Review: Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor #1, Weapons of Past Destruction

Titan Comics has certainly hit the ground running since landing the Doctor Who license. They launched new series with the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors. They’ve made a point of keeping the quality high – something that the previous licensee, IDW, occasionally struggled with. They’ve enmeshed themselves in the larger world of Who fans, bringing their original characters and art style into the Doctor Who: Legacy mobile game. They recognize what they’ve got on their hands, and they’re committed to running with it.

Their latest offering is Weapons of Past Destruction, a miniseries focused on the Ninth Doctor. Whereas previous series have paired the Doctor up with new companions, this series is set right in the midst of the Doctor’s time with Rose and Captain Jack.

It’s a smart decision. Of all the incarnations of the Doctor, Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor may have gotten the shortest end of the stick there is. Even Colin Baker had more screen time in his short tenure, and both he and Paul McGann (the Doctor from the movie) got to develop their characters further in the audio dramas. When Eccleston walked away from Who, he cut ties. No radio plays, no cameos – he didn’t even appear in the show’s 50th anniversary special. His Doctor was incredibly nuanced, trying hard to turn from his grief and guilt and bury himself in the joy of exploring the unknown. He was as haunted as Ten and as buoyant as Eleven, and somehow made the whole thing work. It’s no surprise that people want more of him, and how better to give it to them than with two of the show’s most iconic companions?

Of course, none of that matters if the book isn’t solid. So how does this latest chapter in Who lore stack up?

For starters, Cavan Scott knows what he’s doing. Reading the book, you can hear the characters’ voices rolling off of the page. It’s not simply a question of throwing in a few catch-phrases. The dialogue just sounds like the Ninth Doctor, Rose, and Jack. In particular, the Doctor’s blend of bluster and shaken confidence really shines through.

A lot of Who comics (well, and let’s be honest – Who media in general, up to and including the show sometimes) can get bogged down under the weight of exposition. Part of what made it easier with this team in the TARDIS is that it wasn’t just “companion asks, Doctor explains.” With Jack playing against the Doctor, you’ve got two people who know what they’re doing (to different degrees) with very different attitudes towards what’s happening at any given moment. Throw in the permeating sexual tension between all three people on board, and you’ve got a solid setup for some sharp dialogue, provided the writer is up to it, and so far, Scott delivers.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZWSFFpMxsM] Blair Shedd’s art is very strong (you can see plenty of it in the trailer above), and the colors noticeably add to what’s happening. Occasionally the shading seems to work against the line art on a character’s face, but only very briefly. The overwhelming majority of the time, it’s fantastic. It’s on par with the significant effort Titan’s making on the art in their other books, but it also looks very unique among them. The alien creatures are very visually distinct, with immediately noticeable silhouettes – not something every artist thinks about, but massively important for character design. The overall color scheme of the book is as fantastical as you’d want from a sci-fi story, but still incredibly cohesive. Moreover, the close-up reaction shots are spectacular. The characters’ faces convey information about how they’re feeling – which sounds like a given in such a visual medium, but it’s amazing how often that falls flat in comics. It’s very clear that everything done on the art for this book was a conscious, deliberate decision.

Weapons of Past Destruction is a strong first outing. In some ways it’s hard to know what to want from a Ninth Doctor book – we closed that chapter, we know how it ends – but I think what fans are looking for are more growth from or insights into the character, and honestly just to spend a little more time with the one that got away. This book nails the second point. For the most part, this feels the way Nine, Jack, and Rose ought to feel, and it’s nice being back on the TARDIS with them. It’s hard to say about the first point, since the story’s just starting. But given Scott’s apparent knowledge of the character’s and Shedd’s ability to really make these people act, there’s every reason to believe that we’ll get there.