This is one comic where the "new" style fits absolutely perfectly.
Bravo. *Polite applause* Love his expression in the last panel.
And judging by the appearance of the Relran Tree in the fourth panel, it looks like the damage from the staff explosion was limited to the top of the tower. Ergo the spell effects of said explosion should be likewise limited.
"There is a theory that states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened."
- Douglas Adams