Doctor Strange

One of the nice things that usually happens whenever Marvel or DC release a new superhero movie is that they reprint some old comics featuring that particular hero. Also, Comixology generally runs a sale discounting some old books featuring that hero. I’m a fan of Doctor Strange, so I’ve been keeping an eye on this.

Marvel has recently released a gigantic Doctor Strange Omnibus: impressive, but expensive. It’s a hardcover reprint of the original Lee/Ditko run. Then there’s a new Doctor Strange Epic Collection. This volume collects some of the comics from the late sixties and early seventies, including work by Barry Windsor-Smith. I haven’t bought either of these, but I might pick up the Epic Collection.

The book I’m most excited about, though, is a new collection of P. Craig Russell’s Doctor Strange work, Dr. Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen?. Russell has long been my favorite comic book artist. This book includes the 1996 one-shot that shares the same unwieldy title as this collection. I think I still have a copy of it, but it’s nice to have it in a collection too. It’s a really good story with great art by Russell. It also includes Russell’s 1976 Doctor Strange Annual, which I used to have a copy of, but probably donated when I was getting rid of most of my collection. The 1996 story is basically a reworked version of the 1976 Annual, but really it’s a whole different thing. It started out, I think, as a project to reprint the Annual with some additional pages, but it wound up being a whole new story with completely new art and a new script. So both stories are interesting to read. The rest of the book reprints a hodgepodge of stories that were either penciled or inked by Russell. They’re a mixed bag, but a few of them are interesting, including one with art by Russell and Marshall Rogers, one of my other favorite artists. I bought this book at my local comic shop, for the full $30 cover price, as soon as I saw it. (It turns out that I could have gotten the Comixology version for only $15, but it’s nice to have the hard-copy version.)

Meanwhile, Comixology is running two Doctor Strange sales this weekend, one on single issues and one on collections. I’ll probably pick up two or three of the collections that I don’t already have.

Oh, and hey, the movie seems to be doing well on Rotten Tomatoes, so I should probably go see it. Maybe tomorrow, if I can talk myself into leaving the apartment.

 

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