Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #2 Review

What will the Doctor’s reaction be to a pure world turned into a theme park? Read on to find out.

The official description from Titan:

When the Doctor last visited Rokhandi, it was a planet of such stunning natural beauty that an entire solar system had sworn to preserve it. What better place to take new companion Alice Obiefune on her first off-world adventure?

And it would have been a magical vacation… if the TARDIS hadn’t overshot by fifty years. Now the austerity-hit pleasure planet has become a ‘theme safari’ corporate hell, overrun by eerie, giant-headed mascots and a trillion tramping tourist feet!

But there’s something more sinister at play than rampant commercialism and ecological devastation… and the Doctor and Alice need to uncover all of Rokhandi’s long-buried secrets if they’re to escape with their lives!

The Eleventh Doctor may have made a surprise appearance in the opening episode of Doctor Who Series Eight, but for long time fans of Matt Smith‘s tenure it’s Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor where we’ll get our fix. Taking a more episodic style, the series continues to impress, as though this issues story takes a while to grab my attention, when it finally does it does so big style. It is however the personality of the Eleventh Doctor that shines throughout, bringing more excitement to the mediocre plot opening.

Al Ewing captures the personality of Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor perfectly, with his overly emotional reactions, and quirky temperament being the standout feature of Ewing’s script. The plot itself however for the most part is rather forgettable, as though it’s initially intriguing, it quickly loses my interest. Despite this it does win me back before the end of the issue, with the close of the issue, and additional teasers having me hooked to the remaining pages.

Simon Fraser once again does a solid job on the artwork, as though a lot rougher than the opening issue, the dynamic layouts prove very inviting. Fraser also delivers wonderful scenery, with the magical vibe of the theme park giving a very lively look to the visuals. I did however still feel that Fraser made Smith’s face look longer than it actually is, and though this may be a small quibble, it still bugged me. Gary Caldwell‘s bold colours also prove very eye catching, with his vibrant palette bringing this theme park to life.

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor is proving that an episodic style can work, as though the story took a while to grab my attention, the Eleventh Doctor’s personality makes up for the wait big time. Highly recommended.