Nowadays, the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Marvel is either their comics or films. However, over the years Marvel has also told stories in regular book form.In fact, Titan Books has released several novels set in the Marvel Universe. Recently, they were kind enough to send us a copy of one of their latest stories, Doctor Strange: Dimension War by James Lovegrove.
Now, Dimension War isn’t exactly a new story. It’s actually adapted from the original Doctor Strange stories that were told by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. It isn’t an origin story either. However, it takes place in the early days of Strange’s career prior to earning the title of Sorcerer Supreme, and prior to him being viewed as a straight-up superhero. At the start of the book, Strange is simply viewed as a magician some people go to when they have no other option.
I like the difference between how Strange and his powers are portrayed here compared to both the films and modern-day comics. In the MCU, Doctor Strange can create a portal and go anywhere in the universe at any point in time. Here, creating a portal just one time can take a lot out of him. So, to preserve his strength, he can’t overdo it. So much so that there’s even a point where he travels by plane to conserve his energy. Trying to avoid using too much power also leads to a lot more hand-to-hand combat than you might expect for his character.
I like how Lovegrove writes Strange. I know the material is adapted from Lee’s original work, but it can sometimes be challenging to adapt dialogue from the 60s. Strange is a man who was once extremely arrogant and selfish. While he still has a sarcastic wit to him, he always tries to make sure he never falls down that path again. In this novel he feels like a man who truly feels guilty for his past actions and is constantly trying to make up for it.
The novel features appearances from the characters in his rogues gallery as well. Baron Mordo, Nightmare and Dormammu all make appearances and try to defeat the Doctor, and try to defeat him in their own “strange” ways. If there’s one criticism I have about the book is that for the first several chapters it feels we’re just jumping from one story to another without any connection. I assume this comes from the fact that Lovegrove is taking multiple issues of comics and condensing them into a novel. While it never gets boring, to Lovegrove’s credit, by the end of the book everything is tied together quite nicely.
The book leans into some of the horror elements the character is known for, which I love. The sequences with both Nightmare and Dormammu in the dark dimension are especially unforgettable. There’s also one sequence towards the end that honestly disturbed me, but in an entertaining way.
Overall, If you’re a Marvel fan you should check out this book. But if you’re a fan of Doctor Strange in particular, you will enjoy it and I highly recommend you pick it up. Not even its slow start or the occasional lack of cohesion can take away from how hard it is to put down. You’ll not only walk away with a deeper appreciation of the character, but a better sense at just how much more Marvel Studios could and should do with him.
