Strange, Vol. 1: I Belong to Death

Strange (2022)

by Jed MacKay, Marcelo Ferreira (Penciler), Don Ho (Inker)

Doctor Strange is dead — long live the Sorcerer Supreme! Or should we say…Sorceress? Haunted by her recently returned memories, Clea longs to bring Stephen Strange back from the grave. But when a dangerous group targets Earth, she must rise to task of being the planet’s sole defender against otherworldly magical threats! Clea comes face-to-face with the mysterious Harvestman as they both face off against an undead foe! And she finds herself caught in the middle when mortals target monsters! But just as Clea begins to uncover ways to bring Stephen Strange back to life, another impossible assault upon the magical realm rears its head. But Clea is not just any Sorcerer Supreme, she is a warlord…and these attacks will not stand under her rule!

COLLECTING: Strange (2022) 1-5

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

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2022

Reviews

[Jim Ef · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.4/10
Stephen Strange a.k.a Doctor Strange is dead and Clea is the new Sorcerer Supreme.
She will fight enemies and make new mysterious allies. Most importantly she will not stop trying to bring Stephen back from the dead.

I didn't know a lot about Clea but i do know is that i liked her a lot here. She is such a strong and yet fun presence.

The art is quite nice and it matches the story.

Definitely will come back for vol. 2

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread: 03/09/2024

Its kinda fun rereading the whole run from the start and I love here how we have Clea facing so many threats and the wider story vs Blasphemy cartel and the role of death here with her choosing her own emissary, Harvestman and interesting reveal in the end and it makes you wanna keep reading it and I love that dedication. Plus Umar, MK and others make it such a great read and it reads like a great fantasy comic also!
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This was a pretty fun read and like shows Clea trying to be the next Sorcerer Supreme and I love the pace with which its told and then the interactions she has are fun and then her new enemies Blasphemy cartel and their mysterious leader but also another threat in Harvestman, Death's sorcerer supreme and its really well done and I love the way its told and makes for a fun interaction and then the reveal of who they are and holy shit, it makes sense and its perfect!

I love the way the story starts as one simple thing and becomes this huge thing featuring Lady death and my god it will be fun to read about in future issues, and just like Moon knight Jed is doing heaven's work here and I love the way he explores clea, the dark nature of her faltine upbringing coming to the forefront here and now and like how she deals with it, the awkward dinner with her mother and the team up with MK which is just fun and brings humor to this dark series in a way and all in all its a fun read and I will highly recommend it! I am excited to read future issues of this for sure!

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book it is fast-paced and action-packed, and I get to know Clea Strange.

Doctor Strange, but happens when his power is inherited by his grieving wife, who happens to more warlord than protector.

I like the power struggle occult gangsters and lords trying their luck now that Doctor Strange us gone. However, they are messing with the wrong Strange.

As soon as I finished this book, I wanted to get the next one. I can't wait to see what happens next. Can Clea ballance her quest against the responsibilities of the Sorcerer Supreme? Also, the escalation of her enemies can only bring more action. The book finishes with a varient cover gallery.

[Giacomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly I didn't much enjoy Clea's impulsive turn as the Sorcerer Supreme in this first volume. At least poor hungover Wong provided a bit of amusement in the early going.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. If you haven’t heard by now, Doctor Strange died and left Clea to take up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. Her number one main objective? Bring Stephen back. Along they way, she crosses paths with the Blasphemy Cartel. They are a group of mercenaries or soldiers who have access to all sorts of magic weapons. While dealing with them, Clea has also crossed paths with the Harvester. Some guy in a mask chasing down dead beings sending them back to where they came from. This Harvester works for Death as their sorcerer supreme. Clea thinks he may be her avenue to bringing Stephen back. The artwork was great from Marcelo Ferreira and while the story was kinda good, there was enough intrigue that makes me want to keep reading this. Especially once we found out who the Harvester actually is.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty damn fun book I expected nothing from.

Jed MacKay has a knack for making characters I never cared too much about into characters I really begin to dig. Especially true here, with Stephen Strange's wife Clea taking over for Sorcerer Supreme. It has Doom being a prick, Clea dealing with her mother, and teaming up with Moon Knight.

This is just a lot of fun. Love how hot tempered Clea can be, she's a ton of fun compared to Strange. I also really love her costume, and her powers are sick combination of two things. I'll def check out the second volume as it finishes her run.

A 4 out of 5.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Belong to Death has that Jed Mackay sheen that I'm still unsure whether I like. The pace is FAST, the characters are WITTY, the setting is NEW YORK, the art is AVERAGE. Very Black Cat, which I did ultimately enjoy. And I think I enjoyed I Belong to Death too. Even if many of the elements feel dashed off, it's a pleasant re-introduction to the world of the Sorcerer(s) Supreme, now with Clea at the head.

She's got a clear goal, both for herself and for Marvel Publishing: resurrect Stephen Strange. Along the way, she has to contend with the Blasphemy Cartel, her mean mother, and a mysterious sorcerer from Death's realm (I wonder who THAT could be). She also gets to reveal some badass powers from Dark Dimension (loved that). The fast pace leaves little room for character growth, but by the end, Clea's sorcery world is established and she's ready for further adventures. Can't wait! Even with reservations.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This follow-up to The Death of Doctor Strange has Clea taking over the role of Sorcerer Supreme as well as the Sanctum Sanctorum in Greenwich Village. While she makes some efforts to protect the earthly realm from magic onslaughts, she is mostly distracted by her desire to find a way to resurrect Stephen Strange.

Conveniently, a bunch of dead people start popping up in the form of revenants being created by a magical crime cartel. Unfortunately, as Clea tries to subdue the revenants for clues to Strange's resurrection, she starts butting heads with a new avatar of death called -- riiiiiiiiidiculouslyyyyy -- Harvestman.

I have found Clea's haughty attitude hard to deal with in the past, but her single-minded straightforward attitude amused me here. And there were enough cameos from and team-ups with the rest of the Marvel universe to make this rather fun. Much better than the turgid book that preceded it.

[A Fan of Comics · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange beginning.

Clea is the wife of doctor strange, the daughter of a warlord and now sorcerer supreme! But most importantly she’s heart broken. Clea is trying to stop the blasphemy cartel while trying to figure out how to bring back Steven Strange. I liked this series. The setup took a little long, and I thought it got a little repetitive at some parts. But the last two issues were really good and I am actually looking forward to the next stage of this series. Really liked the art and all the variants for this series.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eu gostei muito da fase da Gata Negra escrita por Jed MacKay, mas estou chegando à conclusão que essa é a exceção que perfaz a regra. Isso porque os roteiros de MacKay tanto em Cavaleiro da Lua com em (Doutor) Estranho são muito inferiores àquelas desenvolvidos na série de Felícia Hardy. Também os desenhos de Marcelo Ferreira e as cores deste encadernado não são tão boas como a média dos títulos da Marvel. Aqui, Clea, a nova Estranha, nova Maga Suprema da Terra, está tentando reviver o Doutor Estranho, mas encontra resistência em um misterioso emissário da Morte e também precisa enfrentar em cartel mágico-bélico. Uma trama bem esquecível. Além disso a opção da Panini Comics Brasil de traduzir o título Strange, para Doutor Estranho, e não Estranha ou Doutora Estranho, denota uma certa misoginia da editora italiana já comprovada com outras decisões da mesma. Um pena, porque esta série teria um potencial imenso.

[Ignacio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Era inevitable que después de su muerte, una Clea convertida en Hechicera Suprema intentara resucitar al Doctor Extraño. Y de eso van estos cinco números, y supongo que los siguientes, mientras se enfrenta al Segador, a la irrupción de un par de superhéroes muertos escapados del averno y al Cártel Blasfemo. La historia tiene ritmo y gracejo (la visita de Umar a su hija). Apenas le falta algo de grandeza de las grandes etapas del personaje. Pero esta puede llegar. Donde flaquea es en el dibujo de Marcelo Ferreira, un poco del montón del que me entra mejor el trazo simple-cartoon de las escenas costumbristas que el superheroico-lleno de detalles-neal adamesco, donde hay mucho arrojar viñetas sin ton ni son en composiciones desequilibradas. Una pena que Lee Garbett no pudiera seguir en la serie, porque lo hizco muy bien en La muerte del Doctor Extraño.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Strange: I Belong to Death" is a fast paced novel that features Clea, the former girlfriend and now wife of Dr. Strange, as she takes on the mantle of Sorceress Supreme and fights dark and mystical forces in an attempt to reclaim her husband from the ranks of the dead. This is a very action oriented novel and there are many, many panels filled with magical combat and supernatural destruction. However, the book is deeper than the fireworks it tosses around and Clea proves to be a really fun and interesting protagonist.

Clea comes across as a strong driven character who is distinct from her more famous husband. Her power, drive and intelligence are clear from the start as is her determination to reclaim Stephen. The sorcerer Wong and Bats the ghost dog also have a strong presence in this book as they aid Clea in her quest. Finally, some much needed comic relief and a fair amount of indiscriminate destruction is provided by the entry of Clea's mother.

All in all this is a pretty good book. The only real issue is that the book does not do much to introduce its characters or explain the backstory behind the plot. As such, readers who are new to the series may find it easier to start elsewhere.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fallout and consequences from The Death of Doctor Strange.
Clea, his estranged wife - well, widow... - and Sorceror Supreme of the Dark Dimension takes up the mantle of Stephen Strange as Sorceror Supreme of Earth. In this she is not unchallenged by threats old and new, while also trying to rescue Stephen from being dead (and surviving dinner with her mother).
Death, though, seems very invested in keeping Stephen Strange for herself.
Clea is a very different Sorceror Supreme from her husband, asserting her power and dealing with threats very differently from her husband.
I like this title a lot, even though I am not too fond of the artwork and dislike the costume design of Clea (especially the reworked headpiece of the Cloak of Levitation... 🤷); some of the alternate covers reprinted in this book show how good she could look. Oh well, I'll still read on.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun bridge after the death of Strange.
Clea taking over the mantle, sticking it to Victor, and dealing with all manner of magical headaches makes a for a fine issue by issue adventure.
The actual plot itself is just average, as magical based mercs attack the magical beings. I don't really buy into them much, but we need fodder. The real interesting throughline is The Harvestman, with the stinger we are left with at the end. Curious how Clea will respond

[Un_LuckyLuke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvellously swift introduction to inheriting sorcerer's supreme title character of Clea Strange. Perfect starting point for a fresh reader, which provides all the necessary information, leaving the reader with compound satisfaction and urge to explore the story further. Upscaled 4.5

[James Iles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clea Strange is a well rounded character who is super blunt and to the point.

Her interactions with Earth stuff is fun while she drives forward to resurrect her husband.

Great artwork.

Jed McKay is a fabulous writer.

Bring on volume 2

[nati · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Velhala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

[Andrew Sorrentino · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast paced read. Some classic returning supporting cast members. Some new villains. A couple challenges for the new Sorcerer Supreme, but just enough of each to keep things moving. And a surprising reveal at the end!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the continuation of the Death of Dr. Strange series, I feel like I was absolutely treated to this thrilling story. And that ending, the big reveal-- mwah!

[Paxton Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good. Clea is awesome! The Harvestman angle was a cool subplot. I liked Clea bumping into people from the Marvel Universe. And the issue where her mother comes over for dinner is just…perfect.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Strange is dead, long live the new Sorcerer Supreme - Clea Strange! But, like any good Sorcerer Supreme, she's not about to take the death of her husband easily. Clea will do everything she can to bring him back, even if it means angering The Harvestman, the Sorcerer Supreme of Death. Also starring Doctor Doom, a parade of dead heroes and villains, and Clea's mom, Umar!

Jed Mackay is fast becoming one of my favourite writers at Marvel. Between Black Cat, Moon Knight, and Strange, he's killing it on everything he does. He slips Clea into the Marvel Universe easily, while making sure she remains her own character and not just female Stephen. Her motivations and her manner of dealing with problems is very much her own, and it's great fun to watch unfold. Clea suffers no fools, and that includes people like Victor Von Doom (a very, very funny exchange) and her own mother. You'll never forget that Clea is a warlord first and a Sorcerer Supreme second.

On art is Marcelo Ferreira, who I'm glad has an ongoing book again after the ill-fated Morbius series he was on. His style is clear and concise but surprisingly detailed when it needs to be, and he manages to straddle the line between the supernatural and the mundane easily.

Doctor Strange may be dead, but Clea's more than equipped to handle his job for him. Great writing, clever set pieces and some lovely artwork make Strange a must-read.

[Reni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this.

This book picks up right where The Death of Doctor Strange left off. We follow Clea as she is left to deal with the fallout.

So how is Clea doing now that her husband is dead (again)? Well, she is not happy. In fact, she is very angry and I cannot blame her. Honestly, I feel the same every time that The Powers That Be decide to break Clea and Stephen up, so seeing Clea unleash her magical fury in this volume was very cathartic. While I do worry that she's gonna overdo it, I love seeing her all powerful and angry and the art in those scenes really does convey her power beautifully.

Clea really does have her plat full in this book: She has to juggle TWO titles, gangsters ruin her self-care trip to the local goblin market, someone who should be alive is dead, people that should be dead are undead, people who are not undead are eating people's brains, and then Clea's mom shows up for a visit! All of this makes for a very fast paced story, capped by the best kind of twist: I was just thinking "What if this happened...?" and then I turned the paged and it turned out that it had indeed happened. I can't wait to pick up the next book and find out how this series ends.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically an introduction to Clea. She takes over as Sorcerer Supreme after Stephen's death and as she deals with a couple threats, the reader gets an idea of her personality: She's much more direct and aggressive; She's even a little arrogant and snooty. Much edgier than Stephen normally is so it's always fun to watch someone act the way we all want to act sometimes but don't. Clea and Wong also starts a quest to figure out a way to bring Stephen back, plus this volume ends with a shocker. The art isn't bad but it's a little bit off to me. Not sure what it is, but it isn't horrible.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following on the heels of Death of Doctor Strange, is this new series, featuring his wife, Clea, as the new Sorcerer Supreme. She must deal with a number of new threats, including the Blasphemy Cartel and the mysterious Harvestman, along with her mother, the warlord Umar, and Doctor Doom, who believes he should be the Sorcerer Supreme, all while trying to uncover a way to return Stephen Strange to life. This is, like all of Jed MacKay's work I've read, well-plotted and well-written. The art is all right and gets better as the volume goes on. I'll certainly be on the lookout for more of this.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this - I'm not familiar with Clea (as I feel most readers aren't), so I like how this both showed her powers and her relationship with Stephen.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me parece pertinente comentar que de lo que más me ha gustado en los últimos años de los comics Marvel han sido el ver cómo parejas de los héroes titulares, toman sus respectivos mantos y títulos en pos de suplir su ausencia. Redirigiendo sus habituales personalidades más convulsas y peligrosas en la heroicidad de sus compañeros. La Mujer Sin Miedo y ahora la Hechicera Suprema de la Tierra: CLEA EXTRAÑO.

Por supuesto, a día de hoy se sabe que esta etapa no se mantiene más que unos cuantos números. Pero me agarro con toda avidez a la consencuencia de la Muerte del Doctor Extraño. Donde Stephen se mantiene fenecido tras toda la debacle con Kaecilius y el Niño Peregrino y debe encomendar a su siempre amada Clea que haga buen uso del Ojo de Agamotto y la capa de levitación. Y así, Clea y Wong deben seguir día a día atendiendo desde ese número de Bleecker Street a un sinfín de cuestiones de índole mágica y sobrenatural. Pero Clea tiene una cuestión más pertinente y es devolver a la vida a Stephen Extraño. Algo que asume como una certeza tanto por la larga historia de superhéroes que han ido y vuelto del umbral de la muerte, como que ella hará todo lo posible para acelerar el proceso. Pero desde el inicio, se erige una figura antagónica en esta misión. Un macabro enmascarado: El Cosechador. Autonombrado Hechicero Supremo de la mismísima Muerte que se encuentra acabando con una serie de ex super héroes falllecidos y reanimados por fuerzas necrománticas. Y entre medias también tenemos el asunto de un cártel mafioso con armamento mágico que ataca a enclaves del plano sobrenatural de Nueva York.

Desde luego, Jed MacKay irrumpe con inusitada fuerza creativa con este arranque de EXTRAÑO. Al interés de sus diseños y conceptos más frescos y atrevidos, entra esta dinámica y ritmo más frenético y motivado por la personalidad en plena ebullición del personaje titular. Clea Extraño puede que actúe en pos del bien y el mejor equilibrio de todos los planos físicos y místicos en contra de su herencia conquistadora. Pero al seguir siendo una Faltine, el modo de actuar resulta más letal y arrasador que el de su amado Stephen. Algo que MacKay sabe equiparar con las amenazas propuestas en sus primeros días en el cargo de Hechicera Suprema. Este cierto cambio de status quo y dinámica de estas aventuras las recibo de sumo agrado (que el primer acto como Hechicera Suprema que vemos es recibir a Victor Von Muerte que reclama el título "because I´M DOOM" atendiéndole y despachándole como una REINA usando la capa de levitación como "albornoz" es que es 11/10 en decisiones de autor). También acompañado de situaciones tan interesantes del personaje como esa hiper disfuncional maternidad con Umar la Terrible, que aquí se da con una incómoda cena donde el desagrado de la líder guerrera de la Dimensión Oscura por los caldos de la bodega de Extraño son recompensandos con sangre enemiga recién derramada (ojalá ver una cena de Navidad de los Faltine). También Jed MacKay empezaría a entremezclar las cabeceras a su cargo, y el Caballero Luna aparecerá para poder situar mejor a Clea en este asunto de las resurreciones superheroícas y en cómo abordar su enfoque como Hechicera Suprema.

El recopilatorio acaba con la pertinente revelación que acelerará el retorno de Stephen Extraño. Lo cual aún espero que de el mínimo margen para que esta micro etapa de Clea como Hechicera Suprema pueda seguir ofreciendo este divertido bálsamo para lo ciertamente apolillado que resulta ser en muchos aspectos el super comic book USA.

[RunningRed NightBringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series follows up on the Death of Dr Strange where, Dr Strange dies. Clea, sorceress from the Dark Dimension takes up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, by virtue of being Stephen's widow. While she's usually just "Clea", it's a nice nod that she can be referred to as Mrs Strange.
Clea vows to find a way to bring Stephen back from the dead and perform his duties protecting Earth from threats.
In her past appearances, Clea's been Stephen's apprentice, his girlfriend, common-law wife. Her duties in her home dimension sometimes caused strains upon her relationship with Stephen.

She's mostly been a background character so it's great seeing her take center stage and remind people that she's Dormammu's niece and a powerful sorcerer in her own right. There a great scene where Doctor Doom comes to claim the title and artifacts of power of Sorcerer Supreme (Doom being a power mage in his own right). Clea denies him and Doom tries his usual "No one says no to DOOM" and threatens to invoke the celestial beings behind the title of SS. Clea says "Try me, bitch" and reminds Doom what a pussy he actually is.

For all his flaws, Stephen was a doctor and surgeon, a man of compassion and healing. His tenure of Master of the Mystic Arts and Sorcerer Supreme was guided as much by his Hippocratic Oath as the rules of magic.

Clea is not a doctor and has no problem kicking a lot of ass. She faces off against mystic fighters, revenants, and other beings trying to exploit the perceived power vacuum with Stephen's death.

This is a limited series and the savvy reader knows Stephen will obviously be returned to life along with a shiny new #1 issue but until then we get a great series showing Clea being amazingly badass.

[Alex Sarll]

We're a long way from Marvel's 'dead means dead' era now; this follows directly from the Death Of Doctor Strange event, during which Strange was briefly resurrected by his younger self; now his ex Clea, who has inherited his mantle as Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, is determined to do it again. There are a few form protestations that she can't, but being a Sorcerer Supreme twice over, not to mention Dormammu's niece, the notion of impossibility is a bit of a joke to her - and besides, Stephen's little superhero friends are forever coming back from the grave, so there's a decent chance he'll be back anyway even if she doesn't get around to it. A book undercutting its own premise like this could easily feel snide and pointless, but MacKay makes it work because as in his delightful Moon Knight run, with which this crosses over, there's plenty of craziness, ultraviolence and sass to entertain in the meantime. Not to mention, it's refreshing to read a superhero book in which the characters are actually familiar with how their own world works, rather than one trying to pretend expectations would be the same as in our own dreary parallel (even if it's noticeable that it takes a non-human character to demonstrate that level of basic sense - see also, her utter readiness to kill enemies who need killing). And Ferreira et al have given it the perfect look, something grand and shiny and yes, strange, but which can still turn on a sixpence when it needs to shift from weird epic into feeling more like a high-stakes murder sitcom.