FEATURE REVIEW: DOCTOR WHO THE ELEVENTH DOCTOR #1

Publisher: Titan Comics

Writer: Al Ewing & Rob Williams

Artist: Simon Fraser

AFTER LIFE

This is how you launch a first issue of a series! Granted, we already know the Doctor so it is a little easier to do, but still, a great first issue.

Unlike the first issue of the 10th Doctor’s new series, here we have a self-contained, single-issue story that introduces us to a lonely woman, Alice, who is caught up in the Doctor’s attempts to try and capture a runaway animal from the Tardis.

This is a feel good story that lives up to the Doctor’s spirit of adventure, but also lives up to the title of the Doctor. In the end, we discover that the Doctor befriended her because she seemed sad.

He tells her at least twice in the story that what he does is ‘make friends.’

This was an excellent way to launch the Matt Smith Doctor series. It captures the feel of the Matt Smith years.

Here is the perfect litmus test for how good this issue is. If it wasn’t a Doctor Who story, it would still be a good story.

Highly recommended, even if you are not a Doctor fan. If you’re having a bad good, read this issue, it will cheer you up.

Rating: 9

Ace Masters

FEATURE REVIEW: DOCTOR WHO THE TENTH DOCTOR #1

Publisher: Titan Comics

Writer: Nick Abadsiz

Artist: Elena Casagrande

Revolutions of Terror

If there is one good thing about publishing a licensed title, it is that 99% of the people who buy the title are probably already fans, which means that origins and intros can be bypassed and we can jump straight into the story.

Or the first part of the story.

In fact, this first issue barely deals with the Doctor at all. Oh, he is in there, but only just because it is his title after all. Most of the time is spent introducing us to Clarrisa and her family, and the odd things that seem to be happening lately.

Things like washing machines going amok, grandmothers seeing their dead husband and giant creatures attacking Clarissa on the subway. Cue the Doctor.

So much time is spent setting up Clarrisa, that I wonder if she is going to be the Doctor’s new companion in this series.

As for the story . . . Well, like many of the stories in the Doctor’s new run, we have no idea what is going on in the first act, but the way it ends gives the promise of a second act that will include a lot of running.

The Art! The Tenth Doctor actually looks like David Tenant! That is awesome. It also seems to be a novel idea now days. Draw a character in a comic based on a TV or FILM and make the character look like his actor counterpart. It makes this feel even more like Doctor Who.

Overall, this #1 is a solid start, but we’ll have to see where the story goes from here.

Rating: 6

Ace Masters.

Sally of the Wasteland #1

Okay, before we get to the review. This is the first review I have put up in about six weeks, but that will change with a lot of reviews coming. And, I am still going to review titles from earlier this year that I was unable to review due to my aneurism. Why? Call it my own form of therapy.

Now, onto a review of a new title!

Sally of the Wasteland #1

Publisher: Titan Comics

Writer: Victor Gischler

Art: Tazio Bettin

Sally is an idiot. But . . . I LOVE her . . .

Sally of the Wasteland is a new post-apocalyptic title from Titan Comics. This is an awesome, fun little title with a very memorable title character (Sally) and comes complete with Crawgators. Yes, Crawgators. How can you not love a book that has Crawgators! (Can’t believe The Asylum didn’t come up with that one.)

Kat, the lone (female) survivor of a scavenger group that searches for old technology with the idea of bringing back civilization finds her way to Sally’s bar. Well, it isn’t really Sally’s bar, but don’t tell her that. Kat is looking for help to go to New Orleans to salvage some important tech. She finds help in the form of a barge captain, Sam, and Tom, a handsome but dim-witted young man. Sally goes along to protect Tom, whom Sally says doesn’t quite understand that he (Tom) belongs to her (Sally).
Things go smoothly – until the giant crawgators destroy the captain’s barge and strand Sally, Kat and Tom on the east shore (which was to be avoided). The first issue ends with Sally unknowingly getting the attention of River Pirates.

Issue 2, Sally versus River Pirates?! My money is on Sally and Bertha. Who is Bertha you ask? Why, Sally’s shotgun of course, silly.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Sally is batshit crazy? Sally makes the WWE’s AJ Lee look like a textbook case of normalcy.

Did I mention I love Sally?

Sally is one of the best new characters to debut in a long time. She is perky, beautiful, well-meaning, batshit crazy, air-headed and an idiot. In fact, she is just like a real person, you should love her. Sally is written like a character from a bad action movie where the dialogue is meant to be ‘quotable’ rather than mean anything. But, it works here, because it comes across as how Sally normally speaks!

The artwork on this title is tremendous. The writing is top notch.

This is a post-apocalyptic book executed properly, with something driving the characters to a goal, an awesome and memorable title character and crawgators!

I Love Sally!

Rating: 8.5

NOTE: Sally of the Wasteland #2 is on sale today. Get your copy before the Crawgators get you!