Posted in: Comics, Indie Comics, Review | Tagged: doctor who, doctor who time lord victorious, time lord victorious, titan, Titan comics

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious #2 Review: Ingranata Saves The Day

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious #2 continues the story of a Doctor and Dalek team-up, written by Jody Houser, drawn by Roberta Ingranata, colored by Enrica Eren Angiolini with flatters Shari Chankhamma and Sabrina Del Gross, and letterer Richard Starkings of Comicraft. The first issue felt incredibly light on story, but the beautiful artwork made it an enjoyable read. Let's see if this issue redeems the narrative flaws of the first.

Like the first issue of Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious, this is a beautifully illustrated story with good characterization but a bloated, boring plot that is extended by a long, drawn-out conversation. Conceptually, the idea of the Doctor working with a Dalek is endlessly interesting. In execution, every possible stone is left unturned in this odd dynamic. While the Tenth Doctor's dialogue reads as the Ten Doctor would speak, the subject matter of every conversation, almost every single line, is the plot. It's all plot with Time Lord Victorious when Doctor Who's real strength is the revealing character moments, the silly asides, and the idea that anything can happen. The series ends with an oddly casual encounter between the Tenth and Thirteenth Doctor with a welcome use of the recurring "Still not ginger" joke. Like all storytelling in this series, their interaction remains surface-level.

I wonder if this was originally meant to be released as two separate issues initially. There is an awkward set of splash pages in the middle of the book that makes this feel like two bloated issues put together into one. These two back to backsplashes would have made sense with Page Twenty-Two closing out the second issue and Page Twenty-Three starting off the third, but here, it just reads like hyper decompression. As is, there's no real reason by Page Twenty-Three is a splash, as it just cuts back to the scene we just left.

It must be said, though, that under Roberta Ingranata's capable pen, Doctor Who comics have never looked this good. Ingranta carries the entire weight of this series, breathing life into it at all turns. With artwork that feels alive and packed with a real sense of movement and emotion, Ingranata is a force of nature. She turns this book from an absolute slog of a story to something that's enjoyable to read, though it does burn a bit that such great artwork didn't get a killer story to match. Angiolini's art fits well with truly gorgeous depictions of outer space, and Starkings letters complement both well. This team would do well with a story that has a bit more drive. They are set to continue on to the new main title with Doctor Who Comics #1 this month, which pairs the Tenth and Thirteenth Doctors again, so we shall see if their next meeting packs a bit more punch.

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