Dr. Strange: Surgeon Supreme #1

Writer: Mark Waid

Artist:  Kev Walker

Cover Art:  Phil Noto

Dr. Strange has been in several comic versions over the last few years.  So when, in the previous one, Strange used a spell to fix his damaged hands (a plot point that will pay off again down the road, I am sure), I was actually a little uncertain on how I felt about it.

Then I discovered that Marvel was using this to reboot the series again, dubbing it Dr. Strange: Surgeon Supreme, having Stephen Strange return to being a surgeon.  And I wondered about the viability of the story.

Then I read the first issue and, while I still have some questions about the continued ongoing aspect for the character, I was in with what I read in issue one.

I shouldn’t have had near as many concerns because all I had to do was to look at the writer on the series.  Mark Waid is one of the best comic writers going and he is consistently creating some of the best comics around.  In fact, you can name off a bunch of the best runs of characters and it is likely that Mark Waid was involved.  His very name provides credibility.

Kev Walker is not a name that I recognized as the artist, but I really enjoyed his work as I read the book.  It brought the right feel to the story as it moved along.  I especially liked his rendering of Stephen Strange when he was out of costume.  There was a proper cockiness in his face that really worked for the character.  Not to mention the fact that the very first page (the splash page) was so beautiful that I opened the book and it took my breath away.  With a small sample size, I am a Kev Walker fan.

The book ends on a fine cliffhanger as well.  Overall, this is some high quality work and I am looking forward to seeing where they take the character from here.