Doctor Strange #7 Bonding by Cauldron Light

The price of magic. There has been talk of this a lot recently and the fact Strange hasn’t had to pay it. It seems now though that in Casey Mark Waid is showing us that price, as she explains herself in their final confrontation. Having only recently read the story of her and Strange’s first meeting it is still fresh in my mind and so the poignancy and tragedy of it all makes it clear that the price of magic is spending time around him and what it can do to a person. And so I worry for Kanna while being glad Zelma escaped before too much harm befell her.
Kanna….I initially didn’t want to like her, as she was a replacement of sorts for Zelma and I resented that a little. But she soon grew on me and I’m loving her more and more. Let’s face it, Bats likes her and dogs are great judges of character. And as Strange himself says, his past relationships with apprentices has put a slant on things and this is a refreshing step away from that.

I loved the gleeful expression on Kanna’s face as she discovers Strange’s new forge. And we at last get a little more backstory on her, giving some insight into her initial prickliness towards Strange when she first met him. I imagine her history with her father and her distrust of those who practice magic and snub science was something to do with it. And it was also a nice juxtaposition to the science versus religion of our own world.
And on to the art. With the flashback sequence that informs the plight of Casey as well as the narrative explaining Kanna’s family history we get a look into two backstories shown in different aspects and styles.And with Strange encountering Casey in Atlantis and then later again in Tokyo as well as Kanna and Bats in the netherworld of Baroshtok, it’s no wonder so many people were involved in the creative process. But it doesn’t detract from the story or overpower it at all, but merely enhances the otherworldly feel of the varied times and locations.

It is a testament to the creative talent that they were all able to convey their own vision and blend together so well in what could easily have been a hodge podge of one one-upmanship and grandstanding. That being said, I’m still looking forward to the return of Jesús Saiz in #9, as well as his being joined by Kevin Nowlan and Chris Bachalo in the milestone at the end of January that is the 400th issue of Doctor Strange.

With another dynamic cover from Kevin Nowlan that pits the two versions of Strange against each other this is looking to be a dynamic tale of the price of mixing with the man himself.