Dr. Strange is one of Marvel's most original and unusual superheroes. The stories represented in this volume are some of the best in his almost 40 year career.

The dialog is as spectacular as the inspiring plot. The Doctor's lines show him as somewhat disconnected and aloof, without being ridiculous like the Roy Thomas days of the late sixties. This is as believable as comic fantasy gets.

Brunner's artwork is breathtaking. He gives us a solid view of reality and manages to incorporate the weird and fantastic seamlessly. It is truly a shame that these two are not working on the title today. Barring the Stern/Rogers/Austen run in the early eighties, this is the best since the original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko stories.
 

This is the pinnacle of 1970s "cosmic comics." Along with Jim Starlin's Warlock and Captain Marvel, this defines the brief but wonderful period when comics dared to tackle such weighty matters as Death, God, Religion, Life and the Occult. The writing was combined with an art style that straddled the line between the stream-of-consciousness style of the undergrounds and the ultra-polished mainstream look these comics broke new ground and expanded both the medium and the minds of its readers.

The early 1970s were a time of experimentation, both personal and artistic-in music, movies and even comics and nowhere does that experimentation bear more fruit than with these issues of Dr Strange. This slick, but affordable reprint is the perfect way to read these stories. Reprinted here are Marvel Premiere #s 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, and Dr Strange (2nd Series) #s 1, 2, 4, 5. The missing issues were reprints that had nothing to do with the story line (common in those days), and so this flows as one continuous tale. It was co-conceived and plotted by Frank Brunner and Steve Englehart (during long of sessions of "getting cosmic" and hashing ideas out). Brunner is the artist and Englehart is the writer. Both are masters in the comic field and at the top of their game. Brunner's art is absolutely stunning-on the slick pages of this full-color reprint his beautiful poetic imagery is even more sumptuous than on the faded pages of my originals. His art is smooth and flowing and yet eye-popping. Englehart's writing is top-notch. His Dr Strange has his own voice which may sound a bit stilted, but then, the "Master of the Mystic Arts" shouldn't sound any other way.

The story provides a lot to chew on, Dr Strange's mentor, the Ancient One dies (actually he becomes one with the universe) and passes the mantle of "Sorcerer Supreme" to Strange. Soon he finds himself pursuing a powerful magician backward through time. This particular time traveler has a curious scheme to go back in time absorbing all the magic until he himself is...God. Before it is all over Strange experiences death and takes a trip through his own personal Lewis Carroll-esque unreality before confronting mortality.

My only complaints with this compilation are that the wonder Brunner covers (nine in all) are crowded onto two pages. There is a one page introduction by comics historian Peter Sanderson, but little else to give this the deluxe treatment it deserves. Last, but not least, there is (GAH!) an ad page in the very back! Still, this is a slick, cheaply priced, convenient way to read some of the best comics of the 1970s-and I read it cover to cover and enjoyed every moment of it!

It is however, one of the most incredible comic books that you will ever read. Totally surreal in its' intent, this is Marvel comics on acid. Its' remarkable illustrator Bill Sienkiewicz uses everything in his considerable armoury ranging from traditional fine art painting methods to Crayola crayons in order to tell a very intricately crafted, yet effortlessly beautiful story. In truth it is more his book than it is Frank Miller's. While reading, you can feel the raw energy as the two creators; both on the top of their game spark off each other and propel themselves onto a higher plane of creativity. This comic book truly does push back the boundaries further than they have ever been pushed before or since.

Also included: Telepathic Ninjas, Homicidal Androids, Demons from Hell, flying blue dwarves and Nuclear War.

Brian Michael Bendis is a very popular writer among legions of comic book fans. In addition to creating and writing his award-winning series, POWERS, he also regularly scripts ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, ALIAS, and DAREDEVIL. All of his work is fast-tracked into the graphic novel format. Chuck Austen is a good artist and has done work on U.S. WAR MACHINE, but has recently taken over the writing chores on UNCANNY X-MEN. The colorist, Nathan Eyring, developed a style over the books that was simply amazing.

Bendis' dialogue, as always with any project he touches, was great and lent itself to explosive artistic rendering. Even the scene where Elektra held Stanley at bay in Paris with the sai under the table showed the motion and the action about to break loose. The action sequences detailed by Austen are absolutely mesmerizing, and--at times--chilling in their execution (literally!) and raw savagery. In Austen's capable hands, Elektra becomes a poetess of death. Nick Fury comes through as the character most Marvel Comics fans know and love. He's tough and irascible, totally devoted to his view of the world and what should be done in it. Nathan Eyring performed an outstanding display of colors, shading mood, action, and suspense with a skill seldom seen in the comics format.

As good as Bendis is, he was a little loose on this graphic novel. Elektra begins by offering a story that lets the reader inside her mind and heart, but by the fourth section of the story, she is distant from the reader, only a series of images played out against a series of media interviews. The fifth chapter keeps Elektra distant, making the reader guess what she is feeling and thinking when there was so much more in the beginning. Also, the twist with Stanley's true nature was totally unexpected and seemed almost to come out of left field although it was planned. The final chapter in the graphic novel really doesn't mesh well with the first five that complete a whole story, but the inclusion helps Elektra fans keep the series all together in trade paperback format.

ELEKTRA: THE SCORPIO KEY is recommended for fans of Bendis' and Austen's work. Comics fans interested in the field of espionage and Elektra will also want to add this one to their collections. People who enjoy Ed Brubaker's and Greg Rucka's writing will want to give Bendis a try if they've not encountered him before. He knows a lot of tricks as a writer, and he shows quite a few of them here.

Judd Winick was on MTV's "The Real World." While on the show, Winick also launched a weekly comic strip, NUTS & BOLTS, and a later spin-off, FRUMPY THE CLOWN. He did ROAD TRIP, an Eisner nomination, and THE ADVENTURES OF BARRY WEEN, BOY GENIUS. Working with DC Comics, he has been writing the GREEN LANTERN monthly title, a ten-issue backup in Detective Comics, JOSIE MAC, and has upcoming projects for Vertigo and a Green Lantern/Green Arrow crossover. Mike McKone has worked on several X-Men titles, VEXT with Keith Giffen, SUPERMAN, MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER, HULK, PUNISHER, THOR, SPIDER-MAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE, and many others.

EXILES gathers the first four issues of the monthly comic series into a graphic novel that stands well on its own. The story is familiar to many fans of comics and science fiction, and it's interesting to see the different way worlds and characters could have gone. Winick's handling of Morph, the team funnyman and pratfall king, stays just this side of going over the top. The two worlds revealed in the graphic novel are interesting. Featuring Charles Xavier, the founder of the X-Men, was a given, and the rewriting of the Dark Phoenix saga wasn't too surprising. Where the book really succeeds, though, is in Mike McKone's art, especially with long-time pal and partner Mark McKenna laying in the inks with Cannon and Jimmy Palmiotti. The panels explode off the page in color, vibrancy, and immediacy. Another nice touch is that no one in this series appears to be safe. One of the main characters is killed halfway through the graphic novel, only to be replaced almost instantly with another twisted version of someone near and dear to the X-universe. The potential of the series is great and can bring about the same sense of wonder that powered the WHAT IF series.

Given the overall framework of the comic series, these first two stories lack a little. They're not overly original and despite the premise, there isn't enough real tension or development of character. Of course, Winick is trying to introduce his characters and the concept at the same time, and even kills off one of the major players. There is also a tad bit of long-windedness from time to time that covers over the beautiful artwork.

Regular readers of Marvel's X-books will definitely want to take a look at this spin on their characters and their worlds, and Mike McKone's artwork is absolutely worth collecting for any comics fan.