Writer – Roger Stern
Artist – Paul Smith
Inker – Terry Austin
Colours – Bob Sharen
Letters – Jim Novak

Roger Stern and Paul Smith present a fairly inconsequential tale, though a light-hearted one, with The Chosen One. It begins when some monks ask Strange to search out the reincarnation of their lama, to which he agrees, and it finds him looking in the most unlikely of places – on a golf resort. After playing a round of golf with Morgana’s father, Strange discovers where the lama has been reincarnated and the vessel which is American, is not one that makes everyone happy. Stern packs the book full of charm and for a one-off, it makes for a very enjoyable reading experience. Stories like this make Strange a more well-rounded character, providing situations that give him room to grow and do something other than beat the villain of the week. As good as it might be, it only serves to make the reader miss those epic storylines that see the Sorcerer Supreme fight the big bads like Dormammu or Nightmare or other mystical menaces. Smith provides some great pencils to this somewhat humourous tale and when the action starts up, the artwork really shines. Overall this was a good book, but it would have been nice to see the Doctor doing something of note to really get the reader invested.

2.5 out of 5