Writer: Jed Mackay
Cover Artist: Lee Garbett
Penciller: Marcelo Ferreira
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Reviewer: Carl Bryan

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were…Stephen?” – Clea to Stephen Strange/The Harvestman

Synopsis:
The Sorcerer Supreme of Death! Clean and Wong have uncovered who is behind the zombie resurrections of the deceased heroes and villains. But they will heed all the help they can get…including from the Sorcerer Supreme of Death…The Harvestman!

Positives:
Jed Mackay takes a story thread to the edge that is straight out of either Shakespeare or Days of Our
Lives. Clea has not only dealt with Stephen’s death three times, but Stephen is quite aware that if Clea sees it for the fourth time, it may deal her irreparable harm. Therefore, Stephen wants to keep his identity a secret, so the world has Clea as a protector. Before they can come to terms with that issue, they leap into battle again.

Mackay and penciler Marcelo Ferreira provide the reader a retrospect through the ages of how many times this duo has worked together to save the universe. In addition, it allows a new reader to catch on pretty quickly about how in love this couple is while giving a long-time Strange fan a walk down memory lane! The art is pretty impressive as the pencils are sharp and the colors are bright!

Positives 2.0
Mackay springs a great curve ball. The lovers are reunited, but what a twist! There are no spoilers here, but I don’t know how Mackay will write himself out of this one! Great plot twist! However, Clea is definitely in charge of the situation. Even death cannot stop her once her mind is set! The Epilogue frames are great as well! The symbolism of a character that had to erase itself from everyone to do the business it has set itself out to do. It is perfect!

Negatives
As I began reading and reviewing Dr. Strange, I was immediately transported to a trepidation I had in the 1970s as I was not sure what I would encounter. As a kid, I could not “get” Dr. Strange. The scripts were too deep, too full of symbolism, and just an intellectual comic at the time that appealed to a tiny mainstream comic audience….adults. Now that I am an adult, I get Strange. Jumping in as a reviewer, I held on to my paradigms. Still, given the success of the movies, as well as how well Mackay wrote this particular issue, I think I am ready
to put my childhood expectations aside and enjoy that Strange is back…in a big way! Not a negative, but just negative baggage from me as a reviewer!

Final Thoughts:

Buy this one for the cover alone! Clea is The Sorcerer Supreme. Whether Strange assumes that moniker
or not is neither here nor there! She is a woman on a mission, and I loved getting to know this character
and what every other reader of Strange may already know. Hell and death know no fury like Clea!

8.5/10