Deron Generally
Deron Generally
The Death of Doctor Strange: The Avengers #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Alex Paknadel
Art by Ryan Bodenheim
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by Cory Petit
The Rundown: In the aftermath of Strange’s death, the heroes of Earth find themselves fighting magical incursions.
In the recent past, Strange is invited to a meeting alongside Iron Man, Black Bolt, Professor Xavier, Mr. Fantastic and others in what will soon become the Illuminati. There Tony tells Stephen all the reasons he doesn’t trust him including the fact that he doesn’t understand Strange or what he actually does. Back in the present, a group tracks through the swamp with a weapon and looking for the mysterious Man-Thing. As they prepare to close another portal to Earth to prevent anyone else from coming, they are attacked by a creature that cannot be stopped.
In the aftermath of their encounter with the Three Mothers, Tony cannot come to grips with the experience and is definitely in need of help. The rest of the team is dealing with their encounter with the Three Mothers as well with Thor taking it as bad as Tony is. Unfortunately, they won’t have time to lick their wounds as a call from T’Challa sends them to the everglades in search of a potential threat. A threat that leads to a bigger story that only Iron Man can help tell.
The Story: I was not expecting a tie-in story to have the level of emotional depth that this one does, but Paknadel delivers it in this story. The story does a great job with Tony Stark in the issue and tying to his early interactions with Strange was a great touch to help evolve the character’s thinking for this new situation. Having Tony overcome his fear was another great narrative choice and it serves as a great parallel to another characters in the story and that character’s journey as well. A well-crafted and entertaining story with a great, emotionally powerful ending.
The Art: Bodenheim delivers some fantastic visuals throughout the story. The action is glorious and the characters look amazing. There is some great heart to many of the moments in the issue and the ending pages were brilliantly designed.
The Death of Doctor Strange: The Avengers #1
