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The Sorcerer Supreme is of course tasked with the defense of this reality from all others. But the thing about defense, as any diplomat can tell you, is that there’s multiple ways to do it. A massive display of might is always a good option A, but there will always be those too cocky, too stupid, or too powerful to be dissuaded by your ability to turn armies into a pile of barely-sentient suet named Wuggles.
Option B is diplomacy, and as in our level of understanding, it is often very convenient and simple: being on polite terms with powerful sorcerers of other dimensions is, by and large, quite worthwhile. Firstly, it means that you can worry much, much less about them being hostile to Earth’s reality, which in and of itself is pretty awesome. Secondly, it means that every so often you can deal with them for help, which comes in handy – well, not that often, really, because rulers of other dimensions tend to inflate the value of their services more than you would think and usually it’s just a better deal to go with the really powerful grantors of power, but sometimes it can be downright useful, and better to have the option than not.
However, the opportunity cost of the diplomatic approach is often… irritating. For example, the Sorcerer Supreme is, like it or not, considered a “get” for organizers of social events in other dimensions. (Even when the other dimension’s powerful person offering the invite outclasses Doc. It’s like having a party and, say, the President of Hungary shows up – you look good even if your country makes Hungary look like a 98 pound weakling.) And you can’t turn down all the invitations. You can turn down the smaller ones, of course, and they won’t feel bad – even if you just send a polite note (or polite etched memory crystal, or polite scent-of-regret-on-jasmine-airbursts), simply that will make your prospective host feel better.
But some of them are too important to turn down. So when the Malagascor of Fijw requests your presence at the liferment ceremony of his firstling, you pretty much have to go – because, sure, Dr. Strange can probably take down the Malagascor of Fijw in a straight-up spell-sling, but why would you want to have a fight to the death when you can just go to a party instead?
But of course it’s never that simple. Because
– the Undying King of Pallia and the High Ku Of Ku both find Stephen and demand he intercede on their respective behalves in the interdimensional war they’re currently fighting, both convinced that he’s promised to do so
– the party from Asgard insist that Dr. Strange, as an honorable champion of Earth, have them as his personal retinue, which is problematic considering they’re mostly half-drunk berserkers (except for that one valkyrie who looks oddly familiar…)
– Regena, daughter of Gjo, wants to discuss arrangements for an upcoming wedding that Stephen is quite certain he didn’t agree to (but she is quite certain he proposed, and in most gentlemanly extravagance!)
– he has to make sure that he and Umar are never in the same room – not because he fears her (although of course he does because he’s not an idiot), but because he’s put quite a bit of work into making sure that the Dark Dimension’s intelligence network thinks he’s still on Earth (and who the hell invited Umar to this thing anyway?)
– a Kronn chronolord demands retribution for the horrible insult Strange will cause him in twenty-five minutes’ time, although the exact nature of that insult is a mystery to all concerned
– and of course, the Malagascor had ulterior motive for inviting Stephen in the first place…
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I assume the hors d’ouevres are to die for. Literally, because interdimensional allergies are horrible things to deal plan around.
This sounds like another great way to incorporate the idea of the Doctor’s apprentices as well. The right hand signal brings Creaky over to discuss an absurdly arcane point about the magical potential of the roasted solmanite slivers that are currently being served. Or he introduces Sir Humphrey as a way to break up a distinctly unpleasant line of inquiry.
I like the ideas, but that sounds like 6 months worth of story ideas trying to be crammed into one small plot. I think a bunch of that would have to be trimmed in order to tell that in a reasonable amount of time.
Actually, this could be a great lead in and teaser for the next ten or twelve issues.
dear Marvel,
I would buy this book.
Where is that picture from?
I do so enjoy it when you tie “I Should Write”s back to the ones you’ve written before. It gives that feeling of long-standing, interweaving continuity that says “comics.”
Will Enitharmon be at this party? I like Enitharmon, and I haven’t seen him in a long time.
Court intrigue is one of the most badass and most difficult plots to write.
I don’t generally enjoy reading comics centered around political and court intrigue without some sort of action to break the monotony every now and then because, more often than not, missing one minute detail makes the entire plot indecipherable to me. And going back through pages of text looking for one sentence that I didn’t fully absorb is tedious, to say the least.
That being said, I think I would enjoy this particular set of arcs because the court intrigue could devolve into spell-slinging at just about any turn. That alone would keep me reading, even if nothing actually happens.
But… but… what I don’t get is why isn’t Dr Voodoo attending these parties?
(runs and hides)
Seriously good idea and something that can be woven through a year of stories before the all party issue with the cute cover by Kevin Maguire. I’d read the TPB of this series, even look on the internet for spoilers as the current issues came out.
The real reason MGK hasn’t been called on to write the Legion or Doctor Strange? His complete unwillingness to ruin/kill characters for cheap shock value. Now, if he was willing to kill Wong with a rusty chainsaw in the second issue in order to show how “xxhardcorexx” this new series was going to be? Boom, contract.
Also acceptable: Night Nurse in a refrigerator
A fun and interesting story that doesn’t involve death, blood and gore? It’ll never sell.
This post made me look up what a suet is. Hurray for knowledge!
But ultimately, the biggest question is… what is Dr. Strange’s favorite canape?
For some reason FifthSurprise’s post made me think ‘there must be at least one chef in New York City that has based foodstuffs off of popular superheroes. “Cape Canape” for Doctor Strange, and Super Suit Suet.
That this is a great story idea is so obvious it doesn’t need to be said. What does need to be said, or, rather, asked, is: where is that image from? My curiosity burns.
I deeply enjoy the idea of Strange having to dodge embarassing conversations at a party in the fashions of the sitcoms of our forefathers. Also a transdimensional mystical get-together is practically begging to be a two-page spread in the fashion of Top Ten or League.
One would need to cut periodically to the much put-upon valet parking attendants, who are forced to park astral skiffs, crystalline wonders too beautiful to look upon, and looming terrorspheres bristling with abominable battle-growths.
i do so love seeing new “i should write dr. strange” in my google reader ๐
This is probably my favorite “Why I should write Doctor Strange” yet. It sounds like awesome, hilarious court intrigue building up to batshit comicbook insanity over the course of several issues. I would buy the shit out of this.
Include the Eleventh Doctor and Amy wandering through the background of the party and I’m sold. ๐
Hell yes.
This might end up in my Doctor Who RPG Ideas Stolen From MGK pile too.
And as proven by Harry Potter, wizards are big on profiteroles.
TinEye brought up this site as a source for that image: http://www.wallcoo.com/paint/WeiWeiHua/
I can’t read any of it, but you don’t need to, really…
@John Seavey: Wouldn’t a more instantly recognizable Doctor be more appropriate, like the Fourth or the Sixth?
Or, hell, two Doctors arguing?
I’m sorry. I keep forgetting to praise your great taste in lesser-known Bowie songs.
The quick (but partial?) resolution to the Asgard issue – tell the berserkers he’ll have to sober them up before they can accompany him. And he will *keep* them sober throughout the party.
Or he could point out that physical violence in his vicinity is extremely unlikely and wouldn’t they rather go over to one of the party’s “game rooms” to fight, gamble, and drink?
The Valkyrie would, of course, proudly accept the former and decline the latter.
But drinking and fighting is the entire POINT of parties in Asgard, Jackd.
this sounds very Neil Gaiman
in a good way
To my own amusement, I’m picturing this all ending in a bedroom farce with faithful butler Wong resolving it all with the assistance of the apprentices. Regena thinks she’s maneuvered the good Dr into a bedroom tryst, but he really ends up under the sheets with Umar! And that means he’s cuckolding the chronolord! Can Wong keep the chronolord distracted via a drinking contest with the berserkers, when the chronolord keeps pulling copies of himself out of the timestream? Did Vincent Strange feed the Malagascor’s poison canape to Mrs Slocombe’s pussy?
And of course it all ends with everyone jumping out from behind curtains to find that the Undying King of Pallia and the High Ku Of Ku have accidentally wound up in the same bed!
If there aren’t at least a dozen panels involving Dr. Strange doing some old-school Discworld parry/thrust covert spell-casting (a la Sourcery, before Archchancellor Ridcully came along and put an end to that “Kill your way to the top” nonsense), I’m going to be gravely disappointed. Court intrigues should always include at least 1 good assassination attempt.
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