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Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo Get Weird With New “Doctor Strange” Series

By | June 22nd, 2015
Posted in News | % Comments

Things have been pretty rough for Dr. Stephen Strange lately. First he sold his soul in order to fight a rip-off Justice League in “New Avengers”, ended up in exile among some extra dimensional eye magicians (don’t ask), and then found himself playing Littlefinger to Doctor Doom’s Joffrey in “Secret Wars” (please read Secret Warriors. Well there seems to be some good news for Doc Strange after all. This fall, he’ll get a new series from “Southern Bastards” and “Thor” writer Jason Aaron as well as “Generation X” and “Uncanny X-Men” artist Chris Bachalo.

As announced at premier comic book site Entertainment Weekly, the Sorcerer Supreme will headline his own title with “Doctor Strange”. EW has a great interview with Aaron and editor Nick Lowe worth looking into, regarding the repercussions of Strange’s powers and how this title aims to be more grounded and relatable than the typical head trip most Strange stories tend to be. There’s also this interesting quote from Aaron on this book’s place in Marvel’s plans.

Coming into this, we talk about Doctor Strange being the linchpin book for this very unique corner of the Marvel Universe. If you look at what Guardians Of The Galaxy has become and how that has opened the door to space and the cosmic side of the universe, that’s what we want this to be for the magic. So what we’re doing, this first big arc, is really our opening statement on who Doctor Strange is—what does magic mean in the Marvel Universe, and where do we go from here?

Considering that Marvel’s spent the last four years insisting – at least in the films – that Thor’s not magic, his powers are just science and look like magic to mere mortals – it’ll be pretty refreshing to see them finally accept that some of their characters are magic and Aaron seems to be the perfect architect for that corner of the universe. Aaron’s work on books like “Ghost Rider” and “Thor” has shown his affinity for balancing the arcane with compelling characterization. If anyone can do for Magic Marvel that DnA and Keith Giffen did for Cosmic Marvel, Aaron seems to be the man.

Plus, Chris Bachalo is another inspired choice for Strange. He’s gotten demonic before when working with Magik on “Uncanny X-Men” and his concept art seems very inventive for Strange. As Lowe and Aaron mention in their interview, this book is going to be a more grounded take on the character. And while Bachalo’s depiction of the good doctor seems a bit more populist than usual, it still seems to carry the power and magic needed to make Strange work. Plus, did he grab the Odinson’s axe? That’s just radical.

Feel free to take a look at Bachalo’s concept art below (courtesy of Entertainment Weekly) and let us know what you think in the comments. Is this a great choice for the character or is it only happening because of the upcoming film? Either way, we’re kind of relieved Strange hasn’t been redesigned to look like Bendystraw Coolcat.


James Johnston

James Johnston is a grizzled post-millenial. Follow him on Twitter to challenge him to a fight.

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