Doctor Strange is coming back to the Marvel Comics universe, albeit in a very different role. This time, the Sorcerer Supreme will become the Instructor Supreme in Strange Academy. As announced by the Associated Press, Marvel Comics will debut the new book next year from a creative team consisting of Eisner Award-winning writer Skottie Young (DEADPOOL, ROCKET RACCOON) and artist Humberto Ramos (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, CHAMPIONS).
“What we’re really trying to do is tell those classic coming of age stories that we’ve seen in so many other properties or other projects out there in the world whether it be TV or film or novels or comics,” Young said. “Whether it’s kids running around mazes or kids at a magic school or people running around trying to survive a post-apocalyptic landscape.”
“Over a year ago, I was driving Skottie down from the airport in Mexico, and out of the blue, he asked me what I wanted to do after working on Spider-Man,” Ramos said. “He began to pitch me on an incredible project for the rest of the weekend…and I’m excited to now say that project is STRANGE ACADEMY! Like all great stories, they all start with an idea…and this idea blew me away. We can’t share too much yet, but if you stick around, you’ll get to experience magic like you’ve never seen before in the Marvel Universe. Welcome to Strange Academy! Man, I love the first day of school!”
To build some hype for the book, Marvel released the cover art for the first issue, as well as several preview pages, which we’ve included for you to check out below.
Here is the official synopsis for Strange Academy.
“Through its history, the Marvel Universe has seen magic rise and fall to warp minds, control the future, and even destroy the very fabric of reality. Now, magic has changed and is more powerful – and dangerous – than ever, and Doctor Strange is forced to do what he’s avoided for decades: he’s opened a school for young sorcerers…but as they will soon learn, magic always comes at a cost. Welcome to STRANGE ACADEMY!”
Marvel also released a trailer previewing the new book, showcasing the characters, art and story. This, more or less, looks like the Marvel universe version of Harry Potter, with Strange Academy serving as the sorcerer’s version of Hogwarts. Have a look.
“It just kind of occurred to me that there’s a nice history and folklore about magic and the mystic arts and the dark arts and things like that that kind of surround the mythos of New Orleans,” Young added. “Having just gone there myself for my 40th, I thought that would be a great place to set it. And that it would be awesome just to go back again and do a nice little research trip.”
Strange Academy #1 hits shelves in March 2020.
So what do you think? Is this the right direction for Doctor Strange? Are you excited for the book? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
