Doctor Who: The Betrothal of Sontar

Doctor Who Graphic Novels: The Tenth Doctor #1

by John Tomlinson, Nick Abadzis (Writer), Gareth Roberts (Writer)

The Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler steer the TARDIS into a whole new realm of adventure and excitement in these collected comics from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine!

This book features eight amazing stories: The Betrothal of Sontar, The Lodger, F.A.Q., The Futurists, Interstellar Overdrive, Opera of Doom!, The Green-Eyed Monster and The Warkeeper's Crown!

Fresh from his regeneration, the Tenth Doctor needs all his wits about him as he battles the war-loving Sontarans on a remote ice planet, while Rose finds herself facing her worst fears in front of her family — and live on TV!

Also: Mickey spends a maddening week with a Time Lord in his spare room, an ordinary boy creates an extraordinary world of deadly monsters, an intergalactic rock band seems doomed to die over and over again, and the Doctor catches up with his oldest friend, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, on an alien world where war is eternal!

Plus! A special 15-page commentary section where the writers, artists and editors reveal the stories behind the strips, including TV writer Gareth Roberts (The Shakespeare Code, The Unicorn and the Wasp)

An essential collection for fans of Doctor Who and classic British comics!

Genres: Doctor Who, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Time Travel, Fiction

180 pages, Paperback

First published December 11, 2012

About the author

John Tomlinson is a British comic book writer and editor known for his work on various 2000 AD strips. He has occasionally been credited as Sonny Steelgrave.

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a little better than the Ninth Doctor volume of stories, but I still feel like the writers and editors are trying too hard make it something it isn't. The comics aren't the episodes. They need to be unique and something that works for the medium that they are. They keep trying to "go big" and do epic and do stuff that they don't have the budget to do in the series. Wrong. Focus on the characters. The stories really need to be about the characters and the challenges that test their morals and convictions. Otherwise, this a fine rather typical collection of Doctor Who comic strips. Entertaining, but nothing of really lasting interest.

[S. J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars overall

Overall:

This is a fairly well put together book. I like the size, though it must be hard to find space for it on some bookshelves. It’s height translates to large, detailed images that show off the illustrators’ excellent work while also making the text easy to read. The pages didn’t feel like they were going to fall out and the paperback cover seems rather sturdy. There are eight stories in here, most two parters that are given a chance to tell a good story. From here on, we will look at each one individually.

The Betrothal of Sontar:

Our old friends the Sontarans are back and the Doctor and Rose walk right into their hands. The leader of the soldiers on this ninth circle planet is…nuttier then a fruitcake and the Doctor is torn between helping the lunatic to save their lives and running as fast as he can the other way. We get to meet a ‘good’ Sontaran, predictably seen as a defect by the ‘normal’ ones, and together the three of them attempt to stop crazy potato head from destroying not only the planet but other parts of the galaxy as well.

My one problem with this particular story, which is well written and well-drawn (give up all thoughts that ANYONE can illustrate the female characters like Jackie and Rose well), is some of the images are…disturbing. The end one is particularly brutal and there are a couple others that are a bit…much. That is more of a personal issue, so I’m sure most will have no problem but I feel I should mention it.

The Lodger:

Ah, Mickey. A character that was often sadly underused. Here he is front and center as he narrates a weekend from Hell with the Doctor as his temporary lodger until Rose and the TARDIS return from a mistaken time sojourn. This is rather familiar to Matt Smith’s episode with from the fifth season called…well would you look at that, by timey-whimey coincidence it’s called the Lodger too. They even have a football game in this and he talks Mickey’s current girl into making something of herself too. Wow. I’m suddenly really underwhelmed.

The best part is the end when the Doctor sets up Rose to spend time with just Mickey after the guy blows up at him. I will admit, it’s rather cute.

FYI, I just found out that the episode was based on this comic script that was written by the same guy. He basically wanted to see the Doctor live a day as a ‘normal’. I feel a bit better now.

F.A.Q.:

This has to be one of my favs of this book, though it becomes rather disturbing after a while. We see two teens arguing over non-copyright but obviously supposed to be pop culture references. As they do so, rather strange things wander in and out of the ‘normal’ London street and though the boy makes mention of the…strangeness, he seems remarkably calm about it. Just as he talks about needing someone clever to explain it, we see the TARDIS appear. Rose and the Doctor quickly realize that all is not as it seems and they try to solve the problem.

This ends up being more complicated and involved then either could believe. The world around them is not as it seems and it is controlled by someone who either doesn’t acknowledge it or who then uses it for less than stellar means. The Doctor doesn’t have all the facts, will he figure it out in time?

My major problem with this, though again the story and illustrations are quite good, is that I had figured out the final big twist really early on. Also, I found the fact that the boy’s dead at birth twin would seek his death extremely dark and scary. I feel that this was almost treated flippantly and certainly not addressed as it should have been. Too, did anyone else think the teacher who helped Rose looked a lot like Wonder Woman or is it just me?

The Futurists:

Now this is Doctor Who at his finest! My favorite type of Doctor Who story is where you learn something, particularly concerning history as he romps across time and space. Here we discover (at least I did because I’d never heard about this before) an art and design movement in Italy after WWI that morphed into Mussolini’s fascists. While the story takes precedence, the reader does learn a good bit as well as sees where many of their ideals would inevitably lead no matter if (spoiler: crazy time jellies) mess with ‘history’ or not. The author also touches on another historical incident, I think. I believe the Roman legion they meet in Britain might be the Ninth that supposedly mysteriously disappeared but when I looked back over it, I couldn’t find where I got that from. So, that might not be accurate. The illustrations are REALLY good in this story with Rose looking…close to how she should (closer than any other story here) and the scenery is PERFECT. When the Doctor, Rose, and their friend find themselves in an Italian landscape that has built up decades in seconds, the ghost citadel left is beautiful and haunting. The incidental characters really shine in this and the baddies are interesting and kind of scary. All in all, an A+ story.

Interstellar Overdrive

Ok, this was just weird. Not bad, necessarily, though it didn’t do much for me personally but it was very crazy. The TARDIS arrives on a weird spaceship carrying an Interstellar rock band that has seen better days. Crazy shenanigans happened as well as timey-whimey stuff. There is a bit of a mystery, though not much, and things come out all right in the end.

Ok, my biggest issue was the Zombie/Bane stiff walking around saying basically prerecorded phrases. Their explanation was even worse ever heard of desecration of a corpse, future creepy people and, oh of course he’d play a major part! Why wouldn’t you want a walking corpse to be one of your main characters?! Seriously? .

All told, not my favorite story of the bunch.

Opera of Doom

A one part story that REALLY should have been longer. Rose and the Doctor arrive at a futuristic city where a strange opera house looms over large crowds of street musicians, trying to earn enough money to experience the Automatic Orchestra. Each night is a new production and is a must see. However, the Doctor recognizes the machine as something nefarious (doesn’t he always?) and with a local musician who can’t play but the Doctor knows as one of best musicians of all time aiding them, they discover the horrible truth about the Automatic Orchestra. And yes, I totally guessed that the bad musician would be magically gifted talents before the end of the story. A bit predictable but a fun read.

The Green-Eyed Monster

Sigh. Can we pretend this copy magically did not contain this story?

No; okay.

The story is not…bad. And yes, my biggest issue was the illustration style. I…dislike…cartoony comic figures of real people with enlarged teeth. The Japanese enlarged eyes of manga are okay but something about teeth …shudder. So I was already disposed to be less than pleased with this but then the story…it just wasn’t for me. The idea of jealousy eating bug in the ear while a bit creepy was actually interesting as was how they fix it but the scene where the Doctor kisses Jackie was not cool; sorry.

Just, all in all, this story didn’t do much for me. The best thing about it was that it was short.

The Warkeeper’s Crown
Wow. Just wow.

Okay, that sums that up.

Seriously, though this is easily the best story of the collection. The fact that the Brigadier makes a wonderful appearance is the tip of the iceberg in an epic yet sad story about an alien civilization that is trapped in a constant state of war. The old ‘warkeeper’ is dying and the Brigadier with his military knowledge is supposed to take his place with the Doctor as his companion (some irony there). Needless to say the Doctor is less than thrilled and his friend isn’t any keener on the whole situation. As one would expect, there is a lot more going on than at first meets the eye and the issue does spill over onto Earth. This is a must read for Tenth Doctor fans as well as fans of the original series as the Brigadier plays such a great role in this story.

Conclusion

Quite a good series of comics involving the 10th Doctor and Rose. Some are, in my opinion, better than others but all the stories are rather fun and many are very interesting and thought provoking. I'd recommend this for Doctor Who lovers who like comics and/or especially like the 10th Doctor and Rose.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some fun stories in here! And lots of looks while I was reading it at the orthodontist office today... closet Doctor Who fans?!?

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book collects the Tenth Doctor's first comic book stories, with all but the last one having Rose as his companion. The strips originally appeared in Doctor Who Magazine Issues 365-380 and the the 2007 Doctor Who Story Book.

The Betrothal of Sontar (365-367): The first 10th Doctor comic book story and the titular story from this collection finds the Doctor on an arctic world where a bunch of deviations in the Sontarans have a base far from the action of the war and under the command of a purebred Sontaran who ends ups using the Doctor to find a doomsday weapon. This is actually the weakest story in the book. It's a Sontaran story where no one acts like a Sontaran. The purebed Sontaran has a mustache and sits around alone with his chest plate off revealing a hairy chest and wears fur shoulder pads. Even with a generic alien, this would be an average story. For bungling the Sontarans, it's a notch below that. Grade: D+

The Lodger (368): The Doctor is stuck on Earth and living with Mickey for a spell. The story is fun and does a nice job putting the Doctor into a unique situation. Roberts would later take the idea of the comic and make it a TV script for the 11th Doctor. You'll find the barebones of the idea here but other than the Doctor being good at soccer, little of the plot crosses over. Grade: A-

F.A.Q. (369-371): This is a story that actually is reminiscent of "Fear Her" (a story that aired in the same series as the comic strips), so it's weird the magazine ran this one. The story is better than "Fear Her" but the similarities are striking. At any rate, the Doctor and Rose arrive in a block where weird things are happening and people are disappearing and strange things start happening including mysterious disappearance and three boys being turned into trees. It all seems to center on a boy and is sister. This story twists around like a pretzel, it's very clever and rich with a lot of emotion, psychology, and misdirection at work. The commentary in the back reveals the real life modeling of the characters which makes the story even more enjoyable. Great concept and really good execution. Grade: A

The Futurists (372-374): This is the type of story you see in comics, audio, and novels, but never on the TV series as we have a story based on an obscure fact of history, sprinkle in sci fi and enjoy. In this case, the Doctor and Rose land in Italy between the Wars where the Futurists are beginning a movement that would become Italian fascism. An alien transports one of these Futurists back in time and gives him the chance to conquer the world. This is a wonderfully researched story that has several great twists in the final parts. Mike Collins art is great throughout the book (excepting some of the Sontaran designs in the first story of course.) but this is his best work in the book. I love his drawings of 1920s Italy and the clothing for the era is superb too. There's also a few nice humor bits sprinkled throughout.I loved Rose showing the psychic paper to an illiterate soldier. Grade: A+

Interstellar Overdrive (375-376): The TARDIS lands on a tour ship featuring a zombified singer leading a band of misfit has-beens. Of course, there's a murder mystery and a few nice end-jokes. The Time Loop that's a big plot device for the cliffhanger is a bit weak as the Doctor and Rose remember everything which serves to expedite the time loop solution but also isn't really how those things should work. Still, this is a fun story. Grade: B+

Opera of Doom (2007 Doctor Who Story Book): This story finds the Doctor taking Rose to the opera where strange things are afoot and an alien eats music. This is a story that's too short but that's really the fault of the BBC which demanded a shorter length to protect its Doctor Who Annual and that hurt this tale. It could have done with a few more pages, but it's okay as is with a nice comic and some good lines. Grade: B

The Green Eyed Monster (DWM 377): In Rose's final comic story, writer Nev Fountain decided to play with the idea promoted by many that Rose and her crew were kind of poor and trashy where Rose's adventures with the Doctor and one adventure in particular are fodder for a Jerry Springereseque Daytime talk show. This strip not only gets Mickey in, but also Jackie and in a quiet unusual way. Fountain manages to gently poke fun at some of Doctor Who's tropes as an alien princess tells the Doctor, "Our scientists have been mystified as to why our planet is solely populated by stunningly attractive with physical ages of eighteen to twenty." The strip does a lot in 10 pages, playing with Rose's jealousy of other women around the Doctor, perceptions of the Tyler family, and even works a riff of Peter Davison's famous line from the Fury of the Deep. Nicely done. Grade: A

The Warkeeper's Crown: The only visual teaming of the Brigadier and a revived series Doctor finds the Brigadier kidnapped from a Remembrance Day ceremony in full uniform. He arrives to find he's being asked to lead a war-like species into battle because he's the greatest military leader the Doctor knows. They also kidnap Mike Yates, however instead of the Brigadier's former UNIT aide, they kidnap a back bench member of parliament whose kind of petty. There are a few confusing points in the plot, but this is ultimately a love letter to the Brigadier and it works. It's a great dynamic between the post-time War Doctor and the Brigadier as the Brig realizes that the Doctor has been a war. Good stuff. Also, a key moment from the Series 8 finale may have had its genesis in the last page of this comic. Grade: A-

With the exception of the first story, I found most everything else in the book to be thoroughly enjoyable. There are some great concepts. Even though, many of these were planned with very little known of the 10th Doctor they captured the character well. Rose was usually pretty good, though she did occasionally become a bit of a comic foil. This is a very solid volume of comics from Doctor Who magazine that's a must read for fans of the 10th Doctor.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1453165.html

Somehow more sure of its ground than the collected Ninth Doctor which I read a while back, and surprisingly grownup in places. The title story, The Betrothal of Sontar, by John Tomlinson and Nick Abadzis, is an interesting retake on Colony in Space with Sontarans instead of human colonists; of the two protagonists, one is nasty even by Sontaran standards, the other somewhat unrealistically nice. Gareth Roberts' The Lodger, on which tonight's broadcast episode is rather loosely based, is a nice nine-page vignette of the Doctor turning up alone on Mickey Smith's doorstep and irritating the hell out of him (so who will be the Mickey character tonight?). F.A.Q., by the excellent Tony Lee, is a surprisingly dark tale of adolescent fantasies and repressed memories spinning out of control. The Futurists, by Mike Collins who is also the penciller for this and the three previous stories, combines some excellent one-liners with a thrilling combination of the Milan of 1925, Roman Britain, and sinister time-travelling jellyfish. Jonathan Morris has a space-opera pop group on its last legs in Interstellar Overdrive (the title doesn't quite say it all but does say most of it). He returns to music in the rather slight Opera of Doom, featuring aliens which absorb and also transmit musical talent. This is followed by an equally lightweight story, The Green-Eyed Monster by Nev Fountain, in which the Doctor snogs Jackie to save Rose's life (in Rose's last regular strip appearance). We finish with Alan Barnes bringing back the Brigadier in The War-Keeper's Crown - not one of Barnes' best efforts but since he is one of the best contemporary Who writers that is still pretty decent. All in all, strongly recommended.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The titular "Betrothal of Sontar" is a nice story with great artwork and really good focus on the Sontarans [7/10]. Though not as good as the TV episode, "The Lodger" is good fun [8/10]. "FAQ" is a little slow at times, but is a fun little story [6/10]. "The Futurists" is a good story that makes fun use of time travel and has a great scope [7/10]. "Interstellar Overdrive" starts off slow, but has some fun timey-wimeyness in its second part [6/10]. "Opera of Doom" is another OK but forgettable story [5/10]. "The Green-Eyed Monster” is a great laugh [8/10]. "The Warkeeper's Crown" is an OK final story. I'm never fond of these pseudo-fantasy romps, and the plot is all over the place, but it's good to see the Brigadier one more time. [6/10] The authors' commentaries that end the volume really knock everything up a notch [9/10].

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first volume of comic strips from DWM featuring the 10th Doctor. There are some stand out stories here, especially considering that the early ones were written without much information about the 10th Doctor. The Sontaran one was a lot of fun, and introduced the name of their planet. The Lodger is genius, and is obviously where the 11th Doctor episode came from, though this time the Doctor is staying with Mickey. The virtual reality story is nice and dark, reminds me of the tone of the 8th Doctor stories. My favourite story is the Brigadier one though, meeting and helping a Doctor who had known war. It was quite touching. A very good read.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag but a good light read... My ratings by each story:

The Futurists- 2 stars (super confusing)
FAQ- 5 Stars
Betrothal of Sontar- 4 stars
The Lodger- 3 stars
Green-Eyed Monster- 1 star. Oh god it was SO BAD. Sooooo bad. I probably would've given this whole collection 4 stars if it wasn't for this.
Interstellar Overdrive- 3 stars
Opera of Doom- 3 stars
Warkeeper's Crown- 5 STARS!! AND MY FAVE! Very well done, and loved Brigadier as always. Really captured the Doctor Who spirit.

The stories I felt didn't quite capture the Doctor persona well got lower stars- sometimes they went overboard with his or Rose's sarcasm.

[Stephen Theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good stuff. I was never the world's biggest fan of Billie Piper as Rose, though I liked what Rose brought out of the Doctor. Like the stories collected in the Ninth Doctor comics special, something seems ever so slightly off here - it feels a bit too much like it's trying to be the Doctor Who television series, rather than the Doctor Who comic strip, but regardless of that I devoured it in a day or two.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that, with having read three or four of these graphic novel/reprint collections, that US comics, with few exceptions, currently suck. Why can't they be have as fun and enjoyable as these Brit stories?

The final story in this collection is my favorite, simply for bringing back the Brigadier to join the Tenth Doctor for a goofy little adventure. Most of these stories are seriously goofy and seriously fun. I can't recommend this collection high enough!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 1 out of 3 containing collected Tenth Doctor comics from Doctor Who Magazine. A good read for someone who needs to brush up their Doctor Who background ... Volumes 2 and 3 are hard to find, though. Darnit.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was (unfortunately) just OK. When the reprinting comes out I will probably purchase it. Probably, not definitely.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it; the stories weren't amazing nor were the drawings but it was my first Doctor Who graphic novel; I might get another...

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. For me, any new adventure with the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler is worth a read, but this one certainly had its moments that didn't quite reflect the standards of the show.