Neurotrash

Strange #1-3
writers: J Michael Straczynski and Sara "Samm" Barnes
artist: Brandon Peterson
published by Marvel Knights

J Michael Straczynski revolutionized the Marvel bullpen when he first signed on to take over Amazing Spider-Man a couple years back. Marvel started hiring big name writers, with mixed results. Bruce Jones stumbled on Hulk. Grant Morrison blew minds on New X-Men. Kevin Smith started two limited series' (and was supposed to take over for Straczynski on ASM) and managed to finish nothing. The writer of the Man-Thing movie managed to spin a good yarn that was wholly dependent on the movie actually coming out sometime this century.
Straczynski did good with his aggressive re-invention of Squadron Supreme in Supreme Power. And Samm Barnes followed up with a worthy spin off, Dr Spectrum.
Now, they've been collectively given one of Marvel's long-languishing B-listers to rethink...and oddly, they've changed very little. Stephen Strange is still a spoiled doctor who recieves his comeuppance in the form of a debilitating injury that prevents him from being a surgeon ever again. Where the book starts taking its left turns are with the characters of Wong and the Ancient One. Wong is now a doctor himself (though he practices nontraditional medicine)...and has hair. And the Ancient One now ends up in New York, two blocks from Strange's apartment.
There's not a lot of new ideas thrown out, other than the feel of the book is more like the movie Constantine than anything Marvel's done with the character before. I have a feeling that this book won't last beyond 12 issues. Why? Because there's nothing in these three issues that motivates me to read any further.