changes later seen to be "Bendis Blunders" TM.

---

However, granted that the accepted "time passes differently" rationale, the Vishanti splitting up isn't as unheard of as someone claiming that the Christian "Holy Trinity" have split up.
In the case of the Vishanti, they are three very powerful and egocentric entities, unlike the Trinity who are three aspects of the same entity.

Still, tales of Gods and mystic entities are filled with epic tales of their bickering and falling out of favors.
Such a schism in the hierarchy of magical personage would certainly do some shaking up to the status quo of the mystic power scales.

Especially if the entities all needed to retain their power and were to stop bequeathing it to anyone who entreats them. Unless, of course, the other Vishanti (and possibly other entities) are now deceased.
This would relegate the magic of the Earth to just the manipulation of natural forces - and the granted energies of some lesser beings.

Of course, this has already been done in that "Strange refuses to fight the 7-Spheres War" story.
He gave up all ties and allegiances, cutting himself off from all outre magic.
This merely created new magic systems and they were far more confusing and random than the tried and true methods of rhyming and calling on names of power created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Still, if this is Marvel's big idea for setting new standards and practices for magic, it doesn't seem to be a very sound or concrete idea.
While Bendis is citing little footnoted spells (complete with name, book and page number) it is a system that can soon become too unwieldly, or simply become just as crazy-all-powerful as the old "hocus pocus" style of spell casting.

I still see no difference between ANY of these styles of magic or having someone like Reed Richards whipping up some cosmic doohicky, as anything other than playing comic book science and magic as one in the same in all but name.
Except that there is the double-standard against magic seemingly needing "rules".

This brings us to the end of the issue.
While it is thoroughly enjoyable to see Doctor Voodoo finally stepping up the plate as our Sorcerer Supreme and creating a plan that is outside of the box, the execution of that plan is patently ridiculous.
Basically, Wolverine is being transformed into a mystic warrior - imbued with the collective powers and abilities of all the Avengers - magic abilities and all.
Despite having zero actual aptitude or knowledge in the arts.

 Bang, Bang... Shoot, Shoot. Happiness is a Warm Wolverine.

This simply embodies the sad fact that Marvel doesn't understand magic.
Magic isn't physical violence.
It also isn't a "gun". A weapon to be aimed at someone and fired.
Using Wolverine's body is the same thing as using him as a magical weapon.
Bendis even uses the words "Point me!" in the dialogue.
Wolverine is now primed, cocked and ready to fire whatever "magic-bullet" is required to wrap up this story.
His now being used as a "virtual video game controller" in order to combat a mystic foeman is exactly what makes it obvious that current MU writers are not thinking of magic as an ethereal manipulation of energies, but more of a super-hero fight of strike and counterstrike.
Wave your hands and make some kind of force against your opponent.

Sure, using Wolverine makes sense from a "he is unkillable" point of view, but only until you realize the scope and enormity of having a mortal battle an eternal entity like Agamotto.
It's like having Ant-Man battle the Living Tribunal or Eternity. ******
(Actually, that really happened. I was poking fun there.)
*Sigh*

I had a thought that I wanted to add here, but couldn't get in on time, as I was driving off to work, and intended to include... but seemingly not before it was also thought of - and commented upon in my comments section below - by the esteemed "Estate of Tim O'Neil", but...
How would having Wolverine help against an entity like Agamotto, who, as a master of illusion, can become ANYTHING!? How do you combat against that with mere physical violence?
The point is that Wolverine is the unstoppable fighter that will  continuously forge ahead and ignore whatever shape or form his opponent may transform into will be his primary strength. *******
Especially if appropriately empowered with mystic wards and spells.
Still, if the dimension's continued existence were on the shoulders of either Wolverine (an unstoppable berserker) or Doctor Voodoo (an untested, "scab" of a Sorcerer Supreme)... well... my money is on the maniac.

-----

As for how this will all end...
Well, the way I see it, according to the solicit copy for the next issue, characters are going to change allegiances and/or die... so, I can surmise that something will happen to the spirit-form of DANIEL Drumm.
Either he will finally move on to the "spirit loa" and that will push JERICHO Drumm to the point where he will do something dire - thus removing himself from Sorcerer Supreme status (if not to be a villain outright), and Daniel will somehow regain physical form and the two siblings will become enemies (Daniel the good, and Jericho the bad?) - or they will switch sides of the curtain and Jericho will be the spirit while Daniel animates their form.

OR Jericho will make the ultimate sacrifice and Daniel will take over the body - as a possible wild-card (remember the "Drumm of Revenge" note I blogged about a few months back? [HERE]).

On the cover for issue # 6, the only one who is obscured by shadow is Doctor Voodoo.
That seems like a visual clue.
Strange is partially shadowed.
Also, a possibly telling visual.
I think Doc will also take a bit of a "darkening" to a possible half-hero ... no longer quite the man he was.
(Also possibly foretold in that post I just linked to - [HERE])


Agamotto is a harder entity to parse.
He has ever been nebulous and chimeric in his reasons and actions, so determining if he is the dark-villain or guiding-light of the arc is still anyone's guess.

If Agamotto IS to become a dark entity, it would only remove his various tools from the chessboard and not much else.
If Agamotto passes beyond the care of this dimension and no longer supplies energies to those who call upon him, well... that's pretty much the same thing.

I would have liked to see the dark-entity who was the big-bad from the Doctor Voodoo series continue his promised emergence and be the threat here - thus wrapping up that dangling plotline and bringing the Sorcerer Supreme some closure on that front.
A cool character, OGOUN the Slayer has some (seemingly) deep ties to the lineage of both the "Brother Voodoos" and "Sorcerer Supremes" of Earth.
It was left off that he was "coming" - having opened the gates between his realm and ours.
This would be a perfect time to wrap that up.


As for Stephen Strange... as we've already seen in upcoming solicitations for upcoming issues of (adjectiveless) Avengers and Incredible Hulks, he is still around, and, while no longer wearing his old costume, is still wielding magic - for all accounts, as a hero.
He IS one of Marvel's true founding characters,y'know.
As such, I would hope that they would not turn him into a villain or kill him off as of yet - especially not with a feature film deal in the near future.

I am fairly confident that whatever changes and "fixes" are implemented by Quesada, Brevoort, Bendis and company, can and shall be undone in time by a writer (and/or new guard) with an idea as to how to handle mysticism.

Comics are like our own lives - nothing stays the same, but everything eventually comes around again.
As long as the lead character survives long enough.

---------

* 

I mean, when and where was that newspaper photo of Doctor Strange standing next to Spider-Man supposed to come from?
The earliest meetings between the two heroes always dealt with Strange maintaining the utmost sense of mystery and security.
Amazing Spider-Man Annual # 1 = Doc is only in astral form.
Amazing Spider-Man Annual # 2 = the two were only together at the final battle, and after that, only for a quick goodbye.
Sure, Peter Parker could have theoretically had one of his cameras webbed to a wall or something, but that seems unlikely as he had no idea where he would end up.
Even the ret-conned "first" appearance between the two;
Untold Tales of Spider-Man: Strange Encounters - oneshot (1998) dealt with a time when Doc was wearing his original blue/purple cloak.
So... whatever.
I'm going to accept the Parker camera explanation and give myself a No-Prize.

** 

And how can Rasputin say that Strange is the "unchallenged and uncontested Master of the Mystic Arts"?
Doc was challenged and contested all the time! Mordo alone would negate that statement, if there weren't many others seeking the title and artifacts of the Mystic Master.

***

Midichlorians are the microorganism in the fictional Star Wars galaxy that act as the structure behind the "mystical" power called the "Force". If those white amoeba-looking things seen in the Light Dimension that Daniel Drumm perceives are like that, well... Marvel magic will suck more then the last three Star Wars films.

**** 

I will admit to being a party to helping "affirm" the whole "7 Spheres War ends in a blip" story, because, due to an interweb discussion several years ago, I had emailed Warren Ellis, who wrote some of those issues, and inquired what he had intended.
He replied (which was nice of him) stating that it was a long time ago, and he hadn't thought about it in years, but that it all basically worked out that time flowed differently between the planes. 5,000 years there equaled a few moments here.
Not wanting to possibly insult him (or call his answer into question) by bringing up the words that he himself had wrote, I let it drop and posted his basic reply on the old Defenders Message Board (R.I.P.).
That doesn't mean that I agreed or bought into it.
Just that I wasn't going to get into a "thing" with a creator about a few issues he wrote a decade or so before - and may not really remember - or care about, pertaining to an abandoned plotline on a title for which he wrote one or two issues.


*****
Such is the same theory that was used in the Star Trek : Generations film.
Both Kirk and Guinan were caught in the "ribbon", which was timeless and could be returned to - or escaped from, with no loss of time. Kirk is dead in the real world? No problem. A facet of him is still in the ribbon. Just have that part of him come out. Guinan was both in AND out of the ribbon - at the same time.

Thus, Strange and the Vishanti (and all mystic entities involved) can be rebooted by emerging (or coming into contact with themselves) from the War.

******

Actually, Hank Pym has had his ass kicked by Eternity (when he was determined to be the "Scientist Supreme" - Mighty Avengers # 30).
Just another instance of Marvel losing sight of the majesty and mystery of their eternal mystical entities.
(Although, Loki later claimed that it was he posing as Eternity just to mess with Pym - Mighty Avengers # 34)

*******

I'd liken it to the scene in the original Star Trek pilot episode; "The Cage", where Capt. Pike is fighting against one of his illusion-casting jailers, and despite whatever fearsome visage they would transform into, Pike just kept his hands tight around it's neck.
Hmmm... lots of Start Trek and alt-sci-fi references in this post.
Cool. Cross-pollination of pop-culture.


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"Tamam Shud!"
~P~