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Final issue...enh.
I think, when it comes down to it, the series has been pretty up-and-down. I just didn't jive with the continuity retrofit and the villain in general, who felt like a watered down Mordo stand-in. The artist's figure work is really solid but his backgrounds were occasionally a little bland and he some more study of the Ditko magic effects might have been in order.
The Oath has been more about moments, I think, which Vaughan provides. Only they feel submerged in a bigger fluid that doesn't quite satisfy.
That said, it continued Milligan's exploration of the Wong/Stephen Odd Couple homosocial underpinnings of the characters, reflected/juxtaposed by Stephen's latest heroine fling with Night Nurse (standing in for Dead Girl) and I think that homosocial thing - their "married couple" lifestyle - has beocme pretty integral to both characters. The climax, Stephen breaking out the Teh KungFu at least paid lip service to this overarching concern, although I think the end result has been that I want to *see* more of the relationship, when Wong's not suffering life-threatening bouts of cancer and able to be up-and-about.
I did like that the series ended without Stephen locked in SPIRITUAL ANGST over giving up the Panacaea. He made a choice and lives with it.
Yeah, I want to see a series about Stephen and Wong, an ongoing. Night Nurse demonstrated some interesting traits that I'd like to see explored, and moving her practice to the Sanctum would be worth doing something with, as well; if for no reason other than Stephen calling her "Watson" in lieu of a real name. Maybe with Dead Girl emerging from the Crypt occasionally, blowing through town for an adventure or two. With better villains than Nicodemus and *cough* Wolfram & Hart *cough* Timely Pharmaceuticals. |
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