MadCap's Comic Reviews - "Doctor Strange #4"

In the last issue, Stephen had discovered the deaths of many Sorcerer Supremes throughout the universe and we were given the title of the next story as Death Has Teeth (yet weirdly, we get the title of The Art of Puking Without Puking instead). We have the dread ramping up for the eventual confrontation between Doctor Strange and the insidious forces of the Empirikul, who now know who he is and are zeroing in on. Will it live up to the hype? Well, you’ve all by now read my views on Last Days of Magic, so it should really be a no-brainer now shouldn’t it?

Just like my constant review schedule where I said we’d get into all this “next” Sunday and it’s now three months later.

Oops.



After the recap page, we begin with a flashback to years before when Stephen was training under the Ancient One. The Ancient One, looking very much like Gowron from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, instructs Stephen to punch him. After realizing that he isn’t joking, Stephen does so…and only succeeds in injuring his hands – continuing the trend of Strange’s writers being a little bit sadist when it comes to re-crippling Stephen. But Stephen learns a valuable lesson from the experience – the harder you punch, the more it hurts you. Also, because of casting some spells the day before…Stephen throws up. A lot.

Pictured: Robert O'Reilly as the Ancient One

This is a retcon that I’m a little iffy about, Jason Aaron trying to emphasize the fact that magic has costs and that sort of works. While the costs of bargaining with greater powers than himself has always been a thing in Strange’s comics, it’s not really had too much meaning because the status quo is God even in his comics. The only real instance where I can think of it having any weight was when Strange used Zom during World War Hulk and somehow still managed to lose that fight, getting stripped of his title as Sorcerer Supreme.

…which he got back again a few years later for using dark magic “responsibly” (whatever the hell “that” means). So this is really the first time where it’s seemed to have any real weight to it.

But in the present, at the Bar with No Doors – a bar specifically for the magical types – Strange lays out the state of things for both his fellow magicians and the reader. He’s apparently been doing some digging and tried to contact other Sorcerer Supremes via a spell. No one came, which means that the Empirikul already got to them, or they’re in hiding. Either way, the magicians of Earth are on their own. A good note here is that the other magicians in the bar believe his story and immediately start offering up help.

Magik offers to search through Limbo for answers, a newcomer by the name of Professor Xu suggests linking auras to keep everyone informed as to the goings on, Daimon Hellstrom offers to go root out some answers in Hell, and so on. It really shows a very tight-knit magical community and shows a level of cooperation that folks like the Avengers could stand to cultivate.

I’m looking at you Civil War, Civil War II, Avengers vs. Whoever They’re Fighting This Week events.

Stephen is soon after called away by Zelma and Wong, and he is brought before the Grimoire of Watoomb…and it’s dead. The magic that empowered it is simply gone. When Stephen nearly faints, Wong insists that he eat and we’re treated to some deliciously gory artwork by Chris Bachalo as Stephen partakes in some squid and Agamotto knows what else soup. Wong explains to a disgusted and frightened Zelma that Stephen’s food would kill a normal man…and it’s now the only food that Stephen can really eat anymore.

I don't have a joke here, I just like the detail.

Again, it’s a retcon, but it’s also fitting of both the completely off the wall strangeness that is the world of Doctor Strange and the theme of magic having costs, so I’m still rather half and half on it.
But Wong slips away and, by the time that anyone notices, Stephen has eaten and he heads off to check the Temple of Watoomb deep beneath the Indian Ocean. He finds the defenses have all been rendered dead and he gets attacked by something that he claims should be impossible: a machine that disrupts magic.

Never mind the fact that both Tony Stark and Doctor Doom have created one-off devices that have either countered or disrupted magic before that you’re aware of, Doc, but okay.

Zelma calls Strange (via magical cell phone) to inform him of all the books in the library dying, falling from their shelves just as the Grimoire of Watoomb did. As the phone goes dead, the Empirikul ships have appeared on the front lawn of the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Again, I don't have a joke here. I just dig the artwork.

As Stephen fights for his life against the machines, we get a closing monologue where he recaps the punching lesson and mentions that it was the price for living in a world of magic, and a price he was willing to pay. But, as he sends out a telepathic distress call to let his fellow magicians know that the danger has arrived, he reflects on the fact that a world without magic…is no world at all.

And the wolves of the Empirikul bear down on him as the issue ends…

This is another good issue from Jason Aaron’s run on the book. While I am a little iffy about the retconning of how magic works, as I have been before, I do see what he’s going for and it doesn’t feel like something that wouldn’t fit in Doctor Strange. As I mentioned before, I like the sense of the magical community banding together against a common threat and I will debase myself in gratitude that this did not immediately start a bunch of nonsensical in-fighting that ultimately does nothing to move the plot and accomplishes nothing.

Again, hint hint, almost every single Marvel crossover event.

We are now seeing the opening moves of The Last Days of Magic. Next time, we’ll see more of that as we move into Issue #5. See you then!


Doctor Strange #4 is brought to us by Marvel Comics. Written by Jason Aaron, Pencil'd and Color'd by Chris Bachalo. Fantastic work, guys!

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