3 out of 5

Underwhelming, but acceptable Marvel fare.

Magic is depleted!  The world will never be the same!  …Such was the to-do with the last arc, and thus the carryover here, as Baron Mordo follows some mysterious bidding from Dormammu and challenges a de-powered Strange, in the setup chapter of the new arc.  But just as Aaron had a hard time selling the stakes of his no-magic play, the fallout suffers the same; Strange is using parlor-shoppe stuff to get the job done, and is thus shocked that Mordo seems to be in possession of the whom glowing-hands shebang still, and their discussion / battle over the same takes up much of the issue.  But I can’t help but think that we need more time for the no-magic montages.  A couple of panels of discussion and one page showing Strange traveling to do the lord’s work with his newly humbled means don’t cut it for me.  However, Jason’s habit of restating the plot every few sentences is withheld, and the quick setup for a new “things will never be the same!” crisis is on par with how most Big Two books are written, so if you’re into that vibe, this is acceptable monthly fare.  Nothing game-changing, but it moves the story forward and is written competently, with an acceptable below-threshold of dumb “cool” one-liners.

The art and lettering remain the book’s strongpoints, with the unique purple on white/black color scheme really helping to sharpen Bachalo’s panels and make the visual themes he’s working on a bit clearer.  His Dormammu – a skinny flame being with a computer-effects head – isn’t all that intimidating, though.

Cory Pettit’s lettering and effects are insanely awesome, blending perfectly with the tone and wrapping majestically into the art.