Dr. Strange: Oath 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin

Well...

I've always hated the idea of Dr. Strange. Anything having to do with "the Mystic Arts" or spellcasting or magical worlds or other dimensions or blah blah blah has always turned me off.

But...

I've always enjoyed the creators that work on Dr. Strange. Steve Ditko, Bill Everett, Marie Severin, Gene Colan, and even the recent Defenders series by DeMatteis, Giffen and Maguire.

So...

Here's a new series of a character that I don't like written and drawn by creators that I do like. I enjoy Marcos Martin's art. He has a clean style that focuses on design and layout and never relies on flashy rendering. He has a confident brush line and seems to get very lucky with confident and attractive coloring work. And I've discussed my respect and admiration for Brian K. Vaughan here, here and here.

Anyhow...

I picked up the first issue of the new Dr. Strange mini-series, and except for a tiny bit of that mumbo-jumbo that I dislike so much, I think it's great. The art is simple and confident, with Martin's strong brush backed up by crisp, straightforward coloring that his art deserves. The plot is simple so far, but removed enough from the mystical silliness that I wasn't punted out of suspension of disbelief-ville. I look forward to the rest of the series, and I'm interested enough to wade through the spellcasting and astral projecting that is sure to arrive.

And...

Aren't you glad that not every mainstream comic has to have those inane narrative segue captions.

What Are You Hiding?

I saw this at Target and I couldn't pass it up.


Every decent human being under the age of 40 knows that wearing a mustache is a sign of the dastardly deeds the wearer is capable of, that's why they named the villainous cartoon character as such. This fact is supported by the costumes that this kit suggests are possible. No decent human being would want to be known as any one of these characters. "The Hollywood"? Please, when was the last time any self-respecting actor would have worn that mustache non-ironically in public. 40 years ago? And even then?

The problem with the ironic mustache is that it's not really ironic. Only an asshole would wear an ironic mustache. A generation ago they were the ones who would have worn it proudly without irony anyway.

By the way, I would add one to the list for the girls who feel left out. The Frida.