With issue #13 of IDW's latest Doctor Who series, acclaimed comic scribe Joshua Hale Fialkov (I, Vampire, Echoes) offers up his debut take on Matt Smith's Doctor as well as his lovable companions, Rory and Amy. Along with artist Matthew Dow Smith, Fialkov presents a tonally sound adventure for the trio that takes them straight into the world of 1941 Casablanca, complete with a reference to the iconic film of the same name and a rather clever cameo from Bogie himself. If you're worried that Fialkov's desire to transplant the Doctor into this film-inspired world might overshadow the sci-fi core of the series, fear not. True to the show, things aren't entirely as they seem.
Fialkov is pretty spot on with the voices of our leads, even going so far as to capitalize on the Doctor's love of fezzes and the seemingly obligatory threat of Rory's death. The character dynamics are absolutely the strongest part of this issue, with the plot (fun cinematic references aside) taking somewhat of a backburner to the cast. While the plot will surely thicken as we head into the next chapter, for now Fialkov's tale remains firmly in familiar and safe Who territory.
Smith's artwork will likely be divisive for fans that prefer their comics a tad more realistic, but then, this is Doctor Who we're dealing with. Smith delivers his usual stylistic, angular, and somewhat abstract figure work here, keeping the world quite rigid without losing the important sense of character. The artwork is sharp with a minimalist approach to the atmospheric details of the environment, using perspective, contemplated line work, and Charlie Kirchoff's colors to inform the reader of the world that surrounds our characters. It likely won't be to everyone's liking, but I found it to be an interesting visual dichotomy with Fialkov's very specific period tale.
It's been a while since I picked up a Who comic, but Fialkov's name drew me back in. I'm happy to say that if this issue is any indication, I'll be sticking around for a while.
Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on MyIGN. You may or may not discover a profound number of cat pictures.
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