I *DO* give a rat's ass about Dr. Strange!

[deClench]

With laser-like focus, I zeroed in on the one thing from Steven Grant's column that made me scream in anquish -- "there's little indication many existing comics readers give a rat's ass about Dr. Strange, something sales on DR. STRANGE projects have borne out practically forever."

Having only *just* returned to comics after a decade or more hiatus, I immediately looked for the figures that I loved best-of-all. For Marvel, this was the Hulk and Dr. Strange. I'll have the chance to see how the Hulk stands the test of time, but where is the good doctor? Then I read this column and was floored. Does everyone hate Dr. Strange? I can't imagine anything I would like to see more in comics than for Marvel to do a proper run on Dr. Strange. I just picked up Ms. Marvel because of his appearance; though I must say there's something lacking so far in his portrayal.

Is it that the creative teams haven't been able to achieve the quintessential Dr. Strange? Or that nobody can agree what that is? Or does everyone simply hate Dr. Strange? Is it the dated costume? I'm terribly curious about this.

[badMike]

I love Dr. Strange. I have an old Pocket Books collection of old Stan Lee/Steve Ditko Strange Tales (which Steven called the first graphic novel), that I totally dog eared as a kid I read it so much. And I loved the Roger Stern/Peter Gillis run in the mid-'80s (which turned into Strange Tales).

But I don't read mainstream superhero comics anymore, so no I wouldn't buy a new series anyway. The doctor was never an a-list hero, but I always thought he was cool. Then again, my favorite hero has always been Thor, another notorious c-lister.

[Gingold]

I think Dr. Strange occupies a group of characters that includes the Silver Surfer, the Spectre, Atom, and Dr. Fate- characters that everybody likes, but have never had much luck in sustaining an ongoing series.

[berk]

I'm another Dr.Strange fan, but as far as I can tell, nothing interesting's been done with the character since Englehart in the early 70's. Still a concept and a caharcter with huge potential, but until the right person(s) get(s) a shot, it doesn't matter. Even that might not be enough; you can have a good cxreator and a great concept, but in the current atmosphere at Marvel it might not be enough - witness Neil Gaiman's desecration of Kirby's Eternals.

[NatGertler]

To whom do you give the rat's ass, and what do you expect them to do with such an object?

[bartl]

I'm another Dr.Strange fan, but as far as I can tell, nothing interesting's been done with the character since Englehart in the early 70's. Still a concept and a caharcter with huge potential, but until the right person(s) get(s) a shot, it doesn't matter. Even that might not be enough; you can have a good cxreator and a great concept, but in the current atmosphere at Marvel it might not be enough - witness Neil Gaiman's desecration of Kirby's Eternals.
The problem with Dr. Strange becoming a big seller, in my opinion, is that he is too removed from reality. When he started out, the reader was learning the mythology as he was; now, it requires an investment by the reader to catch up, and, frankly, I can't see new readers getting sufficiently interested.

Now, this is not to say that one can't make a Dr. Strange series popular; however, to do so would require so much retooling of the character that one might as well just create a new character.

On the other hand, I could see the following scenario: the suits at Marvel say, "Hey, the last Harry Potter novel is coming out. This is going to create a vacuum in the market. Don't we have some magic kid, what's his name? Dr. Strange? A kid doctor? What is it, some sort of Doogie Houser thing? Well, get something ready for market that'll appeal to the kids. Use Dr. Strange. Give him a young sidekick or something, and make the sidekick the main character."

[badMike]

witness Neil Gaiman's desecration of Kirby's Eternals.What does that mean? Is the book bad? This was the one superhero book I was considering getting (as a trade).

[badMike]

To whom do you give the rat's ass, and what do you expect them to do with such an object?Fry it up in a pan with bacon grease. Or play badminton.

[CaptChucky]

The first issue of Neil Gaiman's Eternals seemed pretty good to me. I say, give it a chance, if you're interested in a Gaiman version of Kirby characters. There were a lot of fun bits in the first issue. Nearly 40 pages at nearly 4 bucks seems like a bargain, especially for this level of work.

[badMike]

The first issue of Neil Gaiman's Eternals seemed pretty good to me. I say, give it a chance, if you're interested in a Gaiman version of Kirby characters. There were a lot of fun bits in the first issue. Nearly 40 pages at nearly 4 bucks seems like a bargain, especially for this level of work.I'll have to wait for the trade. I can't follow regular series anymore. In addition to Gaiman, I'm interested in the JR,Jr. art. I liked his run on Thor.

[MichikoS]

"there's little indication many existing comics readers give a rat's ass about Dr. Strange, something sales on DR. STRANGE projects have borne out practically forever."
Blame the zeitgeist. Strange was very big in the psychedelic '60s and baroque '70s, when people were into "expanding their consciousness" and social mores were changing. There was much more interest in Eastern religion and philosophy, magick, and an acknowledgment of non-Christian epistemologies.

Today the pendulum has swung back to a more materialist, conservative and orthodox social order. Dr. Strange isn't a character who fits in well with this kind of thinking.

But times change, and Dr. Strange's time will come again. So says the All-Seeing Eye of Agamotto!

Michi

[berk]

The problem with Gaiman's new Eternals series is that it isn't really concerned with the Eternals, or with trying to think and write about them on their own terms: it's about the Marvel Universe and trying to make the Eternals fit into it, an approach that works directly against the spirit of Kirby's original concept.

Regarding Dr.Strange, I think there have been some very creative magic-related series in recent years - Promethea and The Invisibles come to mind - but those books have been very personal works created by writers who were themselves heavily involved with actual magical practise. But today's Dr.Strange is just another superhero, hobnobbing with Captian America and Reed Richards. IOW, there isn't really anything very magical about the character any more. His "magic" comes across as just another "superpower." A good writer might be able to change that, but I doubt such a writer would be given the opportunity to do so at today's Marvel; and he/she would probably prefer to write their own character anyway.

[Mick Martin]

I think in recent years Doc has worked best as a supporting character. These days, he's usually not the hero who charges headfirst into battle. He's more like Professor X, in that he works behind the scenes. I'm not saying that's how he should be depicted, or that it's the only way he can be depicted, I just think that's been the status-quo for a while now. He's like a Giles (from Buffy) for the rest of the MU. And I think readers have gotten used to seeing him that way, and so the idea of a Doctor Strange series may seem odd.

One problem is that he's kind of limited as far as the specific kinds of adventures you can write for him. I think a big part of the appeal of Batman, for example, is that you can throw him in just about any kind of adventure story. He can tackle mobsters, hunt vampires, go on cosmic adventures with his JLA buddies, fight in martial arts epics, whatever. Strange, on the other hand, is confined the magical stuff.

I think another problem is that I think both writers and fans are kind of confused about exactly what his role is. He's the "Sorcerer Supreme." Okay. But what does that mean? Is that just a fancy way of saying "bad-ass magical mofo," or does he have a more specific job description? I think there probably used to be a more precise idea of what that entailed, but it's been lost.

I remember reading an interview at Newsarama where Quesada said he had a problem with Strange in particular, and magic-based characters in general, because there weren't enough set-in-stone rules about magic in the MU.

I completely disagree, I think it's the exact opposite. I think there are too many rules and it's lead to a stagnation of the character. Strange is drawn THIS way and his powers manifest THIS way and they look like THIS when he uses them.

I think in handling Strange, Marvel could take a page out of Peter Jackson's book. In the LOTR behind-the-scenes stuff, he talked about how he wanted to handle Gandalf's powers with more subtlety, without all the flashy fx of most Hollywood fantasy stuff. I think if Marvel writers found more interesting ways of Strange using his powers, it could be really cool. He could definitely do with more Sandman flavor.

And as much as I usually balk whenever someone says a character necessarily needs an appearane change, I do think Strange's costume could use some updating.

[deClench]

I think in recent years Doc has worked best as a supporting character. These days, he's usually not the hero who charges headfirst into battle. He's more like Professor X, in that he works behind the scenes. I'm not saying that's how he should be depicted, or that it's the only way he can be depicted, I just think that's been the status-quo for a while now. He's like a Giles (from Buffy) for the rest of the MU. And I think readers have gotten used to seeing him that way, and so the idea of a Doctor Strange series may seem odd.

One problem is that he's kind of limited as far as the specific kinds of adventures you can write for him. I think a big part of the appeal of Batman, for example, is that you can throw him in just about any kind of adventure story. He can tackle mobsters, hunt vampires, go on cosmic adventures with his JLA buddies, fight in martial arts epics, whatever. Strange, on the other hand, is confined the magical stuff.

I think another problem is that I think both writers and fans are kind of confused about exactly what his role is. He's the "Sorcerer Supreme." Okay. But what does that mean? Is that just a fancy way of saying "bad-ass magical mofo," or does he have a more specific job description? I think there probably used to be a more precise idea of what that entailed, but it's been lost.

I remember reading an interview at Newsarama where Quesada said he had a problem with Strange in particular, and magic-based characters in general, because there weren't enough set-in-stone rules about magic in the MU.

I completely disagree, I think it's the exact opposite. I think there are too many rules and it's lead to a stagnation of the character. Strange is drawn THIS way and his powers manifest THIS way and they look like THIS when he uses them.

I think in handling Strange, Marvel could take a page out of Peter Jackson's book. In the LOTR behind-the-scenes stuff, he talked about how he wanted to handle Gandalf's powers with more subtlety, without all the flashy fx of most Hollywood fantasy stuff. I think if Marvel writers found more interesting ways of Strange using his powers, it could be really cool. He could definitely do with more Sandman flavor.

And as much as I usually balk whenever someone says a character necessarily needs an appearane change, I do think Strange's costume could use some updating.

I think that Batman allusion was interesting as I am mentally putting the Doc in the role of "cosmic detective" -- a pan-dimensional Sam Spade. Building from your comments, I think it would be interesting to take him away from the superhero fisticuffs with the Avengers and Defenders, make his magic a little less flashy, and YES, revamp his costume. I remember a Dr. Strange title from the early 90s(?) illustrated by Guice that portrayed a more interesting and gritty Steven Strange.

I don't think they need more rules for magic. They just need a great writer (that's all :) ). As much as I loved Sandman, I would hate to see the Doc simply try to immitate its formula for success, but I would love to see it written at that level of excellence. Hope springs eternal.

[DoubleShot]

It would help if they put out something else with him besides a retelling of his origin and keep him away from projects like the last Defenders series.

I always liked Dr. Strange but the current people working for Marvel either don't know how to handle the character or are too afraid to be inventive with him. A safe Dr. Strange book is just going to always be boring. You have to make it weirdly mystical. A Max book would be the best way to go.

Sadly, I don't think we will see a decent Dr. Strange book until the current Marvel team changes.

[berk]

It would help if they put out something else with him besides a retelling of his origin and keep him away from projects like the last Defenders series.

I always liked Dr. Strange but the current people working for Marvel either don't know how to handle the character or are too afraid to be inventive with him. A safe Dr. Strange book is just going to always be boring. You have to make it weirdly mystical. A Max book would be the best way to go.

Sadly, I don't think we will see a decent Dr. Strange book until the current Marvel team changes.I more or less agree. As big a fan of both Dr.Strange and the Gerber-era Defenders as I was and am, the two didn't really need each other. Gerber did about as good a job of writing Strange into a superhero series as you could ask, but the character just doesn't belong in that world. The Defenders would have been as good or better without him, and the character certainly was better served in his own series. A Max series makes sense, although I haven't been impressed by anything I've seen from that line up to now, and I'd also like to see a writer who either already has an interest in magic or is capable of doing some research.

[DoubleShot]

What Marvel is doing wrong with the Max series' that I have read is that they seem to be the same type of storylines as the non-Max books but with cussing.

Note that I said Max series' that I have read.

[Mick Martin]

I seem to recall Brian Bendis saying that Strange was one of his favorite characters, so I don't know what would annoy me more: Strange never getting another series or Strange getting a series with Bendis at the helm.

Strange: By the hoary hosts of Haggoth.

Clea: But Stephen-

Strange: By the hoary hosts of Haggoth

Wong: Master-

Strange: BY THE HOARY HOSTS OF HAGGOTH!

[berk]

I seem to recall Brian Bendis saying that Strange was one of his favorite characters, so I don't know what would annoy me more: Strange never getting another series or Strange getting a series with Bendis at the helm.

Strange: By the hoary hosts of Haggoth.

Clea: But Stephen-

Strange: By the hoary hosts of Haggoth

Wong: Master-

Strange: BY THE HOARY HOSTS OF HAGGOTH!I don`t think much of Bendis, but I credit him with enough sense not to ever actually try to write a Dr.Strange series, however much he might like the character.

[Magneto_X]

<<--- Dr.Strange fan

JMS mini was great but the issues I wread was more about Stephen instead of Strange's usual adventures.

[berk]

Did I hear someplace about a recent series drawn by Tony Harris? Sometime before the Straczynski one. If there such a series, was it any good?

[long pig]

Call me the Pide Piper because I've got a few thousand rat's asses to give about Dr.Strange!
I pride myself on being a "fan" of THE most influencial comic magic character of all time.

But, there are a 10 beefs and suggestions on how I'd love to see him remade.

1. Sorry, folks, he's not a superhero. He just isn't. Saving a kitten from a tree isn't his M.O. Saving the entire universe from a magical being IS his main priority. He will and has turned down "Hero" tasks because they simply do not concern him.

2. He's not stupid, in fact, he's nearly superhumanly intelligent! His mentor, The Ancent One "Expanded" his mind with spells and potions allowing him to comprehend things that no mortal can. Strange actually CAN see in FIVE-D as well as think in abstract.

He's not funny or jolly or silly or easy to get along with. We're talking about a hardened lone wolf magical soldier who is over a thousand years old and has spent nearly every waking hour protecting Earth's dimension and fighting for cosmic balance.

3. He's not gay or metro or feminine. Lately, he been written as a magical Jack Sparrow. That's not Strange.

4.He's not a weakling. Sorry to say but an elbow from even a 10 tonner shouldn't actually hurt the guy. His 24/7 protective shields are called "Shields of Everlasting Enchantment". They can, and have, taken blasts that were used to cut through solid steel. His LOONNNGGG PIS forgotten Martial Arts mastery is on par with the best.

5.Although Earth is his home, he should never actually spend more time there than in the mot farter reaches of space and new dimensions. Earth is simply TOO small for such a powerful character.
Writers, please. Realize that the man can save the earth 100times better if he stops the invasion/problem before it reaches Earth i.e cosmic adventures.

6.His suit isn't flashy and gawdy for flashy and gawdy's sake. Every peice of constume here wears has a purpose, meaning his costume isn't out of date, it's just his costume hasn't met someone skilled enough to handle it.

7.He's in-sane-ly powerful. Yes, writing a story about the adventures of god is hard, damn near impossible but if you do it right, you'll be rewarded 100 fold.

8. He's not a character who only appeals to people with nastalgia from their hippy days, he's a character who appeals and inspires anyone to think anything is possible. Although only a human and everything against him, he worked his ass off and later turned out to be one of the most powerful characters ever as well as the most introspective and self thinking heroes ever. Strange is a thinking man's character..he doesn't just rush into something, he meditates on it and uses his brain first...and lord knows we need more thinking man characters!

9.Dr.strange is NOT...NOT a guest appearance character. He was NOT created to be "The guy who shows up making everyone say "Oh shit, it's him!"
He's not a plot device.

10.He jas no magical equal in skill(maybe in power, sure). None. He's called "The master of the mystic arts" and " the Sorcerer Supreme", which of those imply he has an equal?

[Steven Grant]

[But, there are a 10 beefs and suggestions on how I'd love to see him remade.]

Most of those comments are pretty well thought out, but here's the spaniard in the works:

I agree that Strange should not be "a guest star" or a deus ex machina, which is how he seems mostly to have been used lately. I agree with most of your characterizations. But what you've described is an incredibly powerful, pretty remote character, largely separated from human concerns on a mundane scale. And while it's not impossible, that kind of character is very difficult to sustain in a series for any length of time. What Strange needs in addition to everything you've mention is some sort of basic connection to/interaction with humanity, to flesh out his personality and evoke some kind of emotional response in the reader. That's the tricky part.

When did Dr. Strange turn out to be over 1000 years old, by the way? That's the Ancient One, innit? (He isn't still around again, is he?) And besides his cape and his amulet, what's significance do Strange's other clothes have? I don't see any problem with having him mostly in street clothes, and Ditko had a fairly lengthy and very successful run where he wore just those. (His cape was all folded up and tucked beneath his shirt, and he demonstrated that his mastery of the mystic arts extended to the physical "magic fighting arts" like kung fu. I'd think as a hand to hand fighter he'd likely be on about the level of Shang-Chi, but that's something most writers have consistently overlooked as well...

- Grant

[bartl]

What Strange needs in addition to everything you've mention is some sort of basic connection to/interaction with humanity, to flesh out his personality and evoke some kind of emotional response in the reader. That's the tricky part.
Oh, it's easy enough to do. I've already described one way. All you have to do is alienate the fans. And there just aren't that many to alienate.

[Magneto_X]

[But, there are a 10 beefs and suggestions on how I'd love to see him remade.]

Most of those comments are pretty well thought out, but here's the spaniard in the works:

I agree that Strange should not be "a guest star" or a deus ex machina, which is how he seems mostly to have been used lately. I agree with most of your characterizations. But what you've described is an incredibly powerful, pretty remote character, largely separated from human concerns on a mundane scale. And while it's not impossible, that kind of character is very difficult to sustain in a series for any length of time. What Strange needs in addition to everything you've mention is some sort of basic connection to/interaction with humanity, to flesh out his personality and evoke some kind of emotional response in the reader. That's the tricky part.

When did Dr. Strange turn out to be over 1000 years old, by the way? That's the Ancient One, innit? (He isn't still around again, is he?) And besides his cape and his amulet, what's significance do Strange's other clothes have? I don't see any problem with having him mostly in street clothes, and Ditko had a fairly lengthy and very successful run where he wore just those. (His cape was all folded up and tucked beneath his shirt, and he demonstrated that his mastery of the mystic arts extended to the physical "magic fighting arts" like kung fu. I'd think as a hand to hand fighter he'd likely be on about the level of Shang-Chi, but that's something most writers have consistently overlooked as well...

- Grant


Didn't Strange have a lengthy series in the 70's?

[berk]

I sympathise with long pig's love of the character, but I feel there's a certain problem with how it's expressing itself. Long pig, you're too caught up in the entire idea of Strange being powerful and strong, in the sense of overcoming all adversaries, of not having to contend with those "beneath" him, etc, etc. I think that the idea of power is very important in the Doctor Strange concept, but not in the way you present it.

For me, the quintessential Doctor Strange story is the Englehart/Brunner opus of Dr.Strange #4, when he encounters death. That's death, not "Death" or "Mistress Death," the official MU personification, or should I say trivialisation, of the abstract concept. This story is not about fantasies of our hero overcoming any and every obstacle: it's about facing the truth, facing reality, facing the terrifying fact of death, that inescapable truth that we human beings, we mortals - even the great Sorceror Supreme himself, our hero, our fantasy, our escape - even he has to die. There's no last minute escape, there's no calling on some ad hoc spell, there's nothing - NOTHING (get it?) - but to accept reality: I have to die*.

Of course, this being comics, Strange's death is a metaphorical one - it turns out to be a mere transition to a higher stage of spiritual development with the Doctor Strange persona more or less intact. But the impact remains: Strange didn't win through his great powers of sorcery, or through his "indomitable human spirit" or through his cleverness or intelligence. In fact, he didn't "win" at all: there was never any real conflict. The so-called victory consisted in rising to a new level of awareness, one which was able to recognise that there was no conflict, just acceptance of reality, a reality that the earlier, pre-encounter persona was unable to face..

It all reminds me of Kirby's Eternals - sorry, I hate to keep coming back to this, but it really is striking. And depressing when I think of what Gaiman's doing to that concept.



*by the way, I don't discount the possibility of life extension or even effective immortality via bio-technological developments; but the point reamins.

[DoubleShot]

Seems Dr. Strange is getting a mini and it'll lead into him joining a team.

Read it here. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7869)

[berk]

Seems Dr. Strange is getting a mini and it'll lead into him joining a team.

Read it here. (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=7869)so they're going the superhero route; waste of time.

[black_bolt]

so they're going the superhero route; waste of time.

Yeah, I'll agree with you there. Doc should be solo.

Doctor Strange is easily one of my favorite characters. If not for Spider-Man, he'd be number one.

People have talked about him being too powerful. He wasn't that powerful during the Ditko years, though. That's largely the result of later writers, particularly Steve Engelhart. Yeah, I loved Engelhart's work on the book, too, but he did make Doc awful cosmic.

Someone else mentioned that it takes awhile to learn the rules of Dr. Strange's universe. I agree, and I suspect that that's the biggest obstacle for new readers. Doctor Strange is generally an acquired taste. I love the character, but my first exposure to him left me confused and a little cold. I came back because, as a kid, I was a true Marvel zombie. A few more issues and then suddenly, I was hooked. These days, though, you have to hook readers pretty much right out of the gate.

I have fond memories of the Roger Stern run in particular. I remember Stern kind of mixing things up by presenting short stories between epics (He did this a few years before Gaiman tried the same approach in SANDMAN!). I think that that might be the best way to go about it.

[Phantom Druid]

well since i'm a Druid fan it only makes sense that I like Dr. Strange too. I like the story about how they were trained by the same mentor and that Doctor Druid was actually an experiment, sort of a prototype of Dr. Strange. I wish we could have seen these two fight side by side more often. If i'm not mistaken , I think they were only together for a few issues in "DR. Strange Sorceror Supreme" during an infinity crossover

[Gumbo Maximillian]

Well; he's sorceror supreme of this entire dimension/universe, maybe he should be more involved with non-planet earth i.e. cosmic adventure type stuff?

Could start learning about whatever gods or belief systems the aliens have like the skrulls etc.....

[chbryan]

And THAT is an interesting approach!

Over the years, I've read most of the Doctor Stange series, sometimes because it was genuinely good, sometimes out of just nostalgia for the character, sometimes because the reprints were included (I'm old -- I rememeber Marvel Tales and Marvel Collectors' Item Classics).

The continuing problem was pretty much the Superman problem (and the Thor problem) -- how do you come up with new challenges month after month for a nigh-omnipotent character?

And there were always the contrived limitations, usually involving temporary decreases in power which always came back.

For Stephen Strange in particular, that character needs some regular people in the storylines for readers' indentification, he needs some more humanity in himself, and he needs challenges beyond Big Evil Deity of the Month. Repeating past approaches won't work.

A hot fan-fave artist wouldn't hurt either.

[long pig]

Well, my take on Strange may seem a bit power-centered, I don't really focus on it because I like to see win, I focus on it because as Sorcerer Supreme, he can't be weak....ever. If he's taken out, the universe's only line of defense against magic would be gone and the universe would crumble.

This for example, I think I can fix this problem in 4 minutes.

"...you can place Dr. Strange in peril but it never really seems like much because at any moment he can cast a spell of crimson bands of what have you and he's out. There are no rules to his universe and from a storytelling perspective that's problematic. When you look at imaginary situations, worlds like the world of Toy Story or even Roger Rabbit have rules of their universe clearly define. Heck in Roger Rabbit it's very clear how to kill a ‘toon, so the viewer gets the feeling that the characters can be placed in peril and have their backs placed against the wall. This is exactly what I'm looking for in regards to our magic characters. Rules that govern them. How do you kill Doctor Strange? How do you hurt him?"

Simple, man. You make rules! Ta-Da! BUT, those rules should not retconn his earlier feats or make those feats impossible for him to use in the future. What the rules should do is set a high limit and only use magic spells and feats he's used the the past and that's it. No more power-inventing to make a story go by.

Simple as pie.

[berk]

A hot fan-fave artist wouldn't hurt either.Oh yes it could - depending on the specific fan-favourite, that is.

[chbryan]

Oh yes it could - depending on the specific fan-favourite, that is.

With that sentence, I was thinking primarily in terms of generating interest and sales, not necessarily quality.

My whim of the moment concerning the Good Doctor would be to have a series of stand alone issues by strange creative choices. Throw some money at Gilbert and/or Jaime Hernandez, or Seth, or Daniel Clowes, or Adrian Tomine. What the hell, why not? We could all pretend that they're not in continuity, for those who find continuity to be important.

[Mean Mr Mustard]

You only have to take a look at my avatar to know where I stand. I LOVE Dr Strange, Master of the Plot Device and Guest Star Supreme.
I kid, I kid. As long as I get my Dr Strange fix, all is well in the world so I like the crazy guest-starring.
And I liked Dr Druid too. We're one of the few though. I thought it was a nice touch how, when Stephen is "tempted" by Adam Warlock on the possibility of having never become Sorcerer Supreme, the first replacement that comes to his mind is Dr Druid.

[toneloak]

After that BKV mini everyone should give a Damn about the good doctor.

[hyzmarca]

There are two types of characters in superhero comics, those which are defined by their friends and those which are defined by their enemies.

If you strip away Batman's entire supporting cast, he's still Batman. If you strip away his rouge's gallery, he's a rich lunatic in an idiotic costume.
If you strip away Superman's rouge's gallery, he's still Superman. If you strip away Superman's supporting cast then he's just a superpowered dude in an idiotic costume.

Low-powered characters like Captain America and Batman can be defined by their Rouge's Gallery far more easily than a high-powered characters can simply because it takes so much more to create a good nemesis for a high-powered character.

Thor is defined by his relationships with the other Asguardians. Hulk is defined by his relationships Rick Jones, Bruce Banner (since they are seperate characters) and other supporting characters. Jean Grey is defined by the other X-Men. Silver Surfer, likewise, is defined by Galactus and other supporting characters.

The problem with Doctor Strange is that he isn't defined by either his friends or his enemies. You can take them all away on both and he'd still be Dr. Strange. Clea and Wong are not household names, neither is Dormammu. Today, Dr. Strange is defined almost solely by his powers.

When dealing with absurdly superpowered characters, making even more powerful threats for them to fight on a regular basis is the definition of insanity. It leads to such absurd power creep that any hope of telling a decent story is lost. The key to telling a good story about absurdly powerful characters is to make the problems smaller, not bigger. Make the problems so small that use of their absurd levels of power is at best overkill and at worst horrific abuse. But, also make the problems far more personal and far more human, because the human problems are the ones that actually make people relate to absurdly powerful superheroes.

I think a good way to revamp him would be to have him go off and find himself after World War Hulk and the totally out-of-character Zom incident, have him try to reconnect with the surgeon that he once was, the person who was happy to save one life at a time. Remove him from mainstream 616 and have him wander across the world and across dimensions, helping people with real human problems that simply can't be solved with a magical hand gesture (though his magic should be extremely helpful) and occasionally confronting an universe ending threat that has been hiding amongst the little people so that no one would notice its machinations until it was too late, proving that helping the little people is not beneath a Sorcerer Supreme. Of course, he would also be forging connections, gathering a new supporting cast, and renewing his connections with some of his old supporting cast.

[mattx110]

the primary concern is taking him out of his element. on earth, he's a big fish in a little pond. the most powerful human around constantly holding back realms of evil and all that.

make him wander different realities within his realm, and suddenly, he's got more problems to deal with. and bring in the lilith in high gear. i pretty much agree with hyz, other than i think thor's avenger ties are more important than the asgardian. and dr. strange being a defender isn't on that level, because even that was a looser association and doesn't have decades of an ongoing title.

[Paul McEnery]

[But, there are a 10 beefs and suggestions on how I'd love to see him remade.]

Most of those comments are pretty well thought out, but here's the spaniard in the works:

I agree that Strange should not be "a guest star" or a deus ex machina, which is how he seems mostly to have been used lately. I agree with most of your characterizations. But what you've described is an incredibly powerful, pretty remote character, largely separated from human concerns on a mundane scale. And while it's not impossible, that kind of character is very difficult to sustain in a series for any length of time. What Strange needs in addition to everything you've mention is some sort of basic connection to/interaction with humanity, to flesh out his personality and evoke some kind of emotional response in the reader. That's the tricky part.

When did Dr. Strange turn out to be over 1000 years old, by the way? That's the Ancient One, innit? (He isn't still around again, is he?) And besides his cape and his amulet, what's significance do Strange's other clothes have? I don't see any problem with having him mostly in street clothes, and Ditko had a fairly lengthy and very successful run where he wore just those. (His cape was all folded up and tucked beneath his shirt, and he demonstrated that his mastery of the mystic arts extended to the physical "magic fighting arts" like kung fu. I'd think as a hand to hand fighter he'd likely be on about the level of Shang-Chi, but that's something most writers have consistently overlooked as well...

- Grant

Far be it for me to belabour the obvious, but any Dr. Strange story (or Dr. Fate, or Zatanna, or whatever) story has to be about magic. You can throw the characters in as guest stars to add flavour, but it's not going to do too much if you're not going up against some giant Cthulu head in another dimension.

But in a story in and of themselves, magic -- and in some way, the nature of magic -- has to be a primary element. The recent Vaughn story got things nicely right. It's basically a noir story about sibling rivalry where the aspect of magic that's foregrounded is the will to power. The Milligan Dead Girl story played for laughs the idea of eternal life vs. afterlife with a postmodern concentration on levels of reality: eternal life = ratings, afterlife = being rested. Like Animal Man, it talks about the human condition as one dimension of the universe by talking about the (terms and) conditions of existence of fictional and franchise characters -- they exist to the extent that they're thought about. Or Ellis's Thor story, where he becomes a Jungian depth psychologist thinking through fascism (for those subtext challenged people who can't figure out the meaning of Vikings and magic).

I think Warren had it about right, sour grapes aside, in his Planetary spoof on Constantine. The character was a fictional device for investigating certain sociocultural truths at the time -- like Sherlock Holmes or any other procedural novel; the terms of his magic were about the loss of power in the Reagan/Thatcher years, hence mostly a matter of running a scam. Constantine = Gordon Gecko. He became superannuated when we moved into the internet phase, so the attitude transforms into Spider Jerusalem running the con through IT -- sell the story, change the world, transform your own circumstances.

Because the big magic story is always about personal transformation, like Strange working out father issues between the good father of the Ancient One and the bad father of Dormammu (quickly followed by the bad mother Umar; children's names for parents); or then the adolescent crisis of identity and mortality of the Englehart/Brunner period.

Or again with Promethea, where personal growth impacts the political impacts the perception of reality; or again with Zatanna, where it's about realizing your personal power within the great living framework of your reality's story.

Strange has basically had his time -- like most of the Marvel universe. It's not to say he can't be used, since Vaughn, Ellis and Milligan seem to get the idea. You just have to understand how textuality interacts with the real world.

Which is, now that I think about it, the difference between writing and fanfic.