New Adventures With The Eleventh Doctor #15 - The Comfort Of The Good (Part Two)Bookmark and Share

Tuesday, 5 January 2016 - Reviewed by Martin Hudecek
DOCTOR WHO: ELEVENTH DOCTOR  #15  (Credit: Titan)

Writers - Al Ewing + Rob Williams

Artist - Simon Fraser

Colorist - Gary Caldwell

Letterer - Richard Starkings + Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt

Editor  - Andrew James

Assistant Editor - Kirsten Murray

Designer - Rob Farmer

Humour Strip - Marc Ellerby

Released August 12th 2015 - Titan Comics

Events that involved the very first meeting of the Doctor and Alice are suddenly happening all over again and the solution to this dilemma is not immediately forthcoming. Having no access to his beloved TARDIS also makes the Doctor's plan of action somewhat fraught. But a bit of determination and lateral thinking go a long way, and having a further two assistants to call upon (who have literally become more than the sum of their parts) will turn out to be crucial. The Time Lord realises he must take responsibility for his past actions, once and for all. Will the plan he devises work though?

 

Themes and characterisation are the order of the day here, with the story and plot really not being terribly important in terms of what the creative team are trying to accomplish. And this is fine. This closing second part functions as a nice 'coda' after a series finale, something that is rarely done with televisual form of Doctor Who.

As I have reiterated many times Alice is the core companion of this run of comic- or to put it another way the 'heart and soul' of these adventures. Her belief in the Doctor, as much as her own unique skillset proves vital when all appears to be giving way to chaos and agents of destruction. Just as the Doctor needs someone by his side, so do the people that end up with him need his unique abilities and complex persona(s) to give them some proper progression in their lives.

 

It is also good. that as in Part One of this story there is far more significant development for Jones and Arc, whether we count them as one entity or two. It is a brave move by Ewing and Williams to have such a non-communicative and barely humanoid third companion as ARC and they also know when to quit while ahead so that he does not become an impediment for telling certain kinds of stories.

As much as I like K9, and enjoy a good number of the stories to feature the dog-shaped computer genius, there is little objective dispute that he often made things too easy for the protagonists. Thus having an especially powerful form of Jones/ARC would only push this problem to the forefront in any future stories. So a decisive but also poetic solution is achieved in this story's narrative.

All the same, there are none of the mistakes made with the sadly catastrophic Kameleon character that is often forgotten when fans look back at the Peter Davison era. Many issues with the Master's 'on-off' servant were owing to ambition far exceeding resources, but there was precious little characterisation as well. I feel that in a number of months ARC has certainly been pulled off to a good level. But now is the time for either a traditional Doctor and one companion pairing, or finding someone very different to spark off Alice, who may not necessarily be her kind of person.

 

Jones does in many ways come full circle this issue, but having had the 'trip of a lifetime' and then some - to put it mildly - and now being ready to make his mark in pop culture in Western society. Even more pleasing is the chance to finally see the real grandmother of Alice and without needing flashbacks, albeit at a time when she is herself youthful and attending a gig featuring Jones. This is a great example of the writers being on song as they tie one character's emotional journey to another.

Less positively, I did get frustrated over the immediate backtracking whereby the mysterious Time Lady was no such being, but just another temporal 'crossing  of wires', with the Talent Scout doggedly pursuing the TARDIS crew in all of time and space. We had had a really nice hook from the end of issue 14. and it just seems to be all thrown away. The Doctor's mother supposedly showing up in the final official 10th Doctor story was arguably more intrigue and fan-service than substance. Now this time it is similarly shallow but now also a complete red herring.

On the other hand, where the story takes the reader is still quite fascinating. We have a memorable end to the Talent Scout's story in that he is conclusively defeated, and yet in his own way ends up a winner. It did remind me ever so slightly of the far more disturbing end that befell the evil Astrolabus in the classic Sixth Doctor Voyager. Glancing back at my well-thumbed edition of the epic story, I do note just how similar in looks and demeanour Astrolabus is to the Talent Scout's 'default' form. It would not be inconceivable that this groundbreaking effort from Steve Parkhouse and John Ridgway played some part in giving root to the story arc we have had for much of 2014-2015. Doctor Who should never shy from reprising past glories, so long as there is some new observation process involved.

 

So onto a final summary of the these colourful tales for one of the most effervescent incarnations of our favourite Gallifreyan. Matt Smith certainly set a template for any writers wishing to take his Doctor to unchartered territory and with various unprecedented characters to join him. Month in and month out there has been drama, comedy, and even a bit of slapstick. Also good forward planning and authentic portrayals of individuals have also been on display. Year One was a veritable success. Year Two could be even more groundbreaking and impressive.

 

BONUS STORY - Take A Bow Tie:

The humorous one-page effort from Marc Ellerby features the Doctor on an errand or two for significant other River Song. He has his work cut out with Weeping Angels, Cybermen, Silence, and other races that sometimes favour him and sometimes not. He comes through this trial relatively unscathed.. or at least until River has another demanding request for him. The charm of the Doctor is that his greatest obstacles are for us mere Earthlings a great deal easier to overcome. 





FILTER: - ELEVENTH DOCTOR - COMIC