Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #5 Review

Can the Doctor thwart SERVEYOUinc once again? Read on to find out.

The official description from Titan:

DYING SPACE STATION! SHAPESHIFTING HORROR! ALICE’S LAST BREATH?

Still trapped aboard the SERVEYOUinc research satellite, Alice and the Doctor must unravel the mystery of the creature codenamed ‘ARC’ – while staying one step ahead of its whisper-quiet rampage through the station!

But there’s something essential the Doctor’s missing – something he’s overlooked.

Can Alice help him see it, in time to save her life… or is the story of the Doctor’s favorite sarcastic library assistant doomed to end in the icy depths of space?

The Doctor has never had trouble when it comes to finding adventure, though throughout his attempts to show Alice the universe, a group called SERVEYOUinc has somehow managed to get in the way. This continues in the latest issue of Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor, as following the discoveries of the last issue, the Doctor has to find a way of saving a tortured creature.

Al Ewing has been doing a fabulous job on Doctor Who, with his rendition of the Eleventh Doctor being pretty close to Matt Smith‘s performance throughout his tenure. He has however dropped the ball slightly with this issue, as though overall it’s still a worthwhile read, it’s rather average in comparison to his previous work. The main thing that I did enjoy about the issue was how the Doctor handled the situation at hand, with the emotional exchange being utterly gripping. At the same time however, the finale felt a little underwhelming compared to it’s set-up.

Boo Cook once again handle the artwork on this tale, and like last issue it leaves me with mixed feelings. Despite his layouts giving a dramatic, and energetic flow to proceedings, the execution, and finish leaves a little to be desired. Despite this it remains the facial expressions of the Doctor that frustrates me the most, as though his eye movements gives some form of facial expression, the lack of lip movement dampens the overall atmosphere. Colourist Hi-Fi on the other hand continues to do a stellar job, with his bold palette giving a sleek finish.

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor may have dropped slightly in quality, but it remains a solid entry in Titan’s line of series. It also continues to show the Doctor at his best, with SERVEYOUinc becoming more intriguing by the minute. Recommended.