Review: Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time, Volume 2 by Scott & David Tipton et al.

Comic PDF eBook, 98 pages
Published 2013 (contents: 2013)
Acquired May 2014
Read December 2014

Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time, Volume 2

Written by Scott & David Tipton

Art by Philip Bond, John Ridgway, Kev Hopgood, and Roger Langridge
Colors by Charlie Kirchoff
Letters by Tom B. Long

I had actually bought two of the installments of this volume in single-issue format: #6 because I couldn't believe that IDW had actually got 1980s Doctor Who Magazine stalwart John Ridgway back, and #8 because Paul McGann is my Doctor. Plus it had art by the unsurpassable Roger Langridge, another DWM stalwart.

Maybe because of that, these two stories are the most memorable. The sixth Doctor adventure makes good use of Frobisher in a tale involving the Master. It doesn't always make good use of Ridgway; there's a couple pages where the Doctor, Peri, and Frobisher just talk in front of a blank background! The Tiptons' decompression at its worst, and what a waste of Ridgway's talent. The eighth Doctor tale is good fun, with the Doctor picking up Grace Halloway for another go at being a companion; I think you can imagine this slots in between the TV movie and Grace's appearances in DWM. Langridge is a great fit for Doctor Who, he's so imaginative, and it's nice to see him get something other than the "comedy" tales DWM often throws his way.

The fifth Doctor tale is not amazing, but it's nice to see my fave TARDIS team (Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan) in action, and Philip Bond's artwork is solid and fun. The seventh Doctor tale is definitely the weakest in this volume, with an overcomplicated plot from the Master, and stiff artwork from Kev Hopgood.

Next Week: The end of Prisoners of Time... and the end of IDW! Freedom awaits.

Review: Doctor Who: The Hypothetical Gentleman by Andy Diggle, Mark Buckingham, Brandon Seifert, and Philip Bond

Comic PDF eBook, 100 pages
Published 2013 (contents: 2012)
Acquired May 2014
Read October 2014

Doctor Who, Volume I: The Hypothetical Gentleman

Written by Andy Diggle and Brandon Seifert

Art by Mark Buckingham and Philip Bond with Ilias Kyriazis
Colors by Charlie Kirchoff
Lettering by Shawn Lee and Tom B. Long

Despite continuing with the same Doctor and same companions as the last, this volume restarts the numbering, I guess because of the arrival of superstar writer/artist team Andy Diggle and Mark Buckingham. Well, like too many superstar teams on IDW comics, they don't last long-- all of two issues! And to be honest, it's neither's best work. Diggle's writing is not flooded with continuity references like previous Who scripter Tony Lee, but it shares Lee's lack of depth. And Mark Buckingham can do great work, but I find his tie-in work distractingly over-referenced at times.

It's the second story here, "The Doctor and the Nurse," by Brandon Seifert and Philip Bond, that's delightful. Amy forces the Doctor and Rory to undertake some male bonding, but they hate the idea so much they jump into the future to finish early-- only the TARDIS misses its destination. Meanwhile, Amy gets embroiled in the hijinks of the previously-unknown-to-me-but-delightfully-real-except-that-some-people-actually-died-in-it Great London Beer Flood. Seifert's writing nails the characters and humor, and I loved Bond's Dan McDaid-esque art, cartoony but very reflective of the characters' personalities. It's a shame these two didn't take over the title. (I feel like I say that a lot. I guess a lot of the "guest" contributions on IDW's Doctor Who stuff are often better than the "actual" ones!)

Next Week: The return of Lady Christina in The Eye of Ashaya!