doctor_who_ninth_doctor_collection_vol_2_coverWritten by Cavan Scott

Art by Adriana Melo and Cris Bolson

Titan Comics, out January 18

The Doctor, Rose and Jack encounter a duplicate Doctor, and an old friend far too early…

The Ninth Doctor’s era is one that still has so much potential to be mined, and Cavan Scott, Adriana Melo and Cris Bolson tell a story on a very wide canvas in this second collection of Titan’s now ongoing Ninth Doctor comic – from other planets to contemporary Earth – and even pre-empt the Time Lord’s encounter with a superhero!

Scott’s characterisation of the three leads is one of the book’s strengths: by this stage of his journeys, the Doctor is lightening up somewhat, but there’s still a darkness to him that can come out occasionally, while Rose is becoming more confident, and Jack is starting to find his feet. It’s particularly interesting to contrast the Jack of these stories with the “know everything” version in the ongoing Torchwood line, and I loved the little aside that the Time Agent makes towards the end of the second tale when his particular problem seems to have been overlooked.

If you don’t want to be spoiled by one of the bigger surprises (and you’ve avoided discussion of it up to now) then stop reading now… There’s a very clever return for one of the familiar faces from the era in the second story, The Transformed – but it’s a much older, post-Journey’s End version of Mickey Smith, accompanied by his wife (whose name is never mentioned…), who needs the Doctor’s help in contemporary America. The dialogue sparkles between them, and maybe explains the slightly different attitude the Doctor has to Mickey in their next on-screen appearance.

Christopher Eccleston, John Barrowman and Noel Clarke are all instantly recognisable across the artwork – there are a few panels that look a little rushed, but you never have that “who’s that meant to be?” feeling that some licensed comics produce, particularly since the facial expressions are often spot on even if the rest can be a little dubious – although Billie Piper does seem to mutate into Geri Halliwell on occasion in Doctormania (of course not helped by the Union Jack T-shirt she’s still sporting!). The flying sequences central to the second story are particularly well-portrayed by both artists.

Verdict: Further fun adventures for this often overlooked incarnation. 8/10

Paul Simpson