Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist: Neil Edwards
Release Date: 19 August 2015
Introductions over, we leap into the thick of the action with issue 2 of Four Doctors. It appears the reapers have taken a liking to Eleven; whilst the others race behind, he and his winged pursuers take us on a merry dance around Paris (fans of the mini-comics, watch out for his comic book store!). To recap, the reapers are beings who clean up any timey-wimey blips. In this instance: our three Doctors and their lovely companions. Cue much squabbling, a cross-Tardis race and risky decision-making in the face of adversity. In other words, everything you would expect from a ‘multi-doctor event’!
The overall result is rather fun. Cornell achieves a nice balance between all three Doctors, affording each little moments that allow their respective personalities to shine. The issue also features a small snippet from Gabby’s diary, which provides a nice segue into the main action.
That being said, much like the first issue, the flow of the conversation does become a little garbled in places. Whilst I would very much expect the Doctors to vie for the limelight, Cornell’s attempts to capture this in written form are clumsy in places. When he hits his mark, we’re rewarded with some witty exchanges between our leads. When he doesn’t, the effect is jarring and I found myself having to reread certain passages before I could fully understand what was going on.
No such complaints for the artwork; Neil Edwards has really gone to town on this issue! His depiction of the reaper chase sequence through Paris and into the Tardis really draws you in and creates a sense of urgency about the escape. I love the look of the reapers; they’re less dragon-like here and more like a cool hybrid between a griffin and a scorpion. It’s also thoroughly enjoyable seeing the Doctors race through each other’s respective Tardis’ (or, is it Tardi?).
However, on post-comic contemplation, I’m left feeling that the series so far has been very much like a simmering pot; you can feel the promise of a fantastic storyline bubbling under the surface, but it hasn’t quite reached boiling point yet. Maybe next time?
Rating: 3/5.
The writer of this piece was: Claire Stevenson
Claire Tweets from @cookie___raider.
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