We all have had a nightmare in our lives, and all of us have an image in our head of what a nightmare looks like. In this first edition, Doctor Strange is going to join us as we revisit the looks and feels of our worst nightmares. It is a mildly frightening twist on a classic character.
Marvel Comics
Written by: Ralph Macchio
Art by: Ibrihim Moustfa
Colors by: Neerj Menon
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
“Nightmare”
The main premise of this series is that “the Nightmare” has taken over Doctor Strange’s dreams and has led him stricken with fear. For those who may not be familiar with some of the villain’s of the series, the edition opens with a brief but very helpful introduction to a couple of the key players. The sleepless nights caused by the nightmares are clearly wearing on strange. As a result, we get a really relatable moment with an all powerful character who is just tired from a bad nights sleep.
the Past that keeps you up at night
The nightmares serve as an important plot point in this edition. They allow for deeper character development of Doctor Strange than we normally get to see. Doctor Strange’s back story is often covered in the Marvel Universe, but this is one of the rare times where we have an opportunity to understand how the Doctor actually feels about it. In this edition, it becomes clear that even the Sorcerer Supreme is not above trauma, and that despite all of his success, the past still haunts him. I thought this was an extremely great way to develop character.
The eerie art style of this edition is some of the best I have ever seen. It looks like I remember so many nightmares that I have had. I genuinely felt connected to the panicked feeling that Strange had when he woke up, and the design of those scenes really sold the entire theme.
Some closing Thoughts
As of the time of writing, I am not sure if this specific line of Doctor Strange story will be getting a sequel, but regardless, I felt it added a lot to the characters basis of work as a whole. Doctor Strange is often one of the more mysterious marvel characters, and I think this edition really brought us a little closer to knowing him. This is still a super hero comic at its core, but it felt just a little like a character exploration as well, and I would love to see more of this in Marvel Comics going forward.
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