Advance Review: Doctor Who - Once Upon a Time Lord GN

With this being the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, it seems fitting that Titan Comics pull out all the stops and look to a familiar face to kick off the celebrations. No, not Dan Slott, familiar to some; I am talking about the fan favourite David Tennent Doctor returning with Martha for an untold story of the living legend.

Poor Martha; its no easy being an assistant to the Doctor. Always in danger, always running around, always living in the shell of unrequitedness. Very few times does Martha actually end up being the damsel in distress; this time then is that time. Captured by the mysterious Pyromeths, her only hope to to weave a tale of wonder, a tale of a quest. Who better to usr as focal element than the lonely wander through space and time, who can feel the turn of the universe!

Having Dan Slott on this special graphic novel is something of a win for Titan Comics. Admittedly, it could be said that with the End of the Multiverse and another Superior Spider-Man just around the corner that Slott is covering that which has gone before. An interesting thought perhaps, but there are elements of this book, other than the recurring characters, that you may have seen before. Depending on your point of view you will either love these parts or hate them. For me, I am feeling nostalgic, so I am going to enjoy the writing for what it is; a summation of everything that will love about, not just this Doctor, but the Tenth Doctor and of course Martha. Slott captures the fun of that season, touching on the relationship between the Doctor and Martha without missing a beat from the show.

Artiss Christopher Jones and Matthew Dow Smith (hands up if you just read Smith and Jones a hark back Martha’s first appearance?) provide a one / two punch when it comes to the visuals for the book. I am assuming that Jones is up first, with the bookends with Smith handling the “storytelling” of Martha. With that in mind, Jones lines are smooth with likenesses across more than one Doctor and an adventuring of assistants are well covered. Smith on hand delivers a very heavy style that eschews the traditional air of tie-in book and goes for a more direct, action-oriented intimation. With two artists, comes two colorist. Each, Charlie Kirchoff and Mariane Gusmáo fit their respective artists well. Kirchoff’s colors are smooth whereas Gusmáo’s are heavy to compete with equally heavy inks. Given the main thrust of the story and its modus operandi requires a lot of words. Good thing that Richard Starking’s of Comicraft is on hand to deliver an easily readable font, that doesn’t detract from the art or the storytelling.

Slott, Kirchoff and Starking’s are joined by artist Mike Collins in short story featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose. Collins is of the “likeness uber alles” type of artist, at least facially, though some of the poses look a tad wonky; it must be all that running that goes on in the show.

Titan Comic have been quietly going about their business with a variety of tie-ins and the fantastic Hard Case Crime imprint. Its good to see in this big years for the Doctor, that Titan have not forgotten their existing fans, delivering a book worthy of the trials and tribulations of the last of the Time Lords!

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars

Overall – 4 Stars

Written by; Dan Slott
Art by; Christopher Jones & Matthew Dow Smith
Colors by; Charlie Kirchoff & Mariane Gusmáo
Letters by; Richard Starking’s of Comicraft
Published by; Titan Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network