Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #1 is written by Dan Watters and published by Titan Comics. Artwork is by Kelsey Ramsay, colours by Valentina Bianconi and letters by Richard Starkings of Comicraft. Main cover art (left) is by Artgerm.
Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #1 is available from July 3, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology right here.
Synopsis
The Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday have followed a mysterious signal to a shopping mall in the last days of Earth. It’s sure to be a trap, but to find the source, The Doctor must face his greatest fears…
Review
Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson make their full comic book debut as Titan’s Doctor Who series launches its first Fifteenth Doctor story. The new book is arriving at the perfect time as well with Nctui’s first season of the Who TV series having just aired its finale. For those wanting more from the dynamite combination of The Doctor and Ruby Sunday, Dan Watter’s story is sure to be a welcome addition to their pull list.
Like all classic Doctor Who adventures, The Fifteenth Doctor stars with a cold opening, overlayed with a narration from an unseen character. Watters pairs the words with imagery of a little girl, lost in what appears to be a potentially futuristic hub of pipes and technology. It’s clear the little girl is lost as the narration details the dream of someone losing a parent. As the dream narration takes a dark turn, so too does the imagery of the little girl as a very ominous and familiar shadow appears before her. As the little girl seeks refuge from the ominous shadow we transition to the TARDIS and the narrator is revealed to be Ruby Sunday.
Both The Doctor and Ruby look great at the hands of artist Kelsey Ramsay. Ramsey picks up on key details from both character’s costumes in the series rather than slavishly recreating Ncuti and Millie’s facial features. It’s clear who both are. But this is achieved through interpretation rather than imitation. Likewise our brief glimpse at the interior of the TARDIS is instantly recognisable from the show. The two have used a time-displaced Cyber-Gauntlet and have travelled to a futuristic shopping mall. The last shopping mall on Earth in the 29th century.
Earth has been – mostly – evacuated as holes in the Ionosphere have caused the planet to overheat and become a barren wasteland. All that remains is the heat protected, AI run shopping mall and a handful of stalwart humans who refused to leave with the rest. Watters injects a little of the live-action series’ trademark political and societal commentary as The Doctor and Ruby speak with a shopper who refused to leave due to a mistrust of space travel. There’s also a fun nod to the 60th anniversary specials with the use of the word “mavity”. It’s clear the comic will remain rooted in the character development of the show whilst remaining a satisfying standalone read.
The Fifteenth Doctor is in no rush to reveal its villains, even thought long-time fans will recognise the shadow in the opening. Instead, like all good Doctor Who stories, we follow The Doctor and Ruby as they explore the mall and meet several of its small community of people. This includes a fun fashion montage with a nod to classic Who and time for some trademark Who humour as Ruby eats a “waste protein” burger. Watters is nimbly communicating to Who fans that A: he gets it and B: is certainly going to have fun riffing on the series’ incredible legacy and its new creative rejuvenation with he return of Russell T. Davis.
When a solar storm puts the mall in to sleep mode The Doctor and Ruby use it as an excuse to explore the lower levels. It’s at this point things begin to take a turn. Characters we previous met suddenly begin to exhibit more concerning behaviour and it seems there may be more than those shadowy figures inhabiting the basement. As a point of positivity our heroes find the young girl glimpsed in the opening. But in doing so those shadowy figures are finally revealed and The Doctor is faced with a new interpretation of a classic villain.
Watters’ new interpretation gives Ramsey the chance to have fun with a classic Doctor Who design. Reinventing a villain who has had a lot of exposure in the series’ modern era. There’s something almost zombie-like about this new vision and, as remarked by The Doctor, these “aren’t traditional” so there’s clearly more to learn about them in future issues. But with The Doctor and Ruby separated we’re taken in to a tantalising cliffhanger which more than sets up enough intrigue for readers to come back for issue #2.
Verdict
Dan Watters grasps the Doctor Who legacy with both hands and is having fun right out of the gate. This cool creative team is the perfect match for Ncuti Gatwa’s hip new Doctor.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
