Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor and her Fam return in Doctor Who Comics #1. Handled by the returning creative team of Jody Houser, Roberta Ingranata, Enrica Eren Angiolini, Shari Chankhamma and letterers Richard Starkings & Sarah Hendrick, Doctor Who Comics #1 finds the Doctor contending with an Earth conquered by the Sea Devils. But when the human resistance, led by Rose Tyler, finds their OWN Doctor, namely David Tennant’s Tenth incarnation, the balance of power threatens to tip, bringing the humans and Sea Devils ever closer to conflict. Brave heart, dear readers, as we dive into Doctor Who Comics #1
Justin Partridge: WE ARE BACK! They tried to stop us. Quite stridently, I might add! But our love of Doctor Who cannot and WILL NOT be DENIED!
I am Justin “Gas Mask Zombie” Partridge, and with me as always is my NuWhoivan companion Tony “Skovox Blitzer” Thornley!
Tony Thornley: Hullo!
[Grote’s note: And I’m your editor, Dan “Watched a bunch of this stuff till the friend I was watching it with moved away” Grote.]
JP: And we bring you a brand new regeneration of Time and Relative Opinions in Space. One focusing on the brand new Titan Comics ongoing Doctor Who Comics #1! Though somewhat fussily named, having taken it from the old-school days of the TV Comics publication, I think this new series has some major potential! Bringing back to ongoing comics the charm and fun of Doctor Who in a brand new, user-friendly jumping-on point for new readers.
But enough of our jawing, let’s get a shift on!
Meet the New Series,
Same as the Old Series
JP: So I think one of the great surprises of this new #1 issue is that … it’s more so a direct continuation of the “first” series? With like … little to nothing “new” added aside from the trade dress?
But I am getting ahead of myself.
We open this new #1 on a London that has fallen, but with no sign of Gerard Butler. Fresh off their sojourn in the ’60s with the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones, the Thirteenth Doctor, Ryan, Yaz and Graham are looking toward some rest in present-day England. But once they arrive, they find that time has been knocked way, way out of whack. Humanity has fallen under the power of the Sea Devils, and the survivors have been herded into brutalist work camps, toiling toward the continued might of the Sea Devil Empire.
It is really bleak stuff, but a relatively easy entry point for people coming in from the #1 or maybe after “Time Lord Victorious.” What did you think, Tony?
TT: This was a bit of a surprise, but it was a pleasant one, for sure. First of all, the Sea Devils are a foe I knew of but have zero experience with. I think using them over, say, the Siluarians or the Ice Warriors was extremely smart. These are an antagonistic race that a longtime Who fan will be excited to see, but a new fan will need to be on their guard a bit with.
But I was also impressed by how deftly Houser throws us in. She’s really good at the idea of “every issue is someone’s first” (I’ve thought that since her Faith run at Valiant), and it shows here. We get just enough to know what happened, but not so much that it’s just a recap of the previous volume.
It’s a simple setup from there. Paradox, invasion, walking-talking dinosaurs ruling London and alternate versions of fan favorites. Right, I got it, let’s go.
But let’s talk Sea Devils!
JP: I WILL SAY, I think this bit of timey-wimey-ness on the part of Houser is a really smart way to sell the Sea Devils instantly as a threat. Not only have we skipped a lot of the “legwork” around seeing how they rose from the depths and conquered the Earth (though that WOULD be kinda sweet), we open on them arguably at the peak of their power.
That way people that are JUST meeting the Sea Devils for the first time or remember seeing them and thinking they looked a bit naff on TV are immediately shown and told that they are a real-deal threat. It’s a nice bit of “power-upgrading” for one of the long underrated Classic Series monsters. Maybe that’s not the right word. Maybe “elevating of standard” might be the better term.
TT: It’s a modernization. We get some classics and they get a revamp to ensure they’re threatening by modern standards while keeping their “soul” intact.
JP: ABSOLUTELY! Tony, you’re so good.
Return of the Faves
JP: BUT SINCE we are already talking Sea Devils, let’s just say, THE SEA DEVILS ARE BACK!
First introduced in 1972’s “The Sea Devils” by Malcolm Hulke (A Third Doctor/Jo Grant Adventure), called then the Sea Silurians as they were an offshoot of their more reptilian cousin race, this new #1 marks the Sea Devils’ return to comics. Having last been seen as one of the antagonists of Titan’s Twelfth Doctor title.
They really shine in these offshoot tie-in materials. They aren’t really used on TV much, and haven’t as yet been brought back for the TV stories. But they are ALL over the books and audios as well as assorted comics.
What did you think of the Sea Devils, Tony? As a NuWhovian, do you respond at all when Classic Series monsters pop back up in stuff?
TT: I love it when it’s done right, and Who really has done it right across the franchise. It’s not like Ultimate Marvel giving us a completely different character with the same name (I mean look at Ultimate Pym). This isn’t like Star Trek: Discovery’s new take on Klingons. This is the Sea Devils but through a modern lens. I like it.
Houser also gives those of us mostly unfamiliar with them enough to latch on to. They’re prehistoric. They’re militaristic. But they don’t have the tech to do this on their own, so there’s more of a mystery here. Could it be the paradox? Or something else at work? Or how about a combination of the two?
It’s smart writing, and Ingranata makes them look cool on top of it. All around, I’m on board.
JP: The other big return is ROSE TYLER! But with a very neat twist.
One that I think is going to reveal a new layer to this already fan-favorite character. As revealed in the series opener, Rose and her father, Pete Tyler, are leading a human resistance cell, struggling against the Sea Devils. But more interestingly, this is a Rose who has NEVER traveled with the Doctor. Simply went from shop girl to lowest on the food chain, her world completely upended thanks to the Sea Devils’ ascension.
I REALLY love this. Not only does it finally put away the notion that Rose wouldn’t have become anything without meeting the Doctor, a horribly reductive read of Rose just…like…as a person, but it adds a very neat streak of proactivity to Rose. More in line with her wonderful characterizations from stuff like “Turn Left” and Big Finish’s The Dimension Cannon. Like I love a Rose that is bubbly and curious and just really into the whole spacey aspects of travel with the Doctor. But at the same time, seeing a Rose that could like…squash me and that shoots laser guns is also…mighty appealing, right? Is it hot in here? I feel like it got hot all the sudden…
TT: Rose is and probably always will be my second favorite companion, and we get a lot of why right now. You and I talked on Twitter not long ago about how every Ten and Rose story was about their romance. This will not be that story, and that’s a good thing.
Plus every story needs a badass warrior woman.
JP: NO, TOTALLY! And I think this is a really smart way to kinda re-establish Ten and Rose’s dynamic, but WITHOUT all the baggage of their own personal history and the weight of the previous stories.
Multi-Doctor Madness
TT: So we knew this was going to happen. It was on the cover. We knew that at about 20 pages in it was probably going to be a last-page reveal. But here it is.
This is a multi-Doctor story. Ten is here to save the day right alongside Thirteen. I dig that we get this in this way. I missed the last volume of DW, with Ten and Thirteen teaming up, but it’s clear we don’t need to know much about it from this issue. I dig that.
JP: NO ABSOLUTELY, and again, I think Houser is really smartly threading both Doctors into the plot in such a way that it doesn’t make it fold in on itself.
MUCH LIKE that previous volume, both Thirteen and Ten are occupying the same timeframe and space, but ACTING largely independently from one another. It isn’t like The Two Doctors or whatever when they START on different plots and then dovetail into full on banter and team-up stuff (though I wouldn’t hate that from Houser).
But the idea of them both having to deal with the new Sea Devil Empire, while only given certain points of view on it, is VERY fun. I am also VERY interested to see how Houser plans on dealing with the newfound “first” meeting of this particular Rose and the Doctor, especially knowing what WE know about their relationship and contact with one another.
ALL AROUND, really great stuff. Stuff I can’t wait to get more of in issue #2. ALLON-SY (to next month).
Short Trips
- Time Lord Vicky is still going on pretty strong at the moment. The first prose novel, “The Knight, The Fool, and The Dead,” is out (but only available digitally for us Yanks). The “Defender of the Daleks” collection also hit last week right alongside this new #1 issue. The second Eighth Doctor audio, “The Enemy of My Enemy,” has also been released this month. OH, also there is a Dalek cartoon on YouTube? S’pretty fun. CROSSOVERS!
- We’ve also heard news that Jodie’s next season will only be eight episodes, which we are kinda okay with. Quality, not quantity, right, especially in COVID times? I mean, we would listen to Jodie read the phone book and pay for the pleasure, but Tennant’s specials were pretty good largely and we got those INSTEAD of a season that year.
- Still also VERY stoked for the incoming video game. It would be nice to play something other than the Lego Dimensions level over and over again.
- NEXT TIME! Ten and Rose, REUNITED! The Fam on the offensive! Jodie Whittaker, being luminous, even in print form! Join us! Won’t you?! OOOOWWWEEEEOOOOOOOOOOO
Justin Partridge has loved comics all his life. He hasn't quite gotten them to love him back just yet. But that hasn't stopped him from trying as he has been writing about them now for a little over a decade. With bylines at Newsarama, Shelfdust, PanelXPanel, and more, Justin has been doing the work and putting in the time! Comics have yet to return his calls. Usually he can be found on Twitter screaming about Doctor Who.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
