Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsA wildly different origin story, but fun read
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2019
Reading Order:
None, it's self contained
This is part of the Season One reboot effort by Marvel to give a fresh origin for many of their characters. Within you will find his Strange Origin story as well as one issue from Dr Strange 2015 (softcover) or Defenders 2012 (hardcover/digital).
Overall I thought it was good but was very different from his classic origins. For one, Wong isn't just a quiet, kung fu fighting manservant to his master, he's an arrogant kung fu master who can barely do magic but is a lot more familiar with the mystic arts than before. The story also differs in plot, Mordo is still our antagonist but we are introduced to Sofia who is looking for help from the Ancient one to collect a bunch of mystical rings that can control the Vishanti. Of course she runs into Strange and Wong instead and they begin a journey across the world collecting these rings to fight Mordo who is given power by Dormammu.
The plot was pretty cool but not the best material and was very different from his classic origins, was more like a mystical heist story, trying to get the rings back from other people around the world. I think the best thing this book does is the character progression of Dr Strange since I think the author does a great job making his arc feel more believable since it happens slowly and more naturally. It's not that I mind the drastic changes, but to me this isn't a replacement origin story I can read before getting into his old stuff but is rather just a fun standalone ride.
I'm a very big Dr Strange fan that has collected just about everything that's out there and I don't think this is entirely recommended reading material but was still an interesting read. To me it's a What If? story, not mainline marvel lore but thats just me personally.
