Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor #8 - An Advanced Review/Preview

Things have grown even more dire for The Doctor's friends back in the 1970s. (Or was it the 1980s?) A plague of giant monsters have England under siege but The Brigadier is nearly powerless to act thanks to the political interference of an insufferable nobleman. Worse yet, UNIT is on the brink of being taken-over by the for-profit mercenary group Albion and being exposed to the world by a quisling UNIT officer!




The writing continues to be the strongest aspect of Titan Comics' Ninth Doctor series. Cavan Scott perfectly captures the spirit of the Ninth Doctor era and blends it perfectly with the aesthetic of the Third Doctor UNIT days, crafting one heck of a ripping yarn! As a Doctor Who fan who counts the Christopher Eccleston and Jon Pertwee incarnations among my top five favorite Doctors (don't ask me to decide where to count them, though!), I loved seeing the classic UNIT team in action alongside Scott's original characters Sgt. Osgood and Lt. Mishra, who are as rich and well-developed as Harry "The Imbecile" Sullivan and Sgt. Benton. And there's something magical about how The Brigadier quietly notes the change in his old friend and how he acts like an officer rather than a scientist now.

Unfortunately, artist Adriana Melo returned this month, delivering her worst outing yet. Previously, Melo's work on this title has been over-inked, sloppy and rushed. Her work for this issue goes beyond that, producing panels which look as if a layer of ink was hurriedly applied to a rough pencil sketch. I know Melo is capable of producing quality work (you can see quite a lot of it on her website) but it seems the rigors of a monthly comic may be beyond her talents.

Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor #8 releases on December 21st, 2016.
Ask for it at your local comic shop or purchase it on Comixology.com.

Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor #6 - An Advanced Review/Preview

Having just saved 2016 San Francisco from an anomaly that was transforming people into gargoyles, The Doctor, Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness are now hot on the trail of the cause. The path leads them - and one of the unfortunate victims - to England in the 1970s... or is it the 80s? In any event, some of The Doctor's old friends from UNIT are already on the case but will they be able to cope with yet another incarnation of The Doctor showing up to interfere in their work?




Cavan Scott's script for this issue will prove a real treat for fans of the Third and Fourth Doctor eras. It's great fun to see The Ninth Doctor butting heads with Harry Sullivan. And the mystery behind the gargoyles is a gripping one.

Unfortunately, Adriana Melo's art continues to be problematic. While she does quite well in depicting the characters in close-up, her work is erratically inked. Soft lines are left on The Doctor's face whilst every bit of Rose Tyler's face is horrifically outlined, creating a character that looks less like Billie Piper and more like someone wearing a mask from The Purge. And some of the distance shots are little better than first draft sketches in terms of detailing. Still, the color art by Marck Lesko is top-notch but this is definitely a book you'll buy for the story rather than the art.

Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor #6 releases on September 5th, 2016.
Ask for it at your local comic shop or purchase it on Comixology.com.

Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor #5 - A Review

Once upon a time, Mickey Smith was an idiot. Time and travels with The Doctor changed that. Ten years later, "Mickey The Idiot" has a wife (another former companion of The Doctor) and together they are two of the few people on Earth capable of dealing with alien menaces independent of UNIT and Torchwood.

When strange energy emissions in San Francisco transform several people - including his wife - into gargoyles after briefly giving them super-powers, Mickey knows he needs to call The Doctor for help. There's just one problem - The Doctor who answers the call is the one from 10 years in his past, who still only knows him as Mickey The Idiot! So now Mickey has to help The Doctor save the day while keeping The Doctor ignorant of his wife's identity and staying out of the sight of The Doctor's companions. No pressure.


Unfortunately, this second half of The Transformed doesn't live up to the concept presented in Part One. Cavan Scott abandons the farcical humor of bouncing the 2016 Mickey Smith off The Ninth Doctor in favor of straight up action. This might work if the plot didn't require Rose and Jack to act uncharacteristically stupid, beyond the point of mere recklessness.

A large problem is the artwork, which seems uncharacteristically rushed.  While Adriana Melo's close-ups look fair enough, most of the action sequences are little more than sketches. Indeed, were it not for the color art of Matheus Lopes, I'd think I was looking at the rough sketches made before the final artwork!