Written by: Nick Abadzis. Art by: Elena Casagrande. Published by: Titan Comics.
Doctor Who is a property that is no stranger to comics, with a number of publishers over telling adventures of the Time Lord over the years. This week sees the release of Titan Comics’ crack at the science fiction favourite with Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor, which focuses on the David Tennant depiction of the character. Tennant was undoubtedly popular Doctor and fans will not be disappointed with Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1, by Nick Abadzis and Elena Casagrande.
A lot of Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1 deals with the introduction of the new companion, Gabriella, who is a young Mexican girl struggling with the pressures of her family in New York City. Gabriella is smart and is wanting more out of her life, but due to her responsibilities to her family, she is not able to achieve what she wants in life. The reader can see her frustration throughout this conflict and many readers will be able to sympathise with her. These family struggles and a search for identity are prominent in this issue and can be assumed will serve as a strong motivation for decisions later in the series.
In this issue, we are also introduced to the threat, although at the moment it is a little unclear what it is. At the moment it has only appeared in sparse moments in a variety of forms which gives it a sense of mystery and will have the reader wanting to know more. Although, like in most Doctor Who stories, this will be something that will require The Doctor to explain and we should get much more information in the second issue.
Similar to the threat, The Doctor has only fleeting moments in this issue but what we see of him is true to the character. His dialogue is what you expect from the Tenth Doctor, being cheery with the right amount of tangent which he is known for. He also looks the part with artist Elena Casagrande capturing the facial expressions that are synonymous with David Tennant’s portrayal.
Elena Casagrande’s art is generally strong, being able to show a broad spectrum of emotions through the character’s body language and facial expressions. From frustration and fear to more positive emotions like cheerfulness, Casagrande has been able to capture the characters with them coming to life onto the page and further the storytelling. The only complaint I would have with the art is that there were a few panels which would have benefited with a cleaner inking, which would allow for greater detail with a smaller image. Although, these were few and far between and not really an issue.
Casual fans of Doctor Who will not be alienated by Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1 which acts as a clean jumping-on point, set after series 4. For those who are not familiar with the events of series 4 don’t need to worry as it is not prerequisite. Even if you have never seen Doctor Who before you should be able to get into this issue, with the first page detailing all the important Doctor Who concepts.
Overall, Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1 hits all the right notes that will please Whovians and more casual fans. This first issue works well at introducing the new companion as well as a new threat that will have you wanting to read issue #2.
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1 is available in all good comic book stores and digitally from July 23rd.
If you are still unsure, here is a preview.
Will You Be Reading Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1?
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