The roll-out of Marvel’s fall “relaunch” following Secret Wars continues with news of a new Doctor Strange title top be written by Jason Aaron (Ther, Weirdworld) and drawn by Chris Bachalo (Uncanny X-Men, Incredible Hulk). The master of the mystical arts is getting a movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch nest year, so a comic seems timely. Aaron and editor Nick Lowe chatted about the new approach at EW:
EW: Let’s talk a little bit about what makes thisDoctor Strange series different.
JASON AARON: We wanted a Doctor Strange who was always having to work for what he gets, and to show that when he shows up and uses his powers, it’s not like Captain America throwing his shield or Thor throwing his hammer. Strange has to worry about repercussions that those other heroes don’t have to worry about, because he’s a Sorcerer Supreme. We’re talking about the forces of magic. So whatever he does has repressions. Any of this stuff with magic, there’s always a cost to it. I think that’s kind of the only rule of magic we ever really talk about—everything he does, there’s a price to it. So he always has to kind of balance those skills and worry, “if I save the day here, what repercussions will that have for me, or elsewhere in the world? We liked him having to deal with that, and liked him being able to get his hands a little dirty, rather than just having him stand around, waving his hands and saving the day.
Two issues of Uncanny X-Men will tie into the big Original Sin event at Marvel this year – issues #23 and #24. Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Chris Bachalo will be the creative team for the two-part story, which will reveal the last will and testament of poor old dead Charlie X.
With everything being revealed, it may as well be time to take a look at who’ll be getting what from Xavier – who’ll be inheriting his floating wheelchair? Who gets to keep Muir Island? Does he have any more sentient robots chained up somewhere, being tortured?
I doubt any of those questions will be answered. But the solicitation does suggest that as the will is read out, an old enemy will show up to cause some trouble for the X-Men, as a result. Uncanny X-Men has long been the book which is honest about the Xavier character – who was no martyr for mutantkind, let’s be fair – and it looks as though more secrets about how rotten he is may be coming to light during this arc. Fun!
Here are a few of my favourite things…. Marvel, aware that I demand delight at least once a month, have started releasing ‘X-Men 50th Anniversary’ variant covers for several of their books. The X-Men have – yes – been around for 50 years as of 2013, with Stan Lee’s original vision now old enough to start having a midlife crisis and buy a new car. X-Men fans: prepare to explode in glee!
First up is Chris Bachalo reuniting with Generation X (gleee!!) for the cover to All-New X-Men #6:
Skin! Synch! Oh, the memories. Shame Husk isn’t wearing her glasses, but WOW how much does this remind that Banshee was The Greatest? Right? Faith and begorrah, come back soon!
The second released cover is Clay Mann’s variant for X-Factor #250, which features every member of the team there has ever been. Founders Jean and Cyclops rub shoulders with Rusty, Skids and Boom Boom (gleeee!!), while newcomers like Monet and Layla Miller somehow manage to cram themselves in there too.
Who will appear next? I am literally stamping my feet with anticipation. Gleee!!
This may be the perfect match for Bachalo
This is a good creative team, who did some good work together on Wolverine and the X-Men.
I am a bit surprised Aaron has another ongoing at Marvel. He’s now got this, Star Wars, Thor, and Weirdworld (which I believe is ongoing), plus Southern Bastards (which is less than monthly) and whatever consulting/writing work he has for the television adaptation thereof.
I’ve not ever kept up with all of Aaron’s output–is this an increase in his workload? I’m really enjoying the stuff of his I’m reading now, but you’d have to think there’d come a point where the quality would drop off (e.g. Bendis).
Sorry if this qualifies as “concern trolling.”
Good to see the good doctor of the mystic arts getting some love in the form of a new book with the feature film on the horizon. I’m encouraged by what Jason Aaron said here and I love Chris Bachalo’s art, but I hope the sample drawings aren’t indicative of what’s to come in the new comic. Doc with a battle ax, a sword, a bow and arrows and a shield? How pedestrian. Anyone number of characters could be pictured with weapons and defenses like these. The best of Doc’s adventures were always filled with things you couldn’t see anywhere else. Mind-blowing imagination was always on display.
Of course, I could be internet jumping-the-gun here and this is for one story only. But it’s underwhelming that these are the publicity images Marvel is teasing the new series with. And I certainly hope it doesn’t mean we’ll see a sorcerer who’d be more at home with Conan the Barbarian.
I’m looking forward to new Strange tales, not new savage ones.
Ther? Really? I expect better.
Please give your articles a second read from another set of eyes. Nothing diminishes credibility (and readability) quite like trying to navigate through all the typos (Ther, movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch nest year, etc.).
Reacting purely to what is being said in the interview, my question would be, if there are repercussions from Strange using his powers, then how can he justify using them? If saving person A means person B dies, then shouldn’t the right thing to do be to simply not use the powers at all?