Strange, Vol. 2: The Doctor Strange of Death

Strange (2022)

by Jed MacKay, Lee Garbett (Illustrator), Marcelo Ferreira (Penciler)

What will be Clea's next move? Someone has stolen pieces of Wong's memory, and he's going to need them back to stop the Blasphemy Cartel. It's up to Wong and Bats to retrace their steps and uncover the truth about what's been taken from him - but could some memories be better off forgotten? As Clea and Wong at last uncover who is behind the zombie resurrections of deceased heroes and villains, they're going to need all the help they can get, including from the Sorcerer Supreme of Death: the Harvestman! Plus: The secrets of the Blasphemy Cartel are revealed by the unlikeliest of sources! The Cartel unleashes its deadliest weapon, but what is it? Or...who?! As one chapter closes, a new one is about to begin in the house of Strange! Collecting STRANGE (2022) #6-10.

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

112 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2023

Reviews

[Jim Ef]

7.8/10
This was a very enjoyable short run. In the second and last volume, we have quite a lot of action. Things come to an end, but also this sets up a new beginning for our heroes.

The thing that stands out the most is the relationship between Stephen and Clea. They have such great chemistry and they make a great couple.
As i said before, i wasn't really familiar with Clea but now i definitely like her a lot. She has a strong presence and her personality jumps out of the pages. I don't know if she was always like that or if that's Mackay's doing.

I am interested to see what the future holds for them.

[James]

Pretty dope. Now that Clea has found out what is going on with Stephen and what he must do to come back to the land of the living, she is now hellbent on helping him complete his task. We also learn where the Blasphemy Cartel came from. Some nice espionage backstory there. Looks like they were behind the revenants that the Harvester was tasked with taking out. But the final one that Mr and Mrs Strange have to take on? Wow, not looking so good for them. Loved Clea and Strange together, teaming up to take on whoever. Plus some amazing art by all involved. Looking forward to checking out Mackay’s Doctor Strange next.

[James DeSantis]

Man we just got Fusion in this bitch.

I loved this. Clea and Dr. Strange back together, fighting for his very soul, against a extremely "surprise" type villain that I won't spoil here. It's a hell of a fight, funny as heck, and a romance that can not be broken between these two crazies. If you like Dr. Strange at it's zanny, mystical, and fun world this series while over now, is a must read.

I hope the new Dr. Strange keeps the fun up.

[Mattthew]

Clea is awesome. Love her so much. I know in comics sometimes they don't like to keep couples together, but I really hope Clea and Stephen are going to stay together. Jed MacKay is a pretty solid writer with Moon Knight and Black Cat, being excellent books. I hope this Dr. Strange run continues to be as good as it has been so far and as MacKay's other books have been.
Recommend.

[Rod Brown]

Almost as good as the first volume, but I feel Clea had to give up the center stage too early for an inevitable return with a telegraphed ending right out of Ghostbusters: "Don't cross the streams!"

Still, I had fun, and this was the first series that made me feel like Clea was a worthy character instead of a minor annoyance to be endured.

[Khurram]

I liked this book. It is fast-paced (almost to the point of rushed), and the action-packed. It is like an action movie where the revelations are coming fast, and I have no time to find a whole in the story as the next fight has started.

Wong is determined to fill in the hole in his memory when it comes to the Blasphemy Cartel, so he asks a mind specialist for help. The answers might be bigger than he expects. Then, the reunion that was teased at the end of volume 1 happens, but there is a catch. Get ready for the Sorcerer Supreme to declare war.

An enjoyable action/magic adventure. I enjoyed sitting back and letting play out in front of me. It is a shame this series has come to an end, but I am sure something else will come out. I can't wait. The book finishes with a varient cover gallery.

[Memphis Evans]

I feel like there is a critical mass of excellent comics creators working right now. I read comics for like an hour almost every day and still I don't usually want to put them down. Jed MacKay is one of the creators creating this situation.

This was a great run! Clea, Wong, Bats, and of course Stephen are all interesting characters.

How many times have I read/watched a comic arc/tv season where the question is "how can we possibly defeat the invincible villain?" and the answer is hit harder, find a Macguffin, learn to work together, or use the power of friendship/love?

Many, many times. That's how many.

But this one really got to me! It got past all that hard-earned cynicism and I actually teared up a little at the twist solution they find. The big, colorful art was up to the giant story moments. The characters, dialogue, and plot are all fantastic, as they should be on this title, but still believable and cohesive with all that had gone before.

Highly recommended. I will be eager to see what Jed MacKay does next.

[Dakota Morgan]

And just like that, Stephen Strange is back. Marvel (presumably for monetary reasons) did not drag out Doctor Strange's death at all. I enjoyed the unique presence Clea had as Sorceress Supreme and would have liked to see her hang around in the role longer.

This volume is a pretty tight journey from "Who is the Blasphemy Cartel?" to "The Blasphemy Cartel is defeated!" It's a one-sitting read for sure in both the "oh boy, this is fun!" way and the "they sure are speeding through this, huh" way. That said, I liked the twists and turns, even if the reveals are kind of abrupt. The final issue, where Clea and Stephen level up like freakin' manga kaiju was pretty radical. Five-star rating for that issue on its own.

Back to reality, I guess! It'll honestly feel a little dull to see a male Doctor Strange wandering around, addressing magical maladies again. Hopefully Clea continues to play a role (dual Supremes perhaps?).

[Alex Sarll]

Yes, it features an appearance by one of Marvel's most annoying characters, and not nearly enough of Bats the ghost dog. And OK, at times it does try to make us believe that wizard-superheroes would be surprised by someone coming back from the dead, which jars with the series' usual, commendable admission that Stephen Strange's death was never going to stick. There's also one infuriating stationary/stationery mix-up. But for the most part it's still Jed MacKay writing a hero with a bad past and no compunction about fucking up those who deserve it, which always works for me. Plus, the revelation of who/what the Blasphemy Cartel are is genuinely ingenious.

[Cozmo]

Rating: [E+]

While the last volume hit a good balance of adding in additional characters, this one doesn't achieve that feat. The lack of Clea Strange is felt in this volume because her time is taken up by other characters from other stories that aren't relevant to the tale being told, nor attach via the themes being explored. We could have had a really great reflective issue about Wong, but it ends up being about Black Widow and Jean Grey for some reason. This issue is further exasperated by the constant references to other comics; there are 3 reffs to other stories that don't matter for this comic. There's boring flashbacks, there's boring villains, and the art isn't as good as the first volume.
A big disappointment, but at least the ending was really good. I question if this should have been a shorter run.

[Alex]

The power of love baby, ain't it strange!

With the identity of the Harvestman now known, the battle against the revenants and the cartel continues. I like the concept of Shield having a magical division, even if it feels very revisionist to cram them in here. It felt a little disjointed cramming in their backstory so suddenly. I also noticed the art kept switching every other issue, and while I understand deadlines have to be reached, it gets a bit distracting.
Having bitched tho, this ended with spectacle I can get behind. I'm a sucker for a dumb double team power up, and with magic it's just dumb enough to work. Ends with a bang, and promise for the dynamic duo's future.

[Sean]

A really fun series concludes and I wished we could get more. Yes, the story continues in the next Doctor Strange volume but Clea's adventures were just getting started and I think Jed MacKay did a very good job of differentiating the two characters that it made it fresh and new. The mystery of the Harvestman could have been extended. This book was fun though as the mysteries behind Wong's memory lapse and the Blasphemy Cartel are explained and explained well. The antagonists here were exciting and credible. The conclusion was done extremely well. The art was once again very well done. Overall, another incredibly solid story.

[Xavi (NarraTea)]

I was gonna give it a crisp, 4/4.5 BUT that third act really tied the story so well together and had a very epic climax. The end felt sweet and well put together, Mackay definitely played bringing Dr. Strange back to life very very well. I think I might need to read the War of the Seven Spheres arc so that I can understand both the references made AND the actual Trinity of Ashes/Director None’s endgame.

And, of course, off to the concurrent Dr. Strange issue #1 as well!

[Ignacio]

¡Qué poquito ha durado la aventura de Clea como hechicera suprema! Una lástima porque me habría gustado que su aventura al mando se extendiera bastante más (como ver a Lee Garbett al dibujo más de un número). Tenemos que conformarnos con este final de saga que, más allá de un primer número de bagaje, plantea un duelo final relativamente bien resuelto.

[Frédéric]

A good conclusion to this 10-issue series that sees Strange return from the dead - come on, don't tell me you're surprised!

McKay handles his characters well, the plot with W.A.N.D. holds up well, the conclusion isn't too far-fetched...

This series was a nice surprise despite the lacklustre artwork, and I'll definitely be following McKay's new Doc Strange series.

[Laura]

Mama y papa?
Mama y papa.

[Rebecca]

It definitely has moments towards the end that set it apart from other Doctor Strange narratives. Well enjoyed.

[Rick Davis]

I think it's finally happened. We might be getting a return to form for Doctor Strange for the first time since Jason Aaron took a hatchet to the series with his Last Days of Magic back in 2016.

Donny Cates managed to reboot magic in the Doctor Strange world with his Sorceror Supreme Loki storyline, but then he immediately decided to beat the good Doctor into the ground again with Damnation.

I liked Mark Waid's cosmic run with the character, even though it was a bit different for Strange, but at least this was the first time when Aaron's silly rules of magic seemed to be completley forgotten/dropped. Let's hope no one ever remembers them again. Waid's follow up, Surgeon Supreme, looked like it was going to be really good, but it was cut short in order to kill of the character in Death of Dr. Strange.

It was pretty frustrating as a Strange fan to see the character cut off just when it seemed like things were finally getting back to status quo. However, with Jed MacKay's Strange series and the realization that Doctor Strange was really coming back again, with Clea and Wong both in place, I'm excited that it looks like fans are finally going to get some classic-style Doctor Strange stories once again.

One other thought: Jed MacKay is the sort of writer that really likes his characters and knows what fans want. His Moon Knight run has been great, and with his upcoming Avengers book starting, it looks like he might be single handedly saving Marvel Comics.

[Adam Fisher]

So it looks like Clea's run will be cut short... did it not do well? Or is Doctor Strange getting an overhaul?
Highlights:
- Wong tracks down info on the Blasphemy Cartel, finding out they spring from W.A.N.D., a magical offshoot of SHIELD that people have had wiped from their memories.
- Clea, currently Sorcerer Supreme of both Earth and the Dark Dimension, is fighting revenants when The Harvestman, an agent of Death arrives. It is revealed that he is actually Stephen Strange. Because of their strongly opposing magical forces, the two can never touch again.
- The Blasphemy Cartel is putting together a Prime Revenant
- As Clea and Strange get closer to Director None, the Prime is released and it is The Sentry!
- In order to defeat the incredibly powerful Sentry, the two of them kiss, mixing their bodies and souls together, even if only briefly.
- After defeating them and coming down off the power, Stephen is released from his contract with Death and gets his body back. Now he and Clea can continue their relationship from where they left off.
Interesting, but curious as to why the replaced Clea so quickly. Something coming up with Stephen?
Recommend.

[Mohan Vemulapalli]

Following on the action of the first volume, this second volume of "Strange: The Doctor Strange of Death" reunites Clea and Stephen to take on the Blasphemy Cartel. The result is a fast paced and satisfying resolution to the story arc which leaves plenty of room for future developments. Hopefully, we will see more of Clea as the Sorcerer Supreme soon.

[Paxton Holley]

Woh! What a ride! Clea joins up with the Harvestman and they take on the Blasphemy Cartel and their revenants created from dead heroes.

This was so much fun! I love Clea! She’s a badass. I’m sad this series is ending and hope she sticks around for the next series.

[Danielle]

This was fun, especially when it focuses on Clea and Stephen's relationship.

[Roman]

Джед Маккей уже встиг зарекомендувати себе як автора на якого варто звернути увагу своїми ранами на Чорній Кішці та Місячному Лицарі в Marvel, що видавництво і зробило та посадило його на серії про Месників та Людей Ікс. Однак сьогодні мова піде не про них, а про його Доктора Стренджа, який розпочався …зі смерті Стівена Стренджа.

The Death of Doctor Strange (#1-5)

Ця лімітована серія технічно є івентом, оскільки має декілька тай-інів. Сам сюжет є детективною історією в якій часовий ревенант молодого Стренджа розслідує вбивство верховного чаклуна разом із Клеєю. Проблем додає ще й те, що зі смертю Стівена зник бар'єр який зупиняв лиходіїв з різних вимірів від повномасштабного вторгнення. Однак виявляється, що лиходії втікають від ще більшої проблеми у вигляді Трьох Матерів та їх дитини яка харчується магією.

На жаль цей комікс є найслабшою роботою МакКея серед прочитаних мною коміксів від нього. Головні дві лінії тут скоріше шкодять одна одній. Таке тут є цікаві моменти, як от коли нам паралельно показують як ревенант Стренджа разом з Клеєю та Вонґом приходять до Мордо і як Три Матері нападають на Даґота, однак в усьому іншому вони в основному дуже сильно просідають, в результаті чого детективна лінія виходить максимально ніякою. Те саме стосується й антагоністок і читаючи "Смерть Стренджа" після "Кривавого Полювання" (це ще одна подія від МакКея) кидається в очі, що автор створює поганців за принципом "крутий дизайн для сутичок важливіший за прописування самих поганців".

Strange Vol. 1: I Belong to Death (STRANGE (2022) #1-5) та Strange Vol. 2: The Doctor Strange of Death (STRANGE (2022) #6-10)

Ран МакКея продовжився у тривалці "Strange" яка прожила десять номерів. Головною героїнею тут є Клея Стрендж - дружина Стівена, якій він за допомогою певної махінації передав посаду верховного чаклуна Землі.

У самої серії є дві головні лінії, перша це протистояння з картелем блюзнірства, які використовують суміш технологій та магії для здобуття своїх цілий. У другій же нам розповідають про те, що тіла деяких померлих героїв почали оживати через те, що в них вселяються божевільні привиди, а тому Смерть створила свій власний аналог верховного чаклуна, якого звуть Жнець, щоб він розібрався з цією проблемою.

Загалом серія є окейною, тут є хороші моменти, як, наприклад найперша сцена в коміксі коли Дум прийшов до Клеї аби та віддала йому титул, нашої героїні з Місячним Лицарем, та момент з тим коли до Клеї приходить її матір. Мені також сподобалося те як МакКей прописав Клею, як більш радикальну та жорсткішу героїню, яка не боїться вбивати своїх ворогів (воно й не дивно, племінниця Дормаму як ніяк).

Що мені не сподобалося так це розкриття походження картелю шляхом того, що це організація яка завжди була, просто дуже добре ховалася і стерла спогади про себе. Хоча от дизайн лідера групи у вигляді білої прогалини прикольний, плюс досить кумедно, що, по ідеї, зараз найбільш довготривалим наслідком події у всесвіті Марвел є розпушення ЩИТа після "Таємної Імперії". Ну і тут у кінці повернули Стренджа. З одного боку вроді й норм, що не стали з цим тягнути і у кінці першої арки розкрили, що саме він є Жнецем, але з іншого, це робить лімітку з якої почався цей ран ще більш безсенсовою. Взагалі ось ці усі десять номерів я б радив читати залпом оскільки це той випадок коли історія краще сприйнялася, ніж коли я пробував слідкувати за серією в процесі виходу.

Щодо малюнку в обох серіях то він загалом є непоганим, "Смерть Стренджа" та шостий номер "Strange" малював Лі Ґарбет, який видав досить приємну роботу, в той час, як Стефано Лендіні у восьмому номері мені сподобався найменше. За усі інші номери відповідали Марсело Ферейра зі своїм рисунком та інкери Роберто Поґґі та Дон Го й загалом вийшло досить добре, особливо сподобався фюжин Клеї та Стівена у кінці.

Загалом перша половина рану МакКея вийшла досить слабкою, "The Death of Doctor Strange" після себе залишає нехороший післясмак й розчаровує, в той час, як "Strange" нехай і не є поганим, але не дотягує до інших його робіт.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez]

Era consabido que el deceso del Hechicero Supremo no iba a mantenerse más tiempo del prudencialmente necesario. El tener a Clea como sucesora de la capa de levitación es algo que seguro que el propio Jed MacKay sabe que podría mantenerse sin problemas en el canon Marvelita. Pero que al menos encara como ese momento estupendo para el personaje y microverso del Hechicero Supremo. Ya al poco de la etapa propiamente protagonizada por Clea, el tener una amenaza de una organización malvada que aprovecha tácticas de guerrilla y espionaje humanas para sembrar el caos en el mundo mágico, no permite que Clea se pase mucho más tiempo sin descubrir que su amado Stephen Strange sigue en el escenario. Aunque de una forma idoneamente fúnebre, pues ese siniestro personaje con una guadaña que estaba haciendo de menos a Clea, deja caer su máscara para revelar el rostro de Stephen. Autodenominado Hechicero Supremo de la Muerte, pues la mismísima entidad toma parte en la circunstancia actual del Cartel Blásfemo trasteando con espectros y reanimando cádaveres. Por lo cual crea su brazo ejecutor, el cual no es otro que el recién fenecido Stephen Strange. Este revela a Clea que si arreglan este desaguisado recuperará la vida... Pero, OJO. Aún a pesar de que esto ya es un reencuentro, al representar fuerzas existenciales antagónicas, Clea no puede ni abrazar a Stephen.... Esto, que parece una nadería. Se convierte en el gran punto de interés del remate de esta micro etapa de Clea como Hechicera Suprema. Siendo un personaje tan pasional como la díscola representante de los Faltine, el tener los monólogos de superhéroes supeditados a recalcar lo mucho que ama a Stephen y que no puede ni acercarse, hacen que el seguir el desarrollo del enfrentamiento contra el Cártel Blasfemo sea algo más que la enésima narración superheroíca persé. Jed MacKay establece todo lo posible el gusto por la diversión y emoción en estado puro que derivará en la reciente etapa de Doctor Extraño con Stephen reasumiendo su rol de Hechicero Supremo. Aquí, hay también una oportunidad de diversión sobrenatural con esto de los muertos vivientes como principal amenaza, recurriendo (una vez más) al Vigía. Algo que ya la propia cabecera de Doctor Extraño había aprovechado hacía unos años.

Sigo pensando que de las mejores cosas que ha hecho Marvel Cómics en los últimos años ha sido ofrecernos aunque fuese de forma testimonial, que personajes femeninos como Clea y Elektra, hayan podido asumir a su manera los roles heroícos de sus aliados y parejas. En el caso de Elektra, esto se ha mantenido. Y aunque es cierto que Clea ya tiene un cargo de Hechicera Suprema desde su respectiva dimensión, queda claro estos capítulos que si los Vishanti de verdad "Jubilan" a Stephen y Clea acepta el manto. Es la mejor opción.

[RunningRed NightBringer]

Second half of the limited series where Clea takes over as Sorcerer Supreme.
Clea, Wong and a mysterious character called the Harvestman are fighting undead being raised by the Blasphemy Cartel while trying to figure out where this group is and who's running it.

It's a fun little ride. MacKay throws in a few cameos, Black Widow and Jean Gray, but they don't feel gratuitous. We see some examination of Stephen's supporting characters. Wong's lineage as servants to the Sorcerer Supreme and the mental toll that takes. Why Clea fell in love with Stephen. And W.A.N.D. a secret division of S.H.I.E.L.D. (introduced a decade before in an issue of Thunderbolts) to monitor and deal with paranormal threats, which seems to follow the mold of "A secret government organization that doesn't trust the heroes, but will sit back and watch and gather intel and may become a threat because they don't have any internal mechanism to prevent them from being used in someone else's nefarious plot."

The art is pretty good. There's a tendency in some comics to draw things so abstractly you can't tell who is who or what's happening. Some might think it's artsy, but I consider it lazy or rushed to meet deadlines. So it's nice this book avoided that and you could identify the characters and detailed enough to make out facial expressions.

Overall, a nice ride, keeping the momentum going until Stephen's inevitable return from death.

[Scotts Shelf]

So this wraps up Jed MacKay’s run on Strange and honestly, it really delivered. It picks up right where Volume 1 left off and dives deep into the chaos caused by the Blasphemy Cartel. They’re messing around with death and magic in some seriously creepy ways and the whole revenant concept? So cool. The designs are proper nightmare fuel in the best kind of way and showcase the artists creativity really well!

Clea and her undead partner really steal the show in this one. Their dynamic has so much tension and energy and watching them figure things out together kept me completely hooked. Once Wong gets his memories back and the real villain is revealed, everything just clicks. It moves fast but it doesn’t lose the emotion or the stakes.

And that final sequence? Genuinely amazing. I won’t spoil it but it ties the whole arc together in a way that’s clever, powerful, and really satisfying. MacKay, Ferreira, and Tartaglia absolutely smashed it. The visuals, the pacing, the emotional beats, all of it lands.

If you’ve been enjoying this series or you're a fan of Doctor Strange and Clea, you’re going to love how this one ends. It’s weird, intense, and full of heart. Easily a really memorable magic-focused Marvel run!

[Subham]

This was a fascinating read as we focus on Clea trying to come upto terms that her husband is the sorcerer supreme of death aka HARVESTMAN and that leads to some interesting drama and confrontations as they take down the villain, and then a focus on Wong as he teams up with Dir. Pandora after discovering her and learning of who the Blasphemy cartel really is and its Director "None" and its connection to WAND and ngl its a fascinating way all the stories connect, and the final confrontation vs the mysterious "Revenant" aka SENTRY lol which was insane is like one of the best fights in marvel comics, its very high-concept and all that, mysterious but strange really and it lives upto its title, and its really showing the love and romance between Stephen and Clea and I love that, the art is great here, and so many good things to say about this volume and run as a whole but I recommend you read it and find out for yourself!!

[Artur Coelho]

A morte do Feiticeiro Supremo, o seu aparente regresso como emissário da M0rte, e o emergir da feiticeira alienígia Clea como uma muito implacável Feiticeira Suprema da Terra foi um divertido momento na cronologia narrativa de Doutor Estranho. A incosolável Clea assume o manto de protetora mística do planeta, de uma maneira muito própria, e depara-se com o regresso de Stephen Strange como uma força protetora ligada à morte. Um regresso doloroso, visto que os dois amantes são pólos opostos da mesma ideia, e não se podem tocar. Mas terão de unir esforços para combater uma organização terrorista mística, e ao fazê-lo, à beira da derrota, unem-se num último abraço, que os transforma numa força superior, e com o condão de libertar Strange da condição de falecido. Uma sequência de aventuras divertida, com uma belíssima ilustração naquele estilo místico-surreal que é um dos melhores aspetos deste personagem.

[Chris Lemmerman]

Clea continues her attempts to resurrect her deceased husband, even as the Blasphemy Cartel make their move, and Wong discovers an even deadlier plot at the heart of all this magical madness.

Jed Mackay's on fire, truly. Guy just can't write a bad book at the moment, at least for me. These last five issues of Strange tie everything up into a neat bow, with some epic levels of magic being thrown around, and a resolution that promises things are only going to get Stranger (see what I did there) going forward.

Marcelo Ferreira's art still sings, and Lee Garbett's guest spot in issue 6 is a nice throwback to the Death Of Doctor Strange stuff.

Honestly, I'd have liked Clea's solo run to last longer, but I'm sure whatever's next will be just as good as what's come before while Mackay's at the helm.

[Un_LuckyLuke]

Uwielbiam styl pisania MacKaya. Potężne, widowiskowe potyczki z wykorzystaniem magii z kilku wymiarów jednocześnie, z konceptami wykraczającymi poza jakiekolwiek granice zrozumienia, a w tym wszystkim ..... Niesamowicie relatable historia o radzeniu sobie ze stratą i różnymi rodzajami tej straty. Choć dla mnie w tych konkretnych wątkach zabrakło trochę puenty, bo moment emocjonalny zostaje zaorany kolejnymi stronami ekspozycji, żeby odpowiednio ubić grunt pod finałowe starcie, to mimo wszystko gdy momenty emocjonalne mają wybrzmieć, zazwyczaj wybrzmiewają wyraźnie.
Bardzo dobra rzecz przez większość czasu (z pominięciem ekspozycji w zeszycie 8) z finałem, który przeszedł moje wszelkie oczekiwania.