Shamballa

Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa by J.M. DeMatteis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Doctor Strange visits the temple of his departed master, The Ancient One, he's gifted with a mysterious box...

I've had my eye out for this one for years. It showed up on Shopgoodwill and I scored it for a cool ten bucks plus ridiculous shipping.

Dan Green's painted artwork in this is breathtaking. I have to think the creators of the Dr. Strange movies used this as source material other than snarkily using it as the wi-fi password. It feels dreamlike at times and is something to behold. I have no idea why this hasn't been reprinted in decades. It's gorgeous.

DeMatteis rises above typical comic dialog. The story is told in the second person, as if the reader is the one making the decisions as Dr. Strange. Strange finds a box and a quest to cast a three part spell that will bring about a golden age and kill three fourths of the world's population. Heavy stuff if it comes to pass.

I don't think it's a spoiler to say that it doesn't come to pass. I like that the big bad isn't Baron Mordo or Dormammu or any of the usual suspects.

Would this have been a good story if not for the painted Dan Green artwork? Yes. Would it have had the same impact with another artist? Only if Dan Brereton or J.G. Muth painted it. I don't think it would work as well with conventional comic art of the day.

There are three Dr. Strange books that I will treasure for decades to come: The Dikto run, Triumph and Torment, and now Shamballa. 5 out of 5 stars.

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