Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1 Time Tripping in the Tardis

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1

Story by: Gordon Rennie and Emma Beeby

Art By: Brian Williamson

Release Date: 3/23/2016

To review Doctor Who is to tread on sacred ground; I’ll admit, that I’ve only watched a few episodes of the newer seasons, but when I was a kid, I’d watch the Tom Baker version during reruns. He happens to be the most recognizable of all the Doctors, with the curly hair and oversized scarf. Just to be honest with the readers, I’ll let you know I’m not a fan of the television show, but after reading this comic I’m eager to give the show another shot.

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1 has all the campiness of the original show. Writers Gordon Rennie and Emma Beeby delivered the goods in the respect of being accurate. I like that they didn’t try to update or make it dark and gritty for modern readers. I believe comic books are the perfect medium for Doctor Who. Comics provide a safe space for totally implausible scenarios; I’m sure I wouldn’t like the CW’s The Flash if I hadn’t already enjoyed the comic books. There is a connecting of the dots when you go from one form of media to the another.

The Doctor and his companion, Sarah Jane Smith, travel to Victorian London and watch Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. There they encounter well dressed brutish Cyclops, a mansion occupied by mindless zombie servants, a scientist with a brave daughter, and a dark veiled mistress.

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1 doesn’t take itself too seriously. The dialogue is what I’d expect from the show, and I absolutely enjoyed it. Usually I pass on most things regarding the Doctor, but I’m glad I took the time to read this story. The pacing of the story doesn’t give you any breaks, and there are too many weird things going on to let up. While taking the story in I was reminded of the Silver Age of comics; the story could have fit right in with early Fantastic Four or Doom Patrol, so this was a breath of fresh air. Some of the earliest comics I ever got my hands on as a kid were these old tattered Silver Age comic books from swap meets and yard sales. Writers Gordon Rennie and Emma Beeby seemed to have a good time writing this. The Doctor Who universe seems to be quite freeing for writers.

Artist Brian Williamson did a splendid job as well. His version of Tom Baker (Doctor Who) looks great on paper. The Sarah Jane Smith in this comic seems to be modeled after a young Elisabeth Sladen, which is spot on. Williamson’s backgrounds add to the stories, along with the villains in the book. My favorites are the cyclops’, they’re just so weird!