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Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor (Titan Comics) #4
Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Vol. 4: The School of Death
There's something fishy going on at the remote Scottish school of Ravenscaur... Something that has bedevilled students and teachers alike... something that has lurked in the caverns beneath the school for millennia! Only the Doctor and Clara can unravel a deadly conspiracy that reaches as high as the Prime Minister of England! Collects Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Year Two #1-5
123 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 16, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 4, 2021
A solid start to Year Two. Both adventures here pit the Doctor & Clara against some familiar faces, although the pacing feels a little off still - the lead story could have done with one fewer issue, it takes a little too long to get going, while the meta story at the end could probably have sustained itself for two issues instead of just the one.
Something that Year Two seems to have nailed down is a solid rotating art team, at least. Rachael Stott's visuals aren't always my favourite in terms of perspective but she's not bad at all, while Mariano Laclaustra's pencils pair really nicely with the colorists assigned to him.
Something that Year Two seems to have nailed down is a solid rotating art team, at least. Rachael Stott's visuals aren't always my favourite in terms of perspective but she's not bad at all, while Mariano Laclaustra's pencils pair really nicely with the colorists assigned to him.
June 12, 2017
This book collects Issues 2.1-2.5 of Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor.
The titular, "School of Death" storyline finds Clara investigating the disappearance of a friend who was a teacher at an exclusive English school. It's a story that involves a lot of Doctor Who tropes around evil schools which are really part of a front by a monster (in this case an old enemy of the Doctor.) It also has a 4-part Invasion of Earth story involving UNIT in the tale after another 4-part invasion of Earth story ended the previous volume. Still, it's not bad. The Doctor has some great lines and the art is superb, so even though it's not original I enjoyed it.
Issue 2.5 is a one-shot that finds the Doctor trapped in a comic book along with a lot of comic book readers. It's a fun story filled with a lot of in-jokes and comic looking cheerleading. The book is fun and a type of story I appreciate. It also includes a back up story featuring Osgood in the TARDIS. The story is somewhat pointless and easily resolved but I give credit for having Osgood in the TARDIS.
While this isn't great or very original, this book executes fairly well and is a fun read.
The titular, "School of Death" storyline finds Clara investigating the disappearance of a friend who was a teacher at an exclusive English school. It's a story that involves a lot of Doctor Who tropes around evil schools which are really part of a front by a monster (in this case an old enemy of the Doctor.) It also has a 4-part Invasion of Earth story involving UNIT in the tale after another 4-part invasion of Earth story ended the previous volume. Still, it's not bad. The Doctor has some great lines and the art is superb, so even though it's not original I enjoyed it.
Issue 2.5 is a one-shot that finds the Doctor trapped in a comic book along with a lot of comic book readers. It's a fun story filled with a lot of in-jokes and comic looking cheerleading. The book is fun and a type of story I appreciate. It also includes a back up story featuring Osgood in the TARDIS. The story is somewhat pointless and easily resolved but I give credit for having Osgood in the TARDIS.
While this isn't great or very original, this book executes fairly well and is a fun read.
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December 31, 2016A reminder that, mediocre though this year's Christmas special was, it could have been so much worse were Capaldi still lumbered with Cockroach Girl. Though here he does at least acquire another, better companion for the duration - a stuffed fish. Beyond that you've got a fairly standard infiltration story which goes a bit too wide-screen at the close, and another classic monster getting a redesign as unappealing as those with which the Cybermen and New Dalek Paradigm were lumbered. Still, Stott does give great likeness and clean, lively storytelling, so there's that. Plus, a short reprisal of Robot, and a very meta issue which shamelessly nicks all the best tricks of fourth-wall-breaking comics but never quite amounts to more than an homage.
March 12, 2020
The School of Death was a solid adventure starting off as an atmospheric mystery with some creepy things going on but soon turns out to be a battle between humanity and the Sea Devils! The Twelfth Doctor and Clara were written brilliantly and I thought all the other characters were very well developed and felt very real. This is a story that would have worked brilliantly on screen! 8.5/10
The Fourth Wall was very good too with the return of the Boneless who are trapping people into comics. 8/10
The short story Robo-Rampage was good fun with a new construction of a very familiar Robot... 8/10
The Fourth Wall was very good too with the return of the Boneless who are trapping people into comics. 8/10
The short story Robo-Rampage was good fun with a new construction of a very familiar Robot... 8/10
September 4, 2018
An enjoyable read, I love Rachel Stott's artwork, she really captures The Twelth Doctor (in his lighter S9/S10 form) and Clara visually so well, after the variable artwork in earlier Titan comics. Both the main stories are good escapist fun
It's a bit sad that this is the last 12/Clara volume, and indeed the only one which features the "glory days" S9 relationship, I think Titan closed this particular pairing a bit soon, as they finally got it right by the end.
It's a bit sad that this is the last 12/Clara volume, and indeed the only one which features the "glory days" S9 relationship, I think Titan closed this particular pairing a bit soon, as they finally got it right by the end.
October 11, 2022
- clara saying that the doctor is the best kind of teacher and then the doctor actually becoming a teacher after she left :(
- twelve saying geronimo!! and the timey-wimey stuff jdfkjfhjkgfhgj
- the fourth wall was such an interesting story. it gave me beethoven's fifth symphony vibes
- i may not talk about twelveclara much but they really are one of the best tardis teams
- twelve saying geronimo!! and the timey-wimey stuff jdfkjfhjkgfhgj
- the fourth wall was such an interesting story. it gave me beethoven's fifth symphony vibes
- i may not talk about twelveclara much but they really are one of the best tardis teams
April 26, 2017
5 stars
Nice to see the Twelfth Doctor and Clara again. The Sea Devils were very interesting. Glad that they were able to stop them from taking over Earth.
Can't wait to read more Doctor Who comics!!!!
Nice to see the Twelfth Doctor and Clara again. The Sea Devils were very interesting. Glad that they were able to stop them from taking over Earth.
Can't wait to read more Doctor Who comics!!!!
July 31, 2017
This volume is dominated by another good story that I would have loved to see on the screen.
WARNING: SOME SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW!
"Clara Oswald and the School of Death" was a fun adventure that revives an old foe from the days of the 3rd Doctor: the Sea Devils. It was nice to see something from the old days that wasn't related to the Daleks or Cybermen (who tend to be overused). Some of the secondary characters are a little flat, but the Doctor and Clara really amused me. (And Sonny is great. I love Sonny.) There were a couple slightly-out-of-character moments, but nothing that broke the story. Liked the artwork; characters more or less looked like themselves.
Two shorter stories follow. The first I couldn't find a name for, but it's essentially about the Doctor (and other people) being pulled into comic books and how they escape. It's meta and kind of cheesy, but very lighthearted. The second story is called "Robo Rampage" and has Osgood (not Oswald) save the Doctor when a robot from his time as the 4th Doctor gets loose. Short, kind of cute, but no real distinguishing features.
WARNING: SOME SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW!
"Clara Oswald and the School of Death" was a fun adventure that revives an old foe from the days of the 3rd Doctor: the Sea Devils. It was nice to see something from the old days that wasn't related to the Daleks or Cybermen (who tend to be overused). Some of the secondary characters are a little flat, but the Doctor and Clara really amused me. (And Sonny is great. I love Sonny.) There were a couple slightly-out-of-character moments, but nothing that broke the story. Liked the artwork; characters more or less looked like themselves.
Two shorter stories follow. The first I couldn't find a name for, but it's essentially about the Doctor (and other people) being pulled into comic books and how they escape. It's meta and kind of cheesy, but very lighthearted. The second story is called "Robo Rampage" and has Osgood (not Oswald) save the Doctor when a robot from his time as the 4th Doctor gets loose. Short, kind of cute, but no real distinguishing features.
November 28, 2018
"Clara Oswald and the School of Death" seems to take place during series 9. The story was entertaining enough. I was surprised by how much I liked "The Fourth Wall." Typically, I don't like when Doctor Who stories get too meta, but it made sense to bring back The Boneless for this type of story. When I first saw them in their one series 8 episode, I thought maybe they'd become the new Weeping Angels/Silence. It was nice seeing them put to use here. As for "Robo Rampage," I get annoyed with the Osgood character in general, so it's just there.
July 14, 2017
My first Doctor Who comic & I must say, it captures Doctor's & Clara's relationship pretty well.
That last adventure they went on ironically involves comics (that first bit made me hope I would be hearing the 'Wworrp woorrp' sound in real life, lol). Although it was a short one, I appreciated and really loved the creativity on that one.
That last adventure they went on ironically involves comics (that first bit made me hope I would be hearing the 'Wworrp woorrp' sound in real life, lol). Although it was a short one, I appreciated and really loved the creativity on that one.
June 3, 2024
I quite liked this one. It merged some of my favourite themes, political corruption, climate change, public school iniquity, along with some good fashioned Whovian monsters and magically fantastic technology. The story took me back to one of my most scarily favourite monsters from the Jon Pertwee era. There are two bonus stories aside from the School of Death and the first one in particular was great un its breaking of the fourth wall approach to comic book (graphic novel) stories.
Given the current election campaign lines about
"The trouble with politicians these days, can't hold onto their humanity"
and private school education just as likely to make people
"Cold fishes - weird, creepy, arrogant and superior"
as any kind of alien possession.
The story's plot swirls around politically motivated climate inaction as a means of with terra-reforming the climate into a Silurian hothouse. Sadly that political obstructionism is more about an unholy alliance of fossil fuel corporations and petro-states wielding undemocratic and unscientific influence to drive humanity towards self-destruction. Still - any story that hints at the duplicity of climate change denying politics is most welcome.
Given the current election campaign lines about
"The trouble with politicians these days, can't hold onto their humanity"
and private school education just as likely to make people
"Cold fishes - weird, creepy, arrogant and superior"
as any kind of alien possession.
The story's plot swirls around politically motivated climate inaction as a means of with terra-reforming the climate into a Silurian hothouse. Sadly that political obstructionism is more about an unholy alliance of fossil fuel corporations and petro-states wielding undemocratic and unscientific influence to drive humanity towards self-destruction. Still - any story that hints at the duplicity of climate change denying politics is most welcome.
April 13, 2021
Welcome to "Year Two" of the Twelfth Doctor comics since they like to organize them into virtual seasons as if they were part of the TV show. But admittedly this one felt a little difficult to really dive into, which I guess has been my problem with most of this run.
We start with another school-related storyline because it's the low-hanging fruit of plot setups given Claire's Earth occupation. The story set up took a while to build up steam, but I dod appreciate how it tied back to the classic antagonists - the Sea Devils. The story got better once their involvement in things was established. The ending was a bit campy, but that's okay, too. The comic book version of the Twelfth Doctor has been making a LOT of references to his Classic incarnations.
The last issue in this volume was a really fun one that went all meta with the Doctor being trapped in the comic you're ready. I felt this was actually pretty clever in terms of interpretation and the writer clearly had a lot of fun with it.
We start with another school-related storyline because it's the low-hanging fruit of plot setups given Claire's Earth occupation. The story set up took a while to build up steam, but I dod appreciate how it tied back to the classic antagonists - the Sea Devils. The story got better once their involvement in things was established. The ending was a bit campy, but that's okay, too. The comic book version of the Twelfth Doctor has been making a LOT of references to his Classic incarnations.
The last issue in this volume was a really fun one that went all meta with the Doctor being trapped in the comic you're ready. I felt this was actually pretty clever in terms of interpretation and the writer clearly had a lot of fun with it.
September 27, 2025
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-school-of-death-by-robbie-morrison-et-al/
Starting Year Two of Titan’s Twelfth Doctor sequence, this is a compilation of three separately published stories. The title story starts with a character called Christel Dean, who is clearly an incarnation of well-known Doctor Who fan and writer Christel Dee, teaching at a remote Scottish boarding school with added Sea Devils. Oh, and the Doctor has a new companion, a stuffed swordfish called Sonny. The second story, “The Fourth Wall”, gets properly recursive with characters being absorbed into (and occasionally escaping from) comics, thanks to alien meddling. And the third story, “Robo Rampage”, is a sequel to the Fourth Doctor story Robot, featuring the twenty-first century UNIT. All three of these are above average; I particularly liked the art of Rachael Stott in the first two.
Starting Year Two of Titan’s Twelfth Doctor sequence, this is a compilation of three separately published stories. The title story starts with a character called Christel Dean, who is clearly an incarnation of well-known Doctor Who fan and writer Christel Dee, teaching at a remote Scottish boarding school with added Sea Devils. Oh, and the Doctor has a new companion, a stuffed swordfish called Sonny. The second story, “The Fourth Wall”, gets properly recursive with characters being absorbed into (and occasionally escaping from) comics, thanks to alien meddling. And the third story, “Robo Rampage”, is a sequel to the Fourth Doctor story Robot, featuring the twenty-first century UNIT. All three of these are above average; I particularly liked the art of Rachael Stott in the first two.
May 8, 2020
DOCTOR WHO
Volume 4
THE SCHOOL OF DEATH
Year 2
#1
CLARA OSWALD AND THE SCHOOL OF DEATH Part 1
Christel Dean (comic version of the Whovian fan?)
"Me? Impossible? NEVER." - Clara
...
#2
"Television? Graphic novels? Of dubious educational benefit surely, Miss Oswald?" - student1
"And might I say, dangerously far removed from our recommended reading list." - student2
...
#3
At UNIT HQ:
"The Prime Minister's ...an ALIEN?! Not AGAIN. Politicians these days just can't hang on to their humanity."
...
[also known as Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor (2016-) #4
#4
"As punishment, we'll target Scotland with our sonic-devastaters."
...
#5
"YOU! And THIS.. is no ordinary comic book."
..
Volume 4
THE SCHOOL OF DEATH
Year 2
#1
CLARA OSWALD AND THE SCHOOL OF DEATH Part 1
Christel Dean (comic version of the Whovian fan?)
"Me? Impossible? NEVER." - Clara
...
#2
"Television? Graphic novels? Of dubious educational benefit surely, Miss Oswald?" - student1
"And might I say, dangerously far removed from our recommended reading list." - student2
...
#3
At UNIT HQ:
"The Prime Minister's ...an ALIEN?! Not AGAIN. Politicians these days just can't hang on to their humanity."
...
[also known as Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor (2016-) #4
#4
"As punishment, we'll target Scotland with our sonic-devastaters."
...
#5
"YOU! And THIS.. is no ordinary comic book."
..
December 20, 2018
The main story, featuring a mildly Lovecraftian update on an old foe, is fun, if not especially deep. The Twelfth Doctor acts unusually wacky at times, however, while Clara once again spends some time as a replacement Doctor. The second standalone story is fine, though I feel like they may have wasted a cool returning enemy on the otherwise neat comic-related story. The third story basically feels like filler, and might have benefited from a longer, in-depth take. All in all, a mixed bag, but entertaining enough. (B)
January 4, 2025
The School of Death: 9/10
The School of Death is a visually stunning and occasionally witty story that struggles with pacing and originality but still manages to entertain.
Robo Rampage: 8/10
As a Free Comic Book Day offering, Robo Rampage is light, fast-paced, and enjoyable, proving that even short adventures can leave a lasting impression.
Four Walls: 9/10
Four Walls is a visually engaging and innovative tale, but its pacing issues and lack of narrative weight leave it feeling like a missed opportunity.
The School of Death is a visually stunning and occasionally witty story that struggles with pacing and originality but still manages to entertain.
Robo Rampage: 8/10
As a Free Comic Book Day offering, Robo Rampage is light, fast-paced, and enjoyable, proving that even short adventures can leave a lasting impression.
Four Walls: 9/10
Four Walls is a visually engaging and innovative tale, but its pacing issues and lack of narrative weight leave it feeling like a missed opportunity.
July 10, 2019
Disclaimer: graphic novels are not my normal read.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the illustrations and the storyline, but felt it became rushed from about halfway through. I liked the banter and chat between the Doctor and Clara and enjoyed the fact that they brought UNIT in to it.
This was the first one of these I'd read, and I'd definitely look at reading more in the future!
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the illustrations and the storyline, but felt it became rushed from about halfway through. I liked the banter and chat between the Doctor and Clara and enjoyed the fact that they brought UNIT in to it.
This was the first one of these I'd read, and I'd definitely look at reading more in the future!
July 17, 2025
Absolutely brilliant. The "something's going on with the students/staff at a British school" story has been done to death for decades, but just add Sea Devils and it's apparently fun again. Loved it. The second story was very postmodern and very clever. The final story was very short but enjoyable. Best volume in the series by far.
May 29, 2018
Fun and I enjoyed the creepy school plot. But it couldn’t beat the entertainment factor of the Free Comic Book Day issue. And I was pleased to see the Doctor’s style starting to change, even though I do miss his fancy coat.
February 8, 2023
PEAK twelveclara content my god. i love these bitches. they are so married. also a really fun time, not to mention clara getting to do her own thing and proving she could handle this whole show and twelve is actually just the comic relief. rip sonny.
January 22, 2018
The 12th Doctor will always stay my favourite and this was an excellent story, I really enjoyed it!
May 3, 2018
Going from dry to set &backagain. Brain power to defeat the enemy. Then going in & out of comic books. Finally destroying living metal.
September 15, 2019
The main plot here was pretty entertaining
December 27, 2019
I'm really enjoying the 12th Dr books
January 17, 2020
Main plot to really to my taste, but the side stories were spot on. And I did love Sonny!
September 20, 2022
The art in the main story is superb and the story is great.
November 5, 2022
Liest dich super gut, nur leider zu schnell zu ende. Hat einen klasse Humor, (das beste ist der Fisch)
January 27, 2024
Love a good ol' nautical story. A shame this isn't a televised episode, it would've been real cool to see Peter Capaldi dressed like that.
October 16, 2023
I really liked the main story about a remote elite private school in Scotland. It had a Village of the Damned crossed with Invasion of the Body Snatchers vibe to it. Plus I think Rachel Stott is the best artist to have worked on the book so far. The other two shorter stories are solid too.
April 15, 2020
This is the best volume of The Twelfth Doctor comic series so far. While volume 4 begins “Year Two” of its publishing, you can skip over volume 4 and just dive into this one. Volume 4 features Clara as a companion during series 9, whereas volume 5 takes place somewhere between “Hell Bent” and “The Husbands of River Song,” and features a new companion Hattie Munroe from 40th century punk rock band The Space Pirates.
Seeing Capaldi’s Doctor at a concert like this just feels so natural when you take his background into account. It also feels like George Mann may have taken a page from The Eleventh Doctor comics, where one of the companions is a David Bowie analog named Xavi Moonburst. I’d like to see him return in a Twelfth Doctor story. In the meantime, we have Hattie Munroe, who has a great dynamic with this Doctor. And I really wish that she could’ve remained a regular companion beyond this volume.
The two stories here are “The Twist” and “Playing House.” The firmer has more stunning art than the latter, but both are great stories. The Twist is a civilization on a space station. (Sounds like a song or album title, doesn’t it?) The Doctor investigates a murder, and there is a hidden truth regarding a hidden race on The Twist known as the Foxkin, which I at first mistook for werewolves. I really like the message of this story, which is that people of different races or species or what have you should get along. I also like how the Foxkin aren’t one-note. There are those who want to maintain the secret of The Twist’s past, and those who want to reveal the truth and stop hiding. I also thought The Doctor saying "Come with me if you want to live!" was amusing, given Matt Smith's role in Terminator: Genisys.
The Doctor promises just one trip for Hattie. While I expected this to be a Martha situation, he really does mean one trip, which is unfortunate. But it’s a great haunted house story, in which we get to see the strength of a mother looking for her family in a house where rooms keep on appearing, which is a wonderful concept. Some might think the weakness of the ghost-like Spyrallites feels silly, but I was cool with it.
Overall, I loved seeing The Doctor and Hattie rocking together, and it’s great that we have at least these stories with them together.
Seeing Capaldi’s Doctor at a concert like this just feels so natural when you take his background into account. It also feels like George Mann may have taken a page from The Eleventh Doctor comics, where one of the companions is a David Bowie analog named Xavi Moonburst. I’d like to see him return in a Twelfth Doctor story. In the meantime, we have Hattie Munroe, who has a great dynamic with this Doctor. And I really wish that she could’ve remained a regular companion beyond this volume.
The two stories here are “The Twist” and “Playing House.” The firmer has more stunning art than the latter, but both are great stories. The Twist is a civilization on a space station. (Sounds like a song or album title, doesn’t it?) The Doctor investigates a murder, and there is a hidden truth regarding a hidden race on The Twist known as the Foxkin, which I at first mistook for werewolves. I really like the message of this story, which is that people of different races or species or what have you should get along. I also like how the Foxkin aren’t one-note. There are those who want to maintain the secret of The Twist’s past, and those who want to reveal the truth and stop hiding. I also thought The Doctor saying "Come with me if you want to live!" was amusing, given Matt Smith's role in Terminator: Genisys.
The Doctor promises just one trip for Hattie. While I expected this to be a Martha situation, he really does mean one trip, which is unfortunate. But it’s a great haunted house story, in which we get to see the strength of a mother looking for her family in a house where rooms keep on appearing, which is a wonderful concept. Some might think the weakness of the ghost-like Spyrallites feels silly, but I was cool with it.
Overall, I loved seeing The Doctor and Hattie rocking together, and it’s great that we have at least these stories with them together.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews