03rd Aug2017

‘Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #3.7’ Review

by Dean Fuller

Written by Nick Abadzis | Art by Giorgia Sposito, Iolanda Zanfardino | Published by Titan Comics

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Last issue had that nice, all over the place kind of feel, which suits The Doctor perfectly. We had all sorts of little things going on, such as a cameo from a certain future incarnation of The Doctor with a warning to deliver, time anomalies with the TARDIS (cosmic engine trouble essentially), and two disgruntled companions in Cindy and Gabby being dropped off in 2009 London and told to relax. Yeah, right. Gabby had a lot going on last issue, what with her increasing disillusionment with The Doctor and , oh yes, the small matter of her starting to leak time energy. These two things do not a happy Gabby make.

We kick off this issue with The Doctor on the hunt for some tech to help him try and pinpoint the energy leak and perhaps the cause. He meets up with some tech dealers he knows of old on the Mechma Onzlo III station and they try to find something of use. Back to 2009 Willesden, and Gabby is leaking time energy all over the place, all while channeling information she shouldn’t know, and warning of people trying to gain access to the house. Well someone does gain access to the house, but not only is it a friendly face, it’s a fellow companion. Gabby and Cindy, meet Sarah Jane Smith.

Sarah Jane’s conversation with Cindy, with Gabby passing out, gives you an idea of what it is like to live in The Doctor’s world. Sarah Jane tells Cindy they are in 2009, but guesses Cindy and Gabby are from the future. Cindy tells her they were in 2016, but it may now be 2017 as they made some stops along the way to where they are now. The Doctor had asked Sarah Jane to look in on them, and she tells Cindy of her past as one of The Doctor’s longest serving companions. Let’s face it, she’s a bit of a legend. Only Sarah Jane could understand when Cindy breaks down sobbing that she has 500 daughters and is her own Super-Great Grandmother, after the events in Ancient China. Emotional support isn’t really The Doctor’s strong suit.

Fiddling with techie things, however, most certainly is. The Doctor gets the piece of equipment he needs, a sort of sentient talking computer he names Marcie, and off he goes again. The TARDIS has curiously gained some scribbles all over it which we assume are The Doctor’s doing, though he seems a little unsure himself, and they bear a very strong resemblance to the doodles in Gabby’s notebook back on Earth. But how could she do them? Hmm….And what’s going on with the visions Gabby is having of Sutekh? Dream? Insights? Time will tell. As confused as Gabby is, she’s more concerned with meeting Sarah Jane for the first time. Like I said, legend. The Doctor, meanwhile, has made a discovery.

Funny issue in many ways, a reasonable amount of stuff happened but it all seemed a little disjointed, it didn’t really flow as it should have. The highlight was probably the return of Sarah Jane Smith, and her sharing of stories with Cindy and Gabby. It was like an ex-girlfriend sharing stuff with the current girlfriend. Nice dialogue and interplay. Lots of teasing about future happenings with Sutekh and Noobis too. The art by Giorgia Sposito and Iolanda Zanfardino (great scrabble scores there) was fine, but a little flat. Reasonable pacing, always nice clean lines, but the art never really jumps off the page in ways I would like.

This book is always consistent, let’s add a bit more pizzazz to proceedings and we’ll all be even happier.

*** 3/5

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #3.7 is out now from Titan Comics.

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