By Jonathan Morris, Mike Collins, David A. Roach, Roger Langridge, Martin Geraghty, Dan McDaid, Rob Davis, Geraint Ford, Adrian Salmon, & James Offredi (Panini Books)
ISBN: 978-1-84653-460-7 (TPB)
Multimedia monolith Doctor Who launched on television with the first episode of ‘An Unearthly Child’ on November 23rd 1963. Happy 60th Anniversary, Time Lord!
Within a year, a decades-long run in TV Comic began in issue #674: and the premier instalment of ‘The Klepton Parasites’. On 11th October 1979 (but adhering to the US off-sale cover-dating system, so it says 17th), Marvel’s UK subsidiary launched Doctor Who Weekly, which regenerated into a monthly magazine in September 1980 (#44) and has been with us under various names ever since.
All of which only goes to prove that the Time Lord is a comic hero with an impressive pedigree…
Marvel UK – and latterly Panini – spent a lot of effort (and time!) compiling every strip from its archive into a uniform series of oversized graphic albums, each concentrating on a particular incarnation of the deathless nomad of infinity.
This one gathers stories short and long which, taken together, comprise a 2-year extended epic. From Doctor Who Magazine (or DWM) #421-441 (originally published in 2010-2011), this run details the strip debut of Matt Smith’s incarnation of the far-flung, far-out Time Lord as well as his capable companion Amy Pond as played by Nebul Karen Gillan.
None of which is relevant if all you want is a darn good read. All involved have successfully accomplished the ultimate task of any comics creator by producing engaging, thrilling, fun stories which can be equally enjoyed by the merest beginner and the most slavishly dedicated – and opinionated – fans imaginable.
Written by Jonathan Morris (with liberal input from editors Scott Gray & Tom Spilsbury), coloured by James Offredi and lettered by Roger Langridge, the time trek kicks off in ‘Supernature’ (illustrated by Mike Collins & David A. Roach), as first espied in DWM #421-423 (May-July 2010).
Arriving on a jungle paradise world, The Doctor and Amy soon discover Earthling colonists in the midst of a terrifying plague. The humans – all convicts press-ganged to turn the planet into a suitable home before being abandoned – are transforming into uncanny mutant beasts, and even the Time Lord and his new companion are “monster-ised” before the crisis is solved. However, when they depart they take part of the problem with them…
A rare but welcome illustrative role for regular letterer Langridge delivers a bizarre yet wonderful spoof on ‘Planet Bollywood!’, when warring factions of an ancient empire – and a romantic leading man – jointly struggle to possess a sexy humanoid device. The bewildering tool compulsively compels all who hear it to break out in song and dance routines…
On the go again afterwards, a trip to Tokyo finds fresh horror for the travellers in the metamorphosis of innocent – if educationally lacking – children being converted into a deadly fifth column in ‘The Golden Ones’ (Martin Geraghty & Roach in #425-428). This is a grand old-fashioned blockbuster invasion saga with a huge body-count, valiant armed resistance by dedicated UNIT soldiers, a classic villain’s return, brilliant scientific solutions and a slew of subtle clues to the greater saga unfolding. And just who is that strange little girl who keeps popping up everywhen?
From #429 comes literary fantasy-homage ‘The Professor, the Queen and the Bookshop’ (Rob Davis & Geraint Ford) as our heroes meet a reclusive writer and evacuee children whilst Amy – and hubby-to-be Rory – encounter a strange man in an infinite shop which can travel anywhere…
It’s back to Paris circa 1858 for Dan McDaid’s ‘The Screams of Death’ when aspiring but hopeless singer Cosette is taken under the wing of impresario Monsieur Valdemar, and develops a voice that could shake the Opera House to its foundations. Of course, this Svengali-like Fugitive from the Future has far grander plans for his many captive songbirds …until Mam’selle Pond and M’sieu le Docteur turn up to foil another mad scheme to rewrite history…
The over-arching storyline takes a big step forward in #432’s ‘Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night’ (offering a welcome full-art outing for the splendidly gifted David Roach) as the Tardis turns up in an old people’s home staffed by robots, haunted by children and plagued by a rapidly diminishing roster of residents. Adrian Salmon then gets his freak on in trippy terror-tale ‘Forever Dreaming’ (#433-434) as Amy is apparently trapped in a 1960’s seaside town with a dark secret, a phantom octopus and a legion of psychedelic icons who really should be dead…
The saga swings into full acceleration with ‘Apotheosis’ (DWM #435-437 and limned by McDaid) when the Doctor and Amy land aboard a derelict space station and walk into the closing act of a galaxy-spanning war between humanity and their scheduled replacements: the awesome autonomous androids of Galatea.
Aboard the station, a cadre of warrior Space Nuns seek an ultimate weapon to tip the scales of the conflict, but with lethal sanitation robots everywhere and rogue time-distortion fields making each step a potential death-march, their hunt is hard going. With everybody – even the Time Lord – hyper-aging at vastly different rates, and the Tardis mutating into something impossible, the stage is set for the spectacular nativity of a true threat to all of creation…
Of course, before the big finish, Machiavellian, monstrously manipulative and atrociously amoral creature Chiyoko must carry out a number of crucial appointments in Eternity to ensure the existence and consolidate the celestial dominance of ‘The Child of Time’ (art by Geraghty & Roach from DWM #438-441 spanning August to November 2011).
Two years of cleverly-concocted mystery and imagination then wrap up in a staggering, creatively-anachronistic display of temporal hocus-pocus steered by scripter Morris as The Doctor, Amy and stalwart allies Alan Turing and the Bronte Sisters ward off the unmaking of time, the end of humanity and eradication of all life in the universe before a tragic finale and Happy-Ever-After… of sorts…
Dedicated fans will enjoy a treasure-trove of background information in the 25-page Commentary section at the back, comprising chapter-by-chapter background, history and insights from the author and each illustrator, supplemented by sketches, roughs, designs, production art and even excised material from all concerned.
We all have our private joys and hidden passions. Sometimes they overlap and magic is made. This is a superb selection of supremely satisfying strips, starring an absolute Pillar of the British Fantasy pantheon. And even if you’re a fan of only one, The Child of Time will certainly spark your hunger for the other. A fabulous book for casual readers, this is also a fine shelf addition for devotees of the show, an ideal opportunity to cross-promote our particular art-form and the perfect present for the Telly Addict haunting your house…
All Doctor Who material © BBCtv. Doctor Who logo © BBC 2012. Tardis image © BBC 1963. Doctor Who, Tardis and all logos are trademarks of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are used under licence by BBC Worldwide. Published 2012 by Panini Publishing, Ltd. All rights reserved.