Een opmerkelijk sterke uitgave in de serie van de Twaalfde Doctor.

In het hoofdverhaal The Twist pikt de Doctor een nieuwe companion op, Hattie, een basist van een hardrockband waar de Doctor fan van is. Dat ze samen af en toe jammen is dan ook heel leuk gevonden. Hun dialogen zijn sprankelend en hebben me meerdere malen doen glimlachen zo gevat als het was.
Inhoudelijk vond ik het verhaal van The Twist heel goed gevonden met bekende Doctor Who-elementen maar ook wel verfrissende ideeën.
De tekeningen zijn om te smullen, zo geweldig gedetailleerd dat er een hoop te beleven valt aan het kijken. Ik voel me dan ook schuldig dat ik door de bladzijden heenzoef omdat het verhaal zo spannend was en ik wilde weten hoe het verder ging. Daarmee heb ik de tekenaar echt tekort gedaan.

Het bijverhaal was ook van een opmerkelijk hoge kwaliteit. Dit keer is het een stervende TARDIS die voor moeilijkheden zorgt. Hattie is ook hier de Doctor zijn companion en dat werkt prima. Dat zij op het einde niet meer verder meereist, verbaasde me dan ook wel een beetje. Zij had makkelijk nog wat langer meegekund. De tekeningen van dit verhaal zijn van een heel andere stijl maar ook weer met aardig wat details.

Een DoctorWho-uitgave die makkelijk nog eens herlezen kan worden en zeker nieuwe ontdekkingen zal opleveren. ( )

This volume contains two twelfth Doctor stories, with a new short-term companion between Clara and Bill. The first, "The Twist," is set on a human space habitat in the far future, and the Doctor investigates a series of mysterious disappearances while also attending a rock concert. It's okay. It has a twist that's kind of dumb, and I didn't buy the resolution, but I enjoyed the ride well enough.

The second, "Playing House," is actively dumb. The big twist here is so obvious you feel insulted. The bigger-on-the-inside place the Doctor discovers... is a TARDIS! Wow, who would see that coming?

Also, I feel that between George Mann's three original companions (Engines of War's Cinder, The Eighth Doctor's Josie Day, and this volume's Hattie), I am far too able to triangulate what he thinks is sexy. He very clearly has a type!

Titan Doctor Who: « Previous in sequence | Next in sequence »

Twelve can never resist a good rock concert, and the planet Twist serves up the best punk rock this side of the 40th century. He sneaks backstage after the show to say hi to the band, then he and the bassist, Hattie, end up becoming swept up in a hunt for a wanted murderer and discover a secret about the very planet itself. Later, he and Hattie track some bizarre readings to a haunted house with ghostly apparitions, extra rooms, and monsters knocking at the door.

I enjoyed the stories themselves, mainly because I love when Twelve gets to indulge his musical side. Hattie made a good travelling companion too, especially because she and Twelve could jam out on guitars together. And it was neat to have two stories that followed each other so seamlessly; the other volumes had two very different stories (or more) per volume. But overall the collection was just OK, because it wasn’t Robbie Morrison writing (I feel he has a better handle on Twelve’s voice) and the art didn’t look that much like Twelve (or at least there are others that look more like him). So it was good, but could have been better. ( )

Two rollicking good Twelfth Doctor adventures made all the better, imho, for not having Clara in them.

The first story finds the Doctor attending a rock concert on a space station where he meets Hattie, the band's bass player and his companion for the book. Soon the two of them are trying to solve a murder and uncover the hidden secrets of the station. Story two has the Doctor and Hattie trying to help a family with a house that has suddenly become bigger on the inside...

I enjoyed this one much more than I have the previous Twelfth Doctor graphic novels--and not just because it is Clara-free. The first story has the Doctor fighting to protect non-humans from humans, something that isn't seen often enough; the second story, while hardly mind-blowing, is a well told tale with characters who actually do more than sit around and let the Doctor save them. Hattie is an intelligent and thoughtful companion whom I wouldn't mind seeing again. And on top of all that, the art is fantastic. ( )