“Because I see at long last what’s wrong with the world. Too many sorcerers.” – Karl Mordo, Doctor Strange (2016)
Despite the ominous words of Karl Mordo, who trained in sorcery alongside Doctor Stephen Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Marvel Comicbook Universe plans to introduce a whole new generation of young sorcerers that need instruction in Strange Academy #1, written by Skottie Young and rendered by fan-favorite artist Humberto Ramos.
Who knew that Dread Dormammu himself, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1964, had an illegitimate son named Doyle Dormammu?
Doyle will be one of the many students featured in the new comic series, and the staff will consist of long-established Marvel masters of magic including Doctor Strange, Doctor Voodoo, and a host of others. Think Hogwarts, only with the Marvel stamp all over it. Personally, I hope the likes of Doctor Druid and other less prominent members of Marvel’s magical ranks make appearances throughout the series. Check out a new trailer for Strange Academy below.
It will be set in mystical New Orleans, home to Doctor Voodoo and a host of supernatural creatures and settings. I wonder if the kids will ever run across the notorious local Thieves Guild that Gambit of the X-Men was raised by?
Strange Academy students will be drawn from many parts and dimensions of the Marvel comicbook multiverse. One wonders if this will be reflected in the MCU’s upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie, i.e. will the comicbook multiverse of myriad magical dimensions and even alternate Earths enter the MCU in Phase 4?
Finally, will a series about the offspring of Marvel’s many magical heroes and villains be a hit? Who knows, but Marvel’s previous foray into the next generation of heroes — kids born to villains of the Marvel Universe, called Runaways (created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona in 2003) — made for several successful comicbook series. Five volumes of Runaways have been published to date, including one illustrated by Ramos and written by independent artist/writer Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise). It also made for a successful television show which started in 2017. The third and final season of Runaways debuts December 13, 2019.
Under the guidance of experienced and popular creators Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos, the series should be high-quality stuff. Issue #1 of Strange Academy comes out March 2020.