Review: Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #2.5

Writer: Robbie Morrison
Artist: Rachel Scott
Publisher: Titan Comics
Genre: Sci-fi/Adventure

Doctor Who is a series that’s near and dear to my heart. I was referred to the Doctor Who TV series by a friend, but I was skeptical at first. I decided to give it a go and was instantly sucked in with no end in sight. Doctor Who has since become my favorite Science Fiction series overall and I literally can’t get enough. When I heard that we had the chance to review a copy of the Doctor Who comic by Titan comics, I knew it was right up my alley. Allons-y!

Content

Spiritual Content

N/A

Violence

I would say the violence is almost non-existent, but 2-dimensional aliens sucking people into comic books to take their place in the real world so that they can eradicate humanity may be too violent for some. Other than that, there is not any violence to be seen.

Language/Crude Humor

N/A

Drug/Alcohol Use

N/A

Sexual Content

While in the comic book world, pictures of different stories that involve The Doctor can be seen seemingly floating all around. In one such picture, The Doctor is kneeling next to a bathtub with a woman taking a bubble bath in it. There is no nudity shown.

Other Negative Elements

It’s implied that Natalie spends most, if not all, of her time reading comics instead of outside and socializing with other people. She is out of balance there, but her mom doesn’t seem very supportive of her choice of a geek life.

Positive Elements

In true Doctor Who fashion, The Doctor saves the day by drawing out the strengths of those around him. Once they are outside of the comic, The Doctor gives a good reference to the comic shop owners for Natalie, and even though her mother doesn’t necessarily approve of the lifestyle she’s chosen, Natalie’s mother still offers to talk with her if she’d like.

Review

The comic opens with The Doctor breaking the fourth wall. He’s talking to whoever is reading the comic. I think that’s brilliant right off the bat. I’ve always loved the witty banter in Doctor Who, so to see it straight from the very beginning drew me in instantly. He warns you not to turn the page, but you obviously do. Immediately, you’re faced with the 2-dimensional alien known as The Boneless.

Once the actual story starts, we see Natalie being sucked into a comic and her mother tells her to keep it down due to their nosy neighbors and nervous cat. She goes upstairs to find that her daughter’s room is a mess. Comic books are all over the floor and Natalie is nowhere to be found.

The story shifts from Natalie’s room to “bang in the middle of London in broad daylight,” according to Clara. We see The Doctor and Clara searching for the cause of inexplicable disappearances and mysterious energy fluctuations. A little banter is thrown back and forth between the two and they come to a comic book store as the source.

Once inside, they peruse the aisles. Some of the names of the comic book heroes may seem familiar to comic fans. Comics like “The Bat”, “Steel Man”, and my personal favorite, “Spidery Guy” line the shelves of the store. The Doctor mentions them by name and gives us something to laugh at during this dialogue as he calls out specific characters.

As The Doctor turns around, he notices a comic titled “Time Surgeon”. He knows that it’s obviously a spinoff of himself and begins flipping through the pages, only to get sucked into the book by a Boneless One. Clara picks the comic up off the floor and goes to the front desk to ask some questions. After being told that the comics are eating customers, she is shown a back room with all of the comics that the patrons of the comic shop have been sucked into.

 In the comic book, The Doctor formulates a plan and sets the necessary steps into motion. He tells Clara to head back to the TARDIS and gives her some specific instruction on what she needs to do. 

The art in Doctor Who #2.5 is solid. Details like the Boneless Ones and the additional comic books within this comic are a nice touch. The settings are all drawn well, too. When I look at a comic, one of the things I think we all look for is good art, and this issue holds up.

The story is a classic Doctor Who story full of aliens, running, the sonic screwdriver, and some British Humor — not to mention a reference to one of the Doctor’s past lives. It’s different enough to keep somebody new to the series captivated, but familiar enough for long time fans of the series to enjoy.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Doctor Who #2.5. It’s solid art, humorous story, and well written characters make for a comic that I’ll definitely be coming back to read and re-read in the future.

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