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Korkealentoinen globaali haamujahti ja Marvelin maagisimman sankarin elämän tärkein käännekohta! Ylimielinen kirurgi kohtaa taistelulajien mestarin ja heistä tulee mystiikan maailman väkevin parivaljakko, kunhan ensin kykenevät olemaan tappamatta toisiaan ja oppivat hieman taikuutta... Tohtori Oudon taru alkakoon!
136 pages, Hardcover
First published September 12, 2012
22 people are currently reading
687 people want to read
About the author
Greg Pak
1,648 books580 followersGreg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker currently writing "Lawful" for BOOM and "Sam Wilson: Captain America" (with Evan Narcisse) for Marvel. Pak wrote the "Princess Who Saved Herself" children's book and the “Code Monkey Save World” graphic novel based on the songs of Jonathan Coulton and co-wrote (with Fred Van Lente) the acclaimed “Make Comics Like the Pros” how-to book. Pak's other work includes "Planet Hulk," "Darth Vader," "Mech Cadet Yu," "Ronin Island," "Action Comics," and "Magneto Testament."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
October 20, 2016
I really enjoyed this! It had been sitting on my shelf for far too long & I'm glad I decided to give it a go. I loved the characters & the story line & the illustrations were perfection.
June 10, 2018
Season One stuff was supposed to give readers a fresh take on the origins of certain Marvel characters and/or teams. Sometimes it worked well ( X-Men: Season One), sometimes it didn't ( Spider-Man: Season One).
This one was ok.
Strange's origin (narcissistic surgeon, car accident, ruined hands, empty bank account, no hope, hello...Ancient One!) was basically told in a couple of pages with no dialogue. It's only once he shows up on the mountaintop that this story begins.
The opening at the temple is almost exactly like the original origin, where Mordo starts off by trying to convince Stephen to side with him against the Ancient One, Strange saying no, and Mordo casting a spell on him so that he can't tell anyone what he saw Mordo doing. With no way (he believes) to help the master, he decides to stay and train so that he might be able to protect the old man. And, just like the original tale, the Ancient One then removes the spell, tells Stephen that he already knew what Mordo was doing and that Strange has proven he is worthy to learn magic.
Ok, at this point, it veers off script and starts telling the story of Wong and Strange's friendship. Except they aren't friends. In fact, they sorta hate each other's guts.
The back and forth between these two was the highlight for me. It had a fun I hate you but someday we'll be best buds-vibe that I enjoyed quite a bit.
I'm not sure that anything else about the story was all that great, though.
The idea was that Strange had all the talent & Wong had all the heart, but neither of them could do shit magic-wise. Wong thought Strange was evil, and Strange thought Wong was a dick.
But unless they learn to work together, they'll never beat the bad guy!
Pretty cliche, but I could live with it.
There was some girl (and I have no idea if she's old character or someone new) that they were trying to help. I think maybe she was supposed to be a shared love interest to add more tension between them or something? Not sure. She didn't make or break it for me either way.
This really didn't impress me, but if you're looking for more Doctor Strange this might be something you would enjoy. I'd suggest getting it from a library or using a Marvel Unlimited account to read it, though. Definitely not worth buying, unless you're a HUGE Strange fan.
This one was ok.
Strange's origin (narcissistic surgeon, car accident, ruined hands, empty bank account, no hope, hello...Ancient One!) was basically told in a couple of pages with no dialogue. It's only once he shows up on the mountaintop that this story begins.
The opening at the temple is almost exactly like the original origin, where Mordo starts off by trying to convince Stephen to side with him against the Ancient One, Strange saying no, and Mordo casting a spell on him so that he can't tell anyone what he saw Mordo doing. With no way (he believes) to help the master, he decides to stay and train so that he might be able to protect the old man. And, just like the original tale, the Ancient One then removes the spell, tells Stephen that he already knew what Mordo was doing and that Strange has proven he is worthy to learn magic.
Ok, at this point, it veers off script and starts telling the story of Wong and Strange's friendship. Except they aren't friends. In fact, they sorta hate each other's guts.
The back and forth between these two was the highlight for me. It had a fun I hate you but someday we'll be best buds-vibe that I enjoyed quite a bit.
I'm not sure that anything else about the story was all that great, though.
The idea was that Strange had all the talent & Wong had all the heart, but neither of them could do shit magic-wise. Wong thought Strange was evil, and Strange thought Wong was a dick.
But unless they learn to work together, they'll never beat the bad guy!
Pretty cliche, but I could live with it.
There was some girl (and I have no idea if she's old character or someone new) that they were trying to help. I think maybe she was supposed to be a shared love interest to add more tension between them or something? Not sure. She didn't make or break it for me either way.
This really didn't impress me, but if you're looking for more Doctor Strange this might be something you would enjoy. I'd suggest getting it from a library or using a Marvel Unlimited account to read it, though. Definitely not worth buying, unless you're a HUGE Strange fan.
August 7, 2017
Dr. Stephen Strange is a brilliant surgeon, but he’s also selfish and arrogant. After a car accident screws up his hands he turns to magic hoping for way to recover his old skills, but as a student of the Ancient One he is forced to choose sides against the evil Mordo. Strange races to find three powerful rings and discovers his true destiny as a master of the mystic arts.
These Season One books are obviously not trying to rewrite the history of Marvel’s characters or put a new spin on them like the Ultimate line did. Instead these are just designed to update and modernize the old favorites enough to keep their origins from seeming too outdated, and this one is no different. Nothing groundbreaking, but it’d make a good entry point for someone who had never read Doctor Strange but wanted to give it a try.
These Season One books are obviously not trying to rewrite the history of Marvel’s characters or put a new spin on them like the Ultimate line did. Instead these are just designed to update and modernize the old favorites enough to keep their origins from seeming too outdated, and this one is no different. Nothing groundbreaking, but it’d make a good entry point for someone who had never read Doctor Strange but wanted to give it a try.
December 3, 2014
By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, has Greg Pak ever written a decent comic?!
Even though Doctor Strange’s origins seem to be covered in every Doctor Strange book, Pak goes over it again (because this is a Marvel Season One comic? Is this series aimed at new readers?). Stephen Strange was once a world-famous surgeon whose hands got maimed in an accident. He goes searching for magic healers in the Himalayas, ends up learning magic and, by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, becomes the Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme.
Ever wonder how he and his assistant Wong met? Me neither! But get this: they didn’t like each other at first! By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, has this story been done before? I don’t Hoggoth-think so! So Strange, Wong and Arbitrary Female Character go looking for magic rings while Strange’s enemy Mordo hangs back in the wings like a good villain, and predictably attacks Strange at the end, cementing Strange and Wong’s friendship and Strange’s status as a “worthy” mage. Throw in some magic-sounding words – Agamotto, Vishanti, Dormammu – and, by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, you can slap a bow on this puppy, it’s good to Hoggoth!
Pak’s script is about as simplistic and obvious as you can get. Strange is the reluctant hero, initially studying magic to regain his former life where he was a wealthy, arrogant twerp, but re-learns the initial reason he got into medicine in the first place: helping people, and he can do this more as the Sorcerer Supreme. Hoggoth fart.
Strange and Wong’s antagonist relationship is corny as hell, Mordo is the villain which means he does standard unsurprising bad guy stuff because that’s what he’s supposed to do, and, by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, Pak likes sprinkling “by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth!” on nearly every page (which, by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, doesn’t get annoying, right?)!
The only reason to read this one is for Emma Rios’ art which is quite lovely. She also drew the slightly better Strange: The Doctor is Out! by Mark Waid and you can see how her style’s developed since then. It’s much less manga-y, less polished-looking and more interesting, and more along the lines of her work on Pretty Deadly. By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, she looks like she’s really having fun drawing these swirling, fantastical magical splash pages! They look totally fantastic and awesome, elevating the book to lustrous heights that it doesn’t deserve given Pak’s flat writing.
Because this is only 100 pages, Marvel throw in an issue of Matt Fraction/Terry Dodson’s Defenders to beef it up to a more respectable length. It’s got some scenes with Doctor Strange in but otherwise its Hulk-centric and kinda boring.
There don’t appear to any truly great Doctor Strange books out there but Brian K Vaughan/Marcos Martin’s The Oath and the aforementioned Waid/Rios book are both better than this tedious comic – by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, try either of those over Doctor Strange: Season One!
Even though Doctor Strange’s origins seem to be covered in every Doctor Strange book, Pak goes over it again (because this is a Marvel Season One comic? Is this series aimed at new readers?). Stephen Strange was once a world-famous surgeon whose hands got maimed in an accident. He goes searching for magic healers in the Himalayas, ends up learning magic and, by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, becomes the Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme.
Ever wonder how he and his assistant Wong met? Me neither! But get this: they didn’t like each other at first! By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, has this story been done before? I don’t Hoggoth-think so! So Strange, Wong and Arbitrary Female Character go looking for magic rings while Strange’s enemy Mordo hangs back in the wings like a good villain, and predictably attacks Strange at the end, cementing Strange and Wong’s friendship and Strange’s status as a “worthy” mage. Throw in some magic-sounding words – Agamotto, Vishanti, Dormammu – and, by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, you can slap a bow on this puppy, it’s good to Hoggoth!
Pak’s script is about as simplistic and obvious as you can get. Strange is the reluctant hero, initially studying magic to regain his former life where he was a wealthy, arrogant twerp, but re-learns the initial reason he got into medicine in the first place: helping people, and he can do this more as the Sorcerer Supreme. Hoggoth fart.
Strange and Wong’s antagonist relationship is corny as hell, Mordo is the villain which means he does standard unsurprising bad guy stuff because that’s what he’s supposed to do, and, by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, Pak likes sprinkling “by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth!” on nearly every page (which, by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, doesn’t get annoying, right?)!
The only reason to read this one is for Emma Rios’ art which is quite lovely. She also drew the slightly better Strange: The Doctor is Out! by Mark Waid and you can see how her style’s developed since then. It’s much less manga-y, less polished-looking and more interesting, and more along the lines of her work on Pretty Deadly. By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, she looks like she’s really having fun drawing these swirling, fantastical magical splash pages! They look totally fantastic and awesome, elevating the book to lustrous heights that it doesn’t deserve given Pak’s flat writing.
Because this is only 100 pages, Marvel throw in an issue of Matt Fraction/Terry Dodson’s Defenders to beef it up to a more respectable length. It’s got some scenes with Doctor Strange in but otherwise its Hulk-centric and kinda boring.
There don’t appear to any truly great Doctor Strange books out there but Brian K Vaughan/Marcos Martin’s The Oath and the aforementioned Waid/Rios book are both better than this tedious comic – by the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, try either of those over Doctor Strange: Season One!
July 15, 2016
En esta nueva versión para principiantes de Doctor Extraño (y básicamente, una manera de introducirte la historia de la película), me ha resultado algo... fría.
Es una historia que podría haber dado mucho más de sí, pero es repetitiva y algo simple. El dibujo en muchas ocasiones era confuso y en líneas generales, también se repetía. He sentido que no he llegado a conocer a los personajes y que la trama iba demasiado deprisa, pero ha sido más que interesante el mundo de la magia presentado y sobre todo, me ha entretenido.
Es una historia que podría haber dado mucho más de sí, pero es repetitiva y algo simple. El dibujo en muchas ocasiones era confuso y en líneas generales, también se repetía. He sentido que no he llegado a conocer a los personajes y que la trama iba demasiado deprisa, pero ha sido más que interesante el mundo de la magia presentado y sobre todo, me ha entretenido.
July 24, 2021
hulk saying "i hate myself and i just want to die, just not today" is a wHOLE FUCKING MOOD. that's gonna be my motto now.
btw, i loved this one. iron fist, silver surfer, namor, she hulk and strange together was incredible!!!
btw, i loved this one. iron fist, silver surfer, namor, she hulk and strange together was incredible!!!
April 30, 2016
Doctor Stephen Strange seeks out the Ancient One for the magic to heal his hands.
After speaking to the Ancient One and an encounter with Baron Mordo, Stephen decides to stay and train. After learning of magical rings Stephen and Wong head out to secure them with the help of a young woman.
Dr. Strange Season One seems like a different Dr. Strange story. Clearly the story is being reinvisioned, but I'm not familiar enough with his original story to know how much is different or the same. The biggest surprise for me is that Wong is not only a student of the ancient one, but that he's so antagonistic towards Stephen.
This story read like an extra magic version of the Lord of the Rings, enough that the author jokingly calls their female companion their hobbit on multiple occasions.
Dr. Strange Season One is an OK story, but I'm not sure it provides the most accurate portrayal of Dr. Strange and Wong.
After speaking to the Ancient One and an encounter with Baron Mordo, Stephen decides to stay and train. After learning of magical rings Stephen and Wong head out to secure them with the help of a young woman.
Dr. Strange Season One seems like a different Dr. Strange story. Clearly the story is being reinvisioned, but I'm not familiar enough with his original story to know how much is different or the same. The biggest surprise for me is that Wong is not only a student of the ancient one, but that he's so antagonistic towards Stephen.
This story read like an extra magic version of the Lord of the Rings, enough that the author jokingly calls their female companion their hobbit on multiple occasions.
Dr. Strange Season One is an OK story, but I'm not sure it provides the most accurate portrayal of Dr. Strange and Wong.
January 29, 2022
Emma Rios's art in this book is atrocious. Everything's drawn like there are swirling winds on every page to the point where I can't even tell what's going on in any of the panels. I found the retelling of Dr. Strange's origin quite uninspired. All of the important details are glossed over on one page. That he was a surgeon who ruined his hands and is seeking a way to fix them. The meat of the book is a quest Stephen and Wong go on to find 3 rings that allow you to control the Vishanti. This could have been so much better.
January 14, 2015
This one is more of a 3.5, but I'm nothing if not generous.
I enjoyed the art, and having never read any of the Strange comics before, was fascinated by the origin and wondering how it'd play out in an upcoming movie we're all interested in.
So, one part selfish, two parts willing, and another part destiny. Does that make the character fairly convincing? Possibly. I'm probably going to need to read a lot more, probably version 3, before I can make a convincing judgement as to whether I like him.
I enjoyed the art, and having never read any of the Strange comics before, was fascinated by the origin and wondering how it'd play out in an upcoming movie we're all interested in.
So, one part selfish, two parts willing, and another part destiny. Does that make the character fairly convincing? Possibly. I'm probably going to need to read a lot more, probably version 3, before I can make a convincing judgement as to whether I like him.
March 12, 2017
The fact that there are so many superhero stories from films, television, etc. it does seem pointless to do origin stories in this current age where we know how Superman, Batman and Spider-Man came to be. However, there are plenty of new characters that audiences won’t be as familiar with, such as Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Doctor Strange whose cinematic debut is not far away, so what better way than to read a comic that shows how Stephen Strange became Master of Mystic Arts.
If you don���t know who Stephen Strange is, he’s a selfish, arrogant surgeon who following a car accident that destroys his hands and hinders his ability to perform surgery, searches the globe for a way to repair them and encounters the Ancient One. After months of mystic training, Strange embarks on a worldwide journey with another apprentice of the Ancient One, Wong, and Sofia di Cosimo, who searches for three rings of tremendous power before the evil Baron Mordo does.
Very similar to DC's Earth One line-up, Season One is a series of graphic novels that re-tell the origin stories of classic Marvel characters in a contemporary fashion. Much like how the book is promoted, this story is “part Indiana Jones, part Lord of the Rings”, something that would grab new readers. However, despite those references and at least try to contemporising aspects of the Doctor Strange mythos, such as the relationship between Strange and Wong – from originally master and servant to now two antagonistic apprentices who are butting heads – Greg Pak’s writing is witless and somewhat lazy in how it rarely delves into the magical world or indeed the journey of the rings which just felt generic, with Baron Mordo occasionally popping up, looking sinister.
Whatever redeeming feature this book has is Emma Rios’ art which continues to shine, if sometimes too abstract for a superhero comic. In collaboration with colourist Jordie Bellaire, there are stunningly grand panels displaying the magic spells that are cast upon, even if you can’t understand what’s going on. With her manga-esque character illustrations, everyone looks sexy, not least from the long-haired Wong, who in any incarnation has never looked sexier. That said, despite the front cover, we don’t really see Strange donning the Cloak of Levitation and Eye of Agamotto, which is a bit disappointing considering Rios would be ideal to draw his traditional costume.
Despite Emma Rios’ stunningly fantasy imagery, Greg Pak presents a generic buddy story with stock characters and doesn’t provide a great insight into Stephen Strange and his worldview. If you want an introduction to the mystic arts, there’s Brian K. Vaughan’s The Oath or Jason Aaron’s current run.
If you don���t know who Stephen Strange is, he’s a selfish, arrogant surgeon who following a car accident that destroys his hands and hinders his ability to perform surgery, searches the globe for a way to repair them and encounters the Ancient One. After months of mystic training, Strange embarks on a worldwide journey with another apprentice of the Ancient One, Wong, and Sofia di Cosimo, who searches for three rings of tremendous power before the evil Baron Mordo does.
Very similar to DC's Earth One line-up, Season One is a series of graphic novels that re-tell the origin stories of classic Marvel characters in a contemporary fashion. Much like how the book is promoted, this story is “part Indiana Jones, part Lord of the Rings”, something that would grab new readers. However, despite those references and at least try to contemporising aspects of the Doctor Strange mythos, such as the relationship between Strange and Wong – from originally master and servant to now two antagonistic apprentices who are butting heads – Greg Pak’s writing is witless and somewhat lazy in how it rarely delves into the magical world or indeed the journey of the rings which just felt generic, with Baron Mordo occasionally popping up, looking sinister.
Whatever redeeming feature this book has is Emma Rios’ art which continues to shine, if sometimes too abstract for a superhero comic. In collaboration with colourist Jordie Bellaire, there are stunningly grand panels displaying the magic spells that are cast upon, even if you can’t understand what’s going on. With her manga-esque character illustrations, everyone looks sexy, not least from the long-haired Wong, who in any incarnation has never looked sexier. That said, despite the front cover, we don’t really see Strange donning the Cloak of Levitation and Eye of Agamotto, which is a bit disappointing considering Rios would be ideal to draw his traditional costume.
Despite Emma Rios’ stunningly fantasy imagery, Greg Pak presents a generic buddy story with stock characters and doesn’t provide a great insight into Stephen Strange and his worldview. If you want an introduction to the mystic arts, there’s Brian K. Vaughan’s The Oath or Jason Aaron’s current run.
December 24, 2013
The Doctor Strange: Season One graphic novel is one of two Season One books that stood out for me, X-Men: Season One being the other one. Greg Pak has made the young Stephen Strange a lot more callow but with still the inner goodness that the Ancient One found redeeming. Pak gave it an Indiana Jones flavor of adventure with the globe-trotting and artifact-chasing. He also adds a wrinkle to the Strange-Wong dynamic than comic readers take for granted. Before he became the mellow and trusted butler of 177A Bleecker Street he was a firebrand and butted more often than not with Strange.
Emma Rios' art is magic! It has that mystical quality that would look great on a Doctor Strange ongoing, which shall be penned by Pak.
Emma Rios' art is magic! It has that mystical quality that would look great on a Doctor Strange ongoing, which shall be penned by Pak.
December 14, 2015
An ok story, partly salvaged by some spectacular art. If you're just looking for a basic origin story for Doctor Strange, there's probably worse ways to get it. I suppose it's possible that the upcoming movie would take some cues from this glorified fetch quest, but hopefully not too many.
August 9, 2016
A lot of the rage in the 80’s and 90’s were around the so called ‘bromance’ movies. The plot line would be a much rehashed one : two unlikely men find themselves at odds, they sometimes fall in love with the same women (or two women who get along well in spite of the men), the sudden appearance of an antagonist who threatens both men, they team up, wham ! bam ! boom ! villain dead and happily ever after. Think of movies like : The Presidio, The Rock, Tequila Sunrise, Lethal Weapon and you get the picture. Why did I say all this ? Because for all the magical hullabaloo, the smoke and mirrors this is exactly the storyline for the origin story of Dr. Strange. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement !
Marvel studios have made swell movies out of some of their outlandish characters like the guardians of the galaxy and even Deadpool and by the look of things they will repeat the same for Dr. Strange. Whatever they have in store for the movie, I certainly hope it isn’t what I read here.
The art is the only redeeming factor especially when the supernatural powers come into play. A pedestrian story which is partly salvaged by great art.
Marvel studios have made swell movies out of some of their outlandish characters like the guardians of the galaxy and even Deadpool and by the look of things they will repeat the same for Dr. Strange. Whatever they have in store for the movie, I certainly hope it isn’t what I read here.
The art is the only redeeming factor especially when the supernatural powers come into play. A pedestrian story which is partly salvaged by great art.
October 1, 2016
Greg Pak isn't my favorite writer.
And this didn't change my mind.
Doc Strange in a buddy quest fantasy with jerk-version Wong and Sofia the stock female character / archaeologist that gets into supernatural hijinks. It's not bad, it's just okay. What it lacks is wit, realistic dialog, and action that isn't featured in Big Trouble in Little China.
If this was a movie you could play a drinking game with all the AAAAGH-ing, Ow-ing, and SKRAKAKOOMs. What the hell does that even sound like, really?
The one thing it has going for it is Emma Rios' crazy psychedelic illustrations. But if you're looking for a great Doc Strange book, both in writing and artwork, try out Brian K. Vaughan's Doctor Strange: The Oath instead.
June 29, 2016
A revised origin story from 2012 for Marvel Comics' Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Stephen Strange. After surviving a car crash and having his hands shattered, arrogant neurosurgeon Dr. Strange goes in search of a unique kind of alternative medicine. The Ancient One, a master of mystic arts, trains Stephen Strange (who has intelligence but no talent for magic), and pairs him with the powerful Wong (who has raw talent but no patience for book learning); they learn to get along as they seek out three artifacts across the world which could give Strange the ability to fix his hands.
I've seen Dr. Strange in passing in a few books so far, but this is my first full story featuring him, admittedly inspired by the recent casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as Strange in the upcoming film. The "Season One" line has modernized the origins of several heroes, and in this case it's worked as a concise introduction to the character. Strange and Wong are bickering buddy-cops in their quest, with Dr. Sofia Di Cosimo, artifact expert, along for the ride. The Ancient One and Mordo, rogue sorcerer and Strange's future archenemy, are included as relatively minor characters in a story which showcases Strange's character growth and his bonding with Wong. The pacing, characterization, and expression of magic in Emma Rios' art are all high quality. I felt like I had a good sense of Strange as a character once the story wrapped up, though his relationship with Wong presented here seems like a stark difference to the master-servant relationship I've seen in other places. I prefer this presentation, where they are partners with different talents.
I've seen Dr. Strange in passing in a few books so far, but this is my first full story featuring him, admittedly inspired by the recent casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as Strange in the upcoming film. The "Season One" line has modernized the origins of several heroes, and in this case it's worked as a concise introduction to the character. Strange and Wong are bickering buddy-cops in their quest, with Dr. Sofia Di Cosimo, artifact expert, along for the ride. The Ancient One and Mordo, rogue sorcerer and Strange's future archenemy, are included as relatively minor characters in a story which showcases Strange's character growth and his bonding with Wong. The pacing, characterization, and expression of magic in Emma Rios' art are all high quality. I felt like I had a good sense of Strange as a character once the story wrapped up, though his relationship with Wong presented here seems like a stark difference to the master-servant relationship I've seen in other places. I prefer this presentation, where they are partners with different talents.
November 25, 2013
Man, this is some goddamn good Doctor Strange right here. Strange has always been a Marvel misfit, floating between groups and periodically getting solo runs. He's a great character, a sort of more believable Tony Stark--a brilliant surgeon who also happens to be a gigantic asshole. When his hands get injured in a car accident, he goes to great lengths to heal them, else his career is ruined and he is, basically, worthless. Because he's a dick. As a last resort, he ends up in the Himalayas where a guy called The Ancient One teaches him about sorcery. Strange is a prick, though, and isn't fit for the role, but once Mordo, another student drawing on dark magics unveils a diabolical plan, Strange and his rival Wong, a sort of ninja warlock dude make their way across the globe looking for some magic shit.
This is the way comics should be: quick without being shock a.d.d., funny, sympathetic characters, even if they're terrible, and a real sense of adventure and fun without any of the shit and grit of recent efforts to make superheroes 'realistic'. Ummmmmm, they're superheroes?
And the art--the art is supreme! Pak and Rios should be handed over the keys to a whole new Strange series.
Here's hoping this informs the coming film.
This is the way comics should be: quick without being shock a.d.d., funny, sympathetic characters, even if they're terrible, and a real sense of adventure and fun without any of the shit and grit of recent efforts to make superheroes 'realistic'. Ummmmmm, they're superheroes?
And the art--the art is supreme! Pak and Rios should be handed over the keys to a whole new Strange series.
Here's hoping this informs the coming film.
October 31, 2016
2,5 stars
A more than decent retelling of Dr Strange's origin story, and Wong as a rival turning friend later was a nice touch, but the manga-style like art was really not much my cup of tea.
A more than decent retelling of Dr Strange's origin story, and Wong as a rival turning friend later was a nice touch, but the manga-style like art was really not much my cup of tea.
March 7, 2019
I really enjoyed this retelling of the beginning of Doctor Strange's story, and I love Emma Rios' art style it seems part psychodellic and part expressionist.
October 23, 2016
The first story about Dr. Stranges origin was OK, though I enjoyed the art of it very much as it was interesting and full of details. The second story (or more like a teaser of it) wasn't that promising and I also disliked the art, so I doubt I will read it wholy if I happen to see the rest of it somewhere. This was probably translated into Finnish because of the upcoming movie, but still, good that it was done.
August 31, 2014
Well this was the second time this month that I was very surprised by Greg Pak (author of many forgettable books.)
Yet once again I cannot help but assume that it was a very talented illustrator that made his book enjoyable.
Emma Rios is her name, and her unconventional depictions of magic, containing force and power are fairly revolutionary in the comics world of the mystic arts!
I have never seen anything like it!
Her depictions of magic spells are confusing, frightening and amazing!
There is a wild frenetic energy about it that is beyond refreshing.
So, why did this only get 3 stars?
Well, while I have always found FILLER crap to be super annoying,
in this case they dumped just part one of a who knows how many part story in there in a misguided attempt to shove us towards buying some Defenders books ....
This is unacceptable and wrong.
Grow up MARVEL,
if making money is your only goal, and don't pretend moves like this don't indicate that,
take my advice,
you will make more money in the long run without all the DECEIT and FILLER, or in this case Deceitful Filler.
As this is the kind of crap that is going to make me stop buying your books.
Yet once again I cannot help but assume that it was a very talented illustrator that made his book enjoyable.
Emma Rios is her name, and her unconventional depictions of magic, containing force and power are fairly revolutionary in the comics world of the mystic arts!
I have never seen anything like it!
Her depictions of magic spells are confusing, frightening and amazing!
There is a wild frenetic energy about it that is beyond refreshing.
So, why did this only get 3 stars?
Well, while I have always found FILLER crap to be super annoying,
in this case they dumped just part one of a who knows how many part story in there in a misguided attempt to shove us towards buying some Defenders books ....
This is unacceptable and wrong.
Grow up MARVEL,
if making money is your only goal, and don't pretend moves like this don't indicate that,
take my advice,
you will make more money in the long run without all the DECEIT and FILLER, or in this case Deceitful Filler.
As this is the kind of crap that is going to make me stop buying your books.
January 2, 2017
Images in graphic novels are just as important as the text. I am in general not a fan of vintage type drawings, but I don't hate them. I did dislike this one a lot. I felt like the scenes that were described in the speech bubbles were not complimented by the pictures drawn. They felt to me like two separate entities. And I so, so, so much disliked the artwork that it made it hard to read the story.
And it's not like the story would have been such a great thing. Sure, it shows the development of Dr Strange from a man of science to a man of... magic, inner power... to someone who doesn't live in a science box anymore? Yet it is in a bit of a lame fashion (at least to me it seemed so), so... yeah. I didn't like it at all.
And it's not like the story would have been such a great thing. Sure, it shows the development of Dr Strange from a man of science to a man of... magic, inner power... to someone who doesn't live in a science box anymore? Yet it is in a bit of a lame fashion (at least to me it seemed so), so... yeah. I didn't like it at all.
March 23, 2015
Well, that was fun. Maybe a little predictable, but otherwise the art was good and the character interaction was interesting. I'm not sure if I got the bad guy or not-he seems to be the one size fits all sort.
January 11, 2015
Average story helped a lot by Emma Rios on art. Some stunning stuff here. Its also easier to follow compared to some of her other work.
December 15, 2015
Not my cup of tea methinks. I'm also still confused about his character.
June 25, 2022
✯ [4.5/5] ✯
Love me some morally gray characters and that means Stephen Strange, I really enjoyed his origin story
Love me some morally gray characters and that means Stephen Strange, I really enjoyed his origin story
September 18, 2022
This was so good, I love Doctor Strange and I loved this story.
April 22, 2016
Really trippy art and a really somewhat trippy story.
I'm relatively new to Strange, being a DC reader, but he does come off as very much Constantine/Doctor Fate like and that's a good thing. So far the books have been okay but nothing to blow my mind, how does this one rate?
World: Emma Rios' art is amazing, I loved her stuff since Pretty Deadly. It's very distinct and has a very 1970s comic book art quality to it, it does have it's minor irks (like a lack of contrast from background to foreground) but it's gorgeous. The world building here is great cause this is pretty much Marvel's version of DC's Earth One books, reboots and re-imaginings without the shackles of canon and it's quite good. I like the places it introduced, the characters and the lore. It was very nonchalant in it's world building and there was absolutely no hand holding and info dumping in terms of the Vishanti and the cosmic realm. It's good.
Story: It's good, it's overall paced well but somewhat choppy. I liked the location hoping and the banter and interactions between the main characters and the story is suitably interesting to keep me reading. But as I said, I found the story to be a bit choppy in it's execution especially in terms of character introductions, it's a minor quirk but overall it's a fun story.
Character: Strange's arc is good, it's clear and concise and very relatable to the reader. The rest the cast is very much basic and serves the story that Pak is trying to tell. I found the villains introduction to be absolutely choppy and coming out of nowhere but I think this is because of the page limit that this book had. It's not bad, but Strange is the highlight here and his journey makes sense. Pak didn't really go deep into pre accident Strange and I would have liked a little bit more arrogance to bring home the arc fully but overall it's good.
I liked it, the art was amazing, especially the cosmic stuff, however a great story is turned into a good story due to some slight choppiness in the storytelling.
Onward to the next book!
I'm relatively new to Strange, being a DC reader, but he does come off as very much Constantine/Doctor Fate like and that's a good thing. So far the books have been okay but nothing to blow my mind, how does this one rate?
World: Emma Rios' art is amazing, I loved her stuff since Pretty Deadly. It's very distinct and has a very 1970s comic book art quality to it, it does have it's minor irks (like a lack of contrast from background to foreground) but it's gorgeous. The world building here is great cause this is pretty much Marvel's version of DC's Earth One books, reboots and re-imaginings without the shackles of canon and it's quite good. I like the places it introduced, the characters and the lore. It was very nonchalant in it's world building and there was absolutely no hand holding and info dumping in terms of the Vishanti and the cosmic realm. It's good.
Story: It's good, it's overall paced well but somewhat choppy. I liked the location hoping and the banter and interactions between the main characters and the story is suitably interesting to keep me reading. But as I said, I found the story to be a bit choppy in it's execution especially in terms of character introductions, it's a minor quirk but overall it's a fun story.
Character: Strange's arc is good, it's clear and concise and very relatable to the reader. The rest the cast is very much basic and serves the story that Pak is trying to tell. I found the villains introduction to be absolutely choppy and coming out of nowhere but I think this is because of the page limit that this book had. It's not bad, but Strange is the highlight here and his journey makes sense. Pak didn't really go deep into pre accident Strange and I would have liked a little bit more arrogance to bring home the arc fully but overall it's good.
I liked it, the art was amazing, especially the cosmic stuff, however a great story is turned into a good story due to some slight choppiness in the storytelling.
Onward to the next book!
March 13, 2017
Doctor Strange: Season One was my first exposure to Doctor Strange. So, I went into this knowing next to nothing of the character. I picked it up primarily because it’s written by Greg Pak (X-Treme X-Men, Vol. 1: Xavier Must Die!) and illustrated by Emma Rios (Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1: The Shrike).
Doctor Strange: Season One is an origin story and, in all honesty, a pretty cliched one. Stephen Strange was a gifted surgeon until a car accident crushed his hands, leaving him incapable of operating. In a quest to gain back what he lost, Strange embarks on a spiritual quest that starts his life down a new path.
The main plot of this has been done a million times, but I still found myself enjoying the tale. Primarily because I really liked Strange. He has a great character arc and it was easy to empathize with him. Especially when he came face-to-face with a gifted surgeon who hadn’t become jaded by success, like Strange had. One of my favorite moments was watching Strange interact with the surgeon; a compassionate person who Strange could’ve been, if he hadn’t let success go to his head.
Where this comic fails is with the female character. She offers very little to the plot and has all the personality of handbag here. This was a little disappointing since I’ve enjoyed Pak’s depictions of female characters in some of his other work.
All in all, this was a pretty solid origin story. I’m interested enough to read more of this character, especially since Jason Aaron (Wolverine and the X-Men, Vol. 1) is current working on it.
Doctor Strange: Season One is an origin story and, in all honesty, a pretty cliched one. Stephen Strange was a gifted surgeon until a car accident crushed his hands, leaving him incapable of operating. In a quest to gain back what he lost, Strange embarks on a spiritual quest that starts his life down a new path.
The main plot of this has been done a million times, but I still found myself enjoying the tale. Primarily because I really liked Strange. He has a great character arc and it was easy to empathize with him. Especially when he came face-to-face with a gifted surgeon who hadn’t become jaded by success, like Strange had. One of my favorite moments was watching Strange interact with the surgeon; a compassionate person who Strange could’ve been, if he hadn’t let success go to his head.
Where this comic fails is with the female character. She offers very little to the plot and has all the personality of handbag here. This was a little disappointing since I’ve enjoyed Pak’s depictions of female characters in some of his other work.
All in all, this was a pretty solid origin story. I’m interested enough to read more of this character, especially since Jason Aaron (Wolverine and the X-Men, Vol. 1) is current working on it.
November 16, 2012
I've really grown tired of the whole "Season One" reboot concept from both Marvel and DC, but since I'm a Doctor Strange fan, I thought I would give this one a try.
The first half of the book, a retelling of the Doctor Strange origin story, is quite good, showing that Stephen Strange's transformation from the arrogant, yet brilliant surgeon to master of the mystic arts was neither immediate nor easy. Rios' art works well in these early pages, managing to do something quite difficult: to convey that multiple events are happening on multiple dimensions while drawing on a two-dimensional surface. Ironically, the artwork succeeds on this level (levels?) while becoming confusing in many of the action sequences; you simply can't tell what's going on in many of the panels.
The story is essentially a quest story, with Strange and fellow mystic arts student Wong traveling with a woman named Sofia in order to obtain three rings, which will enable them to command the Vishanti, an ancient mystical force, whether they are "worthy or unworthy." Pak has some fun with the ring motif, and provides a good mixture of adventure and humor, but ultimately the quest becomes muddled and disappointing. Strange is supposed to be learning how to deny himself and help others, yet the whole way in which the characters seem to go about their goal seems rather "unworthy."
Doctor Strange: Season One isn't a bad read; I was just expecting more. From some of the other reviews I've read, this is one of the best of the Season One graphic novels. If that's the case, I think I'll avoid the rest of them.
The first half of the book, a retelling of the Doctor Strange origin story, is quite good, showing that Stephen Strange's transformation from the arrogant, yet brilliant surgeon to master of the mystic arts was neither immediate nor easy. Rios' art works well in these early pages, managing to do something quite difficult: to convey that multiple events are happening on multiple dimensions while drawing on a two-dimensional surface. Ironically, the artwork succeeds on this level (levels?) while becoming confusing in many of the action sequences; you simply can't tell what's going on in many of the panels.
The story is essentially a quest story, with Strange and fellow mystic arts student Wong traveling with a woman named Sofia in order to obtain three rings, which will enable them to command the Vishanti, an ancient mystical force, whether they are "worthy or unworthy." Pak has some fun with the ring motif, and provides a good mixture of adventure and humor, but ultimately the quest becomes muddled and disappointing. Strange is supposed to be learning how to deny himself and help others, yet the whole way in which the characters seem to go about their goal seems rather "unworthy."
Doctor Strange: Season One isn't a bad read; I was just expecting more. From some of the other reviews I've read, this is one of the best of the Season One graphic novels. If that's the case, I think I'll avoid the rest of them.
November 13, 2012
I've been aware of Doctor Strange's origin story, but I don't think I've ever read it in comic form before, so I can't really compare this update to its predecessors. I can evaluate it on its own merits, and it's a pretty good story. The writing is clever, and the story works overall. It's difficult to take a character through an arc from completely selfish to an altruistic crusader over roughly 50 odd pages of comic, but the writer does a decent job of it. The art was not as much to my taste, but was OK.
It's interesting that this was the first of the Season One stories I've read to not have an obvious "we're in the 21st Century now" moment somewhere in it. Aside from a single glimpse of a flat panel TV, this story could have been set any time in the past fifty years.
Like the other Season One stories, it fails in the sense that it makes me want to go out and read something that doesn't exist: the further adventures of Strange and Wong with their mentor the Ancient One. Unlike other Season One books, the backup story is one that actually intrigued me, but only because I am already familiar with the Defenders. Anyone coming to this without that background would be confused by the appearance of all these other characters that had no place in the origin story they just read.
Overall, a decent addition to the Season One library, even if I still fail to see the ultimate purpose of this line.
It's interesting that this was the first of the Season One stories I've read to not have an obvious "we're in the 21st Century now" moment somewhere in it. Aside from a single glimpse of a flat panel TV, this story could have been set any time in the past fifty years.
Like the other Season One stories, it fails in the sense that it makes me want to go out and read something that doesn't exist: the further adventures of Strange and Wong with their mentor the Ancient One. Unlike other Season One books, the backup story is one that actually intrigued me, but only because I am already familiar with the Defenders. Anyone coming to this without that background would be confused by the appearance of all these other characters that had no place in the origin story they just read.
Overall, a decent addition to the Season One library, even if I still fail to see the ultimate purpose of this line.
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