Comic Book Review - Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #1

With the curtain closing on Ncuti Gatwa’s first season as the Doctor over on television, the spotlight falls on Titan Comics to give us the Doctor's next adventure…

Taking place immediately after the events of the Doctor Who Free Comic Book Day Special, the Doctor and Ruby find themselves in the far future. Tracking Dick Turpin’s rogue cyber tech to the last shopping mall on planet Earth, the duo soon find themselves in the thick of another grand adventure. With things not quite as they seem, and the mystery of the cyber tech still unsolved, what secrets does the mall hold?

And more importantly, what’s awaiting them in the dark?

Straight out of the TARDIS and Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #1 captures the energetic performances of Ncuti Gatwa and Mollie Gibson extremely well. Each interaction that the duo has is a superb recreation of the energy shared between the two actors, and it instantly draws you into this adventure. What starts as two friends exploring a huge mall soon turns dark as the Doctor continues his investigation into who - or what - sent the cyber blaster back in time to 1739.

It’s this encroaching darkness that drives this opening issue forward as before too long a solar storm plunges the mall into a perpetual twilight. With Ruby questioning whether they should stay put, the Doctor calmly explains that in his experience the things that are hidden come out in the dark. What then follows is a typical Doctor Who experience as monsters and conspiracies are revealed with the Doctor and Ruby firmly thrown into the middle of it all.

Writer Dan Watters continues to string a web of intrigue that was started back with the Free Comic Book Day Special. While you don’t necessarily need to read the FCBD issue, it does give more background to the Doctor and Ruby’s current predicament. That being said, for those who haven’t, Watters gives plenty of insight into the events of 1739 while keeping current events front and centre.

In true Doctor Who fashion this opening issue whisks by at quite a frantic speed. From first stepping out of the TARDIS it’s soon established as to where - and when - we are to then segue into a shopping trip montage. It did make me laugh seeing both characters let their hair down and it certainly plays into the relationship thats developed on our TV screens. Things soon take a turn as Watters then throws us into the dark as he introduces us to the series big bad - the Cybermen.

I’ve always been a big fan of the Cybermen and seeing them in this adventure is a big win. I won’t spoil too much but their presentation here is very different from what we’ve seen before and reminded me of the iteration we saw back in 2008’s ‘The Next Doctor’ with a little bit of the modern-era Cyberman thrown in. Along with artist Kelsey Ramsay, Watters has certainly given the Mondasians back that scare factor they’ve long been missing.

Speaking of art, both Ramsay and colourist Valentina Bianconi work together pretty well in creating the setting and atmosphere of this adventure. The mall itself is just as much a character as the cast, and across this issue, Ramsay gives it quite an eerie look under its bright public-facing facade. Bianconi then utilises plenty of shadow work to highlight the alien nature of this issue's other enemy, whilst resorting to cool greens and blues to give the mall's underbelly that sinister feel.

Naturally, the star of this issue is the Doctor and fans of the new series will instantly pick up upon Ncuti Gatwa’s mannerisms as they effortlessly translate from screen to page. The creative team not only further explore the budding playful friendship between Fifteen and Ruby, but they’ve also not lost track of the darkness that lies within the ageing Timelord - and that’s what makes this fifteenth incarnation that ever more interesting.

Overall Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor #1 sets off to a brilliant start. Dan Watters has started to build quite the mystery as we see a different incarnation of a beloved classic enemy, whilst the true puppet master is only just being revealed. With darkness rapidly descending upon the Sanctum Shopping Centre, this tale is shaping up to be an instant classic for Whovians!

Rating: 9/10

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow us on X/Facebook @GeekCultureRev, TikTok/YouTube @Geekculturereviews, and BlueSky @geekculturereviews.bsky.social

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