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Here it is, the final showdown between our hindered hero and his band of magically-enhanced misfits! Will the comically dismissive Baron Mordo finally fall in Doctor Strange #24? Is it good?
The Skinny
Everyone has a role to play in the good doctor’s layers of plans to lay waste to his eternal enemy and take back the Sanctum Sanctorum. With no more aces up his sleeve, Stephen finally shows why he’s supreme.
But with much of Secret Empire‘s remaining heroes locked up in force bubbles, Baron Mordo will not go quietly, and yet another showdown with Strange is imminent. Only then can the darkforce dome be taken down — or CAN it?
The Lowdown
Doctor Strange #24 is an all-action finale to Dennis Hopeless’ Secret Empire tie-in surrounding the quest to remove the darkforce dome that traps the country’s heroes in New York City. Though all his assembled allies each get their shine, and there’s enough trademark Hopeless dialogue for some smiles, this is the issue where Doctor Strange himself finally takes center stage of his book, and we see the emphasis on his cunning that should have been clearer in the beginning of the arc.
Baron Mordo finally gets serious, too, in yet another confrontation with his eternal nemesis, however truncated it may be. The flashback seems a little unnecessary, and the funny part of the climax falls a little flat, but the overall package is a satisfying enough ending to a story that up until now was a lot of walking around and grabbing stuff.
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Niko Henrichon’s art is at times breathtaking and at others frustrating. As throughout this Doctor Strange story, his monsters are frightening and imaginative. He impresses by filling up the busier panels with layers of activity, but the more intimate shots are grainier and feel unfinished. His darker colors fit the setting well, though sometimes the drabness makes the magical constructs look like they were conjured by a pea soup Green Lantern.
The Upshot
Doctor Strange #24 is a rousing conclusion to a fun if not overly consequential romp through the Secret Empire environment. Its odd resolution means the story ultimately matters little in the grand scheme of the event, but hey, it was a fun ride with cool art and snappy dialogue. Sometimes that’s all you really want.
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