Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #1

Freshly regenerated and with a new head full of unanswered questions, the Doctor (as played by Peter Capaldi) whisks Clara Oswald (as played by Jenna Coleman) away to a strange and distant world.

Writer:
Robbie Morrison
Artist(s):
Alice X Zhang
Dave Taylor
Colours:
Hi-Fi Color Design
Lettering:
Comicraft
Publisher:
Titan Comics

What a difference a change of medium makes. Though reviews of the latest series have been mostly positive you can't deny something has been...lacking...for want of a better word. Yet take a comic, allowed to set its own pace, take its time and not have to worry about catering to anyone bar those who love good stories...it’s amazing what you can produce. In this case, it’s the best 12th Doctor story to have been written so far.

Robbie Morrison's debut issue takes the Doctor and Clara on a trip to an ice world, only to discover it has been terraformed by a rich media oligarch as a wedding present to his bride. Though as the Doctor is involved, naturally things start going wrong- it seems that the planet wasn't so uninhabited after all...

The Doctor and Clara transferred to another medium seems to work a lot better, with the cruel put downs and arrogant sense of self importance that the 12th Doctor extrudes easily countered by Dave Taylor's art. There seems to have been a decision taken at some point to acknowledge that this Doctor is always completely serious, yet that a man so serious is just a little bit funny.

Still, it's not all comedy. The Doctor gets down to detective work pretty quickly, with his newly formed entourage of people struggling to keep up with him trailing not far behind. The issue ends on a cliffhanger, but unlike the 10th Doctors first issue, this one feels earned.

I suppose the only downside of this issue that Clara isn't really given much to do. Though there's lots of quippery, her actual contribution to events is minimal to none. The Doctor also gets to display more of his calculating side without it turning him into a cold being that lets others die for no reason (which is greatly appreciated).

All in all, it’s a great issue. Certainly not perfect, but pretty close. It’s just so nice to see two great Doctor Who titles on the shelves. Let's hope next month sustains such a strong start.

Cover image courtesy of Titan Comics

You can buy Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #1 from Titan Comics or your local comics retailer. Outside of the US the comic is available digitally only

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.