Titan Comics 2015
Written by Cavan Scott
Illustrated/Coloured & Finishes by Blair Shedd
Colour Assists by Anang Setyawan
Lettered by Richard Starkings & Jimmy Betancourt
The Doctor, Rose and Jack are caught up in a temporal war between the power-suited Lect, and the angelic, centaur-like Unon! Vortex! Things came to a head at the Fluren Temporal Bazaar, an illegal weapons fair hidden inside a supernova, where the Doctor discovered, to his great dismay, that Gallifreyan weapons were on sale; dangerous relics of the Time War. Having lured out both the Unon and the Lect by offering his unique, Time Lord mind to the highest bidder, the Doctor was captured by Arnora, leader of the Unon, and held for interrogation in a sub-dimensional void. Meanwhile, Rose and Captain Jack struggled to escape the self-destructing Fluren. Having dodged the clutches of the Lect, they boarded the TARDIS – just as the time bubble around Fluren deactivated... and the world burned in the heat of a supernova! Has the Doctor just seen his friends die?!
All too often people overlook the 9th Doctor and Christopher’s portrayal of him. It was fun, quirky and had just the perfect amount of smug snarkiness to it. He introduced Rose and Captain Jack as well. Cavan here recaptures the magic of the early renditions of the characters so beautifully. Rose’s naivete and Jack’s constant flirting and the Doctor’s just sense of self worth all blend to make some incredible reading here.
This story brings back two characters to a place where they weren’t as well versed with the Tardis and the Doctor as they become and seeing them all in action and reacting to the circumstances they find themselves in is brilliantly done. Rose being held prisoner and finding herself alone and lost her faith in the Doctor wavering still holds onto that defiant stubborn nature and that’s fun it reminds me as a reader and a fan of when she was still inexperienced. Her reaction to the Lect of course is classic and one of the reasons she was and remains my favorite companion.
Now i’m not familiar with the Unon or the Lect but perhaps they are new creations of Cavan’s and if so then hell to the yeah for creating new threats or friends depending on the situation that can pop up again in the other Doctor’s books. Regardless the concept behind this story is amazing too as with the Galllifreyan’s gone there was a void and someone needed to step in and try to fix time when it’s goes awry through someone’s meddling. The remnants of the Unon after the Time War have stepped up and done just that, how and why is for reading the story to learn.
As usual things are never what they appear to be so friends and foes are often one and the same but can the same be said about the Doctor’s companion? After being put through a test and with Jack eager to save Rose it looks like there will be a battle between the Lect and the Unon with the Doctor and friends caught in the middle.
Blair’s work on the interiors is nothing short of brilliantly stunning. There’s a bit about the art process in the back of the issue if you want to see how he does it. Also how he and Anang work together to create the final colouring. Personally i’m a huge fan of the style we see on the page and the line work and inking process, the colouring all of it leave it with a very unique style that engages the reader quite nicely.
This is why I love Titan Comics they’ve brought back all the Doctor’s for untold stories and have an amazing group of talented people bringing it to life.