No, I’m not pining over a fictional character—you are!
Creative Staff:
Story: George Mann (Although Robbie Morrison was listed in the solicitation)
Art: Mariano Laclaustra (Although Rachael Stott was listed in the solicitation)
Colors: Carlos Cabrera with Thiago Ribeiro (Although Ivan Nunes was listed in the solicitation)
Letters: Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
What They Say:
ALL-NEW STORY ARC BEGINS! In the wake of Clara’s exit, the Doctor is flying solo – and finding just as much trouble, danger, and cosmic wonder as when Ms. Oswald was around!
PLUS! A NEW comics companion for the Twelfth Doctor? Find out here! All this, and the new Sonic Screwdriver makes its debut!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Before I get to the review, permit to get something off my chest:
I WANT CLARA BACK!
I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO OR WHO YOU HAVE TO KILL, BUT I WANT MY CLARA AND I’M GOING HOLD MY BREATH UNTIL I PASS OUT UNLESS YOU GET HER!
There, I feel better.
Despite the glaring flaw of not having Clara, this was a fun issue and a good setup for the new companion. The Doctor decides to go on an intergalactic musical tour and travels to The Twist: a Moebius Strip-shaped deep-space human colony in the 40th Century. There he attends a punk concert and waits backstage to talk to the bassist, Hattie. While they discuss rock n’ roll, a man runs past, being chased by a Stormtrooper in black armor. Obviously, the Doctor must investigate, so he runs off with Hattie trailing behind him because he neglected to return her bass.
The man on the run’s name is Jakob, and he stands accused of killing a local councilor, Idra Panatar. He maintains his innocence, claiming that some feral creature tore her apart. The Doctor, Hattie, and Jakob travel to the scene of the crime where they discover a secret room where Panatar was monitoring the activities of these feral, wolflike creatures. The question becomes was she helping keep them secret, or was she preparing to expose them?
To find the answer, the three go to Central Power Park, the energy hub of the entire Twist. There, bioelectric trees connect to the power network, radiating wireless power to the entire colony. Unfortunately, the time they took discussing the power situation allowed the police to catch up to them. The group manages to escape, but end up in an even more dangerous situation.
One of my favorite aspects of Capaldi’s Doctor is how punk rock he acts. Considering how punk rock Capaldi acted in his life, this may not be such a surprise, but it separates him nicely from the other Doctors. Plus, punk rock, like bowties, is just plain cool.
Like punk rock, this comic immediately grabs your attention. The art is slick and almost magazine-quality. The colors especially create this effect. The palette is deep and multi-hued and possesses a quality that I don’t necessary have the vocabulary to express. All I can say is, it’s slick.
The same goes for the line and ink work. Although Rachel Stott remains one of my favorite Who artists, Mariano Laclaustra steps up to the plate and hits a homerun. His style is energetic without getting complicated, and he represents the chase between the Doctor and Hattie and Jakob in a very clever way.
Although I was half-kidding about missing Clara, Hattie looks to be a good companion. She’s tough, she’s smart, and she clearly won’t take any guff from any Time Lords. She’s also just as punk rock as the Doctor—which is saying something. Even though we’ve only got one issue of them together, I like the chemistry between the two characters and I look forward to seeing it develop.
I do wonder if the Doctor simply forgot he had her bass or if he planned on making her his next companion all along. With the Doctor, acts that seem like accidents are typically purposeful, but the Doctor traditionally doesn’t seek out companions. If he did seek out Hattie then that will add another interesting wrinkle to their dynamic.
In Summary:
Now that she’s not traipsing around the cosmos with the Doctor, maybe Clara and I can finally settle down. A man can hope, can’t he? Anyway, Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor 2.6 is a solid start to a new storyline and new companion. The story immediately catches your attention and the writing and art are both A+ work. I think we’re in for quite a ride here. Dr. Josh gives this an….
Grade: A
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Titan Comics
Release Date: May 25th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
