Written by Cavan Scott
Art by Blair Shedd, Rachel Stott
Titan Books, out now
The Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack discover some unintended consequences of the Time War…
Cavan Scott’s debut run on the Ninth Doctor comics lives up to the promise of the first issue (reviewed here), and it’s no surprise that Titan elected to keep him chained to his computer to continue the adventures of the Northern Doctor. Scott captures the unusual vocal patterns of Eccleston’s performance, with Shedd and Stott’s artwork being equally faithful to his, Billie Piper and John Barrowman’s appearances – some of the pissed-off Rose shots are just perfect. Both Rose Tyler and Captain Jack changed a great deal during their time with the Doctor – or as a result of those travels – and it’s a bit of a jolt to return to such an early time in their respective stories (and seeing them look so young!)
Scott has the benefit of a decade of hindsight and Doctor Who storytelling, which means that there can be mentions of the War Doctor (with a lovely rendition of John Hurt – and a certain barn), and the events of later episodes scattered through without it feeling like fanwank – it’s nice to see Torchwood get a bit of love as well with a brief visual reference to Children of Earth. The central idea behind one of the alien races’ motivations was explored in the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures but Scott takes this in a different direction – and the Ninth incarnation’s way of dealing with it is very different from that of his predecessor, given everything he’s been through.
Verdict: If it weren’t for Chris Eccleston’s excellent performance as the Doctor in his year in the role, we wouldn’t be venturing into Doctor Who’s sixth decade on air, and it’s… well, fantastic to return to those days. 9/10
Paul Simpson
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