Previous Post Quote: Quote: The character seemed off to me though. Staying that he thought a female character dug him and starting it off with the phrase "I enjoy the Hell out of it" seemed very un-Doc Strange to me. Loosening him up. Making him more human. Redefining him a little. Doc spent a lot of his career in a monogamous relationship with Clea. What would he be like in the absence of that? Might he not be the supernatural Captain Kirk, finding romance in nearly every alien dimension? It at least seems plausible to me. The opportunity would certainly be there. He's our dimension's mightiest sorcerer, proving himself supremely formidable on a daily basis. Among those who know and care, he would be a rock star, and rock stars get the babes. He is to magic what Tony Stark is to engineering and capitalism. As Tony so often has a lovely lady on his arm, why wouldn't Stephen? Not even counting his recent Clea troubles, Strange ranks up there with Tony when it comes to women. Even if you don't count the Into Shamballa story, where he (for the job) bedded 100 women at once in a massive orgy by duplicating himself, his list is about a dozen women. Quote: Quote: What's more the the group of friends around a bar seemed alien by the nature of its normality (if that makes any sense) and then there was Scarlet Witch calling him a dog and his talk of ex's wanting to kill him. Aside from the not very good Fraction Defenders, I have no idea where that came from. Are there no more loners in the Marvel Universe? Of everything in the issue, this scene made the most sense of all. Look what came of it. Stephen learned of a new menace. Surely that's the point of these gatherings: to share information. Agreed. It was a great scene. I hope we see more like it with other magicians. Quote: Quote: When I saw the cover with no grey-temples I was afraid of this. I'm pretty sure that they youthified Dr. Strange. Could Secret Wars have caused this? I don't think they youthified him, really. He still seems approximately middle-aged.

I didn't just like the art. I may have misinterpreted this, but there seemed to be a defensive feel to going back to that early idea of people coming to him with problems. I like the idea. It was always underutilized part of the character. I think there is a lot of potential for good character work.

AS for the justifications of him being "a dog," I'm going to need some examples to jog my memory here. I don't remember there being very many women in his life other than Clea before 2005. Even after that all I remember was The Night Nurse (despite the fact that as far as I know the marriage never officially ended), but that was monogamous, right? I never really enjoyed Bendis' New Avengers, so I came and went... also didn't like how he portrayed the Doc.

Yes, there was that scene in the excellent GN Into Shamballa. However, if I remember correctly (and I may not it has been a few years since I read it) there was a a spiritual reason behind it. Even if I'm remembering incorrectly, one night of debauchery hardly would have an army of exes out to get you.


I suppose an inter-dimensional Captain Kirk is plausible, except that Doc's whole origin is about not being as stuck in the material world. While not entirely giving them up, earthly pleasures would hols less sway.

As for the bar giving light to a new threat... is the Orb of Agamotto no longer up to snuff? Was there no way to do it that didn't seem like it was out of a sitcom? And wasn't he an alcoholic? It made him seem a little to much like a Spider-Man or Daredevil type.

And I absolutely think they are youthifying him. Certainly in look, I miss those grey temples. What's more the dialogue seemed like something a 30 year old might say.

Essentially, my issue comes down to a fundamental disagreement with something one of you two said, that Dr. Strange is the mystical Tony stark. I disagree, he is the polar opposite. Tony is about the material and Doc the immaterial. Doc's origin is about overcoming arrogance, Tony has been arrogant since 1963 and only slows when he is consumed by the drink. Tony is social, Doc is a bit more introverted. Many of these things made him unique among the Marvel universe. And admittedly they have been tugging on that for almost a decade.

He just feels too much like a superhero who uses magic more than Dr. Strange, which may seem odd to say, but it all goes with that uniqueness I talked about.

I understand the appeal of the comic, I just don't personally view it as Dr. Strange. But if this is what sells, its what is going to be.