The Mystic Hands of Doctor Strange #1 (One-Shot Special, 2010)

An oversized black-and-white comic book, offers a collection of short stories by various writers and artists, paying homage to the magazine-style comics of old and the character as originally created by the legends Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The first, and meatiest is a tale by Kieron Gillen and Frazer Irving, "The Cure". None of the the other stories are as lengthy as Gillen's but all stand out in their own way. Peter Milligan and Frank Brunner tackle a more down-to-Earth story (for Strange, anyway) where the hero attempts to help a middle-aged man deal with the demons of his past. Next is a tale written and drawn by Ted McKeever, with an inebriated Strange meeting both friend and foe in a dark alleyway--packed with both energy and humor. The last story up is an illustrated prose piece by Mike Carey and Marcos Martin. HQ Minutemen scan. Three thumbs up.

It's the Sorcerer Supreme versus the magical might of the political terrorist known as the Doktor! Stephen Strange struggles with a decision to help a man crippled by his worst memories! And the Master of the Mystic Arts battles a demon in the streets of New York! All this and more in this all-new, all-action, all-black-and-white special. --

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