Dr. Strange: The Oath #1 (of 5)

Brian K. Vaughan & Marcos Martin

Brian K. Vaughan tries his hand at the "Supreme Sorcerer" (a title wholly made fun of in this issue) as Doctor Strange relates how he came into possession of a cure for a disease that is killing his "apprentice" Wong. It's nice to see a book focus on the relationship between Strange and his manservant. There's a scene later in the issue that illustrates it perfectly, as the good doctor is chanting to open a portal to another dimension, and Wong fights off a gang of thieves and scoundrels, a situation that Strange isn't even aware of in the least. Now it's Strange's turn to protect his friend. And I'm not familiar with the character of Night Nurse, but Vaughan made her an interesting addition to the cast of this mini-series, as she exchanges witty banter with the doctor.

The art in the series by Martin is really nice. Some of the shading kind of bugs me, as it seems that it could be done much better with little effort, but that's a matter of my opinion. The story isn't exactly very engaging. It's pretty bare bones. There's the overlying mystery of who the villain hidden in shadows is and why he wants the elixir, but the story that led up to Wong pulling Doctor Strange into Night Nurse's operating room wasn't exactly very thrilling. It's a decent start to the mini-series, but nothing that's piqued my interest. C