Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Three #3 - An Advanced Review/Preview

Lost and lonely following a loss he can't define, The Twelfth Doctor returns to his old companion Hattie Munroe - a 40th century rock star whom he met once before she hit it big. In need of an escape from her own success, Hattie agreed to go get some fish and chips for old time's sake. Little did they realize they'd wind up stuck in the middle of a British sea-side town under siege by strange swamp monsters and psychic attacks!

This second chapter of Beneath The Waves is vintage Doctor Who. George Mann's script builds the tension of the story beautifully. The artwork by Marian Laclaustra and Fer Centurion looks fantastic throughout, presenting some truly astonishing visuals. This is one Doctor Who comic that every fan of the show should be reading.

The Final Analysis: 8 out of 10.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Three #3 releases May 17, 2017. 

Ask for it at your local comic shop or purchase it on Comixology.com.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Two #13 - An Advanced Review/Preview

The year is 1695 and a Darkness rules France. Literal Darkness, as it happens - an alien intelligence of living shadow. The Doctor and a feisty lady he had occasion to meet - the hard-drinking, sword-fighting, opera-singing Julie D'Aubigny - have made haste to warn The King of the plot against him. Unfortunately, The King has already been given over to The Darkness...





Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Two #13 proves a worthy conclusion to a fantastic story-line. Those fans who were left wanting more by this year's Christmas special and the long wait for Series Ten will find this book the perfect thing to satisfy their cravings. Robbie Morrison weaves a wonderful tale that is well matched by the artwork of Mariano Lacustra, Fer Centurion and Hernan Cabera.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Two #13 releases January 4, 2017. 

Ask for it at your local comic shop or purchase it on Comixology.com.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Two #12 - An Advanced Review/Preview

Newly arrived in 17th Century Paris, The Doctor has noticed that several things are amiss. For one thing, Cardinal Richelieu is still alive and kicking some fifty years after he was meant to have died. For another, humans don't normally bleed darkness out of their eyes. In the face of that, a hard-drinking, sword-swinging red-haired virago of a soprano demanding a duel over The Doctor insulting her singing is the least of his problems. Yet Julie D'Aubigny may prove to be a grand companion for The Doctor... assuming she doesn't kill him first!



There is much to admire about this latest Twelfth Doctor story. The lightly inked and vividly depicted colors craft the aura of an oil-painting. This matches the swashbuckling tone of the story quite well and Julie D'Aubigny has immediately proven herself to be the most interesting of The Doctor's companions in some time. In saying that, I must confess a bias to companions from Earth's past and a personal wish we had more characters like Jamie and Leela in the current series. Regardless, this is a great issue of a great series.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Two #12 releases on November 30, 2016. 

Ask for it at your local comic shop or purchase it on Comixology.com.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Two #8 - A Review

The secret behind the space colony called The Twist has been revealed!  The Twist's human population were created by the alien Foxkin,who discovered the dead colony and cloned new human settlers before turning to hide in the underground places of The Twist. The Foxkin hierarchy wish to stay hidden, fearing that humanity will turn to violence if they discover the aliens in their midst. It is not an unjust fear but The Doctor - with the aid of rebellious Humans and Foxkin alike- will attempt to stop the oncoming race war through the power of punk rock.


By all rights, this should be a laughably silly comic. The idea of The Doctor fighting bigotry with a concert in order to stave off the worst impulses of two societies ruled by hatred and fear respectively should not work. And yet, under George Mann's pen, the idea not only works but is elevated into the sort of legendary story that defines the Doctor Who oeuvre.


The artwork for this series continues to astound. Backed by two able assistants, Mariano Laclustra's pencils have never looked better. And the color art by Carlos Cabrera gives this issue the appearance of having been painted. The final effect delivers some of the most glorious artwork ever seen in a Doctor Who comic.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Two #7 - Advance Review

A trip to a punk rock show on the 41st century space colony known as The Twist has led The Doctor to another adventure. Following a strange running man and dragging bass player Hattie along for the ride, The Doctor has uncovered a conspiracy - one beyond simply seeing an innocent man framed for murder - that may shake The Twist to its very core! And it involves the odd fox-like people who live in the tunnels underneath the streets of The Twist.


George Mann has done it again! The story for this series is classic Doctor Who goodness, filled to the brim with references to the classic series while still being easily accessible to new readers. And the artwork is the finest we've yet to see from Mariano Laclaustra, Carlos Cabrera and the rest of the art team.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #7 is due out on June 29th, 2016.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Two #6 - Advance Review

Companions come and go, but the departure of Clara Oswald  has left The Doctor feeling even more melancholy than he usually gets after being left alone. Still, there are things one can do more easily when traveling alone, which leads The Doctor to expand his horizons and go to see some of the best bands in the history of the universe. Of course, being The Doctor, he can't help but get involved when he sees a man running through a crowd as if all of Hell was chasing after him, nor can he help dragging along 40th-century punk bass-player Hattie for the ride.




I was astonished by the artwork for this issue. I found Mariano Laclaustra's previous work on other Doctor Who comics to be uninspired at best. Looking at this issue, however, I now think the previous problems may have been due to the color artist rather than Laclaustra's pencils and inks. The finished artwork for this issue is, in a word, stunning and that's due in large part to the color art by Carlos Cabrera and Thiago Riberio. So if you ever doubted the power a colorist has to influence a comic, look to this issue and the above splash-page of the world known as "The Twist" for the proof.

The story is equally excellent. Admittedly, I'm a bit biased as a fan of George Mann's work to date, but this issue proves that Mann is as capable of crafting original characters as he is writing established ones like Clara and The Doctor. Hattie is an interesting figure from what little we've seen of her in action, so far, but it seems likely she'll be a worthy addition to Titan Comics' line of original comic-book companions.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor: Year Two #6 is due out on May 25th, 2016.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #10 - A Review

It's a hot night in Vegas 1964 as alien invaders move in to take control of the city from the Mob! Luckily The Doctor is on the case, with a former heavyweight contender backing him up. Meanwhile, Clara Oswald and the infamous Rat Wolf Pack try to wiggle their way loose from their alien captors.


As with the last issue, the biggest weakness this month is the disparity between the two artists working on this story-line.  Brian Williamson's work is great, perfectly capturing the appearances of the characters from the television show and offering vivid details and splendid inking.  Mariano Laclaustra on the other hand is merely competent, at best, with fine details being lost past the middle distance and many visible signs of sloppy shortcuts.


Thankfully Robbie Morrison's scripts are as strong as ever, though I still wonder if a legal issue required The Rat Pack to be changed into The Wolf Pack.  Never the less, Frankie, Dean-o and Sammy are enjoyable characters no matter what you call them. And as in the best Doctor Who stories, we see - through interactions with a boxer turned bodyguard - that The Doctor's greatest gift as a hero is his ability to inspire other people to heroism.

Doctor Who - The Twelfth Doctor #9 - A Review

After Clara finds a pair of unused concert tickets while cleaning out The TARDIS, The Doctor reluctantly agrees to a trip to 1960s Las Vegas. Separated after The Doctor's attempts to "beat the house" go from a beating into an assassination attempt, Clara winds up in the middle of a celebrity-filled party as The Doctor contends with the casino's boss. And then the alien invaders show up...


Robbie Morrison's script for this issue proves to be a brilliant one. His take on The Twelfth Doctor is spot on, with the rude Scotsman turning his nose up at the Vegas mystique... right up until he gets on a roll whilst proving to Clara that anyone with a grasp of simple mathematics can break the bank.

The one oddity in this issue is that the band Clara is so eager to see - The Wolf Pack - are clearly inspired by another famous band that is forever attached to the myth and legend of Vegas. One wonders if the estates of those involved are so litigious as to threaten a suit over the use of proper names, when the artwork clearly caricatures them!

The artwork is something of a mixed bag.  The art styles of the issue's two artists - Brian Williamson and Mariano Laclustra - couldn't be more different.  Williamson is all about vivid details and heavy inks highlighting everything.  Laclustra, by contrast, only shows an eye for detail in close-ups and is content to leave everything looking like a simple sketch in the mid-range and backgrounds. This difference in styles proves distracting and I must say I find Williamson's heavy style preferable, though none of the artwork in this issue really looks bad.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #5 - A Review

The Doctor and his latest companions - an amazon and an astronaut - have retrieved the last of the Swords of Kali. But that won't be enough to save Clara Oswald's life. For the sinister Scindia family still aim to revive their "goddess" Kali - a fourth-dimensional being whose power makes quibbling over her actual divinity a moot point. And they mean for Clara Oswald to be their goddess' new host body!


The word "epic" is used far too frequently in my estimation. Even I am inclined to overusing it. But the tale Robbie Morrison tells here is epic in both definitions of the word. It is a tale that proves both epic in scope and it is an epic in form.


Alas, the artwork by Dave Taylor isn't quite as good. Taylor presents some amazing images - such as the reveal of Clara/Kali - but most of the issue's artwork is mediocre, at best.  It's not enough to detract from Morrison's story but many of the proportions are odd and Taylor's pencils get sloppy past the middle distance.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #4 - A Review

Freed from a localized time warp, The Doctor seems to have lost one companion but gained two more.  Accompanied by Rani Jhulka (an Indian warrior from 1825) and Priyanka Maratha (an Indian astronaut from 2315), The Doctor uncovers a plot stretching back to a long-dead race of fourth-dimensional beings who once played at being gods on Earth. And in order to save Clara Oswald, The Doctor will have to help the sinister Scindia family recover one of the Swords of Kali - an artifact that could cut the very fabric of space and time!


Robbie Morrison writes one HELL of a Doctor Who story. His supporting characters have well-developed motivations and fleshed-out histories. His villains for this piece - The Kaliratha and The Scindia Family - are one of the more interesting concepts in the series' history. And the whole affair is reminiscent of the classic Fourth Doctor story Pyramids of Mars which utilized Egyptian mythology in the same way that Morrison makes use of Indian legends. There's also a fair bit of witty dialogue through the book that sounds just like Peter Capaldi's snarky Doctor.


Unfortunately, I can't praise the artwork for this issue quite so heavily. The general look is inconsistent - a problem that can probably be credited to the fact that two separate artists worked on this issue. A larger problem is that this inconsistency frequently results in Chandra Scindia - the patriarch of the Scinidia family - being rendered in a manner that can only be described as an Arabic stereotype, which is doubly strange since the character is mean to be an Indian!