Titan Comics 2016
Written by Paul Cornell
Illustrated by Christopher Jones
Coloured by Hi-Fi
Lettered by Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
The Third Doctor’s Earth-bound exile has been lifted. But before he can set out on new adventures, an alien invasion appears to threaten Earth -- and an old enemy returns! But that old enemy isn’t, for once, the Master... it’s none other than SALAMANDER – a dictator with a startling resemblance to the Second Doctor, last seen being sucked out into the Time Vortex – who has been impersonating the Doctor’s former self for his own ends!
Paul really taps into the magic that made this Doctor so special. Having his exile lifted and now able to move about like every other Time Lord has given him a unique view of Earth with all the time he’s spent there. With friends and allies like the Brigadier he’s got one of the best supporting cast in the Doctor’s history.
Salamander is a great villain and seeing the focus on him, his plans and what he’s trying to accomplish here is wonderfully done. I also really liked how in all his ranting and raving we learn how he came to possess knowledge of the Doctor and how to use technology that isn’t readily available in this time period. Paul really does a great job with the ebb and flow between Salamander and the Doctor here, not to mention the Master, to flesh out the story entirely. Sometimes the story finds a way to just click like the universe aligns and this is what it was meant to be and he’s found that here.
Christopher does a marvelous job on the interiors here. His use of page layouts through angles, perspective and those backgrounds really help us delve into this story. Plus the clothes oh my god the clothes, Salamander’s original outfit yeah I want it and the Doctor’s coat yeah I want one of those too. Not only that but he does things with facial expressions that really do wonders to show off more characterisation than the words alone can.
Everyone is so caught up with latest adventures of the Doctor but some of the most fun and interesting storytelling comes from his previous incarnations. These are the stories that set the standard for what we see happening today and it’s so much darn fun to get a chance to see new original adventures with these characters.
Plus it is a great opportunity to showcase that each of the Doctor’s unique personalities are really what make him interesting. The idea and premise behind him are fun and yes led themselves to thrilling adventures but it’s really how the man behind the Doctor that really makes the story worth reading. For me it’s all about paying homage to the past to understand the future better and if i’m completely honest this is the first Doctor I ever saw in PBS here in the States and he started my love of the show.
These are the stories that remind us how to have fun, be entertained and explore aspects of science fiction without it feeling like it’s too far fetched.