Really vying for that coveted “Worst Dr. Doom Drawing” award here. Yeesh. This month, the usual art team shares the book with Chis Bachalo, Tim Townsend and Antonio Fabela. This 2nd art team takes the lead this issue, for a 2-page spread wherein Dormammu torments the Hood. He’s told Parker Robbins has has to find and kill Dr. Strange as part of their bargain, and that obviously hasn’t happened, so Big D isn’t happy with his pawn. Hood says he can’t find Strange unless he uses his powers, and he hasn’t. Dormammu tells us Strange isn’t Sorcerer Supreme anymore. I forget where this happened. I vaguely recall that he dabbled in forces he shouldn’t have to stop the Hulk in World War Hulk, and that being the catalyst for him losing his job. I don’t know, honestly. Anyway, ol’ Dormmy says if Hood finds and kills Strange, he’ll become the new Sorcerer Surpreme, but he’s gotta hurry, because he won’t be the only one after him. Meanwhile, the regular art team tackles this…
Simon Williams becoming a disgruntled, Avengers-hating pacifist is a weird thing Bendis is all-in on from here on out. The generic blonde lady there is Ms. Marvel. Those 2 closer up pictures of her look pretty good. Why do the faces in Billy Tan comics look so weird from further away? Clint comes home and Carol is mad at him for doing this, but he says it’ll make Norman screw up faster, and the sooner he does, the sooner this ends. And also that he didn’t consult the team because they wouldn’t have let him do it. Then we’re off to New Jersey with the 2nd art team, where we find Billy Kaplan, Young Avengers’ Wiccan, spotting a police chase zooming past him and discreetly doing some magic to stop it.
Well, Strange tells Billy he’s abused his power as Sorcerer Supreme and lost it, and how he’s going ‘round to people who could succeed him to see if they got the power. It’s just gonna select someone like a Green Lantern ring, which… doesn’t make any sense to me, that’s not how Stephen got it, but ok. Billy asks if it could be him, and Strange says it could be, but he doesn’t know. Billy asks if there’s a list, and Strange says he really hopes it’s not Dr. Doom (That would come much, much later). But their conversation is cut short when Stephen senses a presence outside and says they have to leave.
Chris Bachalo draws what Jack Kirby would’ve called “weirdies” as good as anybody. He’s the one you want for a panel like that. Back in New York, Hawkeye has the team around a table, saying this is how Steve Rogers would’ve done it, and that they need to elect a team leader. He says Luke has been their leader up to now, which Luke disputes because it comes so naturally to him.
We have to run with this since it’s important to our guy…
What a face. It’s so weird that this Jessica moment didn’t happen the first time. And it’s a fun moment! But, astute, imaginary reader, you will have noticed a problem. This book saw print one month before Spider-Man revealed his identity to the FF (again) in ASM 592. An experience that caused all their memories of him to come rushing back. Something that is absolutely not happening here.
And, you know, I don’t like to run that many consecutive pages, but it’s a crucial moment for our hero, and also, again, no one is suddenly remembering knowing Peter before. Sloppy! Awkward. Not great.
Ah, to go back to the 50-odd years before people were seemingly forced to make Dr. Strange’s magic (And most other magic) look like the movie. I’d like that.