Titan Comics 2016
Written by Gordon Rennie & Emma Beeby
Illustrated by Brian Williamson
Coloured by Hi-Fi
Lettered by Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
Trapped in ancient history by Lady Emily Carstairs and her small army of Scryclops, Sarah Jane and Professor Odysseus James ran out of time… after the Medusa found them and turned Sarah Jane to stone! Meanwhile, the Doctor and Athena, the Professor’s daughter, are desperately trying to mount a rescue attempt back in the ‘present’ of Victorian London. Will they be too late to save their loved ones?
There’s something special about this run of Doctor Who that the others don’t have. Possibly because for many of us in the States this is the Doctor that resonates with us from watching PBS on Saturday Nights. Also because Gordon and Emma manage to really capture not only the essence, speech pattern, of the Fourth Doctor but also because they manage to capture the heart of what that series was. Yes it had cheesy props and sets that looked cheap but it was also kind of educational and added a flair element to the whole thing that as a viewer we just loved. This has the Je Ne Se Quois that made that series so popular.
I love Brian’s interiors and Hi-Fi is doing their usual high standard of colouring. The likeness is captured beautifully and there’s that organized mess which is his hair that is great not to mention that even though the attention to detail here is phenomenal it still captures that feel of the show so incredibly well.
While the Doctor and Athena are traveling underground in the Medusa’s lair it’s interesting to see how you can take such a mythical creature make a displaced or stuck creature from another planet and make it all seem so incredibly plausible. Also as to why it has the statues and how it feeds are really pretty genius moves. I am in love with the characterization and dialogue these two have as both Athena and we the reader get to learn about the state of the statues and the poor souls trapped within. If Sarah Jane weren’t already his companion i’d say Athena with her sharp wit and mind would make an excellent companion herself.
Seriously I am so enjoying how the Doctor thinks and goes about his business as he tries to not only figure out how to save Sarah Jane but stay alive in the process and defeat the Medusa while eluding his unknown pursuers. OH and then then there’s the ending and that’s one I hadn’t seen coming, so kudos for doing that! Though in all honesty after seeing the pyramids and the ancient Egyptian Gods having played a role in a later Doctor’s adventure why shouldn’t this be true as well?
Each Doctor holds a place in the franchise history but none have the one this Doctor has for me. He was my first exposure to Doctor Who and to see him brought back to life with brand new thrilling adventures this way is an absolute treat. This is by far the most fun i’m having following a Doctor’s adventures.