Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1 Review

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1

Writer: Jody Houser
Artist: Rachel Stott
Colorist: Enrica Eren Angiolini
Publisher: Titan Comics

Review by Stacy Dooks

I was first introduced to Doctor Who by my uncle. Whenever we’d visit on weekends he’d turn the television to the PBS affiliate and we’d watch an episode: at that time the repeats were largely from the era of the Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker. Young Stacy didn’t quite know what to make of it; a blue box that was bigger on the inside, a crazy googly-eyed man with a long scarf fighting metal men or rolling pepper shakers bristling with guns, an amazonian bodyguard and a tin dog who shot lasers out of his nose.

To say it was trippy would be an understatement, but I was hooked. I watched the show voraciously, and mourned its loss back in 1989 when the last serial of the original era ‘Survival’ hit the screen. But the story never really ended, the Doctor’s adventures continued in paperbacks and audio plays until the show was brought back to life in 2005. Like the title character, Doctor Who as a series has always been about change and renewal. Now, we come to a bold new era as the first female Doctor takes the helm of the TARDIS both on the television screen, and in the medium of comics with Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1.

What do a museum heist in 1999, an excurion to an alien world in 3912, a pair of thieves, and a temporal paradox all have in common? They’ve crossed paths with a madwoman, her friends, and her police box. A simple stop to take in the majesty of the universe sets the stage for the current Doctor’s adventures in time and space, resulting in a chase through the vortex that opens the door up to an even greater mystery. And of course, what would a Doctor Who serial be without a cliffhanger ending?

Titan Books has been very canny with their handling of Doctor Who in comics by pairing the source material with top flight creators and this issue is no exception. Once I realized that Jody Houser had been tapped as the writer for Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1 I instantly had a smile on my face.  Longtime readers will know that I adore her work on another optimistic, joyful heroine in Valiant’s Faith Herbert, so the pairing of writer and Time Lady in this series is easily the best mix since chocolate and milk. Rachel Stott’s art captures the spirit of the actors, and her work on the more epic vistas of time and space are great to behold, with Enrica Eren Angiolini’s colors making the whole thing pop. It’s very much in step with the source material and really captures the essence of the show: the lone wanderer taking her friends through time and space.

The Verdict: Buy It.

If you’re a fan of the show it’s likely this is already in your pull list, but even if you’re someone a bit late to the party with Doctor Who and want to get in on the ground floor, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1 is a great place to start. Fun, friendly, and full of optimism, it’s the kind of comic we need right now. Recommended.