I want to give this a higher grade, because I think this book is onto something, but Spencer's ham-handedness in discussing these delicate matters can't be ignored.

I've been around long enough to know something like this would happen, and really, I was less surprised than disappointed, first because Nick Spencer took the easy path with yet another Cosmic Cube cop-out and secondly because I'd given myself hope that it might be different this time. Maybe one day I'll accept that creativity has fallen victim to making a quick buck and the belief that "no publicity is bad publicity", and while the latter may be true, there are bad comics, and this is certainly one of them.

I was highly critical of Nick Spencer for last month's issue, as it was just a mess from start to finish, but I will give him credit for righting the ship, to a certain extent, this month. This wasn't a perfect book by any stretch of the imagination, but at least the story finally seems to be going somewhere interesting.

Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo just keep knocking this book out of the park month after month. After last month's slightly slower installment, this issue starts off at the top of the big hill on the roller coaster and flies down the track from there. They're approaching the finish for this storyline and they are putting together a great examination of just who Stephen Strange is and what drives him. This may be the title I look forward to the most each month (although Moon Knight is a close second), and I will be counting the days until next month's book comes out to see how they wrap this up.

Much as I hate to say it, this is a bit of an underwhelming end to this storyline. The creature in the basement has far more impact on the fight than Stephen does, making the victory over the Lord Imperator a little hollow for the hero. As mentioned above, the subplots concerning Stephen's allies are given short-shrift in this book, making those characters seem far less important than they had been throughout the rest of the storyline. On the plus side, Chris Bachalo's rendering of the creature in the basement is otherworldly and creepy, and the dialogue from Jason Aaron is very well done.

As a set-up for what is to come, this book serves its purpose well. It gives backstory that explains Stephen and Mordo's relationship, explains what his happening to magic, and resets the supporting cast, giving Zelma new purpose and bringing Wong back to Bleecker Street after his time at the Temple of the Secret Defenders.

For a book outside the "mainstream" Marvel Universe of mega-crossovers and Deadpool guest appearances, this one is incredibly satisfying, and I'm more impressed by this title month after month. Jeff Lemire continues to work the "is Knight insane or not" angle masterfully, giving glimpses that either side of the argument might be the right answer, and Greg Smallwood's art is appropriately dark and foreboding, mirroring the sense of despair that Mr. Knight and his fellow escapees are feeling. Dialogue is kept to a minimum, as Lemire lets Smallwood's pencils tell the story, but what is spoken, particularly from Khonshu, propels the story forward nicely. Lastly, the gorgeous cover, showing an embracing Marc and Marlene, is worth the price of the book alone.

The art in this issue is fabulous, with Greg Smallwood doing his usual stellar job while being joined by Wilfredo Torres, Francesco Francavilla, and James Stokoe, each of whom handled a different piece of Marc's personality in his own style. The ending of the story seemingly comes from out of nowhere, but it does keep in line with the running theme of whether or not Marc is insane, as it seems to indicate that bit of business is not completely resolved. I'm excited to see where the next storyline goes, as having Marc and Marlene in Hollywood could be just as weird and wild as their trip through Khonshu's induced madness.

It's not a good sign for a book when the supporting characters are more compelling and their stories more interesting than those of the title character. In addition, it's just too hard to root for Vader, because he's the bad guy in the universe (and is only sympathetic in hindsight from the events at the end of "Return of the Jedi'). This may be my last story arc with the title, as other books, including the main Star Wars book, are holding my interest far better than this one.

The triumph of Vader is inevitable, and as such, the story loses a little of its dramatic tension, particularly knowing there are only three issues to go. This is an OK issue, nothing standing out as spectacular, as Kieron Gillen grinds his way to the end of his story.

Visually, the book is a delight, as Salvador Larroca nails the images of Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, and Natalie Portman, and while I applaud Kieron Gillen's use of continuity (even from the abomination that is the prequel trilogy), this kind of issue is out of place in a soon-to-be-ending series. It ground the momentum to a halt by spending half the book in Vader's memories and not moving things forward all that far, and while I hope there is a hell of an ending in store, my enthusiasm for reaching it has been greatly dulled by this issue.