Great Mini Series
This whole mini-series has been a fun read from start to finish. I've never been the biggest Dr. Strange fan, so that statement is totally unbiased. I always thought the character was interesting, and was a cool supporting character... but main character? I couldn't see myself that interested as Strange's powers have never been clearly defined, so whenever he was in a jam... a writer could just make up a spell and presto! The good doctor is out of trouble.
Vaughan avoids such easy tricks and tells a great story... with Night Nurse as a supporting character none the less. Wong, the doctor's faithful servant, is dying of a brain tumor and it seems modern medicine can't save him. Stephen tries to get his hands on Otkid's Elixir to save him... but he soon finds out that the elixir isn't just a cure for cancer, but it can cure every single disease on the planet. As soon as that little tidbit of information was offered up early in the mini-series, I wondered how the hell are they going to end this in a satisfying way.
The entire series felt like a good movie out of the 1940s, and this issue even more so. Everything from the witty dialog, to the angles Marcos Martin chooses for his frames have a cinematic feel to it.
As I said before... most writers would use Dr. Strange's magic as a crutch that could get him out of any situation. Vaughan instead purposely puts Stephen Strange in situations where magic is of no help to him at all. Instead he shows that Strange is much more then a sorcerer, and is actually a crafty old bastard with more tricks up his sleeve then you could imagine. I loved his characterization in this, and I hope Brian Bendis was taking notes here to continue this in New Avengers.
I was dreading the ending... thinking BKV would resort to some miracle happening that would solve everything... the miracle doesn't come, not only that but our main character is forced to make a choice that you rarely see comic book heroes have to make. Not only was I satisfied with the ending, but I thought it made Doctor Strange as a character THAT much more interesting.
If it was announced that the creative team behind this mini-series where going to do a Doctor Strange ongoing, it would be on my pull list no questions asked.
