Review: Doctor Who – The Thirteenth Doctor Season 2 #1
After much toing and froing, following Peter Capaldi’s regeneration, the Doctor was given more than the usual face lift. From there we where introduced to Jodie Whitaker as the time travelling Doctor along with a new cast of companions. The following season got a mix of reviews, to say the least, with comments ranging from too much education and not enough entertainment and with extra cast members to contend with, stories could be watered down in places. Thing is, ever iteration of the Doctor has taken time to find their feet, so for a me a level of “wait and see” has prevailed.
Therefore it is a tad worrying that Titan Comics doesn’t share my open minded-ness; why else would they partner up thirteen with the possibly most popular Doctor of the recent generation, David Tennant as part of their season two opener? Not only that, they mine one of the best episodes of his run, harking back to Blink. This issue sees the Doctor and her pals off to crash Woodstock. As ever, the TARDIS has a mind of her own and deposits the gang in London in the 1960’s. From there the Doctor fathoms that she must be there for a reason and sets about tracking her/himself and Martha, by splitting the group up, to determine why the TARDIS wanted them there.
Recent Black Widow alumni, Jody Houser, is the writer of the book who does well in this introduction issue. Houser has Whitaker’s Doctor down well, with dialogue and tone set at the right level. The rest of the gang are less fleshed out, though I don’t seem to recall Ryan being so well adjusted to call Graham Grandad a lot. The character that comes across the best here, is actually Martha; her lovelorn, unrequited feelings for her Doctor are painfully on show, something that the future Doctor finally realises. Speaking of Doctor’s, Tennant’s version is loosely played, citing some script elements from the show in which this adventure is set, just to make sure you get it!
The art is provided by Roberta Ingranata whose art you may have seen in the recent Witchblade book. There Ingranata is able to really flex her creative muscles, creating a whole new look and vibe for the book,. Here, whilst this element of creativity may be dampened by working on licensed products, the quality, at least overall, doesn’t suffer. Ingranata is probably not going to win any awards for drawing likenesses of character, but she does admirably with Whitaker and just about well enough for the rest so you know who is who. This not quite them style, ironically, mirrors the lack of any real purpose for the companions in the story, at least so far. The colors are supplied by Enrica Angiolini, with flattening by Shari Chankhamma, The pair have a range of environments to have fun with, from spooky houses to the TARDIS interior and they certainly apply gusto in their efforts. I do wish, however, they had picked a better pattern and style for Martha’s dress. Finally Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Sara Hedricks round off the creative team by providing letters in way that doesn’t impact the art, seeing as generally speaking, the tenth and thirteenth Doctor both like a chat or a good explanation every now and again.
I have never really bought into the comic adventures of the Doctor, not when he was a Marvel book for a while or when he had his own monthly magazine out in the 80’s (the Peter Davison years). I don’t know why that would be the case. Intellectually I know that the comic can show more aliens or special effects than the show, but there seems something special about watching Doctor Who. So, even though this book is not going to replace or even be a welcome addition to the show for me , I have to applaud those involved for keeping their faith and producing a comic that maintains the current incarnations feel and vibe.
Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors – 3.5 Stars
Overall – 3.5 Stars
Written by; Jody Houser
Art by; Roberta Ingranata
Falts & Colors by; Shari Chankhamma and Enrica Agiolini
Letters by; Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Sara Hedricks
Published by, Titan Comics
Author Profile
- 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
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