Doctor Who: Fugitive, by Tony Lee, et. al. Graphic novel.This volume covers the first 6 issues of the 2009 edition, covering the 2-issue Silver Scream arc, and 4-issue Fugitive arc. These are adventures of the 10th doctor, although the issues are much in the style of the classic series -- every issue ends on a cliffhanger, for instance. There are many references to events and characters from the entire scope of the Doctor's history, although there are no major characters that appear.
The Doctor begins the adventure companion-less, placig the story somewhere in the "Specials" era. He arrives in early Hollywood (then still Hollywoodland) and meets actress Emily Winter and studio employee Matthew Finnegan. It turns out that the studio is in the middle of a Chronal Template, and in order to save Emily from having her acting talent sucked out of her by aliens, the Doctor has to violate the Shadow Proclamation. He is taken to the Shadow Proclamation to stand trial for this crime. Emily and Matthew join him, taking on the role of his companions, as he argues (and fights) for his life.
The writing is very strong. Tony Lee knows his Doctor Who lore, and weaves this history into the ongoing story very well. There are some awkward one-liners put into the mouth of the Doctor, but other than these few moments, the writing was clean. The story moved quickly, and there was a nice balance between exposition and action.
Judging art is subjective, and it is not an area where I claim expertise. But in these books, there is an additional concern beyond a standard critique of artistic consistency, proportion, movement, and serial storytelling. There is the issue of likeness -- this is the doctor as portrayed by David Tenant. There are some wonderful moments, wherein aspects of Tenant's characterizaion of the Doctor are captured, but there are many times when it looked less like the actor. I found myself distracted more often than I would have preferred.
This was a good read, and I expect to pick up the next trade paperback when it comes out.
It has never entered my mind to read a graphic novel. I do love Dr. Who. We watched the old PBS show all the time when my boys were little. There have been so many actors play Dr. Who. I have been catching an episode every now and then on BBCA lately. I might have to look for these novels. I bet my oldest son would really like them.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of comic books, and I know that some people can't get past that. But for folks who enjoy Dr. Who, and aren't put off by comics, this one is fun.
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