REVIEW: ‘Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor,’ Issue #5

Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #5 from Titan Comics gives readers the chance to delve into more ‘brilliant’ adventures with the 13th Doctor and her ‘fam’. Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #5 is written by Jody Houser, illustrated by Rachael Stott, colored by Enrica Eren Angiolini, Viviana Spinelli, and lettered by Richard Stakings, Sarah Jacobs & John Roshell. When the TARDIS lands on Earth in the 1500s, the Doctor is intrigued by how her friends are so versed with this historic event before being warned about an attack by a group of demons.

I was so thrilled when I opened this book, not only are the colors just bright and inviting, but the contents of the story including the characters’ designs and the way they talk are just absolutely on-point. In the past, I’ve been iffy about some Doctor Who comics because they don’t quite get the voice right which is something you absolutely don’t need to worry about here. When you’re reading this issue, it instantly transports you to your sofa on a Sunday night, cuppa in hand, watching Doctor Who on TV.

Jody Houser does an incredible job at getting the Doctor and crew’s voices spot on with her fantastic writing, you can genuinely hear the way Jodie Whittaker would say the dialogue spoken by the Doctor. It matches her cadence spot-on.  Again, Rachael Stott has proven herself to be the definitive Doctor Who artist and proves it yet again with her work here. Every single mannerism and expression is completely on point and helps to make the story feel more animated like we’re actually watching a Doctor Who episode unfold. I particularly love the way Graham is drawn in every panel and there should be some sort of Bradley Walsh Award of Excellence given out here.

The lettering doesn’t feel too in your face unlike other books and does a great job at complimenting the dialogue. I would love to see some variety with villains’ when it comes to other types of characters but this issue is only the first part of a multi-arc story so that may be a little harsh from my end.

Obviously, as this comic is tied into the Thirteenth Doctor’s first series on the televised show, Series 11, which gets a few nods in the issue via dialogue and imagery. Luckily, it seems to be focusing on the stronger aspect of Series 11 which happens to be a historical story. Jody does a fantastic job at explaining this historical event by letting the friends take control of the exposition for once, thanks to a viral podcast. I was pleasantly surprised by this little story beat and loved the Doctor’s reaction to it.

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about this issue. It’s everything that Doctor Who does best. It is a fun historical story, with good characters, funny and intriguing dialogue all while ending on a great cliffhanger. Plus, being a comic book only helps to enhance that experience with the help of Rachael Stott’s spellbinding artwork.