Doctor Strange #6 Review

Written by: Jed MacKay, Jonathan Hickman
Art by: Juan Gideon
Colors by: K.J. Díaz
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Alex Ross (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: August 2, 2023

Doctor Strange #6 ventures to a hidden moment in the Doctor’s past when he was conscripted by the Vishanti to fight a long, bloody war against the Trinity of Ashes.

Is It Good?

Doctor Strange #6 serves as an excellent example of how to introduce a villain worthy of the hero (a chronic trouble spot for Jed MacKay) who has an interesting backstory and presents a threat the hero can’t simply wave away. General Strange may just be the “shot in the arm” this series needs to get back on track.

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When last we left Doctor Strange, he and Clea attended an arranged wedding between Clea’s mother, Umar the Unrelenting, and Tiboro. Clea would later learn the arrangement was made for protection as the recent murders of magical beings are connected by the fact that the deceased all had a hand in Doctor Strange’s recent death. Umar is on that list of conspirators. When the nuptials concluded, the wedding was violently interrupted by the presumed mastermind behind the murders, General Strange.

Now, we take an issue to recount how General Strange came to be, where he’s been this whole time, and what he wants. The short version? General Strange is an alternate version of Doctor Strange split off from the original after the Doctor was forced to fight a five-thousand-year war in service to the Vishanti. When the war ended with a truce, the Doctor was too dangerous to be returned to Earth, so the Vishanti split the battle-hardened General into a separate identity, locked away for eternity and imprisoned only as long as he’s tethered to Doctor Strange’s life force. Oops!

Well, okay. General Strange is a compelling villain because he ticks all the boxes. He’s as powerful, if not more than, the hero. He has a clear backstory that informs his motivation to kill and destroy. The stakes of what he (probably) wants to do are huge. And he’s memorable. Now we’re cooking with the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth.

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What’s great about this comic? Almost the entire issue is a flashback that sets up the origin of General Strange as a worthy adversary for Doctor Strange. MacKay’s take on the General is well-written, well-paced, and is one of the better introductions from Marvel for a new villain.

What’s not so great about this comic? Why did it take six issues, with at least two time-wasting capsule issues, to get to this point? Building intrigue is a worthwhile endeavor when heading towards a great story idea, but MacKay did everything but build intrigue to get here. Too much time was wasted at the expense of, I strongly suspect, reader numbers, and this title’s longevity will suffer for it.

How’s the art? Juan Gideon’s art style is great, and I believe it’s a better fit for the story told in this issue when compared with Pasqual Ferry’s style. Certain styles work better with specific types of material, so Gideon’s mastery of rough, scraggly warriors suits the ugliness of war to a tee.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Doctor Strange #6 finally does two things sorely lacking in this series. First, it introduces a memorable villain worthy of facing Doctor Strange. Second, it adds much-needed momentum to a floundering series. This issue is the best of MacKay’s run so far.