‘Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #3.12’ Review
Written by Richard Dinnick | Art by Pasquale Qualano | Published by Titan Comics
I’ve heard a rumour or two that The Twelfth Doctor’s book may not be regenerating for a fourth year. I hope that’s not the case, as I think it’s been one of the stronger titles. Yes, the Twelfth Doctor isn’t the most sympathetic of the various Doctor’s, or the funniest, or the liveliest or….where was I going with this? Oh yes. What he does have though is a steely determination, a hardness to him that is quite refreshing at times. Couple that with good writers like this issue’s Richard Dinnick, and the good Doctor is more than worthy of a monthly book. His TV demise should not be followed by a comic book one. But I digress.
So, ‘A Confusion of Angels’… Richard Dinnick has taken a fanboy concept and turned it into quite the action romp. The Heavenly Hosts are angels, the Weeping Angels are angels, let’s team them up. Throw in a cargo ship drifting in space, crew being murdered left and right and you have a fun read. Want more? Throw in Missy stealing the TARDIS, and The Doctor sent back in time, and Dinnick has pretty much ticked off every box on his page. I do love it when fans write.
We start this issue on board the ship, with the destruction of the Weeping Angel who sent The Doctor into the past. What now? Time to secure the ship. Nardole realises that there seems to be too many of the Heavenly Host, meaning there is an imposter in their midst. Also, that Weeping Angel wasn’t on its lonesome it seems. All this could have been solved quite nicely with the TARDIS of course, but Missy has pinched that and doesn’t seem inclined to play the heroine….or does she? Anyhow, Bill decides to volunteer to crawl through the various ventilation shafts to see what she can turn up. Apart from dust of course, that’s a given.
The most interesting thing Bill finds is The Doctor himself. Or rather, The Doctor in disguise wearing a clown mask. It seems that he was thrown back in time 100 years. Rather than wait to be rescued, he then lives all those years on the planet Sto as something of an activist, maneuvering himself into a position where he ended up working for Max Capricorn, and helping crew the ship they are all currently on. He’s a boy. That’s the extent of the good news. The bad news takes a bit more time. Weeping Angels at large, the TARDIS stolen, Missy on the loose, and the cargo ship now without power and being sucked into the sun. It never rains but it pours…
I love the scenario Dinnick has set up here, and the logic of combining the Angels and the Hosts. Clever. Although I did enjoy the issue, it did seem a little padded at times, with several pages given over to running this way and that. Cue Benny Hill music. A concession to pacing I guess. The overall story arc continued nicely overall, and it is set up nicely for the final part next issue. The art, by Qualano, grew on me. I was a little unsure at first, with deceptively simple lines and very conventional panels. The more I looked though, the more I appreciated the pacing and layouts, and the work that went into each page. Sneaky good, as they say across the pond.
If Richard Dinnick stays on this book, Titan would be mad not to renew it. His ideas and scripts are up there with the best, and his use of Who lore a lot of fun. Always a top read, long may it continue.
***½ 3.5/5
