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Marvel Cinematic Universe
Marvel's Doctor Strange Prelude
The Doctor will see you now! Ahead of the Master of the Mystic Arts' major motion picture, meet the cinematic Stephen Strange -the man who will one day be Earth's Sorcerer Supreme - in this prelude adventure! Plus, magical stories from Doctor Strange's comic book history, from his sensational origin to his entry into the modern Marvel era! The mysterious Ancient One may have much to teach the wounded surgeon Strange - unless the malevolent Mordo has his way! The Doctor faces the nefarious Nightmare and takes an incredible journey back to the very dawn of time. But when he gets shot, can the Night Nurse save his life?
COLLECTING: MARVEL'S DOCTOR STRANGE PRELUDE 1-2; MARVEL'S DOCTOR STRANGE PRELUDE INFINITE COMIC 1; DOCTOR STRANGE: THE OATH 1; DOCTOR STRANGE (2015) 1; STRANGE TALES 110, 115 (DOCTOR STRANGE STORIES); MARVEL PREMIERE 14
COLLECTING: MARVEL'S DOCTOR STRANGE PRELUDE 1-2; MARVEL'S DOCTOR STRANGE PRELUDE INFINITE COMIC 1; DOCTOR STRANGE: THE OATH 1; DOCTOR STRANGE (2015) 1; STRANGE TALES 110, 115 (DOCTOR STRANGE STORIES); MARVEL PREMIERE 14
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
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153 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
November 1, 2016
I am preparing to see the Benedict Cumberbatch movie version, which is already now out. I've read the first and recent volumes of both superstars Brian Vaughn and Jason Aaron, and I ordered omnibus collections dating back to 1963 when Stan Lee and Steve Ditko started this. I found this volume on the shelf, too; it is, if you are at all cynical, a movie preview cash grab, but it is also one answer to the question: What is one thing I can read to prepare for the movie?
The slick little volume includes a couple short preludes to the Doc and his world by Will Pilgrim and Jorge Fornes. It includes both Vaughn's and Aaron's #1 issues from their separate series on Strange, both great in their own ways. It includes the first issue from Strange Tales, July 1963. It includes the origin story they wrote for December's Strange Tales. If this is the ONLY thing you are going to read about the Doc it will give you a little smorgasbord of tastes of some key moments from the past and present. I liked reading it through in one sitting, to see the very different ways they all write him, and what continuity exists.
The slick little volume includes a couple short preludes to the Doc and his world by Will Pilgrim and Jorge Fornes. It includes both Vaughn's and Aaron's #1 issues from their separate series on Strange, both great in their own ways. It includes the first issue from Strange Tales, July 1963. It includes the origin story they wrote for December's Strange Tales. If this is the ONLY thing you are going to read about the Doc it will give you a little smorgasbord of tastes of some key moments from the past and present. I liked reading it through in one sitting, to see the very different ways they all write him, and what continuity exists.
May 20, 2019
5 ⭐
This comic book showed events that happened before the Doctor Strange movie. It had Wong, the Ancient One, and Kaecilius getting magical artifacts put away. It also had comics involving Doctor Strange.
I enjoyed this comic. Liked seeing Wong, the Ancient One, Mordo, and Kaecilius. Sad that Kaecilius's wife was murdered in front of him.
This comic book showed events that happened before the Doctor Strange movie. It had Wong, the Ancient One, and Kaecilius getting magical artifacts put away. It also had comics involving Doctor Strange.
I enjoyed this comic. Liked seeing Wong, the Ancient One, Mordo, and Kaecilius. Sad that Kaecilius's wife was murdered in front of him.
February 18, 2018
I became a huge Doctor Strange fan in the 1980's, especially of the 1970's era of Frank Brunner and company. While I liked some of the issues contained in this "Prelude" to the movie (which I admit is still on my "to watch" list), I found it an uneven collection of tales. I'd give 5 stars to the Doctor Strange Prelude #1 & #2 plus to the Prelude Infinite Comic #1 (even though our title Sorcerer Supreme is not on the horizon in the stories yet). Also the Marvel Premiere (from the 1970's) deserves 5-stars as it's from the Brunner/Giordano era that hooked me on Doctor Strange in the first place. Doctor Strange The Oath #1 was a 4-star tale (especially in the twist that Doctor Strange had been shot during a robbery and in his relationship with Wong) but it ended "To Be Continued" with no connection to the next tale. Doctor Strange The Way of the Weird was a 2-star tale that didn't get interesting until the "To Be Continued" (which again did not lead into the next story). The original 1960's "Strange Tales" issues were a good introduction to "Classic Doctor Strange" for new fans. All in all, enjoyable but not the best of collections.
November 27, 2016
As a newcomer to Doctor Strange, this collection was a nice introduction to the character. The first issues (which were evident tie-ins to the most recent movie) were rather bland and didn't really add much to how I'd viewed the movie. (Though it was nice to learn a little bit more about Kaecilius's character). I also didn't love the last story featured in this collection. (Perhaps because I had no lead-up to what was obviously the climax of some story arc.). Needless to say, the middle issues were what made this collection shine. Those stories provided more insight to who Doctor Strange is and also pointed me in the direction of what arcs I would be interested in reading (namely "The Oath). And, of course, the '60s issues they included were a fun piece of nostalgia. Overall, this collection is a great place to start if you are looking to dive into Doctor Strange's universe.
January 9, 2017
6th book read in 2017.
Number 423 out of 571 on my all time book list.
Review Pending:
Number 423 out of 571 on my all time book list.
Review Pending:
March 14, 2019
I thought this prelude was some crazy mess. I'm not exactly sure why the novel had a mash-up of all different Doctor Strange issues from all over the place, but it was kind of nice to have a general overview of the man throughout his time. I liked the art of Prelude #1-2 because it was different than most other comic books. And I totally freaked when I saw Tina Minoru. I had no clue that she was part of Kamar-Taj, but it was so awesome. Maybe the Runaways and Doctor Strange will have a run-in later on. It was also nice to see the Ancient One again. Her time (though she's lived countless lifetimes) was brief in the movie and she deserves more. The Infinite Comic was really cool because we got to see a real backstory for Kaecilius. It was odd that the movie didn't give him many layers, he was just a bad guy because he was a bad guy. Losing his wife and son must have been hard, but I'm still not sure that I would have sought Dormammu for guidance. The Oath was a great story, probably because it was written by Brian K. Vaughn, but it was interesting. Wong dying of cancer and Stephen going into a different dimension to get an elixir to save him was a good spin on things. I honestly love Christine and Stephen in the MCU, but The Oath had me totally shipping Wong and Strange. The whole "master" and "No, it's not your fault; it's mine" thing was so gay. I liked the 2015 comic, too, not only because it had the Scarlet Witch, but because the plotline intrigued me. I really want to know what the Empirikul are now and I also want to know more about how interdimensional beings can be on your head, chest, or infect your soul. I was sad when they killed the messenger butterflies, though. The original Strange Tales from the 50s were a helpful addition as well. I forgot how much I love origin stories from the mid nineteenth century. And it was amazing to read a comic written by Stan Lee decades ago. I liked to see the change in gender for the Ancient One and race for Mordo. I love that modern times brings original comics up to speed on the latest equality. This prelude has me completely hooked and now I want to read all things Doctor Strange. I recommend it to those who need an open mind.
December 3, 2021
A tie-in to the Doctor Strange movie containing seven stories, including his origin.
Here we get some backstories for some of the movie characters, such as Mordo, Wong and Kaecilius as well as see Doctor Strange himself facing foes like Nightmare and Shuma-Gorath.
Despite what you might think from the cover of this book, only two out of seven stories here have links to the Doctor Strange movie. Those two are definitely the best on offer here, showing us how the Masters of Mystic Arts of Kamar-Taj operated before Stephen Strange turns up on their doorstep, but even they are fairly unremarkable.
The other five stories here are an absolute jumble running across decades of Doctor Strange stories, with no discernible themes or narrative connections.
The only story which feels it really belongs here is the one by the classic duo of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko which was the original reveal of Doctor Strange's origin story. All of the other stories seem almost randomly chosen and, mostly, aren't even complete self-contained tales.
So, just a messy jumble of Doctor Strange stories which don't actually really add anything to the movie that they're supposed to be helping promote.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *
Here we get some backstories for some of the movie characters, such as Mordo, Wong and Kaecilius as well as see Doctor Strange himself facing foes like Nightmare and Shuma-Gorath.
Despite what you might think from the cover of this book, only two out of seven stories here have links to the Doctor Strange movie. Those two are definitely the best on offer here, showing us how the Masters of Mystic Arts of Kamar-Taj operated before Stephen Strange turns up on their doorstep, but even they are fairly unremarkable.
The other five stories here are an absolute jumble running across decades of Doctor Strange stories, with no discernible themes or narrative connections.
The only story which feels it really belongs here is the one by the classic duo of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko which was the original reveal of Doctor Strange's origin story. All of the other stories seem almost randomly chosen and, mostly, aren't even complete self-contained tales.
So, just a messy jumble of Doctor Strange stories which don't actually really add anything to the movie that they're supposed to be helping promote.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *
June 23, 2020
This book is a good amuse-bouche to the world of Dr Strange. It is not a cohesive story but rather the intro to three different Dr Strange stories. The first portion is a prelude to the film Dr Strange. It fills in some narrative backstory prior to the beginning of the film. You can tell that this collection was intended to introduce people to the good doctor because of their interest in the film. After the movie prologue, there is the first portion to The Oath which is considered a classic Dr Strange storyline. After that is the opening issue to a more recent Dr Strange adventure the Way of the Weird.
Each of these is meant to spark interest in their respective series and the film. Fans of Dr Strange will undoubtedly already have read The Oath and possible The Way of the Weird. The only new content is the backstory to the opening of the film. Still, it's a good intro to the uninitiated. Really my ratings are as follows:
For newcomers the collection-5 stars
For people who are already fans of the character-3 stars since it does not cover very much new ground.
Each of these is meant to spark interest in their respective series and the film. Fans of Dr Strange will undoubtedly already have read The Oath and possible The Way of the Weird. The only new content is the backstory to the opening of the film. Still, it's a good intro to the uninitiated. Really my ratings are as follows:
For newcomers the collection-5 stars
For people who are already fans of the character-3 stars since it does not cover very much new ground.
November 14, 2019
Este ha sido de los preludios Marvel Cinematic que he leído porque creo que es el que más ha aportado a la película. Viendo como eran las misiones de los discípulos de la Anciana, saber un poco más de ella o del pasado de Kaecilius, aunque tampoco es nada que nada que no pudieras haberte imaginado viendo la propia película, pero al menos no te vuelve a contar cosas que ya viste si fuiste al cine.
Los cómics clásicos que acompañan a la historia son los que uno esperaría, pero me ha gustado poder leer la historia de Sise-Neg que tantos me habían recomendado, pero no entiendo por qué solo pusieron el segundo capítulo de dos, haciendo que me falte contexto.
El pequeño extracto del cómic guionizado por Jason Aaron ha hecho que tenga más ganas de leer su etapa con el hechicero supremo, además de darle un nuevo sentido a la frase que Mordo dice al final de la película del UCM: "Es hora de saldar la cuenta".
Los cómics clásicos que acompañan a la historia son los que uno esperaría, pero me ha gustado poder leer la historia de Sise-Neg que tantos me habían recomendado, pero no entiendo por qué solo pusieron el segundo capítulo de dos, haciendo que me falte contexto.
El pequeño extracto del cómic guionizado por Jason Aaron ha hecho que tenga más ganas de leer su etapa con el hechicero supremo, además de darle un nuevo sentido a la frase que Mordo dice al final de la película del UCM: "Es hora de saldar la cuenta".
November 26, 2016
This would've been a 5 star review, but two of the stories that are included in this collection are only the first part. I feel like the only reason they were included is because they are still in print and they want you to buy them now. Other than that, the complete stories that ere included are really interesting. There are three prequels to the movie including Kaelicious's motives which was nice to have. Then there are three of the original appearances of Doctor Strange: his first one and his original origin story are included. Other than the two stories that did not have the complete storyline, which I would like to point out was not mentioned in the description online, I really enjoyed this collection.
January 13, 2025
This was the first Doctor Strange collection I've read. It turned out to be a rather poor starting point. The seven stories are from different eras over the last ~50 years (and therefore different artists), none of the plots are necessarily connected to the others, and most have no resolution to the story. Some of the art was outstanding (generally, the ones that were more recent), but some of the older stories were a bit old-fashioned in their approach. I suppose this is good as a historical document of how the character - and comic books in general - have evolved over the years.
August 6, 2020
this wasn't bad - it includes the backstories of kaecilius, wong & stephen, which added depth to the characters and made me appreciate them more. it also collects multiple Doctor Strange origin stories (The Oath, The Way of the Weird and the very first run written by Stan Lee). it was eye-opening & i'd love to get my hands on the 2015 run real soon.
April 23, 2021
Mixed bag of random Doctor Strange comics. Some recent ones have a decent prelude to the movie but my favorites were the Strange Tales issues where he has his Marvel debut back in the early 1960s. Pretty amazing they thought up his origin story pretty much intact way back then that became such a popular movie just recently.
July 25, 2017
I really liked the preview, and how it gave more of a backstory to the various characters. The rest of the book is padded out by adding in various issues of Doctor Strange stories from his first appearance to 2015. Since these are all only one issue, they're a horrible tease.
May 21, 2019
A good collection
This gives you a good sampling from Dr Stranges origins to the present day stories. It's quite an eclectic mix but enjoyable. And we also see the origin story for Kaliosis Dr Stranges enemy in the upcoming film.
This gives you a good sampling from Dr Stranges origins to the present day stories. It's quite an eclectic mix but enjoyable. And we also see the origin story for Kaliosis Dr Stranges enemy in the upcoming film.
August 13, 2019
Never having read any of the Dr Strange comics (the film was my introduction) I found this prelude to be a fascinating insight into Dr Strange history (or pre-history). recommended for any new fans of Dr Strange.
June 10, 2017
After watching the movie thought to read the book.
July 15, 2017
read 7/14/17
March 14, 2018
A MCU title that isn't just an adaptation of an earlier movie!
Plus other Strange issues to get readers interested.
Plus other Strange issues to get readers interested.
October 18, 2018
THIS IS WHAT A TIE-IN COMIC SHOULD BE! Character backstory and development! Naming important side characters! Setting up for the opening scenes!
December 22, 2018
WOW!!!
I absolutely loved it!
great!
full of new stories!
I absolutely loved it!
great!
full of new stories!
October 2, 2021
This was unnecessary and all over the place. Little thought was put into the execution and layout of the story.
November 22, 2022
2.75 stars
February 8, 2023
This is an anthology, including original Doctor Strange comic books.
March 21, 2017
Was pretty interesting. Included the origin stories and some new volumes I have already read. I'm glad the origin story was redone since the art looks way better in the remodel.
March 14, 2017
A deceptive, unconnected compilation. Rather than an entire build-up to the film, you get a couple issues of non-essential cinematic backstory followed by 100 pages of back-catalog filler.
February 26, 2017
Better than the movie.
December 17, 2016
So you just saw the Doctor Strange movie. Pretty cool, huh? And now you want to check out all the comic book thingies featuring the good Doctor but don't know where to start. Well look no further than this volume, my young padawan, which will give you a good sampling of the Doctor Strange books.
Ok, sarcasm aside, This is a comic tie in to the movie, starting off with the Doctor Strange Prelude books. Basically these books introduce the setting of the DS movie, particulary Karmar Taj, Masters Wong, Daniel Drumm and Tina Minoru. By far the best is one explaining the backstory of the villain Kaecillius (himself a minor villain in the DS canon.) These stories are okay at best though I wasn't a huge fan of the artwork, which looks bland and dull compared to the rest of the book. The rest of the books gives us a taste of first issues - Doctor Strange-the Oath #1, Doctor Strange-the Way of the Weird #1, the Doctor's origin story from Strange Tales #1 and a few other books from the 70's and 80's. All in all, a nice balance that should be enough to whet your appetite.
So why did I give it 2 stars? Well, because it is a sampler and mostly filler. The best excerpt is the one from the Oath, which should have you running to pick up the full volume to see what happens next. Other than that, it just feels a little...incomplete. Basically an okay read to pass the time while you are waiting for your ride to pick you up.
Ok, sarcasm aside, This is a comic tie in to the movie, starting off with the Doctor Strange Prelude books. Basically these books introduce the setting of the DS movie, particulary Karmar Taj, Masters Wong, Daniel Drumm and Tina Minoru. By far the best is one explaining the backstory of the villain Kaecillius (himself a minor villain in the DS canon.) These stories are okay at best though I wasn't a huge fan of the artwork, which looks bland and dull compared to the rest of the book. The rest of the books gives us a taste of first issues - Doctor Strange-the Oath #1, Doctor Strange-the Way of the Weird #1, the Doctor's origin story from Strange Tales #1 and a few other books from the 70's and 80's. All in all, a nice balance that should be enough to whet your appetite.
So why did I give it 2 stars? Well, because it is a sampler and mostly filler. The best excerpt is the one from the Oath, which should have you running to pick up the full volume to see what happens next. Other than that, it just feels a little...incomplete. Basically an okay read to pass the time while you are waiting for your ride to pick you up.
August 31, 2021
*1.5*
Since the movie is coming out or has come out, I wanted to finally finish this one off. I only read the actual prelude-related material, because the other stuff that this book offers is either out of my interest or I've read before, so I'll only be reviewing this based on the Doctor Strange prelude comics that have been released.
I felt the prelude comics were kinda meh to me, each issue was a self-contained story and they didn't offer much like in-depth origins for some of the characters (except for the infinite comic detailing Kaecilius's backstory), but maybe some of that is saved for the movie? The infinite comic is where its at, but then it ends just when it starts to get really good, but it has made me realize that that Kaecilius is different from the first prelude comic. The artwork for all the prelude comics were decent, and I think they captured the actors' likenesses well enough.
Overall, only the infinite comic was the best out all of them, I would say skip this because there really isn't much to offer here. Also, why are MCU comics not that great? I feel like MCU comics shouldn't be regulated to movie preludes, why not do ongoing stories that show off spanning story-arcs that take place in the past and showcase stuff that aren't shown in the movies and shows?
Since the movie is coming out or has come out, I wanted to finally finish this one off. I only read the actual prelude-related material, because the other stuff that this book offers is either out of my interest or I've read before, so I'll only be reviewing this based on the Doctor Strange prelude comics that have been released.
I felt the prelude comics were kinda meh to me, each issue was a self-contained story and they didn't offer much like in-depth origins for some of the characters (except for the infinite comic detailing Kaecilius's backstory), but maybe some of that is saved for the movie? The infinite comic is where its at, but then it ends just when it starts to get really good, but it has made me realize that that Kaecilius is different from the first prelude comic. The artwork for all the prelude comics were decent, and I think they captured the actors' likenesses well enough.
Overall, only the infinite comic was the best out all of them, I would say skip this because there really isn't much to offer here. Also, why are MCU comics not that great? I feel like MCU comics shouldn't be regulated to movie preludes, why not do ongoing stories that show off spanning story-arcs that take place in the past and showcase stuff that aren't shown in the movies and shows?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews