This story reads like a 1970s script for Marvel Two-In-One, and given that Steve Gerber is credited with plotting this comic, I suspect that this might actually be a retooled Thing/Doc Strange story from years gone by. That being said, scripter Brandon Thomas and his artists do exactly what they should be doing: telling a fun story aimed at a younger audience. The plotting here is simple and transparent, but it's full of personality and doesn't resort to a forced confrontation with super-villains. The supernatural nature of one of the characters and the object she carries is left unexplained, but the action gets moving so quickly, younger readers will hardly notice the omission.
A mysterious young woman walks the chaotic streets of Manhattan, and when she plays her harmonica, the music brings calm and contentment to all those who hear it. When a young thief snatches the instrument away from her, though, its power in the wrong, inexperienced hands threatens to destroy everyone near it. Monsters and terrors almost unimaginable wrak havoc throughout New York, and the Thing must team with Dr. Strange, Earth's Sorceror Supreme, to prevent disaster and vanquish the horrors.
The use of two different pencillers here is apparent, but fortunately, it doesn't interfere with the flow of the story. The line art later in the book is a big darker, rougher and a bit more detailed, but overall, it's rather cartoony as well, like the work earlier in the issue. The monster designs are rather generic, but given what we learn about them later in the story, that makes sense. The artists certainly bring a more playful and dynamic quality to Dr. Strange than we're accustomed to seeing, but given that this book is aimed at a younger audience, dropping the stoic, mysterious aura normally surrounding the character makes sense.
I hope Thomas follows up on the whole Destiny/magic harmonica plotline in one or both of the subsequent issues of this limited series. Too much is left unsaid about the character, and to be honest, there's something enticing and calming about this dichotmous vision of a young girl full of great wisdom. I'm not hopeful that we'll much of her beyond this script, though.
The plot is overly simplified and it's big on action. Nothing wrong with that, especially when Marvel's trying to lure in younger readers mesmerized by PS2 games and Fear Factor. I'm perplexed, though, why Marvel would publisher younger-reader comics at a higher price. It seems counterproductive. Then again, this book is probably meant as a loss leader, with the real payoff coming in the digest-sized collected edition (no doubt slated to coincide with the release of this summer's Fantastic Four movie). 6/10
