Writer: Jed MacKay
Art: Marcelo Ferreira, Don Ho, Robert Poggi, Java Tartaglia, and Felipe Sobreiro
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: March 2nd, 2022
Strange is dead, long live Strange! Clea, daughter of Umar and warlord of the Faltine, is now the new Sorceror Supreme of Earth in Strange #1, and she is formidable!
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The Story
Strange #1 is an issue filled with challenges for Clea, from both external threats and internal longings, as she and Wong struggle with losing Stephen Strange, and both deal with their grief in different ways. Clea, as written by Jed MacKay, is a woman confident in her power and skills, and willing to do whatever it takes to defend the Earth. Any code against killing that Stephen Strange had is tossed out the door, and honestly, it’s pretty refreshing to watch her tear into foes. She wields magic like Wolverine wields his claws, with brutal precision. Gone are the subtle hand gestures and light shows of Stephen Strange, replaced by crackling globes of lightning that surround Clea with nearly every spell.
When she’s not in battle, Clea still has swagger and snarkiness. She reminds me of Emma Peel from the 1960’s “Avengers” show. And no, that’s not the Marvel Avengers, this is the Steed and Peel Avengers (do yourself a favor and lookup an episode). It suits her.
The issue is packed.
We’re introduced to a whole new mystic sub-layer of New York, compliments of Wong, which is pretty amazing and hopefully will be fertile ground for more stories in the future. My only question about this is why he didn’t share this with Stephen Strange? Also, a haunting new adversary/ally is introduced, and not one, but two big surprises happen. This book is loaded, folks, and a super fun read.
The Art
Marcelo Ferreira’s art on Strange #1 is at its best when portraying Clea’s power. Swirls of lightning and fire radiate about her in battle, almost like a spell-casting version of Carol Danvers Captain Marvel. I loved the way he showed Clea lounging about the Sanctum Sanctorum. Despite the fact she’s torn up over Stephen’s death, she’s not letting it show to anyone. Plus, Marcelo’s facial expressions are spot on also.
Final Thoughts
Strange #1 is a fantastic kick-off to Clea’s saga as Sorceror Supreme. Exotic new locations and a new adversary are introduced, we get a couple of big surprises, and Clea is delightfully full of barbs and bravado throughout. Highly recommended and I hope Marvel keeps Clea as Sorceror Supreme for a long time.