Thirteenth Doctor Issue #0 - The Many Lives of Doctor Who (Titan Comics)

Written by Richard Dinnick

Artwork by Mariano Laclaustra, Giorgia Sposito, Brian Williamson, Arianna Florean, Claudia Ianniciello, Iolanda Zanfardino, Neil Edwards, Pasquale Qualano, Rachael Stott

Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: Titan Comics

Released: 9th October 2018
 

Available from Amazon UK

We have a new series of Doctor Who, and a brand new Doctor.  With that comes a brand new series of comics as well.  Soon she will be the star of the Doctor Who Magazine strip, as the Twelfth reign comes to an end.  She is also launching as the star of her very own comic book range by Titan Comics, the current license holder of Doctor Who comics (beyond the aforementioned DWM strip).  Titan wanted to launch their new line with some build up.  Their first foray was the Road to the Thirteenth Doctor mini-series.  That was basically three one-offs that told a story of the Tenth, Eleventh, and then Twelfth Doctors, supposedly leading up the new range.  But really they were just random adventures that could fit anywhere, with the actual Thirteenth Doctor teases thrown in at the end...and those were all essentially the same. See the Doctor in the middle of a TV episode, some kind of glowing beam of light with a hand reaching out would appear...and that was it.  It didn't really leave me anticipating the Thirteenth Doctor's arrival, because it didn't really feel like it was trying to build to her. Clearly a part of her story arc is getting teased, but in the most unsubstantial way I can't claim to care.  

Well now we have what is being dubbed "Issue 0" of the Thirteenth Doctor line, and it is a definite step up from the Road To... comics. The Many Lives of Doctor Who essentially takes place during the Twelfth Doctor's regeneration into Thirteen, with the Doctor continuing to speak to his future self inside their own head, and as he does so we see a different adventure for each previous incarnation of the Doctor.  Unlike that Road mini-series, this entire issue feels like an actual build towards this new Doctor.  Legally, they can't unveil too much of the new Doctor until after her first episode airs on October 7th, they can show visual glimpses, maybe a word or two, but they can't give her a true full comic book adventure until she has had her first true on-screen launch. So they build to her.  And unlike that mini-series, this one really feels like the beginning of a new era.  

Not every small adventure is great, but they each capture some essence of each incarnation of the Doctor.  And each adventure tries to capture what makes the Doctors all so similar.  That is what it is about, the Doctor goes through many different lives, but there is a through-line.  It's packed with references and callbacks and classic lines rehashed...but it is full of love.  Sometimes when I see these classic lines regurgitated I roll my eyes.  This time it felt very much about regeneration, so revisiting all those lines from regeneration scenes feels appropriate.  

The final page is really what it is all about, it shows the Thirteenth Doctor in her full costume, from behind, looking at a beautiful sunset on some planet somewhere...as the Twelfth Doctor in her head toasts the new Doctor and her continued adventures.  It leaves me excited to continue on, to see her have some adventures like all the previous Doctors.  

This isn't a new idea, a comic book that is essentially a collection of short comics for each Doctor.  It's happened in the past a lot.  But this is one of the better books to attempt it.  I certainly enjoyed reading this far more than  The Forgotten.  And it accomplishes its goal.  It got me excited for the new Doctor and her new adventures, both on TV and on the comic pages.