Strange Academy, Vol. 1: First Class

In retrospect, it seems surprising that Marvel took this long to come up with their version of Hogwarts. Perhaps it’s for the best that it took so long, as it’s difficult to imagine someone pulling it off with the wonder and whimsy that Skottie Young, Humberto Ramos, and Edgar Delgado bring to the work.

The story is centered on Emily Bright, a teenage girl who reaches out to Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme when she starts demonstrating an affinity for magic. In response, she’s invited to join a new academy designed to train adepts. Her classmates are an eclectic mix of people’s ranging from twin boys from Asgard to the son of the dread Dormammu. In between classes, they go on a number of adventures in the magically-infused world on show more which now live, encountering in the process cryptic signs of the fates awaiting them — including a special future for one of their number.

These stories are all portrayed with artwork that pops off the page with its colorfulness. This reinforces the lighthearted tone of the title, which emphasizes the wonder the students encounter as they embark on their magical explorations. Yet underneath it all is an undercurrent of danger that helps to maintain a suspense throughout the first issues. It all makes for a refreshing perspective on the magical side of the Marvel universe, one that hopefully will continue for many more issues to come. show less

There’s a lot going on, and I don’t feel we get a chance to bond with any of the kids though Doyle’s my favorite. Some of that might be due to having to focus on 11 students. The pacing is very fast in this story, and things are messy. I dig the art style, but some of the drawings are blurry, especially in the face. Still, the ending is interesting though, so I would read a volume two if my library gets it.

Since introductions are out of the way, maybe volume two will be better.

A beautifully illustrated take on the magic school trope, with the trappings of the Marvel Universe. Young's teen wizard characters are vibrant, fun and largely likable, though the story in this first volume feels rather superficial and gimmicky. A younger person more in the target demographic will probably find a lot to like here, but for me, the lavish drawings aside, this is unfortunately a perfectly serviceable but largely anonymous seen-it-many-times-before kind of a story.

A wholly generic Harry Potter/Runaways mash-up that puts a random, bickering group of kids with little to no personality in a magic boarding school run by Marvel's biggest name magic users -- Doctor Strange, Magik, Scarlet Witch -- who barely show up at all.

Skottie Young continues to be a writer who rarely impresses me, so I think I'll skip his future works.

Hardcover/Sealed