Doctor Strange #6 is the beginning of the second arc in Jed Mackay’s series. We were last left off with a cliffhanger worthy of at least two “By the Seven Spheres!” as readers were left with Stephen meeting… Stephen. Mackay is pulling from the past, about thirty years past, as he uses the story “War of the Seven Spheres” as a major influence for this next chapter. Throughout the story, the mysterious five-thousand-year war that changed the life of Stephen Strange is explained. In this issue, Mackay partners with artist Juan Gedeon for an essential issue to introduce the first major antagonist of the series.
The book opens at the beginning of the “War of the Seven Spheres” when Stephen is called to action by The Vishanti. However, Doctor Strange isn’t exactly a warrior, as his name quite literally describes his role. This poses the interesting concept of what happens when a doctor goes to war. It’s not exactly a new story, but Mackay puts his own spin on it. As years become decades, decades become centuries, and centuries become millennia, Stephen Strange wages a seemingly never-ending war. But how does that affect the good doctor? Does he stand by his convictions and find a humane way to battle? Given the shocking revelation at the end of the last issue, it doesn’t seem that way.
Juan Gedeon takes up the art in this issue and does a spectacular job of giving the story a set tone. Although the war isn’t new to Stephen, it is to us. It seems that the actual events of the story were something never previously explored, and more so forgotten, after its release. That said, it seems to be as shocking to Stephen Strange to meet his counterpart as it is for us. Furthermore, Gedeon takes advantage of the truly fantasy-like nature of this and uses that as a guiding tool for the visual tone. One of my favorite parts of this art is how beautiful the skies are drawn, as they almost blend into the rest of the background at times. Overall, the story beautifully depicts the raw emotions and environments Stephen experiences.
Doctor Strange #6 kicks off the second arc of the series by telling one of Stephen Strange’s most harrowing stories never told. Through this, we learn far more about General Strange and the role he has in the present. Things are heating up in Doctor Strange and this issue does a lot of heavy lifting to raise the stakes. Furthermore, this is another good entry in the series that is a can’t-miss.
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