Writer: Robbie Thompson; Artist: Javier Rodriguez; Inker: Alvaro Lopez; Letterers: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Jordie Bellaire; Editor: Nick Lowe; Editor-in-Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Raphael Albuquerque (# 1), Javier Rodriguez (# 2-3)
In a mystical cave in England, in the year 590 AD, the sorcerer Merlin is about to lock away a creature he has created. He is confronted by King Arthur and another wizard named Bohra, who Merlin reveals to be another of the creatures. Merlin claims that the creatures are evil and locks them away behind a door before leaving with Arthur.
In the present day, a vastly depowered Dr. Strange is fighting a tentacle demon named Q'uvin the Malevolent in an alley beside his Sanctum Sanctorum. Merlin arrives to help fight the beast, who Strange is able to kill with his axe. Merlin takes Strange through a time travelling dimension, saying he needs Strange's help against an evil creature called the Forgotten who is collecting magical relics. They arrive in the past and locate the other Sorcerer Supremes that Merlin has enlisted: Wiccan, Kushala, the Conjuror, Sir Issac Newton and his Mindful One, and a young boy that Strange recognizes as the eventual Ancient One. After a brief battle against the Forgotten's minions, Strange talks to Wiccan, who is the Sorcerer Supreme from the future, and asks what's going on. Merlin gives a key to the Conjuror, then the two of them speak with Kushala the Demon Rider, who tells them that when she touches the earth she senses great power. The Forgotten bursts from the ground and attacks, grabbing Merlin and swearing revenge on what he has done to "them". He then crushes Merlin in his hand and tosses him to the ground, while simultaneously knocking around the other sorcerers with ease. Strange makes his way to the fallen Merlin, who requests that Strange finish his mission then dies in his arms.
In the near future, Sorcerer Supreme Wiccan holds off a demonic invasion, and is whispered a secret before the demon queen dies. At the battle with the Forgotten, Merlin has been killed and the other Sorcerer Supremes are unable to defeat the giant. Yao, the future Ancient One, has his arm broken, which prompts Wiccan to scoop up his allies and teleport them away from the battle. They arrive on a beach, where they sink into one of Merlin's traps that is meant to capture their souls. Sir Issac Newton's servant, the Mindful One, rescues them due to it not having a soul. The Sorcerers travel through the forest on their way to Merlin's home, but find Camelot in serious disrepair. The Forgotten, meanwhile, is on the way to Camelot as well to find the Sorcerers. Back in the future, Merlin approaches Wiccan and ask what he had been told, and Wiccan tells him that he is dying. Merlin offers to remove the curse that is killing him if he travels with him to fight the Forgotten.
In the 1800s, a Native American woman named Kushala witnessed the massacre of her people by United States cavalrymen. In her anguish she is possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance, which incinerates all of the soldiers. Ever since she had traveled the world, learning magic while being followed by the ghosts of her victims, to try and find a way to rid herself of the "Demon Rider".
In the time of Camelot, Kushala and the rest of the Sorcerers Supreme have broken into Merlin's castle and finds all of the people inside alive but catatonic, their souls having left their bodies. The sorcerers move deeper into the castle and locate Merlin's library, which they hope will include a way to stop the Forgotten. In the library, Kushala finds a box but damns Merlin when she sees that the box's contents are gone. They find a list of names written by Merlin of sorcerers that he captured and locked away because they were practitioners of "darker magic". The group is then attacked by the spirits of the castle dwellers, who Kushala remarks have "turned". Outside, the Forgotten senses that Merlin's protective wards have been broken, and he ventures inside. The Forgotten arrives in the library and destroys some of the spirits, which angers Kushala due to them being innocent victims. She transforms into the Demon Rider and attacks the Forgotten, who eventually flees after claiming a mysterious book from the library. Later, after returning the spirits of their bodies, the sorcerers realize that the Forgotten isn't just one being, it's all of the magicians Merlin locked away combined into one entity. Isaac Newton tells them that the Forgotten must be destroyed and directs them to where the Forgotten said it was going, the Hollow Out of Time.
Finally, in a flashback, Merlin promises Kushala that if she helps him then he will remove the Spirit of Vengeance from her permanently.
In the time of Camelot, Kushala and the rest of the Sorcerers Supreme have broken into Merlin's castle and finds all of the people inside alive but catatonic, their souls having left their bodies. The sorcerers move deeper into the castle and locate Merlin's library, which they hope will include a way to stop the Forgotten. In the library, Kushala finds a box but damns Merlin when she sees that the box's contents are gone. They find a list of names written by Merlin of sorcerers that he captured and locked away because they were practitioners of "darker magic". The group is then attacked by the spirits of the castle dwellers, who Kushala remarks have "turned". Outside, the Forgotten senses that Merlin's protective wards have been broken, and he ventures inside. The Forgotten arrives in the library and destroys some of the spirits, which angers Kushala due to them being innocent victims. She transforms into the Demon Rider and attacks the Forgotten, who eventually flees after claiming a mysterious book from the library. Later, after returning the spirits of their bodies, the sorcerers realize that the Forgotten isn't just one being, it's all of the magicians Merlin locked away combined into one entity. Isaac Newton tells them that the Forgotten must be destroyed and directs them to where the Forgotten said it was going, the Hollow Out of Time.
Finally, in a flashback, Merlin promises Kushala that if she helps him then he will remove the Spirit of Vengeance from her permanently.
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| That certainly calls for vengeance, I agree |
THE ROADMAP
The Spirit of Vengeance from this series is a Native American woman named Kushala, the Demon Rider, who is not only a Ghost Rider but also her era's Sorcerer Supreme. She will continue as a member of this book's cast through its end in Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme (2016) # 12.
It is unclear where Kushala falls in the Ghost Rider timeline, though she would logically fall either directly before or after both Carter Slade from The Ghost Rider (1967) # 1 and Caleb from Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears (2007) # 1-6. If I were pressed to make a decision, I would make the progression start with Kushala, go through Caleb right after the end of the Civil War, and end the 1800s with Carter Slade.
The origins of the Spirit of Vengeance possessing Kushala are revealed in Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider # 1.
CHAIN REACTION
The origins of the Spirit of Vengeance possessing Kushala are revealed in Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider # 1.
CHAIN REACTION
Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme introduces its premise, has all the clarity of a puddle of mud, and throws a shit load of Steve Ditko at us. We also get a new Spirit of Vengeance and some really pretty artwork.
I never really connected with this series, and I think its because Robbie Thompson doesn't explain enough as he goes along. I get that there's a point to it, that because Merlin was a secretive mage and is now dead, the Sorcerers are just as much in the dark as the readers. I get that the Forgotten is supposed to be all-powerful and all-mysterious, Merlin said as much in the first issue, and the Sorcerers don't know how to fight him. I get all of that, but it makes this series so very difficult to penetrate as a reader. I like the approach that Thompson is using for the introduction of each mage, having already thrown us into the larger plot he's using each subsequent issue as a spotlight for an individual character. It helps get us up to speed with this version of Wiccan and introduces us nicely to the Demon Rider.
It's probably no surprise that the most interesting thing in the comic to me is the Demon Rider, who gets some backstory in the third issue's spotlight. She's certainly an interesting character, and her history doesn't just fall in as a standard origin story for a Ghost Rider, it also elevates her with some really nice personal touches. She's someone who wasn't just content to shoulder the curse, like Johnny Blaze or Danny Ketch, but she became the greatest sorcerer of her era simply to try and shake the Spirit of Vengeance. Her personality also has a really great contrast between her normal self and when she becomes the Rider, with her usually presenting as very calm but with a fairly biting wit. I liked the bit with Dr. Strange needling her about her using Nordic magic and how he was impressed with all of her mystical skills, with her relaying her surprise that he was included at all since he apparently doesn't know any magic at all. Perfectly deadpan, and it made me warm up to what had so far been a cold character. Had this character remained in the past without being dragged into present day stories she would likely be appreciated a lot more.
The real star of the series, though, is artist Javier Rodriguez. I wasn't as sold on his work in the first two issues, but I think the third really steps his game up a lot. Rodriguez is really trying to tap into that Steve Ditko design sense from the original Dr. Strange stories, and in the respect it succeeds. There's an LSD lens of perception during the magical traveling portions, especially in the sand trap sequence, and it fits the tone of the book perfectly. The crazy layouts are still there, especially in the two-page library sequence that unfolds like an MC Escher drawing. I'm not as sold on Rodriguez's character designs, though, going back to the bizarre choice for the Forgotten that makes him look more goofy than threatening. I also don't necessarily dig the Demon Rider, who is just a plume of fire and not much else, considering how great Kushala looks as a character in her human form. What I'm also not digging much is the brightness and cheeriness of the comic, the less detail-oriented art paired with Jordie Bellaire's sunshine color palate makes it almost garish.
The real star of the series, though, is artist Javier Rodriguez. I wasn't as sold on his work in the first two issues, but I think the third really steps his game up a lot. Rodriguez is really trying to tap into that Steve Ditko design sense from the original Dr. Strange stories, and in the respect it succeeds. There's an LSD lens of perception during the magical traveling portions, especially in the sand trap sequence, and it fits the tone of the book perfectly. The crazy layouts are still there, especially in the two-page library sequence that unfolds like an MC Escher drawing. I'm not as sold on Rodriguez's character designs, though, going back to the bizarre choice for the Forgotten that makes him look more goofy than threatening. I also don't necessarily dig the Demon Rider, who is just a plume of fire and not much else, considering how great Kushala looks as a character in her human form. What I'm also not digging much is the brightness and cheeriness of the comic, the less detail-oriented art paired with Jordie Bellaire's sunshine color palate makes it almost garish.
The bulk of this series is, essentially, a big fight scene with the Forgotten. The villain is a problem, only because his motivations are intentionally vague other than "kill Merlin". He succeeds in that fairly early, so what else does he/them have to fight for other than "power" in the generic sense? The split screen effect as the Forgotten cycles through personalities/identities is a nice touch, though, and it makes me wonder where the character is heading and how it connects back with the flashback scenes in the first issue. Thompson is also continuing to flesh out his characters, and the stand-out so far is definitely the Mindful One, whose "Alone bad" scene while he rescues the team was the best part of the second issue.
All in all, Sorcerers Supreme was a solidly decent series with some intriguing characters, but there's just something about it that held it back from being great. Admittedly, I'm not even sure what that something was, so maybe it's just me?
All in all, Sorcerers Supreme was a solidly decent series with some intriguing characters, but there's just something about it that held it back from being great. Admittedly, I'm not even sure what that something was, so maybe it's just me?
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| The ghosts haunting her are a nice touch |
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