Doctor Strange: The Oath #1 -
Having just read all of the second Runaways series and now this, Brian Vaughan is becoming one of my favorite writers. Great characterization of Strange and his relationship with Wong (the scene where Strange is opening to portal oblivious to Wong's fight is classic). The opening scene with Iron Fist and Arana is also great. Nice art, too. I'm wary of cure for cancer stories because the audience knows ahead of time that nothing can come of it or it would alter the MU's status quo too drastically from the real worlds (yeah, they can have super heroes, but they can't have a cure for cancer or you'd wind up with a world that is no longer "our world but with super heroes". It's the same reason everyone doesn't have unstable molecule clothes and Pym particles), but i think i can get past that. It'd be a shame to lose Wong as a supporting character, though.

Ant-Man #1 -
This could be good, too. Kirkman wrote the fun Marvel Team-Up trades that i enjoyed (except for the third one, but that's because it's an alternate future story), so i expect this'll be a cute/fun story as well. Shrinking super powers are never very exciting but the twist this time is that Ant Man will be more self-interested than a traditional super hero, which should be good. But despite a lot happening this issue, i think it's too soon to say for sure. The idea of average SHIELD soldiers thinking Nick Fury could be an urban legend is pretty funny.

Beyond #4 -
So they remembered the Limbo thing, which means this story has to take place at some time when Spider-Man was wearing his original costume. I'm enjoying this a lot, but i'm trying to figure out where it's going considering it's issue 4 of 6 already. From the interview i read, the idea was to explore issues that Shooter talked about but never developed in the original Secret Wars. So far it's been pretty much focused at the micro-level with a bunch of characters barely off the transporter and their personal squabbles. The revelation that the Beyonder has been doing this Battleworld concept continuously for a long time is an interesting retcon (hopefully negating Secret Wars II as well as Defalco's cosmic cube debacle), and the idea that Immortus would bargain with the Beyonder by "giving" him the Space Phantom is also an interesting development, but i can't imagine what will come of it. Which is good, i guess, because it means the plot isn't predicatable and the writing is good enough that i'm enjoying it along the way.

Fantastic Four #540 -
This issue really felt like filler. I like the sequence in Civil War #4 better: Sue is not happy with the way things are going, and then Clor or Thone, whichever you prefer, kills Bill Foster, which is the final straw for her. She doesn't fight with Reed about it, but takes off in the night after leaving a note telling him to "fix" it. This issue doesn't really add anything to that but inserts a fight that they have prior to the battle. I think. It's hard to tell exactly because it seems clear that she is leaving here, but she is back in time to go to the big battle in CW4 and then leaves again? Or this takes place after the battle, and then they have the fight, and then she comes back, makes him dinner, etc, and then writes the note and leaves for real this time? It's a confusing sequence. I'll have to check the recent ASM issue to see where that fits in the overall timeline since there is overlap between the titles again. Maybe that will help. In any event i don't feel like Sue and Reed's fight here adds anything to the overall impact of Sue leaving. It was more poignant the other way.

FF: this is what i was talking about. this takes pla ce after the fight in civil war four. so sue comes back and saves that girl and argues with reed. the previous issue also takes place at this time as that issue (and the spider-man issue) had the fight with caps team after they had been captured.

Strange: I knew you would like it. it was quite fun. do not forget that vaughn wrote that great hood mini

i guess i accept that answer, but i think it's a weird thing to do. to have her come back after she has already written the Dear John and left. why would she come back? she packed her stuff and she said her goodbyes. that's just so bizarre. if we hadn't read the spider-man story, we'd have assumed this was her first and only time leaving. which then doesn't give you the info that johnny also left.

I agree with you on several of your points. However, I don't believe she came back to have that argument. She came back to rescue that girl and wound up speaking/arguing with Reed. I think that overall it makes sense that she'd be the one to "break into" the baxter building (or whatever), but it should of been known that reed would know she'd be there. I think, however, that this was just not a very good issue, and was a little repetitive unless you only read FF.