COMIC BOOK REVIEW - Dr Strange: Blood In The Aether
By The Masked Medic
As I’ve started working with surgeons, I thought perhaps it was time to pay a visit again to a man that went from surgeon to Sorcerer Supreme; Dr Strange. The first two novels in this volume had been interesting enough, and there was a heavy expansion on the threats that Dr Stephen Strange fought on a day to day basis. That being said, it was quite a difficult series to keep up with because I found the concepts fairly new. There aren’t many magic-based characters that I have been a fan of, but I was starting to enjoy watching Dr Strange kick butt!
‘Blood in the Aether’ continues from ‘The Last Days of Magic’ with the Empirukul having destroyed all remnants of magic in Dr Strange’s dimension. As he gets used to this new world that he finds himself in, the good Doctor begins to tackle problems that once upon a time were no issue for him at all. The problem is that it appears he’s not the only one that has figured out he has very little power. He is targeted first by Misery who has come to exact his revenge. Having just about dealt with that, none other than Baron Mordo appears, armed with the backing of Dormammu. Just as Mordo is about to deal Strange a lethal blow, the Doctor is transported to the realm of Nightmare, who has targeted Stephen as well as his allies, Zelma and Wong. Using the few tricks he knows, he escapes the nightmare, only to then be pulled into Hell by Satanna, the daughter of the Devil. She attempts to keep him in her personal expanse of Hell as an attraction for visitors. Weird I know. But once again, Stephen is able to elude his enemies time after time. That naturally leads to the big boy, Dormammu getting involved directly and you get a flashback issue showing the first time that Dr Strange had to face Dormammu. Believing Strange to be powerless now, Dormammu unleashed all his tricks to destroy his foe. Can Dr Strange find the power to face his arch-nemesis again? And just what is going on with Wong in this novel?
Okay, so I have to admit, I think this was the best novel so far in the series. Perhaps it was to do with the fact that I have started to know Dr Strange quite well. However, the real reason that I think this novel is a real success is the fact that we get to see the titular hero go up against many of his nemeses with very little power or backup. That in itself is a testament to just how incredibly powerful Dr Strange is, and I don’t need MCU stans telling me that he’s only that good because he has the time stone. In terms of character development, I think there was a fair bit, although, given the level of action and tension in the novel, it was probably a little less than it could have been. We do however still see the key aspects of Dr Strange and his skillset. He is at the end of the day, the Sorcerer Supreme, more than capable of taking care of his dimension!
The artwork was decent, there were several issues where I thought it was good. There were some issues, however, where I felt that it was just a little average. The covers were all quite interesting, and it was difficult to pick one for this review, but the one above was just a cut above the rest. Overall, this was a good novel in a series that is going in a promising direction!
Favourite Panel:
This is what I’m talking about. I think people think he’s more stoic than he is. This guy is not afraid to get rough!
Favourite Character:
Oh man, Dr Strange really stepped up in this novel. I mean he’s fairly badass as it is, but to take on threat after threat, it was intense!
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★★½
Character Development: ★★★★
Artwork: ★★★½
Enjoyability: ★★★½
Re-readability: ★★★
Level: Intermediate