This graphic novel collects together several comic adventures of the Tenth Doctor and Rose that were originally published in Doctor Who magazine between 2006 and 2007. It’s quite a nostalgic collection for me, because I read most of them when they first came out and that was at a time when my love of Doctor Who was really reaching its peak for the first time. All the comics in this collection capture the feeling of that era perfectly, but they also throw a few bones for fans of the classic era.
The Betrothal of Sontar by John Tomlinson and Nick Abadzis
This story sees the Doctor and Rose meeting the Sontarans – and this was before they’d made their return on TV, so you get to see them with their darker armour of the classic era. This story actually includes a sympathetic Sontaran, and as the concept is played completely straight, I thought it was much better than how the same thing was handled with Strax later on on TV.
The Lodger by Gareth Roberts
The Doctor becomes temporarily stranded on Earth and so ends up having to stay with Mickey. Mickey is initially jealous of the Doctor because of the fact that he inadvertently shows him up with everything he does, but the situation gives the pair of them a chance to address some of the tensions that exist between them. It actually works great as a transitional story, explaining how the Doctor and Mickey go from a more adversarial relationship in Series 1, to much more friendly in Series 2. Fun fact, this was also the first Doctor Who comic story to be adapted for TV (albeit with the Eleventh Doctor and Craig instead).
F.A.Q. by Tony Lee
This story actually reminds me somewhat of the Series 2 story, Fear Her – though is potentially a little more interesting. It’s one where I can’t really say what’s happening without spoiling anything, but the Doctor and Rose get caught up in a situation among young adults in modern day London, with one of them having strange powers. It’s a pretty cool story.
The Futurists by Mike Collins
The Doctor and Rose encounter 1920s fascists who end up getting sent back in time and perverting the course of history. This was a fun time travel-based story and I appreciated its use of an historic political group. Something I’d have liked to see as a TV episode.
Interstellar Overdrive by Jonathan Morris
This story felt almost a little too silly to me. To be honest, I actually found myself thinking that it felt more like a Rick and Morty story than a Doctor Who story. It’s about a washed up old band who are performing well past their prime (one of them is literally a reanimated corpse) and it turns out someone is trying to assassinate them. It has a really shocking cliff-hanger at one point and is still generally enjoyable, even if the tone felt off.
Opera of Doom! by Jonathan Morris
Another music-based story by Jonathan Morris. This one was pretty short and kind of forgettable – the Doctor and Rose meet an old opera singer who ends up helping them out with an insidious alien plot. It really didn’t leave much impression on me, and I don’t easily remember what happened, to be honest.
The Green-Eyed Monster by Nev Fountain
This is another really silly one… but you know what? I absolutely love it. The Doctor, Rose, Mickey, and Jackie all appear on a reality TV show where they talk about their relationship problems and the tensions between them. It sounds absurd, but there’s a good reason for it in the end. I laughed out loud at some parts of it, and admire it for being one of the few stories that directly tackles the romantic tension between Rose and the Doctor.
The Warkeeper’s Crown by Alan Barnes
I love this story, partially just because it features the Tenth Doctor meeting the Brigadier – it’s sweet to think that he got to reunite with one of his oldest and dearest friends just after losing Rose. In it, both characters are forced to assist in a war between two alien races. That aspect of the story is decent enough, but I loved seeing the Doctor being quite affectionate with the Brigadier, and in hindsight, it might be the final meeting between the two characters, which makes this quite bittersweet.
All in all, it’s a pretty great collection, with almost every story in it having some unique aspect that makes it worth reading. If you have a sweet spot for 2006-era Doctor Who, then this collection is going to be a pleasant trip down memory lane.
Rating: 8.3/10
