Writer: Jody Houser

Artist: Rachael Stott

Titan Comics, out now

 

The Doctor and her crew have helped the Corsair to rescue the baby space whale, but the identity of their employer has now been revealed – and he’s anything but benevolent.

The final instalment of the Old Friends four-parter concludes in the way that it started – fun, frothy dialogue and no fear of taking itself too seriously. As a TV episode it would arguably be too lightweight and would rely on some inspired casting of the Corsair to bounce off Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor, but as a comic book it bounces along agreeably without outstaying its welcome.

A lot of pages are devoted to the Time Lords in their cell, supposedly unable to escape because the Sonic Screwdriver can’t handle the deadlock seal. But that’s all a ruse, and it’s not long before the Doctor and Corsair are acting as a tag team, knocking down sections of their cage and blasting bejewelled guard drones.

Graham, Yaz and Ryan are rescued in the final act, and if truth be told they don’t do an awful lot in this story beyond scratching their heads. In its closing panels the Doctor makes a plea to the Corsair to find a travelling companion for fear of being lonely – ironically, I imagine there were abandoned three captives on Raddplina who feared they’d been forgotten!

Verdict: Tying up loose ends from across this 12-issue run, the conclusion of the 13th Doctor’s first dozen comics neatly combines into an arced narrative. Beautifully drawn, with Jodie-realistic dialogue, this has helped fill a 13th Doctor shaped hole while the next TV series is prepared. 7/10

Nick Joy