Doctor Who #2 Review


Closing off the first plot in the new comic season, Doctor Who #2 demonstrates a good use of adapting the TV show to the comic format. Its not over the top, but it utilizes the comic format to be a little bit more different. it feels like Doctor Who, but there isn’t the occasional glimpse of a practical financial budget, one of the benefits of the printed medium of course.

The official description from IDW:

A shadow being has emerged from a machine used to view alternate realities, and is stealing time from those he touches in order to become “real.” Can the Doctor save the Hypothetical Gentleman’s latest victim?

This issue wraps up the first plot, started in the previous issue. In terms of timing and writing, this story flows very naturally. Spreading it over two issues gives it a reasonable amount of pacing that gives it room to grow. Of course, as with the TV show, such two-part issues don’t always give the supporting cast a chance to develop. They’re likable enough, but they are ultimate arbitrary, as they won’t be in the next issue. It does, however, offer a satisfying side arc.

As for the writing itself, the dialogue certainly feels very Doctor Who-ish. At times, there are some subtle nods to the Doctor Who legacy itself; such as when the Doctor almost suggests that the monsters never just kill him. Breaking the fourth wall? maybe, but it adds a little humor even in the most tense sections, and that’s very Doctor Who.

In terms of the monster, or “hypothetical gentleman” in this case, his identity is never revealed. Due to the Doctor’s consistent comments about this on the last few pages, and a potential cliffhanger for the season at the end, its safe to say this is not the end. The foreshadowing might be a bit too obvious, but it adds something that may tie various parts of the series together. Again, this is similar to the show itself, but the comic doesn’t always stick to what the TV show does and doesn’t do; sometimes its okay to be a little different.

As long as you still don’t mind reading about Rory and Amy, now ex-companions in the main continuity, then this all in all is a good issue. Whilst the art style might not please some, with certain panels and close-ups being slightly too plain or lacking detail, the issue itself manages to capture some of the Doctor Who charm.

4/5

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