Dr. Strange, Surgeon Supreme: Under the Knife

Dr. Strange (2019) #1-6

by Mark Waid, Kevin Walker (Illustrator), Java Tartaglia (Color Artist)

The impossible has happened! Stephen Strange's hands have been healed, restoring the surgical skills that he lost long ago! But now, Doctor Strange finds himself torn between his obligations as the Sorcerer Supreme - and as a life-saving neurosurgeon! And when Strange is forced to choose which set of vows he must uphold, who will suffer most for it? After all, magic always has a cost... Join writer Mark Waid, artist Kev Walker and Dr. Stephen Strange, M.D., for a brand-new era of modern medicine, mystic arts...and horror!

COLLECTING: DR. STRANGE (2019) 1-6

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fantasy, Fiction, Comic Book

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My name is Dr. Stephen Strange. As Earth's 'Sorcerer Supreme,' I have a unique and demanding responsibility to protect it from any mystical menaces that may threaten it. But I'm also the world's greatest neurosurgeon, and the Hippocratic Oath is a lifetime vow . . . Dividing my energies like this demands a delicate balance." -- our title character, in the opening chapter

Vol. 1: Under the Knife tweaks or subverts Dr. Strange's long-held origin story - in which he was forced to abandon his physician duties due to injury, thus paving the way to eventual attaining of superhero status - with his medical skills now fully restored to their former level, courtesy of a dicey magic spell. Thus, he splits his time between surgical rounds at a New York City hospital - taking on the impossible cases, naturally - while also continuing to protect said metropolis from the usual assortment of mystical-based malefactors. (A classic scene here has him stumbling into the O.R. to perform an emergency procedure at the last possible second, albeit still bleeding from a particularly violent encounter with a gigantic monster only moments before.) The dual workplace setting, so to speak, was a fairly clever idea for this volume - I enjoyed Strange's down-to-earth interactions with his polite personal assistant / fanboy surrogate Kermit and the hospital's tough administrative officer Regina Hagen, contrasted with several big and colorful action scenes where he confronts a variety of foes throughout the connected stories. Another inadvertent asset? I could easily imagine 'hearing' Strange's dialogue / thoughts depicted in the dulcet tones of actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another of my favourite books gets cancelled with a bunch of dangling plotlines. I despair, I really do. Still, for what it's worth, I loved this volume. Mark Waid pens another great tale in the way that only he can and Kev Walker produces the best artwork of his career. At least they went out on a high. Sigh...

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Strange has regained the full use of his hands and operating as a surgeon on cases other surgeon declare inoperable. He's running himself ragged though between being a surgeon and the Sorcerer Supreme. So he doesn't notice at first that his mystic forge has been broken into and material are missing. Materials that are being forged into weapons of mass destruction. I really liked the addition of Dr. Druid and I'm sure that's the first time I've ever thought that before. It's a shame the series was cancelled before Waid and Walker could finish what they started.

[Renata · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doctor Strange peaked when he was an unlicensed veterinarian with a ghost dog and that's that on that

I do like his new assistant Kermit but I care ZERO PERCENT about his MEDICAL CAREER and this book seems to believe that I will care SEVERAL PERCENT about that??? like House is over, Stephen, what are you doing

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to rate this higher, I really do. Mark Waid and Kev Walker spin a delightful yarn that looks like another fresh take and status quo on Doctor Strange after Waid already reinvented him in the previous series, but this one just ends too abruptly to be as good as it could have been. There are dangling plot threads, unresolved mysteries, and no closure to basically anything that went on here. I'd almost warn you away from reading this at all, because you'll get invested in what's going on only to have the rug swept out from under you and no ending in sight.

It's a damn shame, and I hope Marvel come back to what's been left off here quicker than it took them to let Waid tie-up his Strange: The Doctor Is Out mini (which was something like ten years!)

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the starting premise: Stephen Strange has had his hands fully healed so he can resume practice as a neurosurgeon. Early issues play with him trying to find a balance between his medical practice and his responsibilities as the Sorcerer Supreme. A supporting cast of characters is set up at the McCarthy Medical Institute where he works on an as-needed basis, but before they can be even partially developed Strange gets distracted by a supernatural arms dealer and the series was prematurely canceled.

Waid is a solid and reliable writer, and I'm sorry he didn't get a chance to fully explore this concept and that Strange instead had to go through the pointless detour that is The Death of Doctor Strange.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too bad this new series was cancelled after such a promising run. Again Waid found new twists to keep the characters and the story interesting (cf his Daredevil run).

Good idea to have Doc back as a real surgeon and sorcerer supreme. Of course he's not supposed to be both at the same time. Yeah, right.
This first plot (and last) is quite good; nice introduction to what could have been a good longer run... Sigh... A bit of action, a few twists, good dialogues, new (and old) characters; all is there.

It's not deep or mind blowing but really entertaining, enhanced by Kev Walker's art. Don't know much of him but I'll keep an eye on him. He does a very cool Strange and even if his treatment of the magical world/creatures isn't revolutionary, it is very well done. The guy knows his job and does it well.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good. Strange has learned that his Sanctum Machina, or his mystic forge, has been broken into. This is where Strange makes his magical weapons and stores his mystic items. So someone stealing things from here is a pretty big deal. I really enjoyed the journey of Strange playing detective, if you will, trying to track down who it was. And I did not expect the villain to be who it was which was a nice surprise. After it was all said and done, this person was left in a tight spot. I would be down to read a mini series of this character showing them deal with the consequences. But over all, an entertaining read with some cool cameos and some great art by Kev Walker.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty solid, I like how Strange is (mostly successfully) trying to balance being a neurosurgeon with his sorcerous responsibilities.
The new characters like Kermit and Dr. Hagen are fun, and the unexpected inclusion of the infrequently seen Doctor Druid was a nice touch as well.
It’s great to see the character get regular series and attention thanks to the success of his big screen incarnation, looking forward to more soon!

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big surprise for me. Great story and art. Pity its been cancelled

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spark of life for Mark Waid's Doctor Strange run! Under the Knife features Strange as both surgeon and sorceror, a career combo that's increasingly tough for Strange to pull off. The work/life balance squabbles are welcome, as is the straightforward plot involving magical artifacts getting into the wrong hands. I was a bit disappointed in the quick conclusion (Madame Masque always strikes me as a lame villain), but I was not disappointed in Kev Walker's art, which ruled.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series was apparently canceled and I’m not okay with it. I want more.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enquanto nos Estados Unidos a nova fase do Doutor Estranho ganhou um novo título e acabou sofrendo um hiato por causa da pandemia do Covid-19, no Brasil, a Panini Comics deu continuidade à numeração do título anterior e publicou este volume como o quarto da fase de Mark Waid no Mago Supremo da Terra. Por causa desse hiato, muitas e muitas coisas que estavam em gestação nessa nova fase de Waid não serão mais vistas. Contudo, esse encadernado fica mais na promessa que na realização, muito porque seria o primeiro de muitas coisas planejadas. A forma como Waid e o talentoso desenhista Kev Walker trabalham o Doutor Estranho como Cirugião Supremo é bastante diferente do que eu imaginava. A presença do Doutor Druida e do personagem novo Kermit são bastante interessantes. O que me decepcionou bastante foi a maneira como foram usados os personagens tradicionais, os antagonistas costumeiros dos heróis da Marvel. Da forma como Waid planejou para o Cirurgião Supremo eles não combinaram com a abordagem. É uma pena que muita coisa tenha sido deixada pra depois ou para nunca serem abordadas, o que deixa as histórias desse encadenado em uma espécie de limbo da continuidade.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit to being a Mark Waid fan, and I stand firm on my belief that Irredeemable remains one of, the best Superman riffs (as in what if Superman was truly Charles Manson level evil). Yet, like Geoff Johns I have moments where I think one of Waid's best traits is his ability to take a company's IP and give it a new twist.

Dr. Strange has usually struck me as a supporting character. Few writers seem able to make him interesting. Waid goes back and changes a core factor in Strange's origin. Strange's abilities as a surgeon are restored and now we watch Strange balance his obligations as a surgeon and doctor against being this dimension's sorcerer supreme who is also carving out a new way of doing magic (see the previous series).

The rating for this series is a little high. It could have a really nice long form read, but it was canceled after six issues (read as digital floppies). The supporting cast and Strange's world were being fleshed out, but the ending feels rushed and incomplete.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable story about Dr. Strange struggling to reconcile both sides of his character, surgeon and sorcerer. Excellent artwork from Kev Walker.

[Aldo Haegemans · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ½ stars. The plotlines were okay but not as interesting to me as some of the previous stories. The conditions of Strange’s deal with the hospital don’t seem entirely logical. How can he not use magic there? Isn’t using his third eye considered magic of the most basic kind? Making Madame Masque’s motivation an insane unrequited love for Tony Stark—they could’ve done so much better.
My two favourite bits:
The running joke of “One cape question a day” with Strange’s new admin assistant, Kermit, who is a fan of superheroes to the point of having action figures around.
Strange temporarily forgetting Anthony Ludgate (AKA Dr. Druid) can hear everything he’s thinking while he’s musing about Ludgate’s motives and opinion of him. Ludgate thinks back, “I can hear you, you know. ..For Gaea’s sake, I harbor no ill will toward you, you arrogant prat. Believe it or not, not everyone wants to be Stephen Strange!”
The art is pretty good.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
Ever since the deal with a devil was made (see last Volume), Steven Strange's future as a neurosurgeon was called back to life because of his hands being repaired. This places him in a unique role, as he has to balance both parts of his life. This is made more difficult by: 1) The hospital administrator he now works for is Dr. Druid, a magic user who has been both ally and enemy in the past, and 2) His "Sanctum Machina" has been discovered and is being used by Madame Masque as a magical weapons supplier.
Overall, the Volume unfolds much like you'd expect it to, so the story is weird and good. I also know that this Volume of Doctor Strange only has this one Volume as the rest of the issues were canceled due to publishing delays with COVID stuff. So, I am anxious to see what will happen next, when Dr. Strange comes back to the page.
Recommend.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knows that Dr. Stephen Strange became the Sorcerer Supreme in response to an accident that took away the fine motor skills from his hands necessary to wield the implements needed to conduct neurosurgical minutiae. But what would happen if, after becoming Doctor Strange, he were to recover full use of his hands and suddenly have the opportunity to return to his past life? This book. That’s what. Join him as he navigates the fine line between both his existences and wrested with which path he prefers to continue down.

I really enjoyed this book even if it was a little confusing from time to time. But that’s the nature of magic and magical realms, right?

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having regained the full use of his hands, Stephen Strange has begun splitting his time between using his gifts as a surgeon and his responsibilities as Sorcerer Supreme. He soon discovers that his own mystical forge has been broken into and robbed, releasing powerful magical weapons into the world and putting pressure on his ability to live up to his role as a doctor of medicine.

Whilst I've always liked Doctor Strange, I've never found him terribly relatable. Which is understandable given that he's a dimension-hopping, demon-fighting sorcerer. Here, however, Waid adds something to the mix that is very much a staple of superhero comics but has never been much of a part of Strange's lore; the difficulty of balancing his life as a superhero with holding down a normal (well, normal by his standards) job. The clash of priorities and responsibilities, combined with the sense of never seeming to have enough time to keep on top of everything, is something that just about any adult can relate to. It humanises Strange in a way that I'm not sure I've seen before and I found it really refreshing to read.

On top of that, I also liked the dynamic between Stephen and the new chief administrator of the hospital he works at, Anthony Ludgate AKA Doctor Druid. To have such strong but very different masters of the mystic arts pushed together in their civilian lives adds an interesting bit of tension to the book and makes it all the more impactful when they have to combine their powers to save the hospital from a demonic bomb.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[Jaye Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too bad this was so quickly cancelled- it was actually pretty fire. It deals with Strange trying to live two lives: being the Sorcerer Supreme and also a surgeon. When a baddie shows up with a mystical weapon, he traces it back to his own mystical forge. He has to get to the bottom of it, while also trying to save lives medically and magically. Part time surgeon, full time wizard.

The art was so good and I liked how the story tied together. It just bums me out though because there were so many places this story could go and what it was setting up but alas. Shame on your cow and your entire family for cancelling this after literally 6 issues.

[MrColdStream · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fin little adventure for Dr Strange, sadly leaving son plot threads unresolved due to the cancellation if the book. I liked the return of Dr Druid, even though this arc did very little with him. I had also hoped for a more balanced mix of magic and surgery; the surgery part felt neglected. It would have been interesting to see where Waid would have taken this one.

[Sam Whale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty fun read, I like the idea of Stephen having to balance being a surgeon with his usual magic duties and thought the overall plait was well done.

I felt like I was missing out not really knowing who Doctor Druid is, but I guess that’s my fault for not really reading Doctor Strange ever.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. I love Mark Waid.

Strange, suddenly able to use his hands again, makes a deal with a hospital to become a surgeon in his off hours as the Sorcerer Supreme. And then Dr Druid returns from the dead to become that hospital’s administrator.

Really enjoyed this.

[bri 🧸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

the way they cancelled this arc ill simply pass away now

[Dubzor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this. I love that Mark has brought this exhausted, over-worked quality to Stephen. It's much more suited to the character than the snark that other authors tend to write him with sometimes. There's a lot of "Starkification" going on in Marvel these days sadly.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm waiting for the 'burning the candle at both ends' 'can't have your cake and eat it too' lesson here.

[Ernez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still better than I thought but not quite there. At time the art seemed rush and the story went all over the place.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Christal]

That was fun!