Doctor Strange #9 – Wonderful, Now There Are Two of You

Downfall has been killing Sorcerer Supremes throughout the universe. Is Doctor Strange the next on the list? Vyrbodin warns of Atho-Tet who Strange seeks out information on through the God Quarry. In doing so, he has released his alter ego, Lord Strange. The only thing strong enough to kill Atho-Tet. With Vyrbodin’s orb open and the lost memories within restored, what will happen to the Nine Realms?

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn!

Creative Team

Writer: Derek Landy
Artist: Ivan Fiorelli
Color Artist: Dono Sánchez-Almara
Letterer: Cory Petit
Cover Artist: Alex Horley

Writing

Derek Landy is doing a really great job bringing this story in for a landing. Unfortunately, we know now that Doctor Strange will end after the tenth issue, but Landy is ensuring that we get a nice full story before it wraps up. I can’t get enough of the interplay between Strange and Angela. I entered this series not a huge fan of Angela, but I really love what Landy has done with the character throughout this series. Doctor Strange #9 is no different.

The story continues to move forward with a moving if not contentious, relationship between Strange and Angela. I appreciate the way that Landy laid out this series where Vyrbodin ended up being such a big part of the story beyond just the initial arc. It was amazing to finally get the payoff of what the memory was he took from Doctor Strange. Not only was it a great reveal, but it was just so narratively satisfying. Landy really did some of his best work with that reveal that may have repercussions for the final issue.

Art

Ivan Fiorelli, Dono Sánchez-Almara, and Cory Petit threw down a slam dunk in this issue. Right out of the gate, Fiorelli gives us just absolutely gorgeous line work. While Dono Sánchez-Almara does great work with the color, Fiorelli sets the tone from the beginning with detailed line work and beautiful shading. The action scenes between Angela and Downfall are immaculate and get even better when Doctor Strange is added to the mix.

Dono Sánchez-Almara takes what Fiorelli laid out and really builds on it. He does a splendid job of matching colors well with the shading already established on the line work. His coloring for Downfall is one of the highlights of this issue, as well as coloring Lord Strange in a way that makes him feel equal parts powerful and untrustworthy. The dual Strange moment provides a perfect time for Cory Petit to shine where he does such an amazing job showing the duality of the moment through his word bubbles.

Final Thoughts

Doctor Strange #9 continues the trend of trying new things in a new way with the Doctor Strange character. It takes full advantage of the setting to tell a unique Doctor Strange story in such a satisfying way. I really hate that the series is winding down but this creative team can and should be proud of the amazing work they’ve done. This series has and continues to push the boundaries of what is possible with Doctor Strange.

Overall Grade: 10 /10

How do you think this run of Doctor Strange ends in the next issue? Let me know in the comments