Well it was only a matter of time before there would be a Doctor Who comic featuring the newest Doctor. With that comes some good and bad, but overall it’s a solid entry into the world of Doctor Who comics from Titan. Before I talk about the issue I’m going to touch on the good and the bad as it’s what most people will be looking for while reading the issue. I’m going to bounce back and forth because I don’t want the focus to be too intense on any one side so you’re fore warned on that.

One of the weaker aspects of the story is that the characterizations are weak compared to the show. Sure we’re getting pretty deep within the new season of the show, but to say that we know all the mannerisms and quirks of the new Doctor is an exaggeration. There is some good in that the creators can actually add to the characters and give them some new mannerisms that the show could potentially pick up on and include.

Another good is that the story can’t piggy back on the show because it doesn’t have that access. That and they wouldn’t want anything to be given away with the comic before the show. It makes the adventures new and the potential for the story to tackle things that the show can’t even greater. Last thing I’ll point out is a good and bad thing as we don’t have to listen to either actor; I know that’s mean to say, but in the new season they kind of talk a lot… like too much at times. With that said I think that writer Robbie Morrison failed to capture the actor’s voices though which is something the other two Doctor Who series do quite well.

This issue finds the Doctor and Clara going on a ski trip so that Clara can learn how to ski before the school trip. I do have to wonder where the hell in England they’re going to go skiing, but hey it’s actually just the Doctor’s usual ploy of we’re going here, but it’ll turn out to be different. They actually used the same device in the second issue of The Eleventh Doctor’s series so that part I liked because it kept the universe feeling consistent. While I enjoyed the plot of the issue some of the more Whovian details did seem kind of ignored for the sake of the story which could lead to trouble in the future.

Like the story, artist Dave Taylor’s artwork has its ups and downs. Overall he’s very a home in the sci-fi world, but when it comes to our main characters he tends to struggle and provide a consistent look. Granted it’s probably incredibly difficult to toe the line of capturing their essences without capturing their likeness too much. Clara rarely looks like the character from the show which isn’t a big deal, but Taylor puts a lot of attention and detail into the Doctor which makes their likenesses unbalanced when viewed together. One has too much detail and the other not enough. And really that’s the only hang up I have with the art. The rest is pretty damn good, but the main characters were distracting at times.

While this wasn’t my favorite Doctor Who comic, neither is the new season of the show. Both need time to grow and mature so I’m by no means writing this one off. In fact I think the creative team had a bigger challenge than the other Doctor Who comic creators and an even bigger challenge than the show runners because they had even less to work with and just as many people to impress. That’s something I think everyone should keep in mind while reading the story.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Robbie Morrison Artist: Dave Taylor Publisher: Titan Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 10/15/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital