Doctor Strange #1

Writer: Mark Waid Artist: Jesus Saiz Publisher: Marvel Comics Release Date: June 6, 2018 Cover Price: $3.99 Critic Reviews: 21 User Reviews: 55
7.8Critic Rating
7.9User Rating

NEW SPELLS, ALLIES & ENEMIES IN THIS NEW SERIES FROM MARK WAID & JESUS SAIZ!
SORCERER SUPREME...OF THE  GALAXY!
The Eye of Agamotto is closed! Doctor Stephen Strange has lost his connection to the Earth's arcane power, and he can't wait to recover while nightmares press against the seams of our reality. Tony Stark offers a 21st-century solution: When astral travel fails, try astronautical travel. Enter Doctor Strange: Space-Explorer Supreme! New spells, allies and enemies - new and old - await Strange beyond the stars, along with corners and secrets of the Marvel Universe seen here for the first time! Space is endless, but time is s more

  • 9.6
    Chuck's Comic Of The Day - Chuck Jun 9, 2018

    More like this, please! Read Full Review

  • 9.4
    Comic Watch - John Jack Dec 17, 2018

    It's not too late to pick up this whole series it's so amazingly good! Read Full Review

  • 9.0
    We The Nerdy - Alden Diaz Jun 6, 2018

    I feel this is a universally accessible story, both as a potential first comic and just as a human moment for this character. Weve all had moments of doubt, and like with his Daredevil run, Waid is tapping into the fear of those moments. This issue has the comic book spirit of Why not? all over it. Put this guy in space and do something new. So, if youre like me and you havent ever been a Doctor Strange reader: I encourage you to do something new as well and give this book a try. Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    AIPT - David Brooke Jun 5, 2018

    A strong start that is hindered by a slower pace. Read Full Review

  • 8.5
    Bleeding Cool - Joshua Davison Jun 8, 2018

    Doctor Strange #1 is a simultaneously familiar and fresh excursion into the world of the mystic arts. While the inciting incident of Strange losing his magical abilities may be a little tired, its presentation and the consequence of Strange going to space make it interesting. Jesus Saiz's art is incredible, to add to the comic's numerous positives. This one earns a strong recommendation. Give it a read. Read Full Review

  • 8.1
    Geeked Out Nation - Jideobi Odunze Jun 6, 2018

    The Space-Explorer Supreme takes flight, and this first issue was an excellent set-up for what this new run and creative team has to offer. Doctor Strange #1 killed any of the skepticism I had about picking up where the last story left off. You never know with Marvel relaunches these days, so it makes a big difference when a new creative team knows when a story needs to continue evolving and progressing rather than hit with a blank slate. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    The Beat - Alexander Jones Jun 6, 2018

    I really like Waid's direction and Saiz's artwork, but I hope the team establishes a strong supporting cast and a more compelling emotional hook in the issues to come. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    Black Nerd Problems - Brandon Lawrence Jun 9, 2018

    This comic Waid and Saiz have weaved together took me through a wave of emotion. Excitement with the flashback introduction. Disappointment with the "Loss of Magic" plot device. Intrigue with the choice of space travel. Throughout it all, the art and dialogue are unmistakably impressive. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    ComicBook.com - Charlie Ridgely Jun 6, 2018

    This isn't your granddaddy's Doctor Strange, making for a fun and enjoyable read with a lot of promise going forward. Read Full Review

  • 8.0
    The Super Powered Fancast - Deron Generally Jun 6, 2018

    I was weary about another story involving Dr. Strange losing his abilities, but this story and its great art have made me interested in this new journey that Strange is taking. Read Full Review

  • 7.8
    Multiversity Comics - Alan Buxbaum Jun 11, 2018

    "Doctor Strange" #1 is an excellent start to a series that has a lot of potential. This first issue does a great job in highlighting both Strange's power while showing us his grit in the face of hopelessness. Read Full Review

  • 7.8
    Heroes Direct - Joseph Kime Jun 19, 2018

    This series looks to embrace Strange's character rather than his abilities, and we're intrigued to see what comes next. Read Full Review

  • 7.7
    Sequential Planet - Derek Heid Jun 12, 2018

    Yes, it has beautiful art, greatly written dialogue and narration, but who wants Doctor Strange magic-less? Hopefully, that changes soon. Read Full Review

  • 7.5
    Comic Watch - Steve Batley Jun 11, 2018

    Taking us into space, a not too familiar ground for Doctor Strange, Mark and Jess have cleverly wiped the slate clean ready to give us a totally different take on the world of magic. Lets see where the journey takes us. Read Full Review

  • 7.4
    On Comics Ground - Jared Wood Jun 19, 2018

    Mixing magic and science fiction is an idea with a lot of possibilities. While this first issue is mainly just a way of delivering exposition and getting Stephen out into space, it was still interesting enough that I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what comes next. Mark Waid has numerous options at his fingertips, so let's see if he can craft something worthwhile. I remain anxiously positive so far. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Newsarama - Joey Edsall Jun 6, 2018

    There is a little trepidation to be found in Waid's direction for Doctor Strange. Strange represents something unique in the Marvel canon, and with Infinity Countdown looming large over the summer, longtime fans will likely not want the Sorcerer Supreme fully immersed in the cosmic. Still, this is a very promising start, with highlights in storytelling and art that overshadow the occasional misstep. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Newsarama - Justin Partridge Jun 7, 2018

    While this first issue is largely set up for Strange's new depowering and place in the Marvel Universe, Mark Waid does an admirable job of chronicling his fall from grace, delving deep into Strange's melancholy to make up for the lack of forward momentum in the plot department. Read Full Review

  • 7.0
    Bleeding Cool - Rich Johnston Jun 5, 2018

    Talking of painting, this is a beautiful book. Jesus Saiz is penciller, inker and colourist on this title and his mastery of superheroes here seems a mix of Alan Davis and David Marquez, slick characters who live on the page. Marry that to the paint-look of the monsters and marvels, and the smooth ink line for the central characters, from the same hand, the two blend well on the page. It's almost like" magic. Read Full Review

  • 6.5
    Weird Science - Aaron Anderson Jun 11, 2018

    Going into this comic I felt Waid had an up hill battle right off the bat. He is following probably some of the best Doctor Strange stories written in ten years with Aaron, Hopeless, and Cates. Plus it feels a bit similar to all of them because yet again Strange is de-powered. This time he has no powers at all and he is stuck on a strange planet and that is the only thing keeping my interest. The art was was good but not as energetic as we once had and same can be said of the story. Sadly this issue had me pretty bored and depressed. Read Full Review

  • 6.2
    Monkeys Fighting Robots - Brandon J. Griffin Jun 7, 2018

    This is by no means a bad comic book, it just doesn't come close to matching the energy that the previous creators had been injecting into the character. There are plenty of places to go in space so there's plenty of hope that it's all uphill from here. We've been spoiled with Doctor Strange wackiness lately. Perhaps we're now coming down from that high, crashing like a Stark-made rocket ship on an uncharted planet. Read Full Review

  • 6.0
    Comic Book Corps - Clayton Hinojosa Jun 7, 2018

    This book started off strong and fell a bit short once Tony Stark got involved. Mark Waid's writing was brilliant, the emotional breakdown of Stephen Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme was a great attention grabber, and Jesus Saiz's art kept everything grounded for a Sorcerer who is literally being "grounded" to mortal status. Doctor Strange's exploration to Space is just a bit of a stretch, or at least doing so by the means of a space ship. But with his meetings with other sorcerers, it left him with no choice. We can only hope that Doctor Strange finds his magic quickly. Read Full Review

  • 10
    Kitsilog Jun 10, 2018

    i love it!

  • 9.0
    wakizashireviews Jun 24, 2018

    A great start by the new creative team. I loved Donny Cates's run on this comic book and am now looking forward to discovering where Waid and Saiz will take us. Some fine character writing in here. Bring on issue 2!

  • 9.0
    SloboSOY Jun 7, 2018

    I was ready to make a killing about this review. I rub my hands in a evil laugh ... No nothing like that, but I was so sure that I will not like Dr Strange in Space that I wasn't ready for this reading.
    So the bad thing first. Ok Strange once more have no more power ... Did Waid read Aaron run ? And Bats is not in there to be seen ... Damn I love Bats.
    But ! And it's a huge BUT ! The fact that Strange turn blind to magic is very interesting and sad (And however the fact using this type of narrative buble was not for easy for make thing this enjoyable to read), and that explain why we didn't see Bats.

    Cover - I like it, but for now it the link is weak. 1.5/2
    Writing - Waid tell his story and dit this with a very nic more

  • 9.0
    Kalaoui Jun 7, 2018

    Well done. I enjoyed Waid's take on Strange. I hope the pace picks up a bit.
    Jesus Saiz's art is a big part of why i enjoyed this first outing.

  • 8.0
    Above Average Joe Aug 22, 2019

    Like many I was a bit wary of this run, given the success of both Aaron & Cates' previous adventures with Earth's beligured Sorcerer Supreme.

    More often than not these relaunches take the character back to zero and effectively cancel out the work of the previous creative team. This is not the case where Doctor Strange is concerned. Waid continues the theme that echoed through the previous volumes. Magic comes at a heavy cost, and to quote the MCU's version of Baron Mordo, "The bill comes due".

    Waid pulls some familar tropes and concepts together in a way that is more charming than blandly nostalgic. The prose manages to subtily but effectively highlight the pain and weight of Stange's faiding abilities. Stephen isn't more

  • 8.0
    mglsts Jun 9, 2018

    Solid start, nothing major to point out but the premise sounds interesting so far.

  • 8.0
    Dispatchdcu Jun 9, 2018

    Welcome to the Oblivion Bar where the first round is on me and the pretzels are free! Be warned: like the pickled eggs at the bar, this issue is going to get SPOILED rotten.

    We kick off Dr. Strange Number 1 with him fighting some crazy-nasty, gigantic, dead looking thinks with forty mouths. And let me tell you from Jump Street, the art was fantastic. Strange lights a couple of them on fire, escapes through a tear in the fabric of our reality, and literally sows that tear back up like a surgeon. This opening was pretty dang cool. It incapsulated everything that most individuals would remember about Dr. Strange, including his cockiness.

    Waid then takes us on his next journey by opening up the idea that Strange has lite more

  • 7.5
    Zeitgeist Jul 5, 2018

    Good start... Hope it will get better by the time so. Feels a bit old school to me, despite the science fiction influences. And most important: WHERE'S OUR FAVORITE DOG?

  • 7.0
    CrazyforRAMU Dec 18, 2018

    "Remember when we sent Iron Man into space for a couple of months? Let's do that for the other Awesome Facial Hair Bro."

    "Brilliant! Can we make it look gorgeous?"

    "Done."

    "Now, can we make the characterization novel and compelling?"

    "Enh, all we've got is Mark Waid's imitation of Jonathan Hickman's Aging Hero's Burden routine."

    "Well, it'll have to do. Say, aren't we doing 'Avenger Lost In Space' over in Black Panther right now, too?"

    "Shhh, nobody'll notice."

  • 7.0
    Jon Comics Jun 9, 2018

    Doctor Strange is a well written book with great art by Jesus Saiz. The story flows well and Waid shows an affinity for the character. But...
    If you have been reading Doctor Strange since its relaunch a couple of years ago with Jason Aaron, this story can’t help but feel repetitive. Doctor Strange with no magic. Aaron’s run was totally built around that and it was really great, so this looks like beating a dead horse even if you send Doctor Strange to space to recover his mojo.
    So let’s hope Waid finds a way to make this run unique and not just a gimmicky story with a fish out of water narrative. Marvel loves the fish out of water thing but it can grow tiresome fast, as if the creators didn’t know what to do with the chara more

  • 7.0

    The art is great, but I found this first issue quite boring. I expect it to pick up in the future.

  • 6.5
    Spock's Brain Jun 12, 2018

    This is a really great looking book. Jesus Saiz' work on "Steve Rogers Captain America" was pretty great, and this painted style is really cool. The first few pages are exciting, as Stephen does some cool magic, and then....ehhh. It seems as if Mark Waid (or the editors) failed to read Jason Aaron's run, because he's lost the magic once again. Add in a heavy handed narration from Waid chronicling the magic-free life of Strange, and this issue really loses its way. Perhaps its greatest offence is how boring it is. Maybe Mark Waid is stretching himself thin writing, I don't know, 5-6 books, but this is really uninspiring.

  • 6.5

    Again with the no magic. Really hope that doesn’t last long.

  • 5.5
    Gizmo Jan 3, 2019

    We just finished a run where Doctor Strange loses his magic and finally just got it back. So, with Stephen losing access to magic again, it feels like we're going in circles. I'm also extremely disappointed that his ghost dog friend isn't going to be carried through, I love that little guy.

    I'll stick around to see where Waid takes this, but this issue is nothing special by its own merits.

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