By Robbie Morrison, Rachael Stott and Simon Fraser (Artists), Ivan Nunes and Marcio Menys (Colorists)
Publisher: Titan Comics
Release Date: August 16th, 2016
Genre: Sci-Fi/Media Tie-In
Goodreads
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Related Reviews
Doctor Who Comic Collection Reviews: The Iron Legion / The Tides of Time / Voyager / The Flood / The Widow’s Curse / The Cruel Sea
Other Doctor Who Graphic Novel Reviews: The Eleventh Doctor Archives Omnibus Vol. 1 / The Eleventh Doctor Archives Omnibus, Vol 2
I don’t know why, but some of these Doctor Who comics just feel like they don’t really hit right. I used to occasionally pick up the magazine, and seeing just a few pages of the comics featured made me want to check out more, but I must have been picking up the really good ones. I think largely, when the comics keep things on Earth, it all feels very much been there, done that.
“The School of Death” is one of those situations. It felt like I had seen this type of scenario play out so many times on TV, when in the comics you have a medium in which you can do absolutely anything! It does give us Sea Devils, which are fun, but the way we get there is exactly like so many other Doctor Who stories. And it involves Clara going undercover as…a teacher. Because of course. It just feels like the writers here don’t have many solid ideas, unfortunately.
The second story in this volume tried to do something that fell somewhere between horror and comedy without hitting the right notes for either. We start with a Blink-like opening; a warning from the Doctor himself, urging the reader not to close the page. We soon find out people are disappearing into the pages of comic books. Very meta, but it just doesn’t quite work.
Lastly, we have a story featuring Osgood, but overall it’s a forgettable short about a rampaging robot. Three different stories, all set firmly on Earth, all set during the 21st Century, because when you have the whole of time and space at your fingertips, that is exactly where you want to be, I guess. (Yes I know TV-Doctor Who has maybe too many 21st Century Earth/London stories, but that’s also partly why I really wish the comics would do something different).
Artwork is good, however, if a little bit odd in places, but overall I don’t think this is one worth seeking out.
Unwrapping Words 