Broken Frontier

Realities of life hit home as Stephen Strange learns Wong is dying. Magic might be able to save the day but there is someone who doesn’t want Strange to win...at any cost.

Doctor Strange has long been one of Marvel’s B-list characters. An interesting creation with a small but devoted following, the character has had a shot at a number of solo and team titles over the years but none of them ever seem to have much staying power. So now a hot writer with a large following is being given a crack at the good Master of the Mystical Arts. Will this be Doctor Strange’s shot at the big time?

In typically dramatic fashion, readers are dropped into action as Wong delivers a bleeding Stephen Strange to the superhero health clinic run by the woman known as the Night Nurse. It seems that the good Doctor, despite his magical talents, has been taken down by something as ordinary as a bullet! As Night Nurse patches Strange up she gets the story of how Strange reached this point as well as backseat driving medical advice courtesy of Strange’s astral projection self. Strange’s origin is revisited as well as his recent discovery of Wong’s condition and the decision to seek a magical cure for the disease. Wong puts it best when he says, "Sounds like a rather metaphysical solution to my decidedly physical ailment." What Strange brings back from a trip to another dimension is more than he bargained for and somehow the secret has slipped out, earning Strange a mysterious enemy with an equally mysterious goal. Despite being a master of the mystical arts, Strange has his work cut out for him but he dare not fail because the life in the balance is that of his best friend!

Writer Brian K. Vaughn has gone on the record as stating that he wanted to use this series to explore the human side of Doctor Strange, the side of the character who once was a doctor. He succeeds admirably here by facing Strange with something that is an all-too-common factor of the human condition – terminal illness. One of a doctor’s main duties is to defeat death – to keep that Grim Reaper at bay for as long as they possibly can. To lose a patient means to lose that battle with death. For Strange, in this story, the stakes are personal as well as professional, as his long dormant physician side comes out in defense of his friend. Both of these aspects serve to humanize a character that had long become portrayed as somewhat, cold, aloof, and impersonal. Make no mistake however; the trademark Strange arrogance is still in evidence.

The dialogue has heart, wit, humor, and a snap that is always welcome. In the past Strange’s lines have tended to range from esoteric and erudite to dramatic but the character has rarely (if ever) been conversational. Vaughn adds this aspect and, admittedly, it is initially jarring but the reader quickly settles in and it is a change that makes sense for the long-term viability of the character. Aside from this, there are a few other awkward moments. Strange’s origin story, as well as that of the Night Nurse are shoehorned into the tale making them read as awkward additions rather than part of the natural story flow.

Artist Marcos Martin’s part of this issue is handled wonderfully. His clean and simple lines cause his art to focus on the characters rather than the backgrounds, although, he also proves adept at producing some weird and wild visuals when the time comes. Most interesting and impressive perhaps, though, is Martin’s decision to go back to Doctor Strange’s first artist, Steve Ditko, as inspiration. There is no mistaking that the Strange we see here is similar to how the character originally appeared – thin, angular, severe, and, well.... strange. It is nice to see the character breaking out of the more heroic mold later artists painted him into.

Doctor Strange: The Oath just may be this character’s shot at finally achieving popularity. Brian K. Vaughn has hit on the perfect magical formula here by focusing on the character rather than his powers. This tale is, at heart, a human story with just a light dusting of mysticism. Even if you’re not a Doctor Strange fan or a fan of magical stories there is a lot here to read and enjoy. Step inside, the Doctor will see you now....