Written by Frank Barbiere
Art by Marco Rudy & VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Art by Marco Rudy
SUMMARY:
Billing it as an Avengers annual, Marvel Comics released this 36-page Doctor Strange one-shot entitled “Self-Surgery” for August 2014. In the present-day, at the behest of an ancient order he befriended long ago, the Sorcerer Supreme is in the Tibetan mountains. Versus an extradimensional parasite, Strange battles for the fate of a young girl.
As told in black-and-white flashbacks, Strange recalls a humbling tragedy as a young neurosurgeon. Despite his colleague’s protests, the future sorcerer’s brash ego re: salvaging impossible medical cases leads to a heart-breaking failure. With this old lesson in mind, the present-day Strange resorts to a desperate gamble saving an innocent child from the demon parasite’s soul-consuming evil.
REVIEW:
Reminiscent of the murky visuals in DC’s epic Seven Soldiers saga, this enigmatic Doctor Strange deep-dive carries middling appeal. Re: its visual approach (Marco Rudy’s accurate cover image notwithstanding), the ambiguous artwork tries too hard conveying mystery and abject horror. Still, the easy-to-follow flashback scenes accomplish what’s necessary without toying around with readers too much.
Also reflecting Grant Morrison’s bizarre Seven Soldiers-style plotting, too few details re: this parasitic demon’s powers are revealed. At least, writer Frank Barbiere spells out the tale’s main thrust of Strange’s belief in preserving lives, no matter how steep the price is. While the ending implies a potential future twist (i.e. a now-corrupted Doctor Strange), the story sorely misses input from Strange’s fellow Avengers for some welcome variety.
Hence, this New Avengers Annual # 1 merits a single read, as the Sorcerer Supreme’s demonic battle comes off too muddled for its own good.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
None.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
