For the finale, Vaughan tries to bring back the charm of the early issues and sort of does. Not enough to really matter, but he’s referencing it.

The last issue is more about Dr. Strange than anything else, with Vaughan looking at the relationship between medicine and magic. Given the villain, it makes for a good conflict for Strange. It’s so good, in fact, when Vaughan calms things down again and reverts back to the charm… there’s something missing. The series, which had a couple unsteady issues, found new ground. Then Vaughan all of a sudden backtracks.

There are a few call-backs to the earlier issues’ details, which makes The Oath feel like something of a relaunch. It’s Vaughan establishing Strange for a new reading audience (unfortunately, it didn’t take).

Martin also changes a little here, using his panel layouts to control reading time.

It’s good, but not great.

Vaughan gets back on track this issue (it probably should have been combined with the previous one, of course). There’s not as much palpable charm, but Vaughan makes up for it with the return of Strange’s overconfidence.

It turns out—spoiler alert—the overconfidence is somewhat warranted (though Vaughan does play pretty loose with what Strange can and can not do against the series’s villains) and there are some great scenes. So great, Vaughan has to rely on a particular harsh, hard cliffhanger.

The issue moves so well, it hides the lack of actual content. There’s a little more flirting between Strange and Night Nurse, but not exactly character development. Wong has a handful of lines, but he’s sort just used as a sickly narrative device.

Vaughan does return some of it to Strange’s past, but really just as filler. He doesn’t need it, the issue’s excellent without the retcon.

Vaughan is starting to lose a little of his steam. The majority of the action takes place resolving last issue’s cliffhanger. We learn the secret villain, after some red herrings—very short red herrings, almost like Vaughan only half-heartedly included them—and it’s not particularly exciting. It’ll probably be more exciting next issue but this one… is strangely pat.

It’s good and all, but Vaughan additionally reveals the secret villain to be working for drug companies. The last two issues was great chemistry and banter and this issue is evil drug companies? It would have been more revolutionary to have a non-evil drug company. No shit they’re going to stop people from curing cancer. In some ways, Vaughan’s approach is mildly insensitive. It’s a plot point, no more real than if they were curing warp speed sickness. It’s like cancer isn’t really “real.”

Some lovely Martin art too.

Dr. Strange and friends head out to discover what’s going on—there’s really not much action, just going to the Bronx, then to a secret base. What Vaughan concentrates on (besides the humor) is the flashbacks to Strange’s past.

Vaughan’s read on the character is a lovable jerk. Wong’s got to know he’s a prick, but Wong still likes him because Dr. Strange is, all in all, a good guy. The flashbacks just show pre-magic, Dr. Strange was a selfish jerk. Post-magic… he’s an altruistic jerk. The best is when he’s whining he knows New York better than Spider-Man.

Wong points out navigating the boroughs still gives him trouble.

Wong shares that observation with Night Nurse, who’s along for the adventure and a great foil for Strange. Intentionally or not, Vaughan has recast Doctor Strange as a Hollywood classic, full of charm and banter.

It’s absolutely wonderful.