Eleventh Doctor Graphic Novel Vol 2: Serve You

Writer: Rob Williams

Artists: Boo Cook, Simon Fraser, and Warren Pleece

Colorist: Hi-Fi

Letterer: Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt

Publisher: Titan Comics

Summary: The Eleventh Doctor and his companions–Alice Obiefune (a British library assistant), John Jones (a rock musician similar to David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust era), and ARC (a shape-shifting AI. The letters stand for Autonomous Reasoning Center)–must match wits with ServeYou Inc., the company that created ARC and gave John his stardom.

Review: This was a good continuation, even though I had to reread the previous volume to refresh myself about the companions. The artwork was pretty good, and Williams kept the Bowie references that Jones did in the previous volume to more of a minimum. (I didn’t enjoy that part of his personality.) ARC seemed like Kamelion done correctly. I kind of wish the story had balanced out the companions since there was a crowded TARDIS. It wasn’t one of Titan’s best graphic novels, but it was good. The titular story in the collection was the best part.

Grade: C

Tenth Doctor Graphic Novel Vol 4: The Endless Song (Year Two)

Writer: Nick Abadzis

Artists: Eleonora Carlini, Elena Casagrande, & Leonardo Romero

Colorists: Arianna Flotsam & Claudio “SG” Ianniciello

Letterers: Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt

Publisher: Titan Comics

Summary: The Tenth Doctor and Gabby Gonzalez begin their second year of adventures with three stories: “The Singer Not the Song”, “Cindy, Cleo and the Magic Sketchbook”, and “Medicine Man”.

Story One: The Doctor and Gabby arrive on the Earth Station Presley, A mining platform where humans live a harmonious relationship with gaseous beings called the Shan’tee, which are perceived as living music.

Story Two: Gabby’s friend Cindy and her friend discover a sketchbook that has imprisoned Anubis and Sutekh and are assisted by a familiar person.

Story Three: The Doctor and Gabby are in the Pleistocene Era, attempting to resolve conflict between the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon.

Review: Unlike the previous volumes, this volume has each story assigned to a different artist. I like this better than the previous volume, as it allows the artwork to be easier to follow. Of the three stories, “The Singer” is the best one. The Shan’tee are a cool concept, and I like that for once, humans are actually having a good relationship with an alien race, rather than an antagonistic one. The second story is too fast, and since it ties into a previous story, it feels out of place. The third story is fine, and really doesn’t feel all that special. I didn’t hate it, though.

Grade: (all three stories combined) C

Ninth Doctor Comics V. 1: Weapons of Past Destruction

Writer: Cavan Scott

Artists: Blair Shedd and Rachael Stott

Colorists: Blair Shedd and Anang Setyawan

Letterers: Richard Starkings, Jimmy Betancourt

Publisher: Titan Comics

Summary: The Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack discover Time Lord technology being sold on the intergalactic black market.

Review: The artwork for this comic is great. I especially liked that one of the black market merchants was an octopus. That’s something you don’t see on the TV version that often, so I thought it was cool.

My main problem is the pacing. The black market part of the plot doesn’t happen until halfway through the story. The first part is kind of boring, but it does pick up in the second part.

This was a good story overall, despite its flaws.

Grade: B

Titan Comics Graphic Novel: Empire of the Wolf

Writer: Jody Houser

Artist: Roberta Ingranata

Colorist: Warnia K. Sahadewa

Letterer: Richard Starkings of Comicraft

Publisher: Titan Comics

Summary: The 8th and 11th Doctors both meet Rose Tyler and an alternate version of her called the Empress. They team up to fend off a Sontaran invasion.

Review: When I saw this on Hoopla last year, I knew it would be perfect for reviewing as part of my celebration of the 60th anniversary. I was not expecting an alternate version of Rose, so it was a nice surprise. (Although in hindsight, the title “Empire of the Wolf” should have been a giveaway). Jody Houser is usually a pretty good writer when she’s writing stories with female leads, and she did a good job of writing Rose. Her “Empress” version wasn’t that well-developed.

Roberta Ingranata is a pretty good artist on here as well. I liked the way she depicted the Sontarans.

Overall, this wasn’t the best multi-Doctor story, but I did enjoy it.

Grade: B

Doctor Who: Origins (Titan Comics)

Writer: Jody Houser

Artist: Roberta Ingranata

Colorist: Warnia K. Sahadewa

Letterers: Richard Starking and Jimmy Betancourt

Summary: This story involves the Fugitive Doctor and takes place before her introduction in “Fugitive of the Judoon”. In this story, she and a partner named Taslo are working for The Division, charged with eliminating threats to Gallifrey. But there may be something more to this mission than there seems.

Review: While I have my misgivings about the Timeless Child, I decided to read this comic because I saw it on Hoopla. My biggest problem with the Fugitive Doctor isn’t her origin, it’s the fact that we know so little about her, she’s essentially a blank slate.

The art for this is great. Ingranata continues to be one of the best artists Titan has on its roster, especially when it comes to drawing aliens.

Jody Houser is still a good writer. She kept me interested the whole time, and I liked the Fugitive Doctor’s wit. Taslo was a good partner and pretty much did what Companions are supposed to do.

My main criticism is the pacing. By the second part, it feels like it’s going too fast. I feel like it may have needed another issue. Other than that, I enjoyed it.

Grade: B-

Thirteenth Doctor Comics Vol. 4: Time Out of Mind (Titan Comics)

Writer: Jody Houser

Artists: Roberta Ingranata, Giorgia Sposito, and Valeria Favoccia

Colorist: Enrique Eren Angiolini

Letterers: Richard Starking, Comicraft

Companions: Graham O’Brien, Yazmin Khan, and Ryan Sinclair

Publisher: Titan Comics

Summary: The Doctor and her friends go to an intergalactic fair, but things aren’t what they seem. They’ve had their memories altered, and are imprisoned. But things gt even stranger when they are rescued by…an elf?

Review: I actually saw this on Hoopla not long ago and decided to review it now even though it’s out of order because it’s Christmas-themed. This story is a lot of fun. I like how it starts with neither the Doctor, her companions, nor even the reader knowing what is going on. I like stories like this. It also has a cool twist I didn’t see. My only critique is that not every main character gets a chance to be useful.

If you’re bummed that we never got a Christmas episode during Whittaker’s era, this is worth a read.

Grade: B

Missy: The Master Plan (Titan Comics Graphic Novel)

Writer: Jody Houser

Artist: Roberta Ingranata

Colorist: Enrica Eren Angiolini

Letterer: Richard Starkings

Publisher: Titan Comics

Summary: Set before events in the 12th Doctor’s final season, Missy goes back in time to meet her original incarnation, hoping to break him out of prison.

Review: This story was just plain fun. I loved how the Master and Missy throughout the story, and even though the ending feels rushed, I still enjoyed it. I could actually picture Michelle Gomez and Roger Delgado reading their lines.

Grade: B

Eleventh Doctor Graphic Novel Vol. 1: After Life

Writers: Al Ewing & Rob Williams

Designer: Rob Farmer

Artist: Simon Fraser

Colorist: Gary Caldwell

Letterers: Richard Starkings & Jimmy Betancourt

Companion: Alice Obiefune

Summary: After the events of “The Big Bang”, the Doctor meets Alice Obiefune, an assistant librarian who’s been laid off from her job as an assistant librarian and evicted from her flat, while chasing a rainbow dog. The rainbow dog is a Kharitite, a creature that feeds on negative emotions. After helping the Doctor with the monster, the Doctor shows off the TARDIS, only to discover something’s gone wrong, because it’s upside down on the inside. After fixing that problem, they meet an aging rock musician who’s basically a David Bowie stand-in and is actually an amnesiac alien (because of course David Bowie wouldn’t be human).

Review: This story has a pretty funny start. I can totally buy the 11th Doctor getting distracted and running into a lamppost. He seems like someone who would do that. I liked seeing the TARDIS upside down. The David Bowie stand-in was a tad on the nose. And did we really need that altered version of “Space Oddity”? Alice is a fun companion, and I like that she doesn’t shy from putting people in their place.

The artwork is not bad, but I’ve seen better. The Kharitite looks more comical than anything else. For the most part, I’d say this story is average.

Grade: C

Tenth Doctor Graphic Novel Vol. 3: The Fountains of Forever

Writer: Nick Abadzis

Artists: Elena Casagrande, Eleonora Carlini, Arianna Florean

Letterer: Richard Starkings, Jimmy Betancourt

Publisher: Titan Comics

Companions: Gabby Gonzalez, Cindy Wu

Summary: The Doctor takes Gabby Gonzalez after she receives texts from her friend Cindy Wu, who has been worried about her. Leaving her to reconnect with her friend, The Doctor goes to an auction and discovers an actress who has an artifact that reverses aging. (Note: The graphic novel also collects “Echo” and “Spiral Staircase” , collecting issues 11-15)

Review: As I read more of the Titan Comics version of Doctor Who, I find myself enjoying them more. Gabby is a great companion, but Cindy is annoying. (She becomes a companion later on, which is why I listed her.)

The story takes a great twist and becomes connected to one of my favorite stories, “Pyramids of Mars”. I enjoyed this turn of events, and I’m pleased to know it affects later Titan Comics.

I enjoyed this story a lot.

Grade: A-

Seventh Doctor Graphic Novel Vol. 1: Operation: Volcano

Writer: Andrew Cartmel

Artist: Christopher Jones

Colorist: Marco Lesko

Executive Producer: Ben Aaronovitch

Companion: Ace

Publisher: Titan Comics

Summary: The Seventh Doctor and Ace help the Counter-Measures team investigate an alien encounter in the Australian Outback. The aliens are a race known as the Markarians.

Review: I wasn’t aware that Titan Comics hired people who worked on the show! It was fun to read another story with the Counter-Measures team, especially after having gotten acquainted with them from listening to the first Big Finish collection.

This was an interesting story. The Markarians are unique antagonists, and I liked that for once, they were actually not as evil as they initially seem.

Christopher Jones’s artwork is great. However, I think Ace looks older than she should. In spite of that, I still liked the art, especially the design of the Markarians.

This was a good story, and it was nice to see the Counter-Measures team again.

Grade: A