Doctor Strange #17: Have you heard about our lord and savior Bats, the Ghost Dog?

Jed MacKay and Pasqual Ferry are back to give us a story that’ll knock your socks off! Doctor Strange is still a member of the legion of undead, he’s still after his bestie, Wong, Baron Mordo’s still stuck in that world between worlds, where he gets to have a conversation with the stars of Dr. Strange’s world (the sassy snakes-snks, snks, snks), plus Bats gives us a tale where we’re introduced to the Tiger God! So let’s get this show on the road!

As with a lot of tie-ins to modern events, this issue doesn’t add a whole lot to the overarching story, but unlike a lot of tie-ins, this one was a lot of fun. Any story that focuses on Bats the Ghost Dog can’t be anything but fun. MacKay’s Doctor Strange has been one of the funnest takes on the character and his world that we’ve seen in quite some time. His world is full of mystical majesty, and some of the darker elements, but the team loves to play with the more fantastical elements that a character like Strange can traverse, yet keeps it light and fun. Don’t get me wrong; there are some darker elements in play. When you’re exploring the world of magic, there’s always a darker shadow that’ll come into play. Some writers like to dwell there. MacKay doesn’t, and it’s this preference that sets him apart from many of the other Doctor Strange scribes from over the years.

MacKay’s use of Bats here is just some good plain fun. Sure, there are stakes at play, but MacKay’s handling of Bats, the Tiger God, as well as Bats’ transformation into a giant spectral dog who destroyed Vamp Strange’s astral projection was just a ruddy good time. Plus watching his handling of Mordo, and his escape from the mirror dimension he was trapped in was a lot of fun as well. As with the rest of the members of the cast, Mordo’s full of an irreverent characterization, that makes him all the more playful, than menacing. Even though he’s out to kill his eternal foe, he’s still fun to read. I can’t see what Mackay has in store for us next.

Pasqual Ferry’s work here has to be some of my favorite of his career. This legendary talent has been one of the consistently great artists who has lended his distinctive style to some of the biggest characters in the industry, that includes Superman, Adam Strange, Thor, Namor, and so on, seeing him here has been a truly outstanding feat to behold. Ferry’s lines here are divine, and the colors enhance the tone set by MacKay’s script. Whether it’s seeing a Tiger God, or Bats’ astral form that crushes the Doctor Strange vamped spectral vampire form, it’s just lush, good fun. Marvel really knew what they were doing when they paired these two together.