Well that was fast. It’s been just over a year since Stephen Strange bit the big one in the pages of The Death of Doctor Strange miniseries, and now Marvel has announced that the character will return to life in a new ongoing series debuting in March. The new Doctor Strange series will be written by Jed MacKay, who wrote the aforementioned death miniseries and its follow-up, the Clea-starring Strange, and illustrated by Pasqual Ferry, with cover art by Alex Ross, who is also designing a new costume for the sorcerer supreme. No other members of the creative team were named in the announcement.
Here’s how Marvel describes the new series:
Stephen Strange is back! Reunited with Clea and Wong, it’s back to business as usual for the Sorcerer Supreme. Have your children fallen into a deep nightmarish slumber? Are demonic refugees invading your home? Is your husband possessed by a satanic entity? Then call Doctor Strange! But when someone else begins to issue their own dark justice on Strange’s mightiest foes, Strange embarks on an interdimensional search for answers, only to discover the culprit may be closer to home than he thinks…
In a statement announcing the new series, MacKay described how the launch fits into his overall plans for Marvel’s master of the mystic arts, and Ferry talked about taking on the character:
“After Death of Doctor Strange, after Strange, we open the next act in our ongoing saga of the Sorcerer Supreme in DOCTOR STRANGE #1!” MacKay proclaimed. “It’s been really exciting to have the opportunity to not only continue exploring the magical side of the Marvel Universe with the inhabitants of 177A Bleecker Street, but to follow the lives of the Stranges as the last year and a half has put them through the wringer. Pasqual has been putting together a truly magical book, and I’m super psyched to show people what’s in store for Stephen and Clea Strange- and of course, we won’t be giving them any time off after recent events…”
“When I started working for Marvel, there were three comics I had always wanted to draw: Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange,” Ferry said. “Why Doctor Strange? Because his stories include all the elements I love as an artist—the fantasy, science fiction, and imagination. Above all, the fact that I could look at Steve Ditko’s work as a reference really motivates me! When he drew Doctor Strange, all the utopian and imaginary sceneries were incredible. So this is a very special moment in my career, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the character is going to take us with this new narrative. I know a lot of artists, including myself, consider Doctor Strange a challenge, like there is a need to add something new to the character because it offers you that possibility. For me, Doctor Strange is a big challenge, but I embrace it.”
Look for the all-new Doctor Strange #1 to arrive in stores and digitally on Wednesday, March 22nd.
