Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox is written by Dan Watters and published by Titan Comics. Artwork is by Sami Kivelä, colours by Valentina Bianconi and letters by Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith. Main cover art (left) is by Jay Anacleto and Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
The Doctor, Belinda, and an unlikely team of allies infiltrate a prison holding monsters and villains from across the cosmos. With new friends and old foes, and some old foes who might just be new friends, it’s an adventure that will take you across the Whoniverse… and beyond!
Review
When it comes to the TV show, Doctor Who seems to be in a state of limbo currently. Despite a spin-off series coming out in the next few months, the main show’s future looks uncertain…but at least fans have other media, such as comics, to keep the franchise alive in the meantime. This new comic series, titled The Prison Paradox, sets itself slap bang in the middle of season 2, the most recent season of the show that has aired at this time.
However, with that knowledge in mind, it does raise a good question. Does this story carry over the same mistakes as the most recent season, or does it succeed in trying something different?
Straight out of the gate, The Prison Paradox is a massive improvement over Dan Watters’ previous Doctor Who outing, Everything Must Go. From the first few pages, the tone is set, and the action takes no time at all to get going. The Doctor is being escorted into a prison full of strange creatures, and he has to figure out how to get Belinda back from the mysterious being that runs the facility.
This comic really leans into the show’s extensive back catalogue of monsters it has at its disposal. Having it set in an interplanetary prison allows Watters and co. to use as many aliens as they want without leaning too hard into fan service. There is a decent blend of new alien designs we’ve never seen before, as well as old favourites such as the Slitheen, the Adipose and the Zygons.
This eclectic array of creatures is brought vividly to life by Sami Kivelä’s artwork and Valentina Bianconi’s colouring. Both character designs and environments pop off the page with a balanced amount of detail and energy. Bianconi’s colour work complements the illustrations with a bold use of greens, purples, yellows and oranges. This combination feels endlessly creative from a visual perspective, something that lends itself to the comic book format, where the budgetary restrictions of a TV production are no issue.
From a narrative angle, Watters keeps the pace consistent from start to finish, even moments of downtime only last a page or two before things get hectic again. I hope this approach is balanced well enough over the next few issues, as a chaotic feel works well for throwing the reader into the deep end from the start, but as the story goes on, any instances of quiet or tension will be greatly appreciated to help maintain an ebb and flow of momentum throughout the story.
This first issue is an impressive and enjoyable start. Despite some on-the-nose dialogue in places, everything else works wonders, packing in as much colourful and boisterous space antics as you’d expect from an entire season of the show.
Verdict
The Prison Paradox is a fun Doctor Who adventure filled with vibrant artwork and tonnes of easter eggs for fans to revel in with every turn of the page.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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