Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor #2 - A Review

The Doctor got more than he bargained for when he returned to Earth in search of a missing book. Not only did he find a new companion in artist Josephine Day but he found a brand new mystery to investigate!  The lost book contained a list of four space-time coordinates, the meaning of which he couldn't remember. It was a perfect excuse for an adventure.

Unfortunately, the first set of coordinates took them into the middle of a war zone between the crystalline Spherions and the cat-like Calaxi. Naturally, The Doctor would rather not get involved but has little choice after Josie is wounded by one of the Spherion's horrific weapons. Unfortunately, The Calaxi care little about Josie's plight and care even less for The Doctor's desire to negotiate a peaceful solution.


George Mann perfectly captures the essence of the peace-loving Eighth Doctor. It was rather shocking - given what we know of this Doctor from various media - to see the man he became in The Night of The Doctor and this issue does a fine job of establishing that divide for those newer fans who might not have been exposed to the comics and radio plays that established the better part of his character. This issue retroactively foreshadows some of his later incarnations' antipathy for guns, soldiers and military thinking as well as The Time War.


The artwork by Emma Vieceli proves equally astonishing. The character designs are great and Vieceli's Shojoesque style proves a good fit for depicting the bishōnen Eighth Doctor. The aliens look suitably exotic and the colors by Hi-Fi are amazing.