Stuffed full of courage and nobility.
Creative Staff:
Story: Robbie Morrison
Art: Rachel Stott
Colors: Ivan Nunes
Letters: Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
What They Say:
The shadowy puppetmasters behind the darkness at Ravenscaur are revealed, as the bodycount climbs and the shocking revelations add up! Can the Doctor and Clara, armed with a hundred years of secret history, triumph over the conspiracy and drive out an ancient evil?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
“Clara Oswald and the School of Death” comes to a rousing close in what has turned into one of my favorite storylines so far in Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor. The pacing is excellent, the banter fun and witty, and the adventure is big and bold and very Who.
Last issue the world discovered that the prestigious Ravenscaur Academy was run by the prehistoric Sea Devils. For decades, the Sea Devils have been placing hatchlings into the students and sending them off to become world leaders. They were playing the long game, but thanks to the Doctor’s meddling, they had to step up the timeline and go full invasion. Now it’s up to the Doctor, Clara, and two slacker students to save the UK (and presumably the rest of the world).
Man, this issue zips along. Morrison and Stott never give us a moment to rest, making it easy to get caught up in the action. The issue is also full of wonderful comedic moments, such as the Prime Minister’s speech to the world after it’s revealed he was a Sea Devil all along. I won’t spoil it, but it’s hilarious. The same goes for the Doctor’s new companion, Sonny—a stuffed swordfish he’s been carrying around for two issues now. Sonny ends up saving the day, but at the cost of his life, causing the Doctor to declare that he was the “best companion I ever had.”
What’s great about the Prime Minister’s speech and the Doctor’s silliness is that it never takes away from the story. It works organically with the more action-y parts and provides great characterization and comic relief. The story does a great balancing act of keeping the plot rolling while still making time for character development and fun.
Character serves as the heart of a story. Often a story is made or broken by the audience’s reaction to the protagonist, and what makes Doctor Who such a great series for so many people is the strength of its characters. The Doctor is wonderful—clever and silly and brave, and his companions represent the best of humanity even down to our flaws—the parts that make us oh-so-human. Morrison captures the charm and warmth of the characters through the dialogue, and Rachel Stott captures it through her excellent eye for body language and facial expressions. The success of the emotional beats in the story largely rest on how well the characters sell them. If there exists a discrepancy between what we’re told and what we’re shown, then it takes us out of the story and dilutes, if not destroys, our emotional reaction to a scene. Stott’s characters always sell the moments, often in some of the most fantastic settings imaginable.
In Summary:
As a writer, Robbie Morrison just keeps getting better and better, and he’s found great partners with Rachel Stott and Ivan Nunes. Together they create stories that are fun and big and bold but tempered by a real sense of humanity and a love and understanding of these characters. As a Who fan, I can’t get enough of it, and I hope that they work together for many more issues. Dr. Josh gives this an….
Grade: A+
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Titan Comics
Release Date: April 6th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
