Doctor Strange Annual #1 is can mostly be dismissed bythe casual reader, but essential reading for the Doctor Strange devotee, be they burgeoning or established. There's a lot to like here, but none of it is critical to Doctor Strange or the Marvel Universe. The issue itself simply falls short of being grand, and a little bit more in the extras department would help this Annual feel more like a true comic book Annual. Instead, it's an ancillary one-shot with a pair of fun adventures that enhance the regular run. If that's enough to entrance you, give it a look. Read Full Review

The story is by Kathryn Immonen and the art by Leonardo Romero, and they do good work here - but the story just doesn't clear the bar of being something special or unique enough to demand highlighting in an Annual. Read Full Review

A cute throwback story for long-time Doctor Strange fans, that seems primarily to set up some future story and reinforce the fact that Stephen Strange is a jerk. The art is really nice, reminiscent of David Aja, and this looks to be the visual trend of the last issue or two. There's a backup that provides some back story for the forthcoming Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme series, and it's a nice enough story but not entirely worth paying another buck for. The first story is good enough. Read Full Review

Though this issue isn't written by regular Doctor Strange writer Jason Aaron, it fits in nicely with the ongoing series. Kathryn Immonen crafts a charming little tale as Clea wanders back into Strange's life in the aftermath of the Empirikul conflict. Immonen does a great job of exploring their complicated romantic history while also allowing Wong to enjoy the spotlight a bit more. Read Full Review

Sets up the future for the good Doctor efficiently, but leaves me unsatisfied and bored. Read Full Review

Overall this is an alright annual. The second story is where all the substance is and the better part of this two story annual. That being said this is not a must read and I doubt it will have much impact on the story if one was to skip it altogether. Read Full Review

The main story is great. I'm not familiar with Clea, but I like her in this and the relationship that the characters have. The backup story is not any good though, the art has some good stills here and there but it's largely difficult to decipher, while the plot jumps around like crazy.

Clea love the character. But Like everyone has forementioned, skippable. The second story though makes me hungry for the new series. Can't wait.

Skippable

The worst Doctor Strange Annual I ever read. Though I'm probably being unduly harsh, because I had oped it would be a return to form for the character.

Instead Kathryn Immomen makes even less effort than the current scattered, unfocused make it up as you go along and ignore the history of the character writing style of Jason Aaron.

The excitement about his taking over collapsed a few issues ago as Doctor Strange's sales collapsed. They have yet to recover.

An annual as stupid as this one definitely increased the likelihood that Doctor Strange comic won't survive much past the movie.

The above synopsis is almost totally false. It doesn't even meet the loose standards of comic books for having a synopsis match up somewhat with the actual story.

It sounds a lot better than the truly tragic story that was told. The story it hinted at isn't possible with a basically depowered Dr. Strange.

Most disappointing is that it seems to double down on the result of the last days of magic storyline, which is Doctor Strange seems powerless for the most part. Too powerless to defeat a garden variety demon.

Clea for unexplained reasons was on Earth instead of the Dark Dimension where she was the last time we saw her and was present for the last days of magic and survived thanks to magic, hmmmm.

Her explanation for having more than Doctor strange is silly.

The effort to "humanize" the characters fails. Instead it turns them into pointless characters that simply are not interesting.

A Doctor Strange without serious magic is like Iron Man without his suit or Professor X without any telepathy.

All in all the ability to tell a good comic book story in the Marvel universe seems to have been the real fatality of the last days of magic.

Jason Aaron's story arc ultimately was anti-climatic and leaves very little room for any other writer to expand on. It left the comic book in ruins. Kathryn Immonen's story is the result.

Doctor Strange has alw more