Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor: Year Two #10 - Advance Review

Seeking relief from a harrowing experience, The Doctor seeks a distraction for himself and his companions, Gabby Gonzales and Cindy Wu. Unfortunately, the recent events have also taken a toll on The TARDIS, leaving the old girl vulnerable to psychic attack. And unless The Doctor works quickly, Cindy may become lost in a dimension formed by her own nightmares forever!





The regular art team of Elena Casagrande, Arianna Florean, Azzurra Florean are back in this issue and I couldn't be more pleased about it. Casagrande's style perfectly matches the spirit of Doctor Who, being slightly stylized and cartoonish while still holding a basic grounding in reality. And the color art by The Floreans is as bright and exciting as Nick Abadzis' script. While this story will doubtlessly invite comparisons to the episode Journey To The Center Of The TARDIS, Abadzis makes this story all his own.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor: Year Two #10  is due out May 25th, 2016.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor: Year Two #7 - A Review

United under the leadership of The Doctor, an unlikely group of his allies and enemies from across time and space have joined together into a tribe of sorts. Trapped in a primitive world by the sinister fixer known as Ebonite, the group are forced to fight a cosmic deathmatch against other captives for the amusement of the twisted race known as The Monaxi. Worse yet, The Doctor's most recent companion - Gabby Gonzales - has been corrupted into a weapon by the Monaxi's brainwashing!


Nick Abadzis' script for this book suffers somewhat in that the ensemble cast is a bit large and there wouldn't be much time for us to see their personalities in action, even if they weren't unsure who they were due to the alien brain-washing. Still, the story isn't bad in spite of that issue. And there's a lot of Easter Eggs referring to the classic series for old-school Whovians to enjoy.

Whatever reservations I may have about the story, I have none about the artwork. Elena Casagrande is in her usual fine form throughout this comic. And colorist Rodrigo Fernandes does a fantastic job finishing things up.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor: Year Two #5 - A Review

Abducted by the odd "flying disks" that are snatching up whole prehistoric tribes, The Doctor and his new friend, the Neanderthal medicine man Munmeth find themselves somewhere else. Someplace where the people Munmeth protects have been taken and are forced to fight one another! Meanwhile, Gabby finds herself surrounded by a variety of aliens who seem to wish her dead!


The tale Nick Abadzis spins here is a riveting one. While the alien abductors menace is a common theme to Doctor Who stories, he puts a unique spin on this one by telling the tale from the perspective of Munmeth - a Neanderthal shaman who is something of a Doctor in his own way, in that he helps many tribes with a variety of skills some think magic. And the tone of the Tenth Doctor is perfectly captured as he investigates just what's going on and grows angry at the answers. You can hear David Tenant's voice in your head in these moments.


Elena Casagrande does her usual excellent job on the artwork. She skilfully show off her talent as a designer with the various alien races populating these pages. The color art by Arianna and Azzurra Florean vividly completes the pictures, with the final art looking particularly bright and vibrant as befits the primal setting.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #15 - A Review

Anubis, last of the Osirans, stayed behind to maintain the gateway that allowed his people to pass on into a higher state of consciousness - his punishment for the sins of his father, Sutekh, who wished to destroy all reality as they departed this plane. But now he is ready to follow his people, though the way is broken. And it will take all of The Doctor's cunning and persuasion to stop Anubis from destroying all of reality in his attempts to reunite with his people!


Nick Abadzis' story emulates the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who, for good and for ill. His story has captured the richness of the Whovian universe but this chapter piles on the technobabble to a degree some fans may find off-putting.  Additionally, most of the many subplots this series possessed come to a screeching halt, with most of the supporting players standing around and doing nothing as The Doctor talks the antagonist off the ledge.  The conclusion is competently told but somewhat unsatisfying.


The artwork seems similarly rushed at times. I've enjoyed Elena Casagrande's work on this series but there are several points where the artwork seems unfinished and the background details are lost.  The book does not look bad but it's not up to the usual level of quality I've come to expect from this team.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #13 - A Review

Things are, in a word, complicated.

The good news is that Gabby Gonzales has finally convinced her best friend, Cindy Wu, that she wasn't lying about her adventures traveling time and space with the mysterious man known as The Doctor. The bad news is that Cindy wants to help, as the two young women are dragged into the latest crisis to threaten the Earth. Or, to be more accurate, crises.

It all started with an aging movie star named Dorothy Bell, who was seeking a means of restoring her youth and extending her life.  She was rejuvenated by a strange device which has also forcibly bonded her to some alien intelligence, given her the power to manipulate reality at will and summoned some hostile force from deep space. And as if that weren't all bad enough, there's a group of heavily-armed cultists standing between The Doctor and Dorothy, who are convinced she is the messiah of their prophecy...


One can't accuse writer Nick Abadzis of thinking small.  The various plots of this issue are intricate and incredibly complex.  Thankfully, the action is easy enough to follow, though what precisely is occurring may require multiple readings to fully comprehend.


The artwork does a good job of helping restore that sense of clarity. Elena Casagrande is an amazing artist, who manages to keep the action flowing smoothly despite many scenes involving crowds of talking heads. And the inks and colors by Simone Di Meo and Hi-Fi respectively enhance Casagrande's original pencils perfectly.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #12 - A Review

The Doctor frequently told-off his companions for wandering off on their own but it seems he would have done well to follow his own advice! A quick trip to investigate a secret auction for alien artifacts led The Doctor and a mysterious woman named Cleo to the doorstep of an elderly actress named Dorthy Bell. Both of them sought the device purchased by Bell and her assistant, which was said to have the power to restore youth and health.

Now, Cleo has the device and she's used it to deage Dorothy Bell's assistant into a baby.  She tried to do the same to The Doctor, but the device has a different effect on Time Lords. While not degenerated into infancy, The Doctor has regressed into his Ninth Incarnation! And somewhere out in space, something ancient has awakened...


Nick Abadzis' script for this issue is something of a disappointment. The cliff-hanger from last issue - with The Tenth Doctor suddenly having the familiar face of Christopher Eccleston - proves sadly inconsequential and The Doctor and the assistant are both back to normal within the span of two pages. The action of the book is interesting but there's precious little introduction let alone explanation for the many events that occur.  We don't even get a name for the mysterious organization Cleo is a part of or any sense of its purpose.  Doubtlessly this will be forthcoming in a later issue but the structure of this story is all over the place.  It's not a bad read but the lack of exposition is frustrating.


Unfortunately, the artwork is similarly inconsistent.  Both artists on this book - Elena Casagrande and Elenora Carlini - are good artists and they've both done good work on this title before. But their styles aren't similar visually and their designs for some of the characters differ greatly. Cleo suffers the worst in this regard, going from model-thin to heavy-set and back depending on the page.

All in all, this is a lackluster issue of what is usually an excellent book. The work here isn't bad but it does feel rather rushed all-around.  Hopefully next month's issue will be a return to form.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #11 - A Review

The Doctor and Gabby Gonzales have saved the Earth from another threat. But something else is in need of saving - Gabby's relationship with her best friend, Cindy, whose calls and texts she's been missing during her travels with The Doctor! So while Gabby leaves to patch things up with her BFF, The Doctor wanders off to investigate a signal that turns out to be an advert for a private auction of alien artifacts...


Artists Elena Casagrande and Arianna Florean return for this story-arc and it is good to see them again. I loved their artwork on the first story-arc for this Tenth Doctor series and their work here does not disappoint.  This is one of the best looking books I've read all year!


Nick Abadzis' scripts are amazing. It is a credit to his skill as a writer that he can split the action of the issue between The Doctor's pursuit of a dangerous artifact and two women talking and make both plots equally interesting. And - SPOILER - the final page has one of the greatest cliff-hangers in Doctor Who history. I can't wait for the next issue.  I'm sure it will be fantastic!

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #9 - A Review

Trapped in the No Man's Land between the German and English forces of World War I, The Doctor and his current companion - Gabby Gonzales - have had a trying time of it. The Weeping Angels have made a banquet of the soldiers presumed lost to the bombings and battling.  And now, in the maze of trenches and tunnels under the desecrated earth, The Angels have The TARDIS!


Robbie Morrison brings what has been a delightful story to a satisfying conclusion. This issue, combined with the three parts preceding it, constitutes one of the most well-written Doctor Who stories I've seen in any medium. The epilogue at the end also proves to be a fitting tribute to every soldier who has ever given up their lives for the lives of others.


The artwork proves the equal of the story.  Arianna Florean and Elena Casagrande make use of a cartoonish style in depicting the artistic Gabby's personal journal entries.  Different, but no less effective, is the more realistic style used by Daniel Indro, though his inks are overly heavy at times and threaten to obscure the original pencils.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #5 - A Review

It began, as it usually did, with what was meant to be a peaceful trip.  The Doctor had intended to take Gabby Gonzales to see the great art museum of Ouloumos and check up on his old friend, the master artisan Zhe Ikiyuyu.  But Zhe is nowhere to be found!  Worse yet, Zhe's shape-shifting, reality-warping apprentice proves to be quite mad and murderous when it comes to dealing with uninvited guests.


Writer Nick Abadzis tells quite a thrilling tale in this issue and fills his script with a number of shout-outs to both the classic and current series of Doctor Who. The concept of an artist altering reality with their work is not an original one but Abadzis puts a neat spin on the formula, taking the concept of Real-Time Block Transfer Manipulation from Logopolis and applying it to Art instead of Math. And Gabby saves herself from The Apprentice by using the classic Whovian technique of keeping the villain so busy talking about their work that they stop thinking about killing you.


Talking of art, the artwork in this book is as wonderful as the script.  Elena Casagrande does a fine job of capturing The Tenth Doctor as well as crafting the kinetic, ever-changing landscapes that the story requires. And Arianna Florean pulls double duty as the colorist and as the artist for Gabby's art-based journal, which utilizes a cartoonish style to great effect.

Arrow: Season 2.5 #7 - A Review

Oliver Queen and John Diggle have escaped from the lair of Brother Blood.  But the fight is just beginning.  A vengeful Huntress is waiting for Ollie as he emerges from the sewers... and she's not alone!  Other people - loved ones he's failed - are there to confront Oliver, including his dead parents and best friend, Tommy!


The secret "twist ending" of this issue isn't much of a surprise.  Dedicated Arrow-Heads will guess almost immediately what's going on.  Despite this, Arrow: Season 2.5 #7 is an enjoyable read as writer Marc Guggenheim takes advantage of the gimmick to give us some insight into how the usually close-lipped Ollie views his mistakes.  Amusingly, some of his complaints mirror those of comic fans regarding how the character of Helena Bertinelli was treated when being adapted for the show or how Ollie reacted to Slade Wilson's killing of his mother.  An all-star team of artists worked on this story, giving the whole affair a disjointed feeling as the art shifts along with the visions tormenting Ollie.  For once, this lack of visual continuity works to the story's benefit.


As usual, the Suicide Squad back-up story by Keto Shimizu and Szymon Kudranski is as enjoyable as the Arrow one.  Indeed, it is so enjoyable I wish it was its own comic!  Getting one page every two weeks is a maddening way to tell a story and I'd love to see this as a longer feature.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #4 - A Review

Though he's reluctant to take on another companion after what happened to Donna Noble, The Doctor does feel somewhat obligated to aspiring artist Gabby Gonzales after she helped him out.  So The Doctor agrees to take her on one trip.  Just one safe trip to an alien world and an alien art museum, where an old friend of The Doctor's is the artist in residence.  Shame her current apprentice is a bit mad and paranoid about visitors being after his job...


Nick Abadzis delivers another brilliant script with this fourth issue of The Tenth Doctor's new adventures. Alien cultures and fauna are rarely explored in much detail in the Doctor Who television series - the format of a television show doesn't allow for it!  It's a real treat then to see these subjects explored through the more sedate pace allowed by a comic book story.


That being said, what really sells this story is the artwork.  Elena Casagrande does her usual stellar job on the pencils and inks for the main section of the story. But it is Arianna Florean who truly makes this issue stand out as something special, turning her talents towards creating Gabby's journal and telling us what a trip with The Doctor is like through cartoonish, Disney-esque pictures.  It is through these pictures that we see how Gabby views The Doctor as well as how she perceives the unusual animals of this brave new world.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #3 - A Review

It's the Day of The Dead in New York City but things seem more like Night Of The Living Dead. Strange creatures that feed on fear are terrorizing Gabby Gonzalez's neighborhood, causing people to visualize their worst nightmares made real before being possessed by the creatures! Fortunately, The Doctor is on hand to make a house call. Unfortunately, the trail to where the monsters came from leads him into another dimension and The Doctor is quickly surrounded while Gabby - pressed into acting as his assistant - is in equally dire straits on the other end of the portal.


Nick Abadzis has perfectly captured the feel of a Series 4 Doctor Who episode with this series.  The story comes to an exciting conclusion and it spoils little to confirm that Gabby will be staying on as The Doctor's companion for a little while.  This is not a bad thing, as she's one of the more spirited and competent companions we've seen come out of the comics and her interplay with The Doctor is one of the best elements of a story that had many good elements.


The artwork by Elena Casagrande is as good as the story.  Many Doctor Who artists do a poor job of caricaturing the established cast but Casagrande proves to be a welcome exception.  Indeed, her artwork is exceptionally good, though it does lose some fine detail outside of the mid-range and some of her panels seem a bit small for the action they are meant to convey.  Still, her artwork is excellent on the whole and a perfect complement to a good story.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #2 - A Review

I read this issue of Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor the day after the premiere of the second episode of the Eighth Series of the Doctor Who TV series. I mention this because - as those who have been reading my reviews of the new series so far may have noticed - I have not been overly fond of the new series so far. And while I have been able to articulate some specific flaws in each episode, there's been something larger wrong that I have been unable to put words to. At least, that's how I felt until I read this book and the problem suddenly became clear to me.


When I read a Doctor Who story, I expect to see something I've never seen before. The first two episodes of Series 8 have given us nothing but more of the same-old same-old. This story, by Nick Abadzis, is truly original in every respect

I shan't spoil everything here but suffice it to say Abadzis introduces a frightening new villain with a most unusual method of traveling. Abadzis also introduces such concepts as the Psychosphere - a part of the Earth's psychic landscape most people can't perceive directly. And Abadzis also captures the diction and dialogue of The Tenth Doctor perfectly, right down to the occasional bad pun.


By the same token, artist Elena Casagrande does a prefect job of capturing David Tennant's distinctive likeness. But a Doctor Who artist must be capable of much more than simple caricature work and Casagrande makes the grade here as well. The other humanoid characters and exotic alien creatures are equally well depicted and the action of the story flows naturally from panel to panel.

All in all, this comic will be a welcome treat for any and all Whovians. The artwork is great. The story is engaging. If you're any kind of fan of The Doctor, you should give it a try.