Dr. Strange: Oath 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin

Well...

I've always hated the idea of Dr. Strange. Anything having to do with "the Mystic Arts" or spellcasting or magical worlds or other dimensions or blah blah blah has always turned me off.

But...

I've always enjoyed the creators that work on Dr. Strange. Steve Ditko, Bill Everett, Marie Severin, Gene Colan, and even the recent Defenders series by DeMatteis, Giffen and Maguire.

So...

Here's a new series of a character that I don't like written and drawn by creators that I do like. I enjoy Marcos Martin's art. He has a clean style that focuses on design and layout and never relies on flashy rendering. He has a confident brush line and seems to get very lucky with confident and attractive coloring work. And I've discussed my respect and admiration for Brian K. Vaughan here, here and here.

Anyhow...

I picked up the first issue of the new Dr. Strange mini-series, and except for a tiny bit of that mumbo-jumbo that I dislike so much, I think it's great. The art is simple and confident, with Martin's strong brush backed up by crisp, straightforward coloring that his art deserves. The plot is simple so far, but removed enough from the mystical silliness that I wasn't punted out of suspension of disbelief-ville. I look forward to the rest of the series, and I'm interested enough to wade through the spellcasting and astral projecting that is sure to arrive.

And...

Aren't you glad that not every mainstream comic has to have those inane narrative segue captions.