Written by Robbie Morrison
Art by Daniel Indro and Color by Slamet Mujiono
Covers by Verity Glass and AJ
Published by Titan Comics
Any Whovian worth their weight in sonic screwdrivers will be able to tell you their favorite Doctor. Telling them that their favorite Doctor is being resurrected, in any form, will send their TARDIS-loving minds spinning. Titan Comics has done just that, with their latest comic series featuring the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Doctors, as well as new adventures for the newest Twelfth Doctor.
The beauty of these comic books is the fact that the writers take into account the speech patterns of the actors who portrayed the various Doctors, effectively making it easy for fans to read the dialogue in the given Doctor’s voice. Writer Robbie Morrison handles that task deftly in this issue, featuring the likeness of actor David Tennant, whose prose tends to lean towards “wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey”. A slightly tougher character, however, is new American companion Gabby, whose speech idiosyncrasies tend to fluctuate between American and British English.
The art in this particular issue by Daniel Indro is more of a gritty nature and has a difficult time really capturing the essence of the Tenth Doctor’s features. Indro’s sketchy drawing style tends to give the Doctor a more gruff appearance, while still allowing companion Gabby a feminine softness of which she is deserving. Tennant fans may feel slightly under served in his character’s treatment on the page. The cover art by Verity Glass does a better job at it,
with the alternate cover featuring an actual photograph of Tennant; covers are a tougher task, considering the fact that David Tennant’s face is featured in the issue marker in the upper corner.
While this issue picks up in the middle of a storyline, Titan does an amazing job at providing a one-page recap at the beginning of each issue. It’s enough that the new reader is not put off by the lack of knowledge of prior happenings in the series, and the continual reader is reminded of what they’ve already experienced without having to reread their past issues to continue the flow of the story. This particular series features a Whovian baddie favorite: the Weeping Angels. This is where Indro’s artistic style shines, giving the Angels texture that lends to their terrifying visages. The Angels are hunting on the battlegrounds of World War I, sending various soldiers into the past while feeding on their temporal energies left behind. The Doctor mentions how the warfront is the perfect hunting ground for the Angels, considering most of the lost soldiers would be pronounced as killed in action anyhow.
Doctor Who fans are well served to delve into the new series of comics as an expansion of the ever growing fandom. It allows for revisiting old favorite Doctors while providing for new adventures with unfamiliar but intriguing new companions.