Doctor Strange #2
Marvel Comics
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Jesus Saiz
Letters by Cory Petit
Stephen Strange has been trapped on an alien planet for 73 days. He has been poked, prodded, probed and experimented on by a race that doesn’t believe in magic and does not know about alien races. A race of advanced intelligence who use Strange as a slave. Strange is stripped of everything, including hope until another alien is placed in his cell.
She seems to be on the same mission that he is on. While Strange was hunting for a way to recharge his connection to magic, his new cell mate collects magical objects. She tells him about what brought her to the planet and when she draws a picture of the object that she was searching for, Strange can’t believe it. It’s fun seeing Strange in a situation that he can’t immediately find a solution to get himself out of. It shows the limitations of his ability outside the use of magic and hopefully, gives the character a chance to act with a new set of skills that the reader hasn’t seen that much of.
As the pair of them make their mistake, Stephen is introduced to a new concept in how he approaches magic. One that might be exactly what he needs to regain the abilities that he’s lost. The two of them manage to make their way to her ship only to discover that the aliens have decided that they are going to forgo their lack of space travel and invade the Earth based on the information they gathered from Doctor Strange. In order to find a way to stop it, Stephen takes a huge risk to unleash a power that could either help him or kill him.
The story is definitely getting more exciting as Strange continues his quest to regain his magical skills. The fact that Waid is taking Stephen from his comfort zone and putting him out in the universe continues to make this story compelling and worth reading. Saiz does some great art in this issue as well, especially in the third act of this story. I loved the detail and majesty of that moment.