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Doctor Strange (2015) (Collected Editions)
Doctor Strange, Vol. 3: Blood in the Aether
In the aftermath of THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC, journey back to the first days of Doctor Strange! How did Stephen Strange become the Sorcerer Supreme — and how has he lost it all? In the present, Strange is on the brink of death, his magic nearly depleted. Sensing the Master of the Mystic Arts is at his weakest, his greatest foes will return from the shadows, ready to strike — starting with one of his oldest rivals, Baron Mordo! But as a parade of bad guys line up to take their shot, one of Strange’s newest enemies may be the deadliest of all. During ORIGINAL SIN, one of the slain Watcher’s eyes fell into the hands of the Orb — and with that immense power, he has set his sights on Doctor Strange!
COLLECTING: DOCTOR STRANGE 11-16
COLLECTING: DOCTOR STRANGE 11-16
136 pages, Hardcover
First published February 22, 2017
38 people are currently reading
510 people want to read
About the author
Jason Aaron
2,360 books1,682 followersJason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
September 3, 2019
3.5 stars
This one could also be titled Doctor Strange's Rogues Gallery.
That's not a bad thing. It's just that this is one of those volumes that (while fun) is sort of split up by each issue having a different villain. Yeah, there's a main theme, but it feels kind of choppy and frantic due to the need to wrap it up by the end of every issue and get to the next baddie. However, I happen to like that sort of thing, so...
In the aftermath of those anti-magic crusaders (wtf were they called?), Strange & Co. have to basically start over and re-write the way magic works. New spells and whatnot.
Plus, Strange is quite depowered, so he's having to use more tools (like baseball bats) to fight evil, soul-sucking monsters - instead of just zapping them with a spell.
It's a pretty quippy, light-hearted sort of volume and I enjoyed it quite a bit, even if it wasn't mind-blowing.
Fun stuff!
This one could also be titled Doctor Strange's Rogues Gallery.
That's not a bad thing. It's just that this is one of those volumes that (while fun) is sort of split up by each issue having a different villain. Yeah, there's a main theme, but it feels kind of choppy and frantic due to the need to wrap it up by the end of every issue and get to the next baddie. However, I happen to like that sort of thing, so...
In the aftermath of those anti-magic crusaders (wtf were they called?), Strange & Co. have to basically start over and re-write the way magic works. New spells and whatnot.
Plus, Strange is quite depowered, so he's having to use more tools (like baseball bats) to fight evil, soul-sucking monsters - instead of just zapping them with a spell.
It's a pretty quippy, light-hearted sort of volume and I enjoyed it quite a bit, even if it wasn't mind-blowing.
Fun stuff!
February 18, 2020
Dr. Strange has had most of his magical juice sucked out of him by some evil magic hatin’ alien, so he’s pretty much an orange rind and a little pulp. That doesn’t stop some of his familiar foes from circling around him like 5 year olds angling for the last pizza bagel.
What the hell is with the mixed food metaphors, Jeff?
I’m hungry.
Bottom Line : Aaron’s run on this title has been entertaining, and a nice counterpart to the fun acid trips of the sixties version of this character.
I’m probably going to end up in Satana’s diner in the hereafter, so I just hope they don’t run out of bacon.
Sh*t!!!
What the hell is with the mixed food metaphors, Jeff?
I’m hungry.
Bottom Line : Aaron’s run on this title has been entertaining, and a nice counterpart to the fun acid trips of the sixties version of this character.
I’m probably going to end up in Satana’s diner in the hereafter, so I just hope they don’t run out of bacon.
Sh*t!!!
June 21, 2018
Recently, I positively reviewed the second volume of this Doctor Strange run, and I said something like "I can't wait to see what's next!". Ah, simpler times....
So, this volume was kind of a clustertruck. First of all, Strange is depowered....except when he's not. And he is defenseless...except when he isn't. He lost his magic cloak...but his new one sometimes acts like his old one and sometimes it doesn't. It feels like either Aaron didn't know where to go with this, or he pulled the old "the main character has whatever powers he needs to get out of whatever situation he is currently in" trick. In other words, this was some really lazy storytelling.
Next, we get some random flashbacks of Strange's origin throughout. This REALLY felt like filler. It served no purpose other than to take up space from a story that was kind of floundering.
In the last volume and in this one, Mister Misery keeps saving strange so that "he can be the one to make him suffer". Ok, cool. The problem is, however, that every time he saves him he doesn't "make him suffer". He kind of just goes away. Even the characters are beginning to see this. Wong literally asks Misery to save Strange (yet again) by saying "hey, you want to be the one to make him suffer, right? *wink wink, nudge nudge*". If Wong really believed Misery was going to do that, I doubt he would have even suggested it. Misery has simply proven that he is all talk and no action.
Also, there are one too many "all new, all different" jokes. For example, Satana's hell is her "all new, all different hell". ok, haha. We get it. But they do this joke a few different times. Are they playfully poking fun or do Marvel writers just really hate Marvel and are sending secret distress signals out for people to come and save them?
So, here's to hoping that they pull this book out of its nosedive in volume 4.
So, this volume was kind of a clustertruck. First of all, Strange is depowered....except when he's not. And he is defenseless...except when he isn't. He lost his magic cloak...but his new one sometimes acts like his old one and sometimes it doesn't. It feels like either Aaron didn't know where to go with this, or he pulled the old "the main character has whatever powers he needs to get out of whatever situation he is currently in" trick. In other words, this was some really lazy storytelling.
Next, we get some random flashbacks of Strange's origin throughout. This REALLY felt like filler. It served no purpose other than to take up space from a story that was kind of floundering.
In the last volume and in this one, Mister Misery keeps saving strange so that "he can be the one to make him suffer". Ok, cool. The problem is, however, that every time he saves him he doesn't "make him suffer". He kind of just goes away. Even the characters are beginning to see this. Wong literally asks Misery to save Strange (yet again) by saying "hey, you want to be the one to make him suffer, right? *wink wink, nudge nudge*". If Wong really believed Misery was going to do that, I doubt he would have even suggested it. Misery has simply proven that he is all talk and no action.
Also, there are one too many "all new, all different" jokes. For example, Satana's hell is her "all new, all different hell". ok, haha. We get it. But they do this joke a few different times. Are they playfully poking fun or do Marvel writers just really hate Marvel and are sending secret distress signals out for people to come and save them?
So, here's to hoping that they pull this book out of its nosedive in volume 4.
February 3, 2017
A tiny bit better than the previous volume of Doc Strange, but still not good.
Plot-wise, this volume is a mess. Several evil guys show up throughout the book, being evil and all, making Doc go through a bunch of dream sequences, flashbacks, monster fights and exposition dumps all to save the world and himself yet again. Yawn.
So, magic is dead, but this is a book about a sorcerer, so we have to have some magical stuff here. Naturally, this time around Doc relies on a whole belt of magical Deus Ex Machinas! It's like Batman's or James Bond's gadgets, only magical. Doc uses them freely throughout the book, and only when the situation becomes completely hopeless. How do the bad guys still have their magic? It's kinda sorta explained in the book, but it all sounds like BS.
Just like the story, the artwork is a mess, too. It looks like Chris Bachalo wasn't meeting Marvel's deadlines, so only every other cover was drawn by him, and on the interior some pages are drawn by him, and some are by substitute artists, to the point where there are multiple artists working on the same page! It looks very inconsistent, and honestly, Bachalo's art isn't even worth this kind of effort. He's OK, but there are so many great artists who can do their work on time, I would much prefer to see a more consistent look rather than scraps of Bachalo's art mixed with other people's.
Sadly, overall, this series keeps being a suckfest. It started out exceptionally strong, but ever since volume 2 it was going downhill. It feels like Jason Aaron is half-assing his work for hire projects. Star Wars gets worse with every volume, and Thor starts to lose some steam. When is his contract up? I'd love to see him focus more on his creator-owned comics, Southern Bastards and The Goddamned. Those are so much better than his recent Marvel efforts, and they are taking too long because of his contract obligations. Come on, Marvel! Make Jason Aaron great again! (er, sorry for that)
Plot-wise, this volume is a mess. Several evil guys show up throughout the book, being evil and all, making Doc go through a bunch of dream sequences, flashbacks, monster fights and exposition dumps all to save the world and himself yet again. Yawn.
So, magic is dead, but this is a book about a sorcerer, so we have to have some magical stuff here. Naturally, this time around Doc relies on a whole belt of magical Deus Ex Machinas! It's like Batman's or James Bond's gadgets, only magical. Doc uses them freely throughout the book, and only when the situation becomes completely hopeless. How do the bad guys still have their magic? It's kinda sorta explained in the book, but it all sounds like BS.
Just like the story, the artwork is a mess, too. It looks like Chris Bachalo wasn't meeting Marvel's deadlines, so only every other cover was drawn by him, and on the interior some pages are drawn by him, and some are by substitute artists, to the point where there are multiple artists working on the same page! It looks very inconsistent, and honestly, Bachalo's art isn't even worth this kind of effort. He's OK, but there are so many great artists who can do their work on time, I would much prefer to see a more consistent look rather than scraps of Bachalo's art mixed with other people's.
Sadly, overall, this series keeps being a suckfest. It started out exceptionally strong, but ever since volume 2 it was going downhill. It feels like Jason Aaron is half-assing his work for hire projects. Star Wars gets worse with every volume, and Thor starts to lose some steam. When is his contract up? I'd love to see him focus more on his creator-owned comics, Southern Bastards and The Goddamned. Those are so much better than his recent Marvel efforts, and they are taking too long because of his contract obligations. Come on, Marvel! Make Jason Aaron great again! (er, sorry for that)
October 22, 2017
Doctor Strange's entire rogue's gallery of three people come out and take turns capturing him before coming together to fight over him like a ragdoll. Chris Bachalo's art gets busier with each issue. He packs so much in a panel that I can't tell what anything is. It's just a cacophony of images layered atop one another until it looks like a half digested meal regurgitated on the page. Honestly, I expect more from this creative team.
March 9, 2018
Holy shit this was super goddamn fun. I'm finally a strange fan.
So Doctor Strange isn't having a very good week. In fact the magic is slowly coming back to earth but taking it's sweet time. In doing so every goddamn villain Strange has ever had decides to try to kill him. This week of hell is amazing as each villain gets to have the spotlight and try to kill the superior sorcerer. Hilarity is non-stop as these villains all hate him enough to fight each other to get a chance to kill Doctor Strange. Oh man, this shit is insane.
Good: The art is still some of my favorite. It's so smooth and flow so well in fights, the fights are fantastic too, and the humor...oh man this shit was funny as hell throughout. Less monologues in this one and a lot more funny banter and dialog. I also really enjoyed the ending as it sets up the final part of Jason's 4 part epic.
Bad: Some of the pacing is off in the middle and drags and all the bad guys talk too much but that's about it.
This is fantastic and fun and laugh out loud type stuff. I'll miss Jason's run but I have a good feeling about Donny's run next. But before that volume 4 here I come!
So Doctor Strange isn't having a very good week. In fact the magic is slowly coming back to earth but taking it's sweet time. In doing so every goddamn villain Strange has ever had decides to try to kill him. This week of hell is amazing as each villain gets to have the spotlight and try to kill the superior sorcerer. Hilarity is non-stop as these villains all hate him enough to fight each other to get a chance to kill Doctor Strange. Oh man, this shit is insane.
Good: The art is still some of my favorite. It's so smooth and flow so well in fights, the fights are fantastic too, and the humor...oh man this shit was funny as hell throughout. Less monologues in this one and a lot more funny banter and dialog. I also really enjoyed the ending as it sets up the final part of Jason's 4 part epic.
Bad: Some of the pacing is off in the middle and drags and all the bad guys talk too much but that's about it.
This is fantastic and fun and laugh out loud type stuff. I'll miss Jason's run but I have a good feeling about Donny's run next. But before that volume 4 here I come!
July 3, 2017
The good Doctor has a very bad, no good, terrible week...but ultimately it was all a bit garbled and "meh" for me.
March 12, 2018
Normally I am a huge Dr. Strange fan. I also happen to like most of Aaron's work. This was not up to that level. Some of that is likely due to the constraints set upon Aaron in this "new" setting. Apparently something/someone called the Empirikul has fundamentally changed magic.
Now Dr. Strange tries all sorts of "new" magic, which he seems to be making up on the fly. For some reason we have yet another look at the "story" of Strange. So the usual cast of villains is introduced- from Nightmare to Baron Mordo. Some "new" magic is used. Dr. Strange has some struggles with the new magic but it works out well in the end. Yaay. So another mediocre reboot, with a mediocre plot and mediocre art. Well that earns it a mediocre 2 star rating.
Now Dr. Strange tries all sorts of "new" magic, which he seems to be making up on the fly. For some reason we have yet another look at the "story" of Strange. So the usual cast of villains is introduced- from Nightmare to Baron Mordo. Some "new" magic is used. Dr. Strange has some struggles with the new magic but it works out well in the end. Yaay. So another mediocre reboot, with a mediocre plot and mediocre art. Well that earns it a mediocre 2 star rating.
May 26, 2018
Este tomo ha sido una gozada, muy divertido y a la altura del primero, que me gustó tanto. Justo lo que necesitaba para desconectar un poco a ratitos cortos en esta época de exámenes.
March 26, 2017
The Doctor has a bad week. Now that magic is scarce, it would really be no fun if some of Strange's most powerful enemies showed up, wouldn't it?
As always, I love Aaron's writing, but I don't think I've said much about the artwork. Chris Bachalo does great surreal floaty magic-scapes in the grand Ditko tradition. The way he draws faces reminds me in some ways of Sam Keith, and in others of Matt Wagner. I honestly think he's one of my favorite artists to do Dr. Strange over the years.
I was also happy to see the Orb again. I literally haven't seen him since his very first appearance all those years ago. What a sight for ... no. That pun is much too cheap, even by my low standards. Obviously he's gone through a few changes since his motorcycle-riding, eyeball-helmet-wearing days ...
And the volume ends on something of a cliffhanger. Fair warning. Still liking this title a great deal. Recommended!
As always, I love Aaron's writing, but I don't think I've said much about the artwork. Chris Bachalo does great surreal floaty magic-scapes in the grand Ditko tradition. The way he draws faces reminds me in some ways of Sam Keith, and in others of Matt Wagner. I honestly think he's one of my favorite artists to do Dr. Strange over the years.
I was also happy to see the Orb again. I literally haven't seen him since his very first appearance all those years ago. What a sight for ... no. That pun is much too cheap, even by my low standards. Obviously he's gone through a few changes since his motorcycle-riding, eyeball-helmet-wearing days ...
And the volume ends on something of a cliffhanger. Fair warning. Still liking this title a great deal. Recommended!
February 2, 2017
One of Marvels better books at the moment. I'm even starting to like the Bachalo art, though I wish it was Kevin Nowlan cause his covers are A-mazing!
April 3, 2017
This story is a ton of fun. I don't know why comic books forget that so often, making everything SRS BZNS 24/7. You know the main character isn't in real jeopardy, and neither are any of the supporting cast who've been around for 45 years, so why not use it as a vehicle to have some fun? And if you happen to get across something a little deeper than that at the same time, bonus!
The art is really excellent, graphic and disgusting and demented in just the right proportions. If this were a movie, I wouldn't be able to watch it because it would be too gross. In this format, though, it's just right.
Jason Aaron's ideas are hilarious and bizarre, completely over the top. For instance, one section takes place in Hell's Kitchen, but not the neighborhood in NYC that Marvel has long made good use of because of the evocative name -- Aaron instead uses the name literally: it's a demonic diner with a kitchen from hell. Doctor Strange has to figure out how to get out of this predicament, and the creators just fly the freak flag up the pole and sail straight into madness.
I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish, and even laughed out loud a couple times.
The art is really excellent, graphic and disgusting and demented in just the right proportions. If this were a movie, I wouldn't be able to watch it because it would be too gross. In this format, though, it's just right.
Jason Aaron's ideas are hilarious and bizarre, completely over the top. For instance, one section takes place in Hell's Kitchen, but not the neighborhood in NYC that Marvel has long made good use of because of the evocative name -- Aaron instead uses the name literally: it's a demonic diner with a kitchen from hell. Doctor Strange has to figure out how to get out of this predicament, and the creators just fly the freak flag up the pole and sail straight into madness.
I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish, and even laughed out loud a couple times.
March 23, 2018
Aight, kinda pacey and draggy. It promised a lot and yeah...
World: The art is good it's a bit messy but the creativity in the magic designs is quite good. This team loves boobs though and it's a bit much. The world building is solid, it calls the past of Strange, the new and also the MU allowing for a good list of magic users Strange visits this arc.
Story: On a paper it sounds awesome, when everyone is gunning for him, in execution not so much. The story is choppy, pacey and framed issue by issue which is not very creative. We've all read books where the hero takes on everyone at once, here Strange takes on one after another...meh. The end is also a deus ex that annoys and unsatisfying. It's aight.
Characters: The villains we see are a good spread, their characterization is a bit all over the place. Fun but not very deep. Strange is okay, he's been solid throughout the Aaron run and other than his predicament nothing emotionally or internally particularly deep. Solid, but not deep.
It was an aight arc after some fun two arcs.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is good it's a bit messy but the creativity in the magic designs is quite good. This team loves boobs though and it's a bit much. The world building is solid, it calls the past of Strange, the new and also the MU allowing for a good list of magic users Strange visits this arc.
Story: On a paper it sounds awesome, when everyone is gunning for him, in execution not so much. The story is choppy, pacey and framed issue by issue which is not very creative. We've all read books where the hero takes on everyone at once, here Strange takes on one after another...meh. The end is also a deus ex that annoys and unsatisfying. It's aight.
Characters: The villains we see are a good spread, their characterization is a bit all over the place. Fun but not very deep. Strange is okay, he's been solid throughout the Aaron run and other than his predicament nothing emotionally or internally particularly deep. Solid, but not deep.
It was an aight arc after some fun two arcs.
Onward to the next book!
April 7, 2019
This series has maintained a high quality standard.
Doctor strange is in a weakened state after battling the emprikul who nearly destroyed magic across multiple realities. And seems like any villain he has battled in the past has lined up and are taking shots at the sorcerer supreme.
The art and dialogue are wild and this is a main draw for me, the plot is fun, but still feels weak to me. I guess I'm saying the execution is good, but the backbone of the story isn't exactly mind blowing.
Overall I'm happy to continue on with this run, and we'll see where it goes from here.
Side note: this run is stand alone you don't need to be up to current marvel universe to enjoy this.
Doctor strange is in a weakened state after battling the emprikul who nearly destroyed magic across multiple realities. And seems like any villain he has battled in the past has lined up and are taking shots at the sorcerer supreme.
The art and dialogue are wild and this is a main draw for me, the plot is fun, but still feels weak to me. I guess I'm saying the execution is good, but the backbone of the story isn't exactly mind blowing.
Overall I'm happy to continue on with this run, and we'll see where it goes from here.
Side note: this run is stand alone you don't need to be up to current marvel universe to enjoy this.
March 16, 2017
Good without being great. I'm still digging the directions the story is taking.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
April 8, 2017
COME FOR THE HELL BACON, STAY FOR THE DREAD DORMAMMU!!!
May 3, 2017
This volume, which has Issues 11-15 is quite a mix! I'd give it a 3.5 on the whole.
Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme is out on his mission to restore Magic in his own life, and to the World. Magic, which was destroyed by an Interdimensional army, Empirikul.
I like how this volume brings in a lot of Super Villains (or Marvel Villains? what are they called?)
Mister Misery, Strange's own creation out of his bundled misery and pain that he nurtured in his mansion(sanctum sanctorum)'s cellar.
Baron Mordo, Strange's archenemy who is also trained by the Ancient one, but has chosen the dark path. You know, the regular, stereotype, nothing fancy or interesting.
Nightmare Nightmare (darker distant cousin of Morpheus, probably :P)
Satana, Devil's daughter, who runs a spa-ish place in Hell and poaches Dr.Strange to pump up the hotness factor. (I just realised how stupid the whole premise is, but let's get on with it.)
Now, the sidekicks, Master Pandemonium is the head chef at Satana's Kitchen and he has Demons for arms. Call me weird, but I like the thrashing dialogue between the demon arms.
Also, Dormammu (Baron Mordo's boss). Hilarious! It felt like one of those movies where a renowned comedian is cast to play a villain's role and you can't help but laugh every time you see them on the screen because your brain won't accept them in this new character form. He's abusing the shit out of Baron Mordo but it doesn't feel like he's doing his job. Try harder, Dormammu, be a better villain.
Trivia - I found out in my post-reading research that Bachalo didn't do the Illustrations for Issue 11, and I'm sure anyone who has been following the series can make that out. Issue 11 was definitely the meh issue of the volume for me.
Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme is out on his mission to restore Magic in his own life, and to the World. Magic, which was destroyed by an Interdimensional army, Empirikul.
I like how this volume brings in a lot of Super Villains (or Marvel Villains? what are they called?)
Mister Misery, Strange's own creation out of his bundled misery and pain that he nurtured in his mansion(sanctum sanctorum)'s cellar.
Baron Mordo, Strange's archenemy who is also trained by the Ancient one, but has chosen the dark path. You know, the regular, stereotype, nothing fancy or interesting.
Nightmare Nightmare (darker distant cousin of Morpheus, probably :P)
Satana, Devil's daughter, who runs a spa-ish place in Hell and poaches Dr.Strange to pump up the hotness factor. (I just realised how stupid the whole premise is, but let's get on with it.)
Now, the sidekicks, Master Pandemonium is the head chef at Satana's Kitchen and he has Demons for arms. Call me weird, but I like the thrashing dialogue between the demon arms.
Also, Dormammu (Baron Mordo's boss). Hilarious! It felt like one of those movies where a renowned comedian is cast to play a villain's role and you can't help but laugh every time you see them on the screen because your brain won't accept them in this new character form. He's abusing the shit out of Baron Mordo but it doesn't feel like he's doing his job. Try harder, Dormammu, be a better villain.
Trivia - I found out in my post-reading research that Bachalo didn't do the Illustrations for Issue 11, and I'm sure anyone who has been following the series can make that out. Issue 11 was definitely the meh issue of the volume for me.
March 20, 2017
A bit scattered.
March 31, 2019
(Combined review for vols 3 and 4) Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo seem to feed off each others' weirdness, and it shows throughout this fun run on Stephen Strange's mangled soul. As I'd predicted at the low point of volume 2, it's far more interesting to see your characters struggling against odds they aren't overpowered for, so Aaron tore Strange back down to a hero who works hard to claw his way out of the pits of insanity.
Bachalo spent so much of this run drawing tentacles, teeth and goop that I wonder what his next book was, because this one was friggin mind-bending even moreso than "Frankenstein Guns" from (one of my favourite parts of) Wolverine and the X-men.
I will remember this run fondly - it is a brave mission, to nerf Dr. Strange and bring him back to the "relatable screwup" level of most Marvel "heroes looking up" (rather than the traditional "gods looking down" of the major DC heroes).
Bachalo spent so much of this run drawing tentacles, teeth and goop that I wonder what his next book was, because this one was friggin mind-bending even moreso than "Frankenstein Guns" from (one of my favourite parts of) Wolverine and the X-men.
I will remember this run fondly - it is a brave mission, to nerf Dr. Strange and bring him back to the "relatable screwup" level of most Marvel "heroes looking up" (rather than the traditional "gods looking down" of the major DC heroes).
June 11, 2018
I cannot FUCKING believe that I'm invested in Doctor Strange comics now, I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS TO HAPPEN TO ME.
March 2, 2021
Compared to the previous volume (The Last Days of Magic), Blood in the Aether is a whole lot of fun.* It’s a veritable smorgasbord of familiar faces any Strange fan would love to punch–Baron Mordo, Dormammu, Satana, Night-fricking-mare, and of course, last volume’s standout baddie, Misery**. Stephen goes through a number of funny scenarios–nightmare in a mansion with a group of bimbos, a trip to the latest Marvel hell which involves him eating bacon and nearly dying (you read that right) and so being forced to play Satana’s MC. That one had me grinning, I’m not ashamed to admit it.
Then, there was this…eye? I think I might’ve hallucinated that part, because the eye kept wanting to watch people do horrible things, and it was all connected to Uatu the Watcher somehow and maybe someone slipped me a bit of LSD, I’m not high, you’re high.
Entertaining enough cliffhanger Aaron finishes this one at. I’ll pick the fourth volume up if I find it among the stacks of comics in my library, but I don’t want to give money for this run. It has not, in my eyes, earned that–though, needless to say, if you’ve enjoyed it, if you find it does things you care for, all the power for you. I’m envious, really.
I still feel like I’m reading a Tony-Stark-starring-as-Stephen-Strange story, which is perhaps the greatest issue I have with this run. I don’t identify this Strange closely enough with the character I so enjoy reading about, which is–a great pity. The good news is, I found the colourist who did Bachalo’s art to have done a far better job than was present in the last issue. I also enjoyed Nowlan and Romero’s art on issue #11.
*By “a whole lot of fun,” I mean, it did not bore me.
**By standout baddie here, I mean mildly intriguing.
Then, there was this…eye? I think I might’ve hallucinated that part, because the eye kept wanting to watch people do horrible things, and it was all connected to Uatu the Watcher somehow and maybe someone slipped me a bit of LSD, I’m not high, you’re high.
Entertaining enough cliffhanger Aaron finishes this one at. I’ll pick the fourth volume up if I find it among the stacks of comics in my library, but I don’t want to give money for this run. It has not, in my eyes, earned that–though, needless to say, if you’ve enjoyed it, if you find it does things you care for, all the power for you. I’m envious, really.
I still feel like I’m reading a Tony-Stark-starring-as-Stephen-Strange story, which is perhaps the greatest issue I have with this run. I don’t identify this Strange closely enough with the character I so enjoy reading about, which is–a great pity. The good news is, I found the colourist who did Bachalo’s art to have done a far better job than was present in the last issue. I also enjoyed Nowlan and Romero’s art on issue #11.
*By “a whole lot of fun,” I mean, it did not bore me.
**By standout baddie here, I mean mildly intriguing.
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May 29, 2022👁👺⚡️📚
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May 18, 2017Continuing Jason Aaron’s frustrating run on the Sorcerer Supreme, this sees Strange picking up the pieces after the near-destruction of Earth’s magic, frantically improvising and experimenting as he attempts to keep the supernatural realm healthy yet in check. But wouldn’t you know, none of his old adversaries seem to have been depowered to the same extent? In itself, this is a pretty good idea for a Strange story, because it’s a pretty good standard superhero story; take the lead down a peg, then watch them have to go the extra mile to defeat bad guys they’d normally handwave away (often literally, in Strange’s case). And yes, there are some fabulous scenes along the way, stuff which would only work with a character like this and a Bachalo-led art team who revel in the grotesque and bizarre. The demon bacon incident in particular is among the best Strange scenes I’ve ever read, and there’s a great new look for Dormammu.
But then every so often this sense of Strange frantically flailing for ideas gives way to details suggesting he is in fact a complete idiot. And yes, in some senses that’s part of the character, but there are specific blind spots and then there’s nonsensical cliché. The line “No one enjoys suffering, you sick bastard. No one but you” doesn’t work at all when you’ve spent the past few issues facing an array of other villains who do precisely that. Or how about “Nightmare draws his power from the dreams of others. And at any given time, there are roughly four billion people asleep on the face of the Earth.” Really? Unless Marvel Earth's population is significantly higher than ours – which seems unlikely given all the disasters and invasions, and the way superhero tech seldom seems to make life significantly better for the great mass of the population – then that’s well over half the population asleep at a time. Which seems implausible – I would have guessed maybe a third. And that’s leaving aside that not all who sleep, dream, or certainly not for the whole period of slumber. And similar glitches and blotches recur, over and over, as if not just the world’s magic was eroded but also its coherence.
But then every so often this sense of Strange frantically flailing for ideas gives way to details suggesting he is in fact a complete idiot. And yes, in some senses that’s part of the character, but there are specific blind spots and then there’s nonsensical cliché. The line “No one enjoys suffering, you sick bastard. No one but you” doesn’t work at all when you’ve spent the past few issues facing an array of other villains who do precisely that. Or how about “Nightmare draws his power from the dreams of others. And at any given time, there are roughly four billion people asleep on the face of the Earth.” Really? Unless Marvel Earth's population is significantly higher than ours – which seems unlikely given all the disasters and invasions, and the way superhero tech seldom seems to make life significantly better for the great mass of the population – then that’s well over half the population asleep at a time. Which seems implausible – I would have guessed maybe a third. And that’s leaving aside that not all who sleep, dream, or certainly not for the whole period of slumber. And similar glitches and blotches recur, over and over, as if not just the world’s magic was eroded but also its coherence.
July 4, 2017
2.5*
Diminished after the attack on magic by the Empirikul in the previous volumes, Doc. Strange has to do his best against a series of various attacks by a bunch of villains for different reasons (M. Misery, Satanna, Mordo…). Lucky him, his bat-belt contains all kinds of magic gizmos that come handy.
So, what was the point of this storyline?
Beats me. It would honestly deserve a huge yawn if not for Aaron’s humour spread out throughout the book to lighten it up a bit.
Sadly, it’s not an underperforming Chris Bacchalo that can save the day in this one. The pages are poorly conceived and inked, with fillers here and there for no obvious reason-looks like they lost some or something- the art team fails to salvage anything from this volume.
Diminished after the attack on magic by the Empirikul in the previous volumes, Doc. Strange has to do his best against a series of various attacks by a bunch of villains for different reasons (M. Misery, Satanna, Mordo…). Lucky him, his bat-belt contains all kinds of magic gizmos that come handy.
So, what was the point of this storyline?
Beats me. It would honestly deserve a huge yawn if not for Aaron’s humour spread out throughout the book to lighten it up a bit.
Sadly, it’s not an underperforming Chris Bacchalo that can save the day in this one. The pages are poorly conceived and inked, with fillers here and there for no obvious reason-looks like they lost some or something- the art team fails to salvage anything from this volume.
March 25, 2018
Magic is scarce in the world and Doctor Strange does battle with nurmerous evil doers. I espcially loved The Orb. The writing and artwork go so well together
November 4, 2018
Bizarre and chaotic, yet somehow Doctor Strange is likeable; and I enjoy going along for the ride.
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June 21, 2017Após uma tremenda batalha em que a magia quase é extinta, um enfraquecido Doutor Estranho tem de lidar com os seus velhos inimigos quase sem os seus poderes. Terá de usar a sua inteligência e os punhos para se safar de ameaças progressivamente violentas. E, claro, todos os seus piores inimigos decidem manifestar-se e fazer-lhe a vida negra. Se a ideia do Doutor Estranho a funcionar não como mestre da magia mas como action hero já é bizarra, Jason Aaron leva a coisa mais longe com um alinhamento bizarro dos inimigos de sempre. Com pontos altos no inferno como uma startup que utiliza celebridades mortas para atrair almas, e um vilão que incorporou o olho do Vigia e, essencialmente, anda com um enorme olho peito e uma máscara a condizer. O surrealismo divertido é sublinhado pelo traço de Chris Bacchalo, que não teme a ironia visual.
March 26, 2018
Ugh. Remember that whole previous story arc that destroyed magic in the Marvel Universe? Looks like that cataclysm bypassed a bunch of Doctor Strange's traditional (and non-traditional) villains, leaving him bouncing from threat to threat without much rhyme or reason. The art seems to have gone back up another notch, with some great page layouts, but there are also weird inconsistencies -- in particular, Doctor Strange himself seems to be drawn however the situation demands, from comic relief to grizzled seriousness, making him seem more like a cipher than a fully-developed character. I want to like this series, but it's not happening.
July 6, 2017
I'm wavering. I'm not sure this is working. Aaron's been on a pretty strong wining streak. But this business of having a depowered Doctor Strange in a world void of magic is beginning to wear thin on me. Part of the problem seems to be Bachalo. I love Bachalo but his style isn't right now that I've seen it in the same book next to Kevin Nowlan's. Kev's would be more in the down at the heals tone Aaron's doing. Bachalo's always all youthful pretty energy.
November 27, 2017
I loved the different villains that were showcased in this volume. The weakest link was Satana and the stand out star was The Orb. He was just the perfect amount of evilness and ridiculousness. I felt that the story itself lacked structure or purpose. Obviously, magic wasn't going to be wiped out completely. I just wish the conflict had lasted more than a couple of volumes. It does leave Strange available to save Wong from Mr. Misery. Wong better not become a causality of Strange's mistakes.
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