New Adventures With The Tenth Doctor#12- Fountains of Forever Part 2

 

While reading this issue I was struck by the theme of opposites. Everywhere I look I am finding them. The most glaring example is the story as a whole compared to the previous issue. The comic before this severely underwhelmed me. Everything about it fell flat. The relationship between Gabby and Cindy was awkward and overdramatic. The Doctor and Cleo felt like they were forced toget

her. Nothing really grabbed me and I had to keep slogging through to the end. That’s where things finally started shaping up.

 

Or rather, one specific character suddenly took a different shape.

 

This issue was the exact opposite. From the very first page it’s off and running. Nick Abadzis gives us a fast and fun story that more than makes up for any previous short comings. It all starts with the Doctor's retro regeneration. The fountain of youth device doesn’t work as expected on a Time Lord and for a brief moment the 9th Doctor is the star of this 10th Doctor adventure. It lasts for just a few panels before the effects are reversed, but it was great to see nonetheless. The little touches like that are why comic books can sometimes exceed the limitations of television. There aren’t contracts and schedules to be worked out. If the story calls for the 9th Doctor for a few panels, it’s easy to make it happen.

 

Some of the characterizations that I struggled with before have even managed to turn themselves around. Cleo went from being an irritant and nuisance to a central character that has proven herself to be more than just a thug. Though working with Erik Ulfricksson, who appears to be one of the bad guys, she isn’t his mindless servant and in fact stands up to him. There are some intriguing things going on with the pair that we aren’t privy to yet.

 

Still on the theme of opposites, there is an enjoyable dichotomy between Cleo and Dorothy. The mercenary seems to have had a hard life. When faced with it, she isn’t interested in the fountain of youth, stealing the device was just a job. After being hit by energy feedback from the artifact, the scaring on her face is healed. Instead of being happy, she is very upset. Cleo had been using the disfigurement as a constant reminder about not trusting the wrong people. Dorothy Bell on the other hand has everything anyone could ever want in life. Fame, fortune, adoration, awards. She has beensearching for the device for years hoping it will slow down or perhaps turn back the clock on her aging and increasingly fragile body. The same energy feedback that healed Cleo left

Dorothy in a coma like state.

 

And from deep within my dreamless slumber, a sleep like death, I heard your voice. You called to me.

 

As with all good Doctor Who stories there is more going on than we first suspect. This isn’t just a story about a stolen artifact. What about the aliens that made it? We will find out more about them next issue.