‘Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #1’ Review
Written by Robbie Morrison | Art by Dave Taylor | Published by Titan Comics
After reviewing Wytches #1 last week, I got an email from Nerdly editor Phil Wheat along the lines off “how would you like to review Titan Comics stuff for me?”. Eventually I calmed down enough to reply, and here I am reviewing a much looked forward to issue of Doctor Who. More importantly, the first issue for Peter Capaldi’s incarnation.
The story starts with the Doctor and Clara going off to the frozen planet of Isen VI so she can learn to ski and he can sit inside and drink Bovril. However, when they there they find the Isen VI is now a tropical jungle, terraformed by the filthy rich Kano Dollar to impress his wife-to-be and off course, people in power for as yet unknown reasons. But it soon transpires that what’s behind the terraforming is a bit more sinister that thought, and that the Doctor was lured in by some strange signals only the TARDIS could pick up…
I don’t think anyone would envy the task of turning one of the most loved sci-fi shows into a comic book, but Robbie Morrison does a terrific job of it. The mannerisms of the relatively new Doctor have been translated brilliantly into print; in particular the habit of stating ‘observation’, or ‘question/answer’, and his incredible lack of tact. The artwork from Dave Taylor is beautiful too, and together make a story that could easily belong on the screen this Saturday night.
A couple of observations though. Comic book Clara kind of weaves in and out of her on screen persona which is a little disappointing given she’s been a character for longer. There’s parts she seems kind of wooden, which is a strange thing to describe a character printed on paper but bear with me, but other parts where she’s right on the money, like when confronting the Skunkeys who took her ski hat. I also think that the copyright and dollar signs used to illustrate on a leaf that the jungle is man-made is a bit cheesy, even for Doctor Who and especially when something like using the sonic to analyse the leaves is an alternative.
Still, despite that it’s definitely a pleasing read that’ll bring a smile to your face and leaves you wanting more. Obviously a must have for Doctor Who fans, either of the previous comics or the series, definitely something I’ll be following.
Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #1 is released tomorrow, courtesy of Titan Comics.
