Well, it had to happen eventually. Titan Comics have been producing lots of different Doctor Who comic books, featuring various versions of the well-known time-travelling meddler. Thus far, the quality has been amazing and the books have been superb. So it was about time that we ran into a bit of a duff story.
The Tenth Doctor Year Two #4 introduces us to a storyline called Medicine Man, and in theory, it should be a perfectly clever bit of melding between the things comic books can do and the usual craziness The Doctor gets up to on the TV show. The set-up sees The Doctor’s companion, Gabby, fend for herself and meet up with a Neanderthal who also happens to be a bit special. Though writer Nick Abadzis dazzles us with clever subtext and commentary on the purpose of art and comics, the actual story is a bit pedestrian.
The problem is that we’ve seen this sort of plot before; one that explores The Doctor’s essentially disruptive nature. Even though this is only one part of a two-parter, it’s really easy to see the direction it’s going in because so many Doctor Who comic book tales have done this story. In fairness, it’s the first time Titan have fallen down this particularly boring rabbit hole, so hopefully it will also be the last.
Besides all of that, Leonardo Romero’s artwork is a pleasure to behold, contrasting simple character design against complex backgrounds. As for the story, here’s hoping it picks up soon.
DOCTOR WHO- THE TENTH DOCTOR YEAR TWO #4 / WRITER: NICK ABADZIS / ARTIST: LEONARDO ROMEROARIANNA FLOREAN / PUBLISHER: TITAN COMICS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
