The Sorcerer Supreme wanders through a psychedelic (and deadly) wonderland in Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise #1.

Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise is a new limited series from the idiosyncratic Tradd Moore, who is not only drawing this title but making his writing debut with it as well. His early run on All-New Ghost Rider was one of my favorites when I was first getting into comics at the time and I’m always going to be interested in what he’s offering because of it. Putting him at the helm of a new Doctor Strange title, though? That’s a creator/subject match so obvious I’m surprised it hasn’t already happened.

As for what the book is about, well, I couldn’t really tell you — and I mean that as a compliment! Fall Sunrise carries in the grand tradition of the best Doctor Strange runs that are so deeply coated in psychedelic nonsense that you just have to stop asking questions and go with it. The basics, as far I could surmise, are these. The good Doctor is dead for reasons unknown, and he’s forced to wade his way through a strange land filled with even stranger magical creatures and mystical phenomena. I realize that describes most Doctor Strange stories, so that means it all comes down to the specific approach from the creators involved, and if you’re a fan of Moore’s work then I don’t see how you wouldn’t be interested.

Something else that works in Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise’s favor is its unclear place in the broader universe. As you may or may not know, Stephen Strange is dead in current Marvel canon, theoretically meaning you could read this series as a tie-in with that. This may very well end up being the case in the end, but given Marvel editorial’s lack of clarity on that question, I’m going to assume that this is just a creator-driven, out-of-continuity standalone tale that can be appraised on its own merits.

Because Fall Sunrise is so kooky and dubious, however, you could make a case that it’s meant to be read in full and not in weekly increments like it’s being published in. If you need a strong narrative hook to keep you invested from the jump, then this series may not be for you, at least not immediately.