After four graphic novels featuring the thirteenth (and latest) incarnation of Doctor Who (played in the BBC TV series by Jodie Whittaker), it’s time for every comic fan’s favourite event: the crossover. And who better to come hurtling out of the time vortex to star alongside the Thirteenth Doctor than David Tennant’s iconic Tenth Doctor?
There aren’t just two Doctors in this meeting of giants, as writer Jody Houser also juggles in five companions and two returning monsters. She even ties the action into one of the TV series’ most popular episodes, Blink, with the Tenth Doctor and companion Martha Jones stuck mid-episode in 1969, trying to escape the Weeping Angels. The TARDIS goes off-course attempting to bring the Thirteenth Doctor and her ‘fam’ (companions Ryan, Graham and Yaz) to Woodstock that same year…
The two Doctors don’t actually meet until nearly halfway through, which allows for some fan-pleasing scenes with the Doctors crossing paths with different companions. There’s plenty going on, even if some of the earlier scenes are slower than the later ones, giving the ending a slightly rushed feel. Characterisation is everything you’d hope for and generally excellent throughout, so much so you can almost hear the actors’ voices as you read.
Italian artist Roberta Ingranata has been with Titan Comics’ Doctor Who titles for much of the Thirteenth Doctor’s run. Her backgrounds and Weeping Angels are great, but her stylistic pencils can occasionally be a bit loose with some of the characters’ likenesses. While her Doctors are pretty recognisable, some of the companions aren’t as accurate, Mandip Gill’s Yaz in particular looking a bit generic. Ingranata’s inks are complimented and, indeed, enhanced by some lovely colouring from Enrica Eren Angiolini.
Overall this is a clever story giving fans plenty of fun before the series returns to TV screens in the autumn. Volume 2 of the crossover is due later in the year.