Writer: Robbie Morrison
Artist :  Ronilson Freire
Colourist: Slamet Mujiono
Lettering: Richard Starkings + Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt

Humour Strip: Colin Bell + Neil Slorance

Editor: Andrew James
Assistant Editors: Gabriela Houston + Jessica Burton
Designer: Rob Farmer

Released: December 2nd 2015, Titan Comics

A fireman that goes by the name of Sam has had a disastrous time of things recently, with most of his colleagues and friends either dead or reduced to zombies by the maniacal Hyperion race. But perhaps there is a turn of the tide, as he has got to know a curious fellow called 'The Doctor', and a young lady who perhaps would be someone he would like as a friend if things resembled any kind of normal order.

As of present, he and his new colleagues in averting disaster are trying desperately to  foil the nefarious Hyperion master plan once and for all. The Earth's sun may be facing a significantly truncated lifespan, as the alien invaders wish to harness its power so they continue to exist, and continue to spread their ghastly legacy across the galaxies.

But an unexpected friend may be able to offer some crucial insight into what weaknesses there are with this twisted agenda. A bit of trust, and not taking a walking inferno at face value could be the key to the salvation of humanity.

A slight change in the creative line-up is probably the most noteworthy aspect of this penultimate instalment. Rob Williams continues to tell a reasonably exciting and suspenseful yarn, and his characterisations of do-gooders, ordinary people, villains, and cowards are once again perfectly serviceable. We have a notable follow up to the prologue of Part One, in that the remarkable astronaut Major Weir is not exactly dead anymore, but neither is she alive. Instead having been reconstituted into a 'Thrall' by the Hyperions. The Doctor's calmness in recognising she is not a flat-out monster, but a being that can be pointed back in the right direction is touching.

Yet, I do wish that there had been some clarity as to where she was left to recuperate in the TARDIS during the section where the Hyperions try to commandeer the Doctor's ship. All the same, the overall story is in no mood to sit around, and events have now built up to a head such that the ensuing issue will probably be able to execute the climax in a pulsating way, without the need to rush any more explanations.

I personally feel the art takes an overall shift for the better with Ronilson Freire taking on the duties this time round. As stated previously, there is something about Daniel Indro's method that while technically sound does give me an experience that I find a bit chilling, and perhaps more in line with a series like Survivors than Doctor Who.  Freire does perhaps make the mistake of sometimes portraying Clara a bit too loosely in his own style, but I still believed in the basic concept of a fearless and forthright 21st Century school teacher. Kate Stewart does however lack a bit too much of the core attributes, but the character does not appear for all that much in the story, and has a role that counts but not one that defines the overall impact.

As for the overall presentation of the main man, I am more than satisfied, and also enjoy the chance to see a Twelfth Doctor still with plenty of the rough edges in looks and behaviour, which so defined his maiden season on Television.

HUMOUR BONUS STRIP - One! Two! Three! Four! To Doomsday.

Although this was delayed one issue, it was more than worth the wait as we are again treated to a two page extravaganza of wit and Doctor Who lore. Clara may be able to stand up and teach a class of unpredictable children, but crooning on stage for some less-than-beautiful aliens is not. Thus she resorts to desperate - but ingenious - measures. There has been an overlapping arc of 'Battle of the Stars', but this story would appear to be wrapping proceedings up now. However, the title of the next story may hint at some kind of epilogue.. 

Writer: Robbie Morrison
Artist: Daniel Indro
Colorist: Slamet Mujiono

Letterer: Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
Editor: Andrew James
Assistant Editor: Kirsten Murray
Designer: Rob Farmer

 

Published October 14th 2015, Titan Comics

"Only some of us made it down here, the majority were taken captive. The Hyperions have erected firewalls throughout the country, isolating entire cities and regions. The heat they generate is incredible. Get too close and you're incinerated immediately."

- Kate Lethbridge Stewart updating the Doctor and Clara.

'Out of the frying pan and into the fire' would sum up the troubles that the Twelfth Doctor and Clara must contend with, as this four-part story continues. It becomes clear just how much Earth has taken a toll from the vicious Hyperion race, and the Doctor must stress how the best form of defence is attack. UNIT does still have a presence, but they will rely on the Doctor's knowledge of this unique species. The Hyperion menace was such that it forced (the normally self-contained) Time Lords into an alliance with other races, including the Zygons, for the good of the wider cosmos and assorted time lines.

The guest characters in this story are somewhat unremarkable. We have the fire-fighter hero Sam who was introduced last time in a rather confusing manner. Although likeable, Sam seems rather generic, and lacks the wit that most proper companions of the Doctors pride themselves in. This is demonstrated in his half-believing the Doctor's casual 'order' of beheading the obnoxious politician Martyn Grove. Mr Grove believes with the main governmental cabinet gone, he should assume power, and also is trying to suggest a peaceful resolution with the Hyperions.

And of course such politicians are nothing new to the Who mythos. We had plenty of these self-serving figures during the Jon Pertwee TV era, by and large portrayed in broad comedic brushstrokes. Although Capaldi's portrayal has mellowed in his most recent series, this adventure was designed to be set between the 2014 and 2015 TV runs. As such it does hark back to the grouchy and dismissive Doctor we encountered along with a bewildered Ms Oswald. This persona indeed reminds one especially of the Third Doctor when in a bad mood with beings who cannot conceive half of his knowledge and experiences.

The Hyperions make a good combination of intelligent alien, and scary monster, however. They even have a slightly hyperbolic manner of speaking to one another. When one of them claims to have "immolated" our heroes, he is told "anything less would have resulted in [his] own execution". But soon enough it is clear the Doctor is unscathed, and yet there is no such final reprimand for Zraa-Korr.

All the same, these walking infernos are clearly a supremely powerful force. The effect of their attack on the UK and its capital is very reminiscent of The Dalek Invasion of Earth. And we are informed by the seething Doctor, that once Earth and its solar system are sucked dry, then there will be another doomed star system and another. Clearly a force to be reckoned with, this does justifies the Doctor's abruptness. He also has become accustomed to his Earth Presidential powers, which come into play courtesy of "internationally agreed protocols". It is nice to have a little humility, as the Doctor tries to limit power getting to his head. But he still will not discard his edgier persona, when events proceed to take another turn for the worse.

This leads me onto another point. Whilst the Doctor is desperate to save his most beloved planet, and also defeat a menace that long ago lost any positive trait, he has twice in these first two issues seemed blasé about collateral damage. In Issue 12 he used 'self defence' to deal with a slightly unbalanced scavenger, who had up till the invasion been another diligent medical student. The shove the Doctor opted for indirectly doomed that young man to the zombie hordes of the Scorched.  Now in this issue, Clara (inadvertently) disrupts one of the Hyperion slave workers, and that person is blown to fiery smithereens. Just before that death, the Doctor throws a strop over Clara's carelessness, but in the manner of an alarm being triggered, more than anything. Of course, much of the excitement of Doctor Who has been that not everyone gets out alive, but this lack of concern for the individual affected, and simply the wider society smacks of a rather dispassionate TARDIS crew.

I also continue to find some of the art managing to evoke my less rosy memories of The Weeping Angels of Mons, which also had the same writing and art team of Morrison and Indro. Though that multi-parter with the Tenth Doctor delighted many, I myself was left at times stone cold. Whilst appropriate for the subject matter, a lot of the presentation of this new adventure verges on being an eyesore, with harsh character outlines, and a persistent red-brown-purple backdrop. Sometimes, the sizes chosen in a panel make defining features a little bit of an effort too. It  almost would look better in black and white. If taking this style for what it is, the characters are done well enough when looking serious or anxious. Yet ironically their (rare) smiles and optimism just somehow fail to come off as particularly natural.

But overall we do have a decent epic forming. And the dialogue used would work admirably well in an actual TV story, or indeed a Big Finish play. The plot and the premise are difficult to execute poorly, and the need to know how the next two issues will resolve the big events must surely continue to offer some decent interest. It also is good to have such a different tone of story to the preceding one in Las Vegas; even if that one was more satisfying to my tastes. Year One of the Twelfth Doctor comic sequence draws to a close, and does so by reaffirming that a grey-haired near-immortal man still cherishes a planet he was once exiled to, even if his spiky demeanour suggests otherwise.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

A solitary variant cover is included. The new bonus strip of 'One! Two! Three! To Doomsday' must wait at least another issue.

Writer - George Mann
Artist - Emma Vieceli
Colorist - Hi-Fi
Letterer- Richard Starkings + Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt
Editor - Andrew James
Assistant Editors - Jessica Burton & Gabriela Houston
Designer - Rob Farmer
Released January 13th, Titan Comics

After their riveting and most risky escapades on an alien world, the Doctor and Josie have seemingly been able to relax a bit more, and explore the more sedate corners of time and space. Eventually the pair are in a good enough travelling state of mind to afford themselves some Victorian magic theatre. But soon the actual vanishing/reappearing mirror act on stage is revealed to be something far more disturbing. The time travellers must help not only some new friends, but indeed the wider population of Edinburgh, as an ultra confident showman aims to turn every soul into a servile puppet of his. And even the presence of the powerful Spherions cannot be totally escaped, as a make-shift solution is desperately sought..

This is one of the most handsome and confidently arranged comics on the visual front that I have had the pleasure to work my way through, and even outshines the best work on the Ninth and Eleventh Doctor ranges. A lot of detail is packed into each panel, and the character designs are done with the necessary thoroughness, and thus I never lost track of who was who, even with a decent number of players in the unfolding story. Emma Vieceli is a very capable artist, and I can only hope she has many more comic stories up her sleeve in the future. Once again female talent is being harnessed for the Doctor Who universe, and the intended recipients (in fans and the general public) are beneficiaries.

The official cover is full of excitement and colour. But despite it being another stunning way to attract a passer-by's attention, I must point out that its promise of the Doctor and Josie fighting their evil doubles is something which actually was never going to happen, given the scenario, and the rules of the magic mirrors involved.

Once again the Eighth Doctor is an arresting presence. As much as we can hope for, and certainly not expect , some form of TV outings for a strong actor like Paul McGann to feature in, the fact remains he had one of the most assured debut appearances of any Doctor. Therefore half the work is almost done for any given writer. But George Mann still puts a lot into adding that bit more of light and shade to this Doctor and giving him some memorable tasks to do. He shows a certain naivety in going along with the whole theatre/magic tricks scenario as long as he does, but there is always the chance that on some level he is anticipating the problem behind the ultra-perfection facade.

This is a very good outing for Josie as companion, making the most of what we knew before from her opening story, and making her more proactive throughout events than she was in Music of the Spherions. Her joie de vivre for the danger that is around the corner never extends into smugness, and her concern for others never quite erodes the sense that she is a self-sufficient and independent person.

Perhaps the main villain Silversmith is written in broad strokes, but he is still tremendously effervescent in persona, and almost charming. When the real version behind this illusionist is revealed, it is somewhat thought-provoking but also quite sad. There are no monsters as such involved in proceedings - unlike the first two titles in the mini-series - but we have a disturbing collection of assorted head and body parts, that seem to be able to exist purely for the dark designs of Silversmith.

The opener to this miniseries was a nice character piece, but almost a watered down version of The Eleventh Hour in having a localised threat. The second issue was much more grandiose, but had a somewhat predictable resolution. This effort however does well to mix the exciting ideas with a well thought out story which works very comfortably within the one issue format. The decision to make the overall arc tying these issues a bit more explicit is a wise one, and a multitude of questions will draw readers in for the upcoming fourth issue.

Extra Features  - Making Of The Comic (Page One)

With some detailed notes, this example of the composition of a page in the comic proper shows the meticulous care which enables strong underlying foundation, and therefore a very good chance of a strong end product. Titan certainly want to offer value for those who seek out these mini-series, and most likely do so in addition to the regular lines with the last three modern TV Doctors, and this level of insight is commendable.

Written by Nick Abadzis
Art by Rachael Stott and Leonardo Romero
Lettering by Richard Starkings
And Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt
Colorist Hi-Fi
Published August 12, 2015 by Titan Comics

Millennia ago the Gods left the Earth. That’s when the Cult of the Black Triangle formed. Generation after generation its members have waited, keeping both the faith and the secret. Now their time has come. The Gods have returned. But will the cult members get rewarded as they think they should? The Doctor, Cindy and Black Triangle gang are transported up to the alien’s ship where they come face to face with the Seeker, an artificial intelligence whose sole purpose is the destruction of all evidence that the Gods ever existed.

For some reason I thought that this was going to be the last issue in the story arc so I was a little disappointed and also excited when I reached the final page and realized there was still more to come. Here we are four parts in and writer Nick Abadzis has everything clicking along perfectly. There are plenty of characters in this storyline that are new but at this point you feel like you know them and understand their intentions and motives. To keep things fresh he changed the perspective on us for part of this book. A few pages in Cindy takes over the narration.  Set up like she is sending texts to her best friend Gabby back down in New York, she describes the attitudes and actions of the cult members and the Doctor as they argue and fight over what to do next. It works as a segue or montage to help show the passing of time onboard in an interesting way.

The Cult of the Black Triangle members were first convinced that Dorothy Bell was their Goddess incarnate. After that they decide that the being who brought them onto the ship must be their God. But it turns out it isn’t even a living being but a program that searches the universe seeking out all the left over artifacts from when the Gods were prevalent. Once found, it destroys them. As with many other stories, these aliens masqueraded as the Egyptian gods we are so familiar with.

Some of my favourite stories, whether they be comic books, novels or even television episodes, hinge on the “something familiar is actually not what you thought.” Doctor Who has done this so many times that you actually have to stop and think for a moment before you can find an item that hasn’t been twisted in that way. And even though it has been done quite a bit, I still love it.  This story is a take on the Egyptian mythology, that the Gods were actually aliens. A concept that has been done before, notably it formed the entire basis of the movie Stargate and the subsequent spin off TV show Stargate SG-1. The show even gets a mention from one of the characters during this issue. But of course classic Doctor Who fans know the idea goes back a lot further than the early 90’s. The Tom Baker story The Pyramids Of Mars quickly comes to mind with the villainous Sutekh. In many ways this might be a sequel to that story, or at the very least a new chapter. Speaking of new chapters, now that I know that this story isn’t done yet, on to the next one!

Bonus Strip: A Rose By Any Other Name by Rachael Smith

The Doctor is getting fat from eating too much ice cream so Rose The Cat decides he should regenerate to get over his lost love and lose some weight. After a couple of really funny bonus strips this one didn’t do much for me. The plus side is that the previous two were good enough that I don’t automatically dislike them anymore.

ELEVENTH DOCTOR Volume Two - Issue One
Writers - Si Spurrier + Rob Williams
Artist - Simon Fraser
Colourist - Gary Caldwell
Letterer - Richard Starkings 
And Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt

(Abslom Daak created by Steve Moore and Steve Dillon)
Editor - Andrew James
Asistant Editor - Kirsten Murrary
Designer - Rob Farmer

Released September 30th 2015
Titan Comics

This new start - for a slimmed down TARDIS team of the Doctor and Alice  - takes the journey of a long, long lifetime into new playing fields. It also, however, acknowledge the richness of the Doctor's past, and in particular the Time War.

A splendid cover  - with the image of a confident Matt Smith - belies the actual demeanour of his alter-ego for the story itself. The Doctor is firmly on the back-foot and has to try and show some resemblance of self-belief and ability to conjure a plan on the fly. In this case, he really struggles, and can only begin to reconstruct what is the reason for the leaders of the Overcast race to capture him, and declare he faces sentence for his crimes. It is Alice who is able to show more outright heroism - especially given her paucity of experience and knowledge, in comparison to her alien co-traveller.

A previously unseen ally (and from long ago in the Doctor's past) also lends a helping hand or two. Despite being somewhat eccentric, the dedicated Squire shows herself to be more than ready to stand tall in the face of danger.

It will not escape a loyal follower's notice that the unmistakably grey-haired and bearded John Hurt version is also on the front cover. And we do get a fair amount of material with the War Doctor. In the primary flashback he is accompanied by a tiny figure. When questioned by this unknown companion over what he is going to do, he replies "What I Have To", and is grasping a formidable gun with both hands. Further recalls of this deliberately sidelined  - yet long-lived -incarnation are interspersed later on in the story. The ultimate intent is that the current Doctor has a reminder that he is the same man as he always was, and he must take responsibility for what he has done.

But perhaps the writers are trying to make us think of quite an uncertain debate here. The Overcast blame the Doctor, in that he deprived them of the outsiders with powers that gave them so much prosperity. Soon after, they were vulnerable to a much more Malignant visitor to their planet. However, the War Doctor may still have been arguably balancing the scales in the right direction, so as to save the wider universe, and time itself. The specifics are not mentioned here, and may not be in the concluding issue to come, but the Doctor has every right to be a bit flippant when stating how he is in a courtroom just one more time out of a "Bazillion".

Of course, the theme of a fair portion of Matt Smith's tenure - Series' 5 finale and Series 6 in particular - was all about his accountability for actions that left a mark or two on those it directly affected. So, it feels quite natural to pursue this fascinating topic now, after much of Year One concerned itself with Serve You Inc's soullessness, and the resilience of one dogged enemy in particular.

I found the visual aspects of this season opener equivalent to be pretty good. Simon Fraser uses a deliberately gaudy style, that certainly leaves an impression for some time, after readers put their paperback editions down, or exit the reading app they prefer. The artwork consistency is pretty robust, and there are thus no glaring peaks and troughs. Much of the story is set in darkness or shadows, and this suits the rather grim subject matter of a once-bustling civilisation of pioneers now reduced to - effectively - scavengers crammed into a feeble space station complex. There is also a well-done 'symbolic' image of a brace of Doctor regenerations that reminds us of the brilliant Tom Baker cameo in The Day Of The Doctor, and what exactly it may actually be alluding to.

The monster introduced here is known by precisely the same title as the story proper. This creature is a resonant and brilliant example of Doctor Who showcasing creative talent. A truly fertile imagination sparked the TV show, and that aspiration grew manifold in the hearts of viewers and fans, as well as the minds of countless professional contributors, over time. The effect this powerful foe has on the Doctor and his companion is disturbing, yet quite, quite fascinating too.

The icing on the cake, however, is the re-introduction of one of the very best characters to join the Doctor Who universe in the early 1980s.

A man who has done some unspeakable crimes. A man who offered to try and atone for his sins. But still a man whose morals are questionable. 

He obsessed over a prospective girlfriend dying in his arms from a Dalek ray, before even a first date could be granted to them.

He died in a huge explosion. Then he was brought back through time, for yet another showdown with his lifelong nemeses. 

Yes, Abslom Daak is back into the fray, and ready for some visceral mayhem. Everyone had better hold on tight.

EXTRAS:

A humour strip and three alternative covers feature.

New Year. New Who is once more an example of Marc Ellerby wrong-footing readers. It devotes a lengthy set-up to suggest a most critical course of action by the Doctor, where he will re-assert his authority over an adversary or six. (In fact he is dealing with a very domestic problem, which serves to frustrate all three of Amy, Rory and River Song).

Two of the variant covers are done in the humour strip style. One of these is a very sharp parody of the Doctor facing all his enemies, whilst trapped in the TARDIS, by Ellerby.