Doctor Strange #390 - Marvel Comics

DOCTOR STRANGE No. 390, July 2018

Heralding the return of Bronx librarian Zelma Stanton back into the titular character’s life, as well as a cameo by everybody’s friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, Donny Cates’ swansong as this title’s writer must have had its 28,793 strong audience feverishly looking forward to an emotional reunion between the Master of the Mystic Arts and his disillusioned apprentice. However, rather than provide its readership with any semblance of closure, or even entertainment for that matter, Issue Three Hundred and Ninety of “Doctor Strange” instead delivers a sedentary story within which absolutely nothing occurs apart from an appallingly dispensed double-splash interlude entitled “Peter Talks To A Spider”.

Indeed, apart from the fact that “Marvel Worldwide” had already announced that this was the series’ last instalment, prior to the Sorcerer Supreme being awarded a "fresh start" in June 2018 with (another) re-launch, there is arguably no obvious reason as to why this particular twenty-page periodical managed to increase its copy sales by an astonishing four thousand books... Unless of course, some perusing party of sadomasochistic bibliophiles bought this comic simply to watch artist Frazer Irving inexcusably pencil Peter Parker gurning like some face-pulling championship finalist when he discovers Stephen owns the ghost of a basset hound; “This charming dead dog makes a lot of sense, Strange.”

Similarly as disconcerting though, is the Texas-born author’s supposed reconciliation between the former preeminent surgeon and his estranged housekeeping friend, which disappointingly only lasts just a handful of lack-lustre panels set upon a park bench, and resolves little as a tearful Zelma simply walks off telling the magic user that “maybe I’ll see you in my dreams, Doctor Strange.” This demoralising conclusion was debatably never going to go in any different direction after Stan Lee’s co-creation had so badly betrayed her trust, but it’s hard to believe Cates would rather have penned a tale about Spider-Man wanting to talk to an arachnid than further explore the possibility of Stanton’s permanent return to the Sorcerer Supreme’s side.

Of course, none of these dissatisfactions compare to Chip Zdarsky’s infantile intermission as a surprise illustrator, and his incredibly amateurish scribbles depicting a yellow-sweater wearing Wallcrawler waxing lyrical with a ‘genuine’ eight-leg about his webbing, super-strength, spider-sense and mortality. As crudely-drawn as it is jarringly colourful, this centre-piece questionably destroys any semblance of atmosphere to an already overly-comical script, and lamentably encapsulates the Canadian simply trying far too hard to be visually funny.

The regular cover art of "DOCTOR STRANGE" No. 390 by Mike Del Mundo