Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
Last time I picked up The Tenth Doctor comic, I was really happy. As part one of The Arts in Space, #4 of the series was something very different and very satisfying to read. It worked precisely because it was a comic book.
And The Tenth Doctor #5 follows suit.
On Ouloumos, the Doctor and Gabby Gonzalez are battling against everything around them: the architecture of Zhe’s home is working against them – and it’s all because the artist’s apprentice is worried about the competition.
It sounds a mad-cap story, and it is, but that lends itself to some truly great ideas and images. A basilisk, dislocated mouths, and, uhm, a trapeze are all part of the melee. We even get an Ood!
Oh, but block transfer computation. That had the potential to be the spanner in the works. It’s why Logopolis is divisive, and the mathematics of the universe can easily put off any creative thinkers – artists and writers especially, I think; the people who think language or pretty pictures matter more than tedious equations. Surely those people are the ones reading a comic? Maybe I’m being harsh to the Fourth Doctor’s swansong serial, but you get my drift. It’s alright for a while, but then it gets stuffy. Yet here’s the thing about writer, Nick Abadzis:
He makes block transfer computation interesting!
He fuses that line of thinking with something more lyrical, and frankly, that’s a pleasure to read. It might just get me to revisit Logopolis…
This wonder of life is an undercurrent throughout the series so far, and much of that is due to Gabby. She really is a great companion: relatable, realistic, and, of course, smart. The way she defends herself (better, it has to be said, than the Doctor) in the first few pages and utterly deflates the situation is brilliant: it actually reminds me of the Ninth Doctor in Bad Wolf (2005). He storms to Floor 500 on Satellite Five, then gives the massive gun he’s been carrying to Davitch Pavale, and asks about the Controller. Pavale says, “but I’ve got your gun,” to which the Doctor replies: “Okay, so shoot me.” And carries on talking regardless.
It’s a great, understated moment and Gabby nails this too.
Last issue, a fair number of pages were taken up with Gabby’s scribbling; that was as much of a good move as it is for Abazis to let much of the action take place in this issue uninterrupted. The style and tone remain, but we only get one page of the companion’s scrapbook. Classic captions capturing a character’s thoughts, meanwhile, are translated into this far-more-interesting scrawl from Gabby. It’s a lovely technique.
There’s a real beauty to this comic book (for one, how it transforms into something deeper than a mere Monster of the Week tale), topped off by an eye-catching agitprop-esque cover by Verity Glass. Glass’ typical covers are gentle and even serene: The Tenth Doctor #05 is extreme, bold, and rich. I admit to being a little in love with the design.
The Arts in Space? Yep: a work of art indeed.
The Tenth Doctor #05 is out now, priced $3.99.
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