Writer: Mark Griffiths

Artist: John Ridgway

Cutaway Comics, available now

Princess Malika seeks help in her battle against Oxirigi, the servant of Omega…

The second issue’s main story, Vengeance, continues the epic tale of Minyos – as referred to in the Doctor Who serial Underworld – and Malika’s quest to save her world, all the while Oxirigi seems hell-bent on its destruction. Griffiths’ script leaves plenty of room for Ridgway to tell the story visually and there’s a great mix of formats for the pages, including a splash page mid-story that leaves us in no doubts as to who’s on the side of right (if not the side of the gods!), and some extreme close-ups at times of peril.

I’m enjoying Ian Winterton and Martin Geraghty’s back up strip, The Demons of Eden, but as with the first issue, it just feels like far too much is being packed into six pages – given the sheer amount of dialogue, I suspect eight pages would allow the strip time to breathe. A great deal happens and it’s a bit of a shame that it’s cramped.

The two strips, of course, aren’t the only things you get with Omega #2. The VAM (value added material) disc is up to the high standards Cutaway have set themselves, with a new commentary for The Deadly Assassin with Philip Hinchcliffe and Roger Murray-Leach probably the thing most people will go for first. There’s also plenty of insight into the creation of the comic strips.

Verdict: Another solid expansion of the Doctor Who universe. 8/10

Paul Simpson