Gene Colan returns as artist, and gets inked by Klaus Janson for #6, in the first book so far where I’ve really noticed Janson’s style breaking through. He’s inked a bunch of the books we’ve read so far, but none of it has looked like classic Janson.
The book starts with Strange and Clea out for a walk. On the splash page, they have their elaborate magic garb, but as they walk by a bystander…
It changes to street clothes. That’s cool. Also, the guy in the lower right panel worried about the heat looks an awful lot like Peter Parker. I’m tagging him.
Clea does a magic trick with a rabbit.
Okay, so all that is just mood and character work. It’s what made ’70s and ’80s comics my favorite era to read.
And now the main event: On their way home, Strange bumps into…
Umar!
And while Doctor Strange is busy with her, Clea must handle…
Dormammu! He was severely injured by Scarlet Witch, and is trying to regain his power.
Through mediation and spellwork (done very well), Clea begins to discover truths about her birth.
Her mother was Umar and her father was a follower of Dormammu, who is Umar’s brother.
In the end, it turns out it’s all a comic book story (Dr. Strange #9, no less). This “oooh, weird!” ending feels a little tacked on, just strange for the sake of Strange.
It’s kind of a reverse breaking of the 4th wall.