REVIEW: The Eleventh Doctor Comic - A Madman, A Box And A Rainbow Dog



The Eleventh Doctor has barely left our TV screens, and yet he is already back, this time in comic book form as Titan Comics launch their ongoing series of officially licensed Doctor Who adventures. Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor featuring the Time Lord as portrayed by David Tennant and Matt Smith will arrive in stores and online on July 23rd. Thanks to the great people at Titan Comics we have been able to take an early look at the new ranges.


Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor
Issue #1 – After Life

All is wrong in the life of Alice Obiefune. In dismal shades of grey we meet a young woman who, in the space of just a few frames, has lost her mother, her job and her home. Even her last friends seem to be abandoning her. Everything that made life good for Alice is crumbling away and she’s in need of some help.

And suddenly help arrives – but not in a manner that she can ever have imagined it. In a burst of colour Alice comes face to face with an alien rainbow dog and its pursuer, a wild, raggedy, gangly man in a bow tie. Swept along in the chaos that so often accompanies the Eleventh Doctor, Alice is drawn into an adventure of a lifetime that takes in the Houses of Parliament, an upside down TARDIS and the forces of UNIT. We even finally get to see the TARDIS swimming pool! It's no wonder that Alice jumps at the chance to tag along without question. But it’s not all anarchic silliness and slapstick from the Doctor. He shows an intuitive and tender side as he recognises the potential in Alice, celebrates her intelligence and literally provides tea and sympathy to this broken woman. This is the Eleventh Doctor following the events of The Big Bang: with Amy and Rory honeymooning he's travelling alone and checking the Universe for anomalies and he’s ready for a bit of company. He couldn’t have chosen better with Alice – she’s bright, observant, brave enough to stare down the barrel of a UNIT gun and she’d give Amy a run for her money in feistiness.

The storyline by Al Ewing (Loki: Agent of Asgard, Mighty Avengers) and Rob Williams (Revolutionary War, Ordinary) has a low key start but breaks into a gallop with the arrival of the Doctor. There's a satisfying mix of comic frenzy and the poignant but at the centre of the story is the character of Alice, who makes a journey from the depths of despair through surprise and intrigue to showing herself as a strong, clearheaded individual, ready to take on the world. Or, indeed, worlds. Unlike the first episode of the Tenth Doctor series there’s no cliffhanger ending, instead we have a standalone story that serves perfectly to introduce a new companion. However, we have hints that more mystery is to come - who exactly did the Doctor spot out of the corner of his eye in a doorway..? Artwork by Simon Fraser (Nikolai Dante, Grindhouse, Doctor Who) and coloured by Gary Caldwell reflects Alice’s mood, starting in a palette of blacks and greys before exploding into colour when her world collides with the Doctor’s. Alice X. Zhang supplies beautifully colourised and detailed cover art which balances the cover of the corresponding Tenth Doctor edition. The final frames see Alice and the Doctor together in the TARDIS on their adventure that is not over yet...and we have a hint that something out there is expecting them.

The series continues in August when the Doctor takes Alice for her first offworld adventure.


Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Issue #1 is released on Wednesday 23rd July. The print edition will be available from comic book stores throughout the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and branches of Forbidden Planet in the UK. The range will also be available digitally worldwide. A number of special variant covers will also be available.

Visit the Titan Comics website for purchase and subscription details 

Click here to order print copies from Forbidden Planet in the UK (the store will ship worldwide) 

The new Doctor Who comics featuring the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors will be launched at San Diego Comic Con next weekend and in comic book stores worldwide on July 26th during Doctor Who Comics Day: click here for more details








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