Fresh Start Mark Waid On Doctor Strange

[comicscollector]

Another comic book i will be collecting.
This creative team is great and i am a fan of Doctor Strange stories so i am looking forward to this.
Mark Waid is one of the best writers in the comic books and Jesus Saiz have a awesome art style that i think will be great in the Doctor Strange stories.
Plus Doctor Strange going cosmic is interesting,are Doctor Strange encounters with the cosmic Eternity not a good exemple of how a cosmic tone can work in Doctor Strange stories??

[numberthirty]

Tough one.

While it points to "We Might Be Short On Ideas...", less promising takes have amounted to something.

[KC]

"Doctor Strange in Space" is a dumb idea in my opinion, so I won't be picking this book up.

[MadFacedKid]

Going in a cosmic direction sort of makes sense though.

If you think about it, the line between cosmic and magical sort of starts to get a bit hazy the higher up you go.

I wouldn't mind if it's for a story arc or so, but I personally prefer magic and cosmic sci-fi stories to be separate long term wise unless it's one of those world's where they cross consistently like Naruto for instance.

Be like Superman or Green Lantern or even Ironman dealing with magic for an entire run instead of an arc.

[/B]

Not 100% crazy about the de-powered thing but on the other hand, I think the idea of sending Strange into space is very cool. Looking forward to where Waid goes with this.
.

Is there some kind of editorial mandate leftover from Alonso that they have to keep de-powering and re-powering Strange or does nobody want to actually write a fully-fledged Sorcerer Supreme Dr. Strange anymore?

They need to give Stephen a supporting cast of sorts so they could showcase them in stories too. It seems to be the focus and working for the often complained overpowered Superman. Which his title seems to focus on his family life and what not.

Really don't see why they can't make threats just as powerful as Strange to face. Or tell stories keeping in mind his power but challenging him in other ways. The Sorcerer Supreme title should be more then just a title. It's a position.

[Tulku]

Agreeing with most on this thread. First and foremost, de-powering Strange YET AGAIN is not a "fresh start." It is an overly used, repetitive and stale start.

Second, suggesting that he lost connection to "Earth magic" just perpetuates the fundamental error that Aaron wallowed in: Strange's magic doesn't come from the Earth! It is mystic energy which is pretty much a Universal constant (which is part of why the whole "End of Magic" thing Aaron tried was stupid). Only a writer who did not give a damn about the character (i.e., Aaron) could have thought of it. But now everybody else seems saddled with it.

Third, the concept that the writers do not know how to write for such a powerful character as Doctor Strange ignores the fact that Marvel writers did just that for literally decades. Roger Stern, Steve Englehart, Peter Gillis, Roy Thomas all managed it. Why can't this current bunch of writers figure it out?

Fourth, there is nothing wrong with going intergalactic. I have long wanted a decent re-match with Urthona, who was not from another dimension but just another planet in this dimension. But let Doc wield his normal powers.

All that being said, I will get the book. I love the character. I survived Aaron's run. I can survive this.

[Drops Of Venus]

I actually like the idea of Strange going to space and exploring the kind of magic that beings from other planets use. It's an interesting concept, so I'm willing to give it a read for that alone. I don't care much about his power levels, but I do care about the continuity problems that stuff like that can create. ''Last Days Of Magic'' was a cool concept and all, but it was hard to take it seriously when it seemed like the only book being affected by it was Doctor Strange. If you're gonna do a story in which magic is affected in such a massive scale like this seems to be doing again, it would be nice to actually feel like that is being properly represented in the larger universe.

[MaximoffTrash]

Wha? Magic doesn't just come from Earth. Strange gets magic from whoever he wants to get it from, hell, doesn't he mostly tap it from other dimensions?

This already doesn't make sense.

Earth is probably one of the most magic-heavy planets of all populated worlds.
This is the birthplace of Elder Gods, and it has more Pantheon than Skrulls, Shi'ar and Kree's worlds combined.
By Earth, they probably mean all deities/demons with Earth origin.(Gaea, Vishanti, Set, Chthon,etc. But only Gaea actually count as "drawn power from Earth")
But even if you exclude all Earth-born beings, there are still plenty of energy source.

[GreenScar1990]

Donny Cates leaving Doctor Strange is not a good thing. His run is the only good thing we got from the character, especially after Jason Aaron butchered the character and his history/lore/mythology/magic. And now Mark Waid is coming on board? This is gonna be a boring run.

I just want Doctor Strange to be who he was before all this, before Jason Aaron totally and utterly ruined the character and the idea of magic/mysticism.

[MaximoffTrash]

I think it's an extension of fandom.
Well, not 'Dr. Strange fandom', obviously.

I've seen a trend in comics moving more towards being more like WWE, with the focus more on battles and power levels.

Having Dr. Strange at Sorcerer Supreme level is OP for the kinds of stories that most writers today want to write.
So, instead of creating challenges worthy of Dr. Strange's power set, they de-power him so that he can fight villains like Dr. Octopus or the Vulture.

Strange is a concept character, and works best in his original concept. Much like Iron Man or Thor.
But they keep trying to fit the square peg in the round hole to make him a typical Marvel superhero.
And that just won't work.

They just need to get a writer who not only thinks outside the box but is also willing to go the extra mile and read all the Dr. Strange stories from Stan Lee up the the last Roy Thomas run before the character was tragically derailed.

All this stuff they're currently doing, is like taking Conan out of his element, putting spandex on him and calling him 'Conan-Man'.
Enough is enough, already.

I mean, heck, throw him into the Dark Dimension with some sort of reason (not power-wise, but a duty or purpose) why he can't return to Earth for a set period if you have to.
Introduce a new protege on Earth in his absence, maybe Nico, that can act as an intro for new readers. Have her able to communicate with Stephen for advice.
But don't sideline him, either, in the process. Have him saving dimensions left and right and discovering new ones. Have him solve mysteries. Give him a new love that rivals Clea to add some dramatic conflict.

There are ways to make a character struggle and fight an uphill battle without having to make them weak enough to find Sabretooth a challenge.

Yeah, agree with most of this.
I will be fine if they revisit some old concepts that is barely explored.
Every writer wants to introduce their own "cool" stuff and make a joke of Stephen in the process.

[The Dying Detective]

I hope his output here will be better than his Avengers and Champions work he seems to be quite miserable over at Marvel.

[Somecrazyaussie]

I think it's an extension of fandom.
Well, not 'Dr. Strange fandom', obviously.

I've seen a trend in comics moving more towards being more like WWE, with the focus more on battles and power levels.

Having Dr. Strange at Sorcerer Supreme level is OP for the kinds of stories that most writers today want to write.
So, instead of creating challenges worthy of Dr. Strange's power set, they de-power him so that he can fight villains like Dr. Octopus or the Vulture.

Strange is a concept character, and works best in his original concept. Much like Iron Man or Thor.
But they keep trying to fit the square peg in the round hole to make him a typical Marvel superhero.
And that just won't work.

They just need to get a writer who not only thinks outside the box but is also willing to go the extra mile and read all the Dr. Strange stories from Stan Lee up the the last Roy Thomas run before the character was tragically derailed.

All this stuff they're currently doing, is like taking Conan out of his element, putting spandex on him and calling him 'Conan-Man'.
Enough is enough, already.

I mean, heck, throw him into the Dark Dimension with some sort of reason (not power-wise, but a duty or purpose) why he can't return to Earth for a set period if you have to.
Introduce a new protege on Earth in his absence, maybe Nico, that can act as an intro for new readers. Have her able to communicate with Stephen for advice.
But don't sideline him, either, in the process. Have him saving dimensions left and right and discovering new ones. Have him solve mysteries. Give him a new love that rivals Clea to add some dramatic conflict.

There are ways to make a character struggle and fight an uphill battle without having to make them weak enough to find Sabretooth a challenge.

Some valid points are made here. However, there is a reason Strange is called "The Sorcerer Supreme." He is only overpowered when compared with other heroes. Deconstruction can be an interesting narrative hook. It allows writers to get at the true "heart" of the character. With Doctor Strange, the answer doesn't lie in depowering him. Rather, it lies in coming up with threats that truly test his skills as a sorcerer. There are multiple dimensions out there, many home to untold horrors. Those are the types of threats Strange needs to go up against.

Not sure if going into space is the answer, but it is a new direction that hasn't been tried before. Never know, maybe Waid can come up with something interesting. Just have to wait and see. Although, it doesn't come across as my cup of tea.

[kilderkin]

Some valid points are made here. However, there is a reason Strange is called "The Sorcerer Supreme." He is only overpowered when compared with other heroes. Deconstruction can be an interesting narrative hook. It allows writers to get at the true "heart" of the character. With Doctor Strange, the answer doesn't lie in depowering him. Rather, it lies in coming up with threats that truly test his skills as a sorcerer. There are multiple dimensions out there, many home to untold horrors. Those are the types of threats Strange needs to go up against.

Not sure if going into space is the answer, but it is a new direction that hasn't been tried before. Never know, maybe Waid can come up with something interesting. Just have to wait and see. Although, it doesn't come across as my cup of tea.

Agree about the sorcerer supreme

they are supposed to be able to face huge threats and transact on a similar power level

[Mike]

The premise doesn't work for me.
Plus I'm not a fan of Waid's work.
So... I'll pass.

[Frontier]

Some valid points are made here. However, there is a reason Strange is called "The Sorcerer Supreme." He is only overpowered when compared with other heroes. Deconstruction can be an interesting narrative hook. It allows writers to get at the true "heart" of the character. With Doctor Strange, the answer doesn't lie in depowering him. Rather, it lies in coming up with threats that truly test his skills as a sorcerer. There are multiple dimensions out there, many home to untold horrors. Those are the types of threats Strange needs to go up against.

Not sure if going into space is the answer, but it is a new direction that hasn't been tried before. Never know, maybe Waid can come up with something interesting. Just have to wait and see. Although, it doesn't come across as my cup of tea.

It seems like deconstruction and de-powering is all writers know how to do with Strange anymore.

[Zero Hunter]

I don't even read that much Doctor Strange and even I know they have done this "depowered" thing at least 3 or 4 times already over the years. It is sad to say but I think Waid has reached that point like most writers do where they just don't have that much new to say in their writing. Waid to me is sort of like John Byrne at this point. Used to be amazing but now pretty much meh.

Hell my lame idea of a Doctor Strange and the Monster Hunters book were he takes on a group of younger characters as his ground team to deal with the minor mystical threats while he concentrates more on the big ones is more original than this sounds.