Doctor Strange #2 Review

Written by: Jed MacKay
Art by: Pasqual Ferry
Colors by: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Alex Ross
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: April 26, 2023

Doctor Strange #2 makes a house call for a little girl who can’t wake up. When Doctor Strange and Clea pay Nightmare a visit to free the girl, they find Nightmare is the least of the girl’s problems.

Is It Good?

Hmm, Doctor Strange #2 is… fine. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with the comic. The art looks great, Jed MacKay’s plot is original, and the resolution points to a big challenge on the horizon, but something’s missing. The issue lacks “oomph.”

When last we left Doctor and Clea Strange, the good doctor was acclimating to being alive again, making house calls for magical problems, and enjoying the benefits of married life. Unfortunately, wedded bliss met with strain when Aggamon tried to enslave a group of refugees, causing a slight (for now) rift between Clean and Steven concerning how to address Aggamon’s actions.

Now, the couple continues making house calls, and this time they encounter a little girl whose astral soul is trapped outside her body, keeping the little girl in a perpetual sleeping state. When the sorcerers enter the Dream realm to investigate, presuming Nightmare is behind the act, they find Nightmare has his own troubles linked to a bigger and more far-reaching assault.

All the pieces are there for a great comic by Jed MacKay. MacKay’s dialog/narration is on-point, Ferry and Hollingsworth’s art is fantastic, and the plot rings true for a proper Doctor Strange adventure.

What’s missing is that “oomph.” The pacing is steady but low, and Strange and Clea never act with urgency or as if they feel threatened. The story doesn’t have any emotional connection points or rise and fall in the energy level to keep you engaged.

To be fair to MacKay and the art team, this is a technically solid comic, but despite all the positives, it’s a mildly boring comic.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Doctor Strange #2 opens the door for a far-reaching conspiracy about a hidden force stealing the souls of children. Ferry’s art is outstanding, and the plot is creative, but the low pacing and lack of energy/urgency make this comic a mild struggle to get through.