Doctor Strange: Issue 01

Last week when I went to the comic store, I chanced upon the first issue of the new Doctor Strange arc. I was not even aware that there was a new arc! I suppose I’m a little out of the loop. That tends to happen when your mind is preoccupied with other things, like work, family, music, and so forth. Anyway, I picked up a copy of this along with my regular cache of comics, and I am glad that I did. This first issue really bodes well.

I think the writing and artwork are both outstanding. I was immediately sucked into the story, which is unusual. Often, it takes a little while for me to get hooked in to an arc. Not so with this one.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story. Basically, Doctor Strange is becoming aware of an unusual spike in weird phenomena, which he senses is the result of a “coming storm.”

I’ll leave you with a quote from the issue that I really liked. Hopefully, you will pick up a copy and find it as engaging as I did.

If you ask me, it’d be an awfully boring life if nothing was ever weird. It’s the weird ones who change the world.

Free Comic Day

The first Saturday of May is Free Comic Day, so I made point of stopping by Comic Envy, my favorite local comic store. It was a very festive occasion with lots of people engaging in cosplay and enough comic fans to jam the store. The only disappointment is that my daughter was sick and unable to accompany me, but the folks working at the store remembered her and allowed me to pick out a stack of comics to bring home for her. That kind of treatment is why I love supporting small, local, independent businesses.

So as you can see from my photo, I got a nice stack of comics (some free; some I purchased). I made myself a cup of coffee and sat outside on the back patio and read a couple. The first one that I read was Magneto #1. This was on my list of comics that I wanted to read so when I saw it there, I added it to my purchase stack. The comic definitely met my expectations. It’s well-written and the storyline is intricate. What I love about Magneto is that he is both hero and villain. He is one of those unique characters that does not fit into the standard categories. One cannot help but empathize with him. He is the product of his environment. We all have the potential for good and evil, and Magneto is the embodiment of both.

The second comic I read was Guardians of the Galaxy. This was one of the freebies and I picked it up because I know there is a Guardians film coming out soon and I really was unfamiliar with them. I have to say that I really liked this comic. The artwork is stunning and vivid with color exploding from the pages. The writing is also first-rate. I feel like I have been missing out on this. I am definitely going to read more of this. I’d like to get deeper into the characters before the film comes out.

When I was a kid, there was nothing as cool as Free Comic Day. I wish there had been. Regardless, I read a lot of comics as a kid and I always say that those early comics were my gateway drug into the addictive world of reading. As I snaked my way through the throngs of kids and adults in the comic store today, I saw all the people who love to read and appreciate the unique genre which combines image with word, thereby inspiring future writers and artists.

Doctor Who Special 2013

So if you are a geek like me, then you were probably swept up in the excitement surrounding the 50^th anniversary of Doctor Who. I watched the live broadcast with my 12-year-old daughter and it was great. So when I saw that the Doctor Who comic series was coming to an end and closing with a feature-length special edition, well, I had to reserve a copy.

To sum up the story, the Doctor crosses into a parallel universe, which ends up being ours. Of course, in our universe, Doctor Who is a television show and he is a character played by an actor. The stage is set for some great comic interaction, where the Doctor attends a Doctor Who convention complete with nerds engaged in cosplay and winds up meeting Matt Smith, the actor who portrays himself. It is all very clever and well-executed.

I have to say, though, that what really got to me in this issue was the 12-year-old girl who the Doctor meets in this universe. The girl, whose name is Ally, is a huge Doctor Who fan and is overwhelmed by the fact that she is meeting her hero. Ally is a nerdy girl who loves science and wants to be an astronaut. I’m sure you’ve figured it out. I have a 12-year-old daughter who loves science and watches Doctor Who with me. In fact, both Ally and my daughter own toy sonic screwdrivers. I can feel myself choking up as I write.

My mom was British, so as a kid, I was exposed to Doctor Who through her. Back then, it was Tom Baker with the trademark scarf. I feel a sense of continuity watching the new episodes with my child. I felt the same way reading books to my kids when they were young, books which my parents read to me. There is something really bonding about sharing stories with your kids. For certain, I’ll be sharing this graphic novel with someone close to me. Cheers, and happy reading!