[This review spoilers the identity of the menace for this chapter, but nothing else.]
I wasn't even aware that this comic existed until a couple of weeks ago,
when deltaandthebannermen on Gallifrey Base put me on to the humble
bundle containing loads of Doctor Who comics sold as
(legal) PDFs. The humble bundles are a neat idea, selling collections of
digital stuff for a variable price (decided by the buyer) with a
proportion going to charity (also decided by the buyer). IDW - the
publishers - are not going to be licensed to sell these comics for much
longer, so it makes sense for them to get as much money as they can from
a property that will soon lose its earning power. An all-round win!
I'm not a big comics buyer any more, though I used to be in my youth. I
have actually read a lot of the issues contained herein because the
Sheffield public library system has a good selection of the IDW graphic
novels, but I don't buy them. I have a handful of DWM collections from
both Marvel and Panini that I found cheap (though in the case of The Collected Ninth Doctor Comics, 'cheap' is a relative term); and that's it (well, for Who, anyway).
I'm also not much of one for reading digital comics. I like paper. But
both money and storage are at a premium at the moment, and the
opportunity to get so much for a little over £9 was irresistible.
So, on with the review, and let's get one of the minor points out of the
way first: The lettering, by Tom B. Long, is clear and easy to read.
But, as usual, I don't have anything else to say about it. The list of
artists in the front of the book is extensive, but I think that this is
because we have four issues collected together - the TARDIS Data Bank
lists only Simon Fraser on art and Gary Caldwell on colouring for this
issue. So I can be pretty sure I know where to direct my boos and
cheers.
Ignoring the introductory section (which isn't part of the first
Doctor's adventure), Fraser's layout on every page except one is clean
and simple, using grids of rectangular panels separated by regular white
borders. This gives more impact to the exception - page 23 (24 in the
PDF), which is the climax of the story - but it doesn't offer much of
interest elsewhere, beyond the use of uncommonly short/wide and
tall/thin panels. Still, there is never any confusion over where you
need to read next. Within the panels - and across the pages as a whole -
elements are arranged much more interestingly, so that there is a good
sense of the energy of each scene, and a good variety of camera angles.
The worst job of any artist in these adaptations is getting the
likenesses of the main characters right - I discussed a similar issue
when talking about the animation for The Reign of Terror. The
Doctor is so visually distinctive that he presents the smallest problem,
and Fraser's version is fine; but to be honest I found Vicki and
Barbara almost unrecognisable here when wearing hats. Not knowing what
the celebrity guest star looked like in real life, I don't know if he is
accurately represented or not. I'm getting used to the recognition
problem (it comes up a lot), so it bothered me here less than it did in
my previous IDW comic review. But it still knocks a point or two off my
rating.
I have fewer reservations about Caldwell's colouring. It is quite
subdued for most of the comic, which works well for a story set in the
black and white era. When he strays from this it is generally to good
effect: for example, page 14, which is set in a tunnel, has very dim
browny-grey tones with small areas of orange where the illuminations of
the hand-held lanterns fall; but the centre panel of the page is in much
brighter shades of green, drawing attention to the dramatic events
focused here. Another fine example is on and around page 22, where both
colour range and brightness change as the protagonists reach the chamber
of the Animus.
Ah yes, the Animus. This brings us on to the plot. Scott and David
Tipton are the writers with Denton J. Tipton editing, making this, I
presume, very much a family affair. I was almost instantly put off,
seven panels in, when the Doctor explains why he brought his companions
to this time (1868) and place (the Royal College of Surgeons). Grr. Why
can't writers seem to remember that the Doctor can't control his TARDIS?!
It really bugs me. And it's not even necessary to the plot, though it's
so woven into the dialogue that it's hard to ignore. Add to that a
fairly clichéd discussion on the appropriateness of interfering with the
past and I was soon ill-disposed to enjoy the story.
Which is a shame. There are some more problems later - the discussions
of science are trite, and the Doctor getting Chesterton's name wrong is
horribly overused - but the general plot is fine. I groaned when I saw
the Zarbi, but actually they are well used.
After I had finished reading I had a minor epiphany. This is, in a way, a
tribute to the first Doctor comics published in TV Comic in the 1960s.
The inhabitants of Vortis were, I think, the only aliens from the TV
show to appear in these stories; so their use here is particularly
appropriate for a modern comic series that is so heavily based on
nostalgia. The resolution of the threat is more the kind of thing we
would see in the comic than the series, and not just because of budget!
And I could even pretend that because the Doctor (the only humanoid
character from the TV show to appear in the comics) didn't resemble
William Hartnell much, slightly dodgy attempts at his companions here
are also fitting. I don't know how much of this is intended - surely not
that last point! - but it does retrospectively improve the experience.
Overall, this was more fun than the first Doctor's other IDW outing, but
still lacked a certain something. There's at least one eleventh Doctor
story in the bundle that I enjoyed more, and I've only read one!
Published:
Date: 29th January 2013
ISBN: 1-78178-084-8
Rating:
4.5/10. Higher for the visuals, lower for the story.
Next Time:
The Library of Alexandria.
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