A new Doctor Who series from IDW can mean anything, given the scope and nature of the series. This also means that not every fan is going to be of the same opinion. Its one of the franchise’s greatest strengths and weaknesses. Yet Prisoner Of Time #1 seems to offer the best of everything it can. Whilst this issue focuses on the first Doctor, simple foreshadowing suggests that a wider scope of the reincarnations will be shown.

First, the official description from IDW:

November 23, 1963: A day that changed the world forever. That day saw the broadcast debut of Doctor Who, which was to become the longest-running science-fiction series on television. And now 50 years later, we pay tribute to one of the greatest pop-culture heroes of all time with this special series, which tells an epic adventure featuring all 11 incarnations of the intrepid traveler through time and space known simply as… the Doctor.

This issue follows the first Doctor, and your experience with this might depend on your knowledge. More than just the preference of your favorite Doctor, the title draws on respective aliens and monsters from that time period. There’s no Cybermen or Daleks at the moment; monsters shown heavily in the current, updated series on TV, so new fans may feel a little lost.

If there’s one thing that’s noticeable about Prisoner Of Time #1, its that its very good at offering a self-contained story. It manages to establish and hint at a wider plot arc, but its not solely dependent on it. You can easily pick this up and read it from start to finish without any problems. Sure, its not the best Doctor Who story on its own, but its got potential in later issues; perhaps things are just warming up right now.

That said, the title does have its interesting moments. The introduction is a interesting, if cheesy, look into the Doctor’s past (or is that future, it gets a bit complicated with time travel). It is, however, somewhat ruined by the art. The style is very loose, lacking various detail. If it weren’t for the clothes, one might not be able to guess who was who; a problem that even extends to the titular Doctor himself.

In short, this is a decent issue with a lot of potential. Whether you want an interesting story arc, featuring all 11 Doctors, or you want some nostalgia, this issue does its best to give you both, and certainly shows a lot of promise for future issues.

3/5