DOCTOR STRANGE: THE OATH
By Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin

There are few writers who are worth your time. Even fewer who make you want to run out and buy everything with their name attached. In the world of comics only two names really get me reaching for my wallet: Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman. A third name is increasingly making demands on my hard-earned cash. Brian K. Vaughan first impressed me with his political superhero series “Ex Machina,” then knocked me off my feet with “Y: The Last Man,” which I rank up there with “The Watchmen,” “The Dark Knight Returns” and “The Sandman.” I hadn’t read any of his straight-ahead superhero stories, so I was definitely curious how he’d handle an established costumed hero.

“Doctor Strange: The Oath,” a five-issue series now collected in a trade paperback, gave me the perfect opportunity to find that out.

The story concerns a magical elixir that Doctor Strange needs in order to cure his faithful assistant Wong, who has an aggressive form of cancer. The elixir is stolen right out of the Sanctum Sanctorum (imagine that!) and Strange is shot in the process. Now, Strange and Wong, both at death’s door, must track down the potion and whoever’s behind the theft. Vaughan also weaves in much of Doctor Strange’s origin story, making “The Oath” a good introduction to the Sorcerer Supreme. As evidenced in “Y: The Last Man,” Vaughan is a master at characterization and entertaining dialogue. In “The Oath,” Vaughan lightens up the usually arrogant and aloof Doctor Strange — and makes him a charismatic and very human character. It’s an entertaining read, but this is BKV, so it’s smart, too. Marcos Martin’s art is dazzling, and is perfectly suited to the fantastic world of Doctor Strange. And I’m thinking, Why doesn’t Doctor Strange have his own series?

So, now I have more Brian K. Vaughan books to buy. I’ll be checking out more Doctor Strange stories, too. Maybe Marvel will be smart and start up a Doctor Strange series. Or maybe that’s already in the works…