The Doctor Of War Will See You Now: Reviewing ‘Doctor Strange’ #6

Is there a Doctor in the house? Unfortunately, not, but there is a former battle-hardened Doctor turned General hanging around. Guess that will have to do.

After taking place off panel twenty-eight years ago and being referenced a few times in the previous volume, the War of the Seven Spheres is here. A five-thousand-year war that tested and broke Stephen Strange in various ways yet returned him home as he left with no memories. Except…that’s not quite what happened.

Jed MacKay truly is a master of continuity and canon exploration. There is a real craft to this that avoids these bits of canon just becoming anchors to a story or nothing but nostalgia baiting. MacKay and other writers like him can take these moments from the past and give them vivid new life. Allowing them to help organically grow and develop these characters that have been around for decades. Sometimes, like in this case, they take moments that had very little to them and make them something far more.

Covering what 5,000 years of war does to one person seems like a tall task, doesn’t it? In just 20 pages, MacKay pulls it off. We see the gradual change over the centuries and millennia from the Doctor we know to the General that now stands against him. All these emotional, personal, and dire moments inform how Doctor becomes General in very explicit yet also subtle ways. It showcases, as we already know, how much MacKay knows and cares about this character.

War is rough, and hard, and leaves a lasting mark on individuals. We can see and feel that even more in this issue thanks to the work of Juan Gedeon, who steps in as the latest guest artist. I really like that this series uses guest artists in a very specific way. They generally are coming on to lend their style to a story that best fits their style, while Pasqual Ferry generally handles most of the main story issues. As noted, before, Gedon’s style works great with this rougher story because it’s a very detailed and expressive style with rough textures and edges.

There is a deep focus on Strange and others around him, letting the faceless nameless hordes & settings around them fade out. We don’t need to see them in detail, because it’s the Doctor/General and his two main soldiers that are our focus. All the fantastic elements are grand and powerful but heavy and tough at the same time. Nothing about this story or the artwork is light and Gedon makes sure of that.

Similarly, the same can be said of the color palette that KJ Díaz uses, returning to the series after coloring the fourth issue. Bits and pieces of vibrancy poke through at times but overall, there is a more toned-down quality to these colors. It brings depth and plays into those rougher vibes throughout the issue. Yet, those bits of vibrancy make sure that we feel the impact of the magical/fantastical elements that are in play. These are realms outside of the Earth and they feel that way both because of how Gedeon draws them and also how Díaz colors them.

One of the best elements is how the darkness creeps in as the issue progresses. Doctor Strange morphs into the harder General Strange with every single passing page, and the colors reflect this. More darkness, often because the scenes are set at night or what passes for night, for the darker character and choices. Even when we return to brighter colors by the end, they feel heavier with shadows because the Doctor is truly gone at that moment.

Lettering is once again the domain of Cory Petit, who has plenty of room to work some magic of his own. We get plenty of big bold letters filling bubbles of various colors and shapes, giving different life to dialogue for various characters. All the caption boxes accurately reflect the idea that Strange is chronicling these events in a journal, with that worn paper appearance. All while dropping in little things that instantly change the volume/tone to allow us to fully hear the characters as they suffer through such a traumatic experience.

Doctor Strange #6 is now available from Marvel Comics.