Strange Academy #13 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 13, January 2022

Split between “a tour of a famous NOLA graveyard” and Emily Bright’s own personal field trip deep inside the Sorcerer Supreme’s darkest dungeon, Issue Thirteen of “Strange Academy” is definitely a two-sided affair which contains plenty of answers to several previously unsolved mysteries. But whilst such sub-plots as the secret origin of Zoe Laveau and the identity of the man behind a certain cellar door are enthrallingly explored, it does arguably cause this twenty-page periodical to lack any sort of action whatsoever; “Soooooo, what kind of trouble have you all been up to tonight?”

Fortunately however, so dialogue-driven a publication doesn’t mean that Skottie Young hasn’t penned a truly mesmerising narrative for this comic, with the super snake-filled story as to how Laveau became one of the walking dead proving to be a highlight of the book. Desperate to please both her parents, as well as live up to the high expectations of her magical heritage, it is quite easy to see why the young girl would fall prey to the deceitful ‘drugs’ of Gaslamp in order to develop her own powers, and why later on her mother would turn to so extreme a solution as zombifying her dead daughter just so the woman could bring her back from beyond the grave.

Likewise, there’s a satisfying sense of resolution to Bright’s storyline concerning the Imperator and the disconcertingly dismal fate which Doctor Strange has seemingly ordained for the leader of the Empirikul. Initially, it appears certain that the American author will disappointingly fall into the usual trap of depicting the well-meaning child stupidly releasing the deadly villain through her utter naivety. But splendidly, that simply isn’t the case with this tale, and instead Young provides a heart-warming outcome involving the Stone of Shackles in which debatably everyone comes away happy.

Of course, that doesn’t mean for a moment that this comic is just packed full of sickeningly sweet feel good moments, as Calvin Morse’s uncertain future at the school persistently lingers over the student throughout the entire comic. Bereft of any actual magic, and already late with his school presentation for Zelma Stanton, the orphan’s aggressive anger at his peers’ special abilities appears destined to make him a suitable puppet to manipulate by the sinister Gaslamp in a future instalment…

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #13 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #12 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 12, October 2021

As publication-long pulse pounding punch-ups go, Skottie Young’s script for Issue Twelve of “Strange Academy” certainly still manages to squeeze in a ton of exposition involving the evil machinations of Mister Misery, as well as just how Calvin Morse seemingly acquired his magical powers in the first place. In fact the American author also does a pretty good job of using the cataclysmic kerfuffle with Stephen Strange’s deadly creation to show just how united all the Academy’s enigmatic individuals have become now the ongoing series “second story arc” is finally brought “to a rip-roaring climax!!!”

Admittedly, most of the explanations occur via a somewhat lengthy flashback sequence at the start of the fight in which it’s revealed that having previously been eaten by the Master of the Mystic Arts, the “Thing in the Cellar” was still able to somehow escape and take the form of a leather jacket for the hapless Calvin to wear. But once this particular writing technique has done its ‘scene-setting’ the rest of the students’ development takes place during the actual frenzied fighting, as Mister Misery effectively tackles each character on a one-by-one basis; “You cannot simply take me off like the coat I pretended to be. If you could, you might have earned your place here and not be just the Trickster God’s joke!”

Perhaps the most noteworthy of these spotlights happens to the daughter of the famous demon S'ym, Dessy, who arguably demonstrates during her confrontation with the multi-eyed monster of pain that she is already a formidably powerful sorceress. Cleverly deducing that her opponent “feeds on the suffering of others”, the young Limbo imp produces a startlingly scary attack containing “all the suffering in existence” which ultimately overpowers Mister Misery and once again sees the defeated, black-hearted manifestation being eaten alive.

Just as impressive as this comic’s penmanship are Humberto Ramos’ layouts, which much have taken an absolute eternity to pencil considering just how many hundreds of eyes he had to sketch just for the ‘villain of the piece’ alone. Indeed, perhaps this twenty-page periodical’s sole disappointment only comes from the Mexican artist not being given much opportunity to depict Howard the Duck’s presence throughout the sense-shattering ‘set to’.

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #12 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #11 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 11, August 2021

Consisting of a “murder mystery at Strange Academy, and not the fun kind with the pretend roles”, Skottie Young’s storyline for this particular twenty-page periodical marvellously mixes up both deadly solemnity with a sudden healthy dose of surprising humour before the cold-hearted killer is finally revealed. Indeed, right up until Howard the Duck begins his lengthy interrogations, the Illinois-born author appears to have predominantly penned a disturbingly dark tale depicting every effort to resurrect an entirely-shattered Toth failing, despite the best efforts of Doctor Voodoo, the crystalline youth’s magical parents and even “a wizard in our world [who] lost his way and paid the price!”

Happily however, once the Duckworld detective arrives this “Whodunnit” momentarily stops taking itself quite so seriouslessly and instead initiates a series of black comedies focused upon the alibis of all the dead student’s friends; “Kid, save the theatrics for drama club. I need to know where you were last night after eleven pm.” Foremost of these has to be the feathered Private Investigator’s questioning of Calvin Morse, who seems suitably enthusiastic to “play along” with the duck’s demands by wanting to both make a phone call and have a lawyer present. But there’s also a good deal of fun to be had by Iric Brorson unsuccessfully trying to implicate his room-mate, Doyle Dormammu in the death too.

Equally as well done is Young masterfully shifting the comic’s plot back to its much more solemn side, courtesy of the slaughterer’s stooge unexpectedly discovering Toth’s heart whilst innocently turning out the contents of their jacket pocket. This revelation stops any giggles or guffaws amongst the audience stone dead, and sets the book up for a truly dramatic conclusion as Jericho Drumm discovers he’s facing an infinitely more dangerous foe than he initially imagined.    

Adding plenty of suspense, as well as some cheap laughs, to this publication’s proceedings are Humberto Ramos’ energetic layouts, which for most of the comic do a first-rate job of switching the atmosphere from despair, to farce, and then back again once “the thing in the cellar” has dropped its convincing disguise. Bizarrely though, this issue does disconcertingly contain the odd occasion, such as when the Mexican is sketching an aggressively angry Ogeode the Catbeast, where a perusing bibliophile could be forgiven for double-checking that the illustrator hasn’t been momentarily supplanted in their artistic duties by somebody less proficient in their pencilling for a rare panel or two.

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #11 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #10 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 10, July 2021

As far as school field trips to Asgard go, Skottie Young’s sedentary sojourn to “the land in which the Aesir reside” probably didn’t land all that well with any readers half-expecting the title’s “best and brightest young sorcerers” to at least encounter a minor threat to their well-being during such an important visit. But whilst Volstagg’s decision to take the students to the Ram’s Den for an unofficial nosh-up does eventually lead to “a good, old-fashioned brawl” between Shaylee and some grumpy elves, this enormous punch-up is disappointingly, completely confined to a single splash page of artwork by Humberto Ramos.

Instead, the American author fills Issue Ten of “Strange Academy” with Doyle Dormammu’s sickly sweet “high school love story” and the long, drawn-out revelation that Alvi and Iric’s mother is actually the super-villainess known as the Enchantress. Both of these sub-plots are undoubtedly important for future storylines, and add plenty of extra depth to the personalities of those characters involved. However, combining the two slow-paced scenarios together to form the basis of this book’s central narrative arguably negates any energy or excitement generated by the prospect of Zelma Stanton’s pupils encountering problematic fire demons and equally as irascible Frost Giants within a confined space.

This sense of lethargy debatably starts to take its toll upon any unsuspecting bibliophile just as soon as Thor’s overweight stand-in settles down to gorge himself on one of “the finest feasts in the Ten Realms”, and despairingly doesn’t end until the comic’s incredibly rushed conclusion when Emily Bright is whisked back inside the Academy’s magical flying bus, along with her new-found boyfriend, as the vehicle hurriedly departs along the Rainbow Bridge; “We have been asked to leave Asgard immediately die to a multi-realm battle royal set off by one hot-tempered fairy.”

Fortunately, there is some comfort to be taken from the aforementioned Ramos and his marvellous layouts. The Mexican illustrator manages to incorporate all the lavish Medieval-era grandeur expected of a sight-seeing tour of “one of the God Realms”, and also imbues the Enchantress with all the loving, gentle touches of a mother who is genuinely “concerned when a prophecy surfaces possibly involving one of my sons.”

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #10 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #9 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 9, May 2021

Pretty evenly splitting its focus between the disconcertingly dark exploits of Calvin Morse and Doyle Dormammu, with the infinitely more humorous tongue-in-cheek shenanigans of Emily Bright’s ultra-competitive mother, Skottie Young’s narrative for Issue Nine of “Strange Academy” certainly provided its readers with a pair of distinctly contrasting storylines. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine two more different sub-plots as Morse’s enchanted leather jacket throttles his foster father to death right in front of the astonished man’s understandably horrified wife, and Missus Bright entertainingly goes toe-to-toe with Loki during a parents race through the magical grounds of her daughter’s college; “Oh, I’m going to beat you with those dumb horns on your stupid tiara!”

Fortunately, both of these action-packed scenarios are extremely well-written, with Dormammu’s distinctly dark descent into the academy’s treasure room alongside an inquisitive Calvin arguably being ever so slightly the more impactive, courtesy of its longer-lasting influence upon the students’ future. The two boys’ battle against a gang of murderous Mindless Ones is enthrallingly intense, and simply goes to show that not all the staff under Doctor Voodoo’s leadership are particularly pleased with some of the magic-using apprentices under their charge.

In addition, despite Morse somehow managing to momentarily floor the “virtually unstoppable engines of destruction” with a formidable display of sorcerous super-powers, it seems pretty evident that the adolescents’ attackers have not forgiven Doyle’s Dad for erasing their minds and enslaving them down in the Dark Dimension. This resentment has clearly built up within the Dread One’s numerous minions to the point where they are now willing to kill those who they are supposedly ‘sworn to protect’, so simply being temporarily thwarted in that endeavour by one of their targets doesn’t look likely to satisfactorily resolve their ill intentions any time soon.

Much less deadly, though equally as exhausting, is Young’s whacky take on parents taking on the various obstacles found within Jericho Drumm’s mind-boggling obstacle course. Dynamically sketched by artist Humberto Ramos, the extended action-sequence clearly brings out the worst in Missus Bright’s sense of sportsmanship, but that doesn’t stop the American author imbuing it with a genuine sense of fun right up to the point where Emily’s parent purposely trips up Loki just before the finishing line in order for her to become the competition's overall winner.

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #8 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #8 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 8, April 2021

Featuring a marvellous guest appearance by Rocket Racoon and Groot, as well as a rib-tickling cameo by the God of Thunder, Skottie Young’s script for Issue Eight of “Strange Academy” must have delighted those readers familiar with the antics of young Harry Potter and his Hogwarts friends in J.K. Rowling’s highly popular wizarding world. Indeed, certain elements of this twenty-page periodical, such as Agatha Harkness teaching her pupils “how to perform the Illusions of Ikonn” with various degrees of success, could mistakenly be seen as having been ‘lifted’ straight out from one of the successful British author’s fantasy novels; “Yes! I did it. I have produced three copies of this… Whatever this beast is called.”

Fortunately however, this comic’s narrative doesn’t exclusively concern itself with just giving an appreciative nod to “the best-selling book series in history”, but also adds plenty more mystery as to the identity of Doctor Stephen Strange’s unseen prisoner located deep within the basement of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Emily Bright’s temptation to open the inmate’s heavily barred door is arguably palpable in this well-penned scene, especially once the young mystic arts apprentice learns the detainee has spent the past two years locked away in the dungeon’s darkness and seems to be on the verge of actually agreeing with their argument to release them.

Debatably this book’s most engaging sequence though is the college’s off-world excursion to Templo Offdom - “a planet a tragillion miles from Earth.” Just as soon as it’s revealed that the students’ field-trip will be ‘aided’ by Rocket and Groot, every reader knows their quest to find the “scribbit” responsible for eating some long-lost mystical gems is going to end very badly, and Young’s subsequent tongue-in-cheek tomfooleries simply don’t disappoint. Frantically-paced and predominantly consisting of the adolescent magic users running for their very lives from a nest of giant-sized budgerigars, this ‘laugh out loud’ pursuit is finally brought to a close thanks to Zelma Stanton teleporting the entire class from out of danger and back to the Academy’s library at the last minute.

Adding enormously to both this book’s jolly tone and more sinister shenanigans are Humberto Ramos’ excellent illustrations. The Mexican penciller’s superb sketches of the multi-beaked baby scribbits and the various supernaturally replicated animals are dreadfully cute, whilst his collaboration with colorist Edgar Delgado to portray a truly grim gaol for Strange’s captive imbues Bright’s naïve exploration of Stephen’s foreboding basement with a disconcertingly dark ambiance.

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #8 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #7 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 7, March 2021

As tragic teenage love stories go, Issue Seven of “Strange Academy” arguably has it all, from Emily Bright’s initial sense of almost overwhelming loss at the demise of her classmate, through to her understandable adolescent anger at both the hopelessness of the situation and the role which she actually played in poor Doyle Dormammu’s death. True, Skottie Young’s storyline equally does a stellar job of disconcertingly depicting Doctor Stephen Strange as the ‘villain of the piece’ by portraying the so-called Sorcerer Supreme as a somewhat callous benefactor who verbally abuses his friends and pours much of the tragedy’s blame upon the trembling shoulders of the grieving pupil. But ultimately, even the Master of the Mystic Arts is shown to have a softer side, when he marvels at Bright’s determination to penetrate the Dark Dimension so as to save her friend’s life; “He would have loved that you tried.”

Equally as well penned is the American author’s ability to successfully weave one of the educational institution’s biggest secrets into the twenty page periodical’s plot, with his revelation that Hoggoth, must “alone feast on the cost” of the students’ use of magic just so the college can exist. This enormous “favour” to one who dwells upon the Plane of the Old One is evidently not going to end well for Strange at all, especially when the arrogant magic user effectively demands that the Tiger God eats more of the Defender’s debt by ridding Emily of the dark power which is slowly consuming her failing body.

Helping this comic’s ‘tear-jerker’ genuinely tug at the heartstrings are Humberto Ramos’ sumptuous layouts and Edgar Delgado’s gorgeous colours. The Mexican penciller really does do a first class job of sketching the emotional trauma poor Bright is experiencing when she first realises that she didn’t dream ‘the swamp, Calvin’s coat, and the Hollow’, and then later viciously verbally reprimands Zelma Stanton for fooling her into thinking she was already an invincible sorcerer, who conceitedly talked “everyone into running off and trying to save the day.” In addition, the former “Kaboom Cómics” illustrator provides Hoggoth with all the spectral majesty a reader might expect from an enormous cat-like deity, most notably when the ferocious divinity lets its full fiery temper be known to Stephen mid-way through the book.

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #7 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #6 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 6, February 2021

Taking its audience by the hand down a dark and winding pathway from tongue-in-cheek magical machinations to some disturbingly lethal sorcerous shenanigans, Skottie Young’s narrative for Issue Six of “Strange Academy” definitely injects the ongoing series’ with a strong sense of deadly danger by its conclusion. In fact, by the end of the twenty-page periodical it seems certain that the somewhat carefree education of the school’s surviving students will never be taught in the same manner again; “Zelma. Did you get them stabilized enough for me to get back to the Sanctum Sanctorum and --”

Intriguingly though, this journey down the rabbit hole is so well penned by the Inkwell Award-winner that it is highly unlikely many of this comic’s readers actually noticed the plot’s ever-enclosing storm clouds of dread and doom until the publication’s final splash panel revelation. Up until this point, it still seems highly plausible that Emily Bright’s well-meaning, yet massively under-powered rescue expedition, are somehow going to survive their confrontation with the Hollow reasonably unscathed, especially considering that the heavily outnumbered adolescent apprentices are still occasionally swapping witticisms with one another.

Indeed, having managed to stave off the wooden-faced cultists with a wall of frozen icicles, an incredibly creepy horde of zombies, and vicious wall of fire, the children initially appear to have an entire arsenal of potent supernatural weapons up their young sleeves with which to defend themselves. Unfortunately however, if there is one thing Young’s storyline makes very clear, it is that the pupils have been sorely mislead as to their actual prowess in the Mystic Arts by their teachers, as one by one their visually impressive enchantments fall surprisingly flat when faced with some genuinely competent spell slingers.

To put things into even clearer perspective, the almost casual way Doctor Strange and Jericho Drumm dispatch the Hollow once they arrive ‘in the nick of time’ just goes to show how wide the chasm between Doyle Dormammu’s seemingly awesome powers are with those of the actual Sorcerer Supreme himself. Such a misleading sham to lull the students into a false sense of security concerning their abilities genuinely smacks as a major betrayal of trust by the teachers, and arguably causes as much consternation as the fact that this comic ends with the death of at least one pupil.

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #6 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #5 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 5, January 2021

Ultimately concentrating upon the students’ seemingly unsuccessful rescue of Calvin Morse from the mysterious Hollow cultists located in “the bayous outside New Orleans”, this twenty-page periodical’s plot probably generated a fair amount of annoyance in its audience beforehand, thanks largely to Skottie Young’s wonderful ability to pen Miss Hazel playing the innocent victim to Jericho Drumm, and Iric Brorson’s ‘holier than thou’ attitude towards some of his class-mates. Indeed, the frosty interplay between some of this comic’s considerably large cast contrasts quite wonderfully with the sudden team-bonding which subsequently takes place as the bickering children unwisely organise themselves into an ill-conceived search party.

Foremost of these ‘frustrations’ has to firmly sit with the aforementioned elderly fortune teller, who despite having purposely exposed Doyle Dormammu to some truly terrifying visions of his fiery future for her own perverted pleasure, has apparently complained to Doctor Voodoo about the consequences of her own utterly unfriendly actions. Now persistently plagued by the reoccurring prophecy herself, Miss Hazel wastes little time in lying about how she just innocently gave the Faltinian youth “a peek” at his fate and that she needs Drumm to ‘send over one of his staff to help untangle this.’

Equally as objectionable is the behaviour of the ever-condescending Iric, who has clearly already obtained a major chip on his shoulder over the success of Emily Bright with her classes. Irritated by “little miss perfect” being upset that none of the adults noticed Calvin’s disappearance, the Asgardian immediately tries to make the object of his jealously feel bad by publically highlighting that she didn’t observe her friend’s absence either, and satisfyingly gets a tremendous sock in his sanctimonious jaw for his trouble.

However, perhaps Young’s best writing comes towards the end of this comic following the students’ decision to ‘go it alone’ without their teachers, and discover the whereabouts of Morse. Literally crammed into a small rowing boat and being lead by the missing magician’s animated jacket, the increasing tension of this sinister sequence is truly palpable, and only escalates as artist Humberto Ramos pencils the party being ‘picked off’ one by one; “It took her! Something took Dessy! She was here, and there was a branch or vine or something. It just --”

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #5 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #4 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 4, December 2020

Bounding along with an incredibly energetic depiction of “the craziest game of tag ever”, Skottie Young’s narrative for Issue Four of “Strange Academy” must surely have pleased its 46,000 readers upon this comic’s release in October 2020. For whilst the twenty page periodical’s plot undeniably focuses upon the magical variant of the popular playground pastime as a way for the students to blow off some steam, it also manages to weave into its story-telling some considerably much dark elements as well.

Indeed, the all-too brief appearance of the deeply disturbing wooden-faced Hollow may well only be limited to just a handful of panels. Yet such is the purple-robed cultists’ impact upon the book that their earnest threat to help rid the Earth of “the Rot” by teaching the children a strict lesson in not wasting the planet’s old power, permeates throughout the entire publication, and is always there at the back of the audience’s mind even when they’re following Emily Bright’s light-hearted headlong dash through numerous mystical teleportation doors.

Just as sinister, not least because of the young girl’s convenient happening upon a suspiciously helpful Catbeast in Woolly Woods who has the means of instantly transporting her home, is Bright’s stumbling upon the Sorcerer Supreme’s Sanctum Sanctorum and the mysterious prisoner locked tight in one of its underground rooms. Long-term fans of Doctor Strange will probably surmise the fledgling magician has inadvertently stumbled upon the cell of Mister Misery, but the suggestion that the Master of the Mystic Arts might be harbouring another perturbingly murky secret makes this a wonderfully tense interaction.

Pulling all these different threads together into a visual feast for the eyes is Humberto Ramos, whose marvellous pencilling both adds plenty of youthful joy to the kids’ crazy-brained shenanigans, as well as a truly sinister vibe to the plans of the fanatical followers of the Hollow. In fact, this comic is arguably worth its cover price alone for the Mexican penciller’s artwork, especially when it includes a thoroughly fun cameo by ‘your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man’ and a bizarre-looking, multi-eyed purple blob which has apparently escaped from one of the Academy’s library manuscripts; “It was an accident! And how was I supposed to know it was a prison book for a giant beast???”

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #4 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #3 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 3, November 2020

Rather cleverly conveying this comic’s considerable cast onto the actual streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Skottie Young’s script for Issue Three of “Strange Academy” arguably manages to do a very good job of showing how easily tempted “the best and brightest young sorcerers” could be to use their incredible powers without restraint when faced with the more ill-mannered elements of society. In fact, Emily Bright’s encounter with the incredibly rude Miss Hazel and the fortune teller’s liberalness concerning the young girl’s “personal space” readily demonstrates just how much self-restraint all the students need to acquire in order to simply pass through a Voodo Museum without a magic-related incident.

Of course, having unsuccessfully managed to physically force the Kansas-born pupil into having her future read, the highly disagreeable precognitive quickly establishes herself to be no mere elderly mortal by giving Doyle Dormammu the fright of his young life with just the merest of touches. But even then, the fast-bonding schoolmates don’t resort to conjuring up all manner of curses or spells themselves, and simply allow Zoe Laveau to admonish the evil cackling witch with a few well-placed words in Louisiana Creole; “Gade mwen fanm! Mwen kunnen ou ka we kisa mwen ye. Pran men ou nan zanml ‘anvan mwen mache ou nan krwaze semen reyel la!”

Just as much a test upon the apprentices’ resolve also comes when Alvi Brorson, Germán Aguilar and Calvin Morse are set upon by a group of cowardly ruffians, who foolishly feel that strength in numbers and poorly-fitting costume masks makes then invincible. Precisely how the three undergraduates happened to fall prey to the self-righteous bullies down a dark alleyway isn’t made clear. However, the fact that they are repeatedly assaulted by the arrogant thugs and still don’t unleash their powers upon the increasingly irritating weaklings shows just how much each character clearly values their place at Strange Academy, even when they “absolutely can and will destroy them…”

Visually helping along this twenty-page periodical’s rather tense narrative is Humberto Ramos’ artwork, which really captures the mood and internal conflict on the students’ faces whenever they are faced with adversity. In addition, the Mexican illustrator’s pencilling of the world as seen through Emily’s third all-seeing eye is stunningly superb, with all manner of beautifully-imagined xenoplasmic parasites feasting upon the essences of the world’s blissfully ignorant inhabitants.

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #3 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #2 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 2, December 2020

Considering that Issue Two of “Strange Academy” simply follows nine of the educational facility’s brand new learners through their first day of lessons, Skottie Young’s narrative for this twenty-page periodical must still have pleased the vast majority of its readers with its plethora of super-powered special appearances and whimsical lecture-based shenanigans. Indeed, for a comic that doesn’t actually involve any specific villain or particular threat, the Inkwell Award-winner’s storyline provides an incredibly enthralling experience, especially when it becomes clear that all is not as hunky dory behind the college’s closed doors as Zelma Stanton would have its pupils believe; “Emily asked about the cost of the magic… You know how I feel about that. And how I feel about lying to the students. She won’t be the only one to ask.”

As a whole however, such an underlying sense of danger and dread is largely confined to the intimidating presence of the school’s various teachers, such as the Ancient One or Brother Voodoo, and the worrying fate of any learner foolish enough to purposely provoke their wrath. This ‘pushing of classroom boundaries’ arguably provides the book’s biggest highlight when the annoyingly arrogant Iric finally decides to show up for Inferno 101 with Illyana Rasputina, and in front of everyone else goads her into making an example of him when he immediately challenges her authority. Magik’s response to instantly dispatch both the Agardian and his room-mate Doyle Dormammu to Hell is a genuine laugh out loud moment, and later affords an entertaining cut-scene during lunch when the pair are brilliantly pencilled by Humberto Ramos battling against a large fiery, demonic dinosaur.

Far less action-packed, though equally as absorbing, is Young’s exploration of the burgeoning relationships developing amongst the Strange Academy’s colourful scholars. Guslaug and Toth both appear to do particularly well out of these numerous ‘under the spotlight’ moments, with the young Frost Giant seeming to quickly develop a rapport with Emily Bright, Shaylee and Germán Aguilar. Whilst the half-Crystal Warrior from the swamps of Weirdworld demonstrates his somewhat sulky temper later in the comic when his efforts during Professor Man-Thing’s Magical Plants and the care thereof go slightly awry, much to the consternation of Miss Moonpeddle.

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #2 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Strange Academy #1 - Marvel Comics

STRANGE ACADEMY No. 1, November 2020

Absolutely crammed full of all manner of new characters and numerous guest-star cameos, Skottie Young’s script for Issue One of “Strange Academy” could easily have overwhelmed its 71,039 strong audience when it first hit the spinner racks in March 2020. But mercifully, the Illinois-born writer does such a terrific job of presenting “the very first class attending Strange Academy” in a semi-piecemeal fashion, that the comic’s considerable cast actually proves to be one of the thirty-page periodical’s biggest draws rather than a meaningless parade of non-relatable protégé sorcerers, demons and frost giants.

For starters, the publication initially just purely focuses upon the magical awakening of Emily Bright, and the Midwestern girl’s rather dramatic initial meeting with Zelma Stanton. This combination of a new wannabe wizard and the much more familiar librarian from the Bronx arguably proves a great way to meet the title’s lead protagonist, whilst simultaneously exploring the enormous estates of Stephen Strange’s vast educational facility buried deep within the hustle and bustle of Bourbon Street in New Orleans; “There are many ways to access the grounds, but today we’re just going in through the front gates.”

Similarly as well-penned are the introductions of the haughty Iric and Alvi of Asgard, Doyle – the Lord of the Dark Dimension’s son, and the super-energetic pink-coloured fairy Shaylee. All of these magic users are immediately blessed with plenty of personality straight from the ‘get-go’, and some of their fractious relationships with one another bode very well for future frictions. Indeed, Zelma’s insistence that Iric become room-mates with the satanic-headed offspring of Dormammu promises plenty of adventures to come, especially after the arrogant Asgardian immediately attacks the “evil minion” upon first setting eyes upon him.

Furthermore, Humberto Ramos’ sensational layouts really go a long way to selling the sheer size of Strange Academy’s amenities, staff and students to this comic’s readers. The Mexican artist’s ability to imbue every character with an individualism all of their own is breath-taking, as is his pencilling of Doctor Strange’s sudden appearance towards the end of this book, when the Sorcerer Supreme requires the assistance of his new pupils to help him battle a multi-tentacled Throzil.

The regular cover art of "STRANGE ACADEMY" #1 by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado