Shadow and Flame with Magik

Zelma Stanton Framing Sequence

Writer Jason Aaron

Artist Leonardo Romero

Colors Jordie Bellaire

Letters Cory Petit

Spanish Translation by Veronica Worrells

This 45 page comic is broken down to two other parts.  I spent so much time reading this comic at Hastings.  Marvel Database said Magik was in it so I kept looking for her, I was looking for her soulsword and maybe her black glove holding it, I could not find her.  They should have called this comic, Last Page of Magik, then I would have been able to zero in on her.  Basically, I’m only attached to the framing sequence now.  Actually, from what I can tell, the above art team handled everything but the Doctor Voodoo pages and The Wu pages.

Doctor Voodoo

Writer Gerry Duggan

Artist Danilo Beyruth

Colors Dan Brown

The Wu

Writer James Robinson

Artist Mike Perkins

Colors Andy Troy

Jason Aaron has come a long way since his Wolverine and the X-Men days.

I own issue four and I’ve added issue six to my Wishlist, which works as a prologue to this storyline that kicks off with this issue.  So here is what happened since issue four, I believe.  We get only the one recap sentence.  The Empirikul are killing masters of magic and magical landmarks.

Eight Days Ago.  The Sanctum Sanctorum.  Doctor Strange’s librarian, Zelma Stanton, isn’t enjoying her task of organizing the library.  One of the books melts her gloves and another one gives her a rash.  She finds a book about Doctor Mystical, which transitions us to –

Now.  Deep in the Lacandon Jungle of Mexico.  We see an army of Empirikul, who look like short cute Stromtroopers, but with big round balls instead of proper helmets.  Their name is suppose to evoke “Empire Kill” right?  That’s what they do?  I’m sure that is on purpose.  Doctor Mystical causes a rain of sharks, which seems to kill some of the Empirikul.  I like how Doctor Mystical’s Spanish isn’t translated.

Then.  Zelma does the weakest transition I’ve ever seen with her just smelling gumbo and thinking of Doctor Voodoo.

Now.  Nice that Jericho didn’t have to give up his “Doctor” title when he was no longer the Sorcerer Supreme.  He lives New York to go protect his armory in New Orleans.  I guess his brother no longer haunts him as Mr. Marguandi does now.  Voodoo corrects the ghost that he isn’t Mister but Doctor now.  Voodoo narrates how Strange’s magic is otherworldly, so that’s why he isn’t as strong these days.  Voodoo’s magic comes from the Earth so he’s still in the fight.  Voodoo is restocking as someone taunts him outside.

The Empirikul have found Doctor Voodoo.  He actually does pretty well until his powers begin to fade.  The Empirikul has finally weaken the Earth based magic.  Voodoo is on his knees, read for death.  Before they can kill him, they optic magic blast Doctor Voodoo’s armory – which he was kneeling right next to.  Voodoo feels pretty badly that all of those items are gone.  They turn their attention to him and do the trick again.  They believe they kill him but he used Pym Particles and was out of sight.  This section ends with him not knowing how they are going to defeat the Empirikul.

Then.  Zelma sees tow books – Xu is burning and Doomveor is humming.

Now.  A secret monastery of mystic monks trained a young man in their arts and ways.  He would later return to murder them all.  All but one of them, Mahatma Doom – the nega-Doom.  Doctor Doom, naturally, was the one who killed all of the monks.  Professor Xu arrives to provide support against the invading Empirikul.

Then.  Zelma is becoming exhausted in her task.  Wong recognizes the book, the Medico Mistico.  This reminds him of an earlier adventure of Doctor Strange’s.

Past.  Strange is chasing any leads he can to find Dormammu.  Strange meets August Wu of the Coral Shore, Hong Kong’s magical guardian.  Strange seems taken with her.  She takes him to her home and introduces him to her husband (who is a police officer) and her daughter, Alice Gulliver.  Alice is full of attitude and teenage angst.  Strange later found Dormammu and found that fight.  Unfortunately Wu found the demon she was chasing and didn’t fare as well.  When she died, her daughter’s hair changed from brunette to pink.

Now.  Alice Gulliver is a police detective who uses magic to fuel her bullets.  Her captain is aware of her magic abilities, which is smart.  She’s chasing some non-Empirikul villains and takes them out pretty easily.  I imagine she’ll be pretty important later in this event.

Then.  Zelma finds a book that stinks of Vodka, with “Kaoz” on the cover.

Now.  Egypt.  The Empirikul have taken Kaoz captive.  I sort of like this guy.  When he was nine, he ate a bear.  Turns out, it was a magic bear.  Oh, he’s a brand new character, appearing in issues 4, 6 and 7 of Doctor Strange’s current series.  So I own all but the sixth issue, I’ve requested Hastings to find me a copy of it but it isn’t working out.

Once, Kaoz killed 20 Croatian Devil boards with only his spit.  He has a magic plate in his head.  His section ends with him going face first into a crowd of the Empirikuls.

Then.  Zelma can’t believe there is this much magic in the world.

Now  Zelma feels magic being eliminated in the universe.

Some guy, I imagine he leads the Empirikuls, is ripping Doctor Strange’s red cloak, the Cloak of Levitation.

Zelma believes that magic just died, with that act.

We see that the Empirikuls have the following mages tied to stakes – Mahatma Doom, Kaoz, Professor Xu and El Medico Mistico.  Somehow, between Kaoz and Xu is Magik!  How did she get taken!?!  They went to Limbo and got her, I imagine?

Pretty good issue and the stakes are at an all time high!  I’m sure issue seven explains how Magik was take.