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Doctor Who: Once Upon a Time Lord
Eisner Award-Winner Dan Slott’s Doctor Who Comics debut sees Martha Jones spin three sensational yarns about the Tenth Doctor in order to survive!
An epic story that sees companion Martha Jones captured by the insatiable Pyromeths, and her only hope for survival is to keep them distracted with sensational untold tales of the Tenth Doctor facing off against his greatest foes-- both classic and new!
Witness the incredible adventures of the Tenth Doctor like never-before! You’ll be on the edge of your Tardis as she recounts three unbelievable tales of The Doctor facing off against his deadliest foes!
Bursting straight out of the long-running hit television series, this Doctor Who collection continues the time-travelling tales of the Doctor and friends.
(Originally solicited for July 2022 publication, this keeps getting pushed around. It was later marketed for July 2024, but is currently being listed for October 2023. So Who knows when it will actually get released.)
An epic story that sees companion Martha Jones captured by the insatiable Pyromeths, and her only hope for survival is to keep them distracted with sensational untold tales of the Tenth Doctor facing off against his greatest foes-- both classic and new!
Witness the incredible adventures of the Tenth Doctor like never-before! You’ll be on the edge of your Tardis as she recounts three unbelievable tales of The Doctor facing off against his deadliest foes!
Bursting straight out of the long-running hit television series, this Doctor Who collection continues the time-travelling tales of the Doctor and friends.
(Originally solicited for July 2022 publication, this keeps getting pushed around. It was later marketed for July 2024, but is currently being listed for October 2023. So Who knows when it will actually get released.)
64 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2022
7 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Dan Slott
1,996 books451 followersDan Slott is an American comic book writer, the current writer on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, and is best known for his work on books such as Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, The Superior Spider-Man, and Ren & Stimpy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 2, 2025
One of creepy dark graphics
November 7, 2023
Like Torchwood: Absent Friends I’m wondering if this will ever see the light of day. Originally this was supposed to be out in July of 2022 as an Annual (if I recall correctly), then delayed and delayed again until 2023. Before getting marketed for July 2024 and rebranded as a Special with a speculative release date two years after the original target of July 2022. Now it’s been retitled and has a new release date of October 2023 (this is all so ridiculous, I’ve really got to learn to stop preordering stuff). Maybe they’re reworking the whole thing so it will be Martha and the 14th Doctor instead of Martha and the 10th Doctor.
Update: We’ll, it’s November 7, 2023 and it’s finally … I mean FINALLY arrived. Will it be any good at all? Let’s see …
Update (post reading): When this was first solicited, I’d gotten the impression that it would be set while Martha was traveling the earth telling stories about the Doctor. Wrong about that. And no, it’s not Martha and the 14th Doctor either. This is actually so much better. The way it plays with the concept of storytelling, and interweaving reader expectations with traditional Doctor Who narrative structures. Brilliantly done. Not disappointed in the slightest. Even if I did have to wait almost a year and half to finally read it.
Update: We’ll, it’s November 7, 2023 and it’s finally … I mean FINALLY arrived. Will it be any good at all? Let’s see …
Update (post reading): When this was first solicited, I’d gotten the impression that it would be set while Martha was traveling the earth telling stories about the Doctor. Wrong about that. And no, it’s not Martha and the 14th Doctor either. This is actually so much better. The way it plays with the concept of storytelling, and interweaving reader expectations with traditional Doctor Who narrative structures. Brilliantly done. Not disappointed in the slightest. Even if I did have to wait almost a year and half to finally read it.
August 19, 2024
Previously my exposure to Doctor Who media outside of the show had been limited to Big Finish Audio Productions and Audiobook versions of Doctor Who novels. “Once Upon a Time Lord” was my first foray into Doctor Who comics. I picked it for the 60th Anniversary celebration as it was written by Dan Slott who wrote a Silver Surfer series I love which was self-described as an extended Doctor Who homage, so it works that Slott tackles an actual Doctor Who story. The story is set during David Tennant’s and Freema Agyeman’s tenure as the 10th Doctor and Martha Jones respectively during Series 3 of New Who. Martha gets kidnapped by aliens that are powered by story-telling and she’s first to tell them stories until The Doctor can get there. She tells 3 stories that only a Doctor Who writer could tell featuring a pirate/Moby Dick themed romp with the Sycorax, a Raiders of the Lost Ark style adventure against Nazis and Sutekh from Classic Who and a all out war between various Classic Who and New Who monsters in the Land of the Dead. All of Martha’s stories are fun and The Doctor returns the favor by telling a story about 9th Doctor and Rose.
Once Upon A Time Lord is fun, with Slott clearly knowing the source material. I did think the story was a bit too short though and while the Classic Who Doctors did appear in an opening montage, I think Slott limited himself by just having full stories from the first two New Who Doctors. Ultimately though this was a fun little way to help pass Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary, not groundbreaking but very entertaining tale from someone who’s clearly a fan.
Once Upon A Time Lord is fun, with Slott clearly knowing the source material. I did think the story was a bit too short though and while the Classic Who Doctors did appear in an opening montage, I think Slott limited himself by just having full stories from the first two New Who Doctors. Ultimately though this was a fun little way to help pass Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary, not groundbreaking but very entertaining tale from someone who’s clearly a fan.
December 28, 2024
A pair of Doctor Who stories, one featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha, and the other featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose. Both are pretty well done, but the second gains extra points for a clever use of the TARDIS translation field. (A-)
June 13, 2024
Dan Slott said he wrote this book as if it was jis only shot to ever write Doctor Who, so he'd be throwing everything and the kitchen sink at it. Boy was he not lying.
This quite short comic book manages to cram in a dozen or so classic monsters, plus one new one, two Doctors and two companions.
The book is very lore and Easter egg heavy in this regard, but I think rather than being bogged down by it the story Slott tells benefits from these references.
Once Upon a Time Lord is ultimately a story about stories and a good one can leave a lifelong impresion on us. Ironically I think Slott tells this story very well.
Using 10 and Martha specifically was a clever move as Martha would go on to tell stories of the Doctor to save the world in her season finale (an event which is foreshadowed in the book itself).
The secondary story, featuring Nine and Rose was a welcome edition, continuing the themes of the main text nicely, while also giving the world more 9th Doctor (of which there shall never be enough).
This quite short comic book manages to cram in a dozen or so classic monsters, plus one new one, two Doctors and two companions.
The book is very lore and Easter egg heavy in this regard, but I think rather than being bogged down by it the story Slott tells benefits from these references.
Once Upon a Time Lord is ultimately a story about stories and a good one can leave a lifelong impresion on us. Ironically I think Slott tells this story very well.
Using 10 and Martha specifically was a clever move as Martha would go on to tell stories of the Doctor to save the world in her season finale (an event which is foreshadowed in the book itself).
The secondary story, featuring Nine and Rose was a welcome edition, continuing the themes of the main text nicely, while also giving the world more 9th Doctor (of which there shall never be enough).
July 22, 2025
Among the many spinoffs of the long-running Doctor Who franchise have been quite a few comic strips and comic books. These have been highly variable as to quality, but give multiple writers and artists a crack at the many fun characters that have appeared over the years. This special allows Dan Slott, perhaps best known (for better or worse) for his Spider-Man run, to try his hand.
“Firelight” has medical student Martha Jones abducted by beings known as the Pyromeths. The opening panels have each of the previous Doctors explaining the Pyromeths to their companions, including fan favorite Frobisher. (You don’t know Frobisher? I won’t spoil the treat!) They are beings who love stories told around a fire.
Which wouldn’t be bad in and of itself, but they abduct random beings to tell them stories, and if the stories ever stop–so do you. Forever.
In this case, the Tenth Doctor has taken Martha to the county fair on Gobalabinko, where they serve a drink that tastes exactly like Earth ginger ale! Which is amazing in that it’s 827 light years from Earth and they arrived at it completely independently. While the Doctor heads off to fetch the drinks, Martha wanders around and comes across some sad little children looking at a vacant puppet show.
Once she agrees to tell the kiddies a story, they whisk her off to their home dimension and reveal their true identity. Martha’s going to have to come up with a heck of a tale!
And so she does, telling a fantastical adventure of the Doctor as he searches for the most valuable thing in the universe. His quest takes him from an ocean world with a gigantic fish monster, to an Egyptian pyramid where Nazis find out they’re not the scariest things there, to “The Realm of the Dead” where he must battle a greatest hits collection of his old foes to win through.
The twist in the tale is that this story is true, and at the end, the Doctor does indeed find the most valuable thing in the universe.
“Rhyme or Reason” takes up shortly thereafter, as Martha finally get to try the fizzy drink. There’s a bit of a hiccup in the TARDIS translation circuits, and that reminds the Doctor of a story that happened when he was traveling with Rose Tyler.
In 2005, Rose and the Ninth Doctor have been captured by the Terileptils, aliens who are planning to hit Earth with a de-evolution ray that will revert all life back to at best worms, so they can sell the planet to gourmets. Rose tries to let the Doctor know she’s managed to conceal his sonic screwdriver so they can use it to escape by speaking in Pig Latin.
Unfortunately, it turns out that the translator circuits perfectly translate Pig Latin into Terileptilese. Oops.
However, after a bit of chasing about, the Doctor hits on the use of homonyms, words that sound the same as what he wants to say, but mean different things. The translator flawlessly interprets the words he and Rose (once she catches on) are saying, but they’re gibberish to the aliens.
The first story is mostly nifty for letting the artists run wild with all the cameos and action sequences. The second story is more a showcase for the author’s wordplay humor, which is something that would be funnier in a much tinier dose.
These are perfectly acceptable Dr. Who stories, but I can see why Mr. Slott feared he would not be invited back.
Content note: Some bad people die. Middle schoolers on up should be okay.
I recommend this primarily to Dr. Who fans who will enjoy all the cameos.
“Firelight” has medical student Martha Jones abducted by beings known as the Pyromeths. The opening panels have each of the previous Doctors explaining the Pyromeths to their companions, including fan favorite Frobisher. (You don’t know Frobisher? I won’t spoil the treat!) They are beings who love stories told around a fire.
Which wouldn’t be bad in and of itself, but they abduct random beings to tell them stories, and if the stories ever stop–so do you. Forever.
In this case, the Tenth Doctor has taken Martha to the county fair on Gobalabinko, where they serve a drink that tastes exactly like Earth ginger ale! Which is amazing in that it’s 827 light years from Earth and they arrived at it completely independently. While the Doctor heads off to fetch the drinks, Martha wanders around and comes across some sad little children looking at a vacant puppet show.
Once she agrees to tell the kiddies a story, they whisk her off to their home dimension and reveal their true identity. Martha’s going to have to come up with a heck of a tale!
And so she does, telling a fantastical adventure of the Doctor as he searches for the most valuable thing in the universe. His quest takes him from an ocean world with a gigantic fish monster, to an Egyptian pyramid where Nazis find out they’re not the scariest things there, to “The Realm of the Dead” where he must battle a greatest hits collection of his old foes to win through.
The twist in the tale is that this story is true, and at the end, the Doctor does indeed find the most valuable thing in the universe.
“Rhyme or Reason” takes up shortly thereafter, as Martha finally get to try the fizzy drink. There’s a bit of a hiccup in the TARDIS translation circuits, and that reminds the Doctor of a story that happened when he was traveling with Rose Tyler.
In 2005, Rose and the Ninth Doctor have been captured by the Terileptils, aliens who are planning to hit Earth with a de-evolution ray that will revert all life back to at best worms, so they can sell the planet to gourmets. Rose tries to let the Doctor know she’s managed to conceal his sonic screwdriver so they can use it to escape by speaking in Pig Latin.
Unfortunately, it turns out that the translator circuits perfectly translate Pig Latin into Terileptilese. Oops.
However, after a bit of chasing about, the Doctor hits on the use of homonyms, words that sound the same as what he wants to say, but mean different things. The translator flawlessly interprets the words he and Rose (once she catches on) are saying, but they’re gibberish to the aliens.
The first story is mostly nifty for letting the artists run wild with all the cameos and action sequences. The second story is more a showcase for the author’s wordplay humor, which is something that would be funnier in a much tinier dose.
These are perfectly acceptable Dr. Who stories, but I can see why Mr. Slott feared he would not be invited back.
Content note: Some bad people die. Middle schoolers on up should be okay.
I recommend this primarily to Dr. Who fans who will enjoy all the cameos.
July 8, 2024
Firelight: This is the first of two Doctor Who comic strips by the legendary comic book writer Dan Scott, and it does not disappoint. Firelight concerns Martha recalling a tall tale to the Pyromeths, and you can really tell that Dan Slott is a fan of the show.
The comic story is like one big love letter to Doctor Who, featuring connections to stories like Pyramids Of Mars and The Christmas Invasion. The realm of the dead section, in particular, is an epic read, featuring every Doctor Who monster you could dream of. Everybody from The Web Of Fear's Yeti to the Draconians is present, and the werewolf from Tooth And Claw even features prominently in the third act, taking the Doctor to the Empress Of The Racnoss.
The conclusion is also very clever, and feels like typical Doctor Who. Martha uses underhand tactics to trick the Pyromeths, who think the Tenth Doctor is a fictional character in-universe, and it's an extremely satisfying end.
Rhyme Or Reason: This is a fun little back-up strip to Dan Slott's first Doctor Who comic book. It concerns the Tenth Doctor recalling an adventure to Martha back when he was in his Ninth incarnation and travelling with Rose. The story feels like an authentic adventure from Series 1 in 2005, and it's easy to imagine it slotting in somewhere between The Long Game and Father's Day.
The main difference is that in 2005, they probably wouldn't have brought back the Terileptils from The Visitation. It's extremely cool to see Dan Slott dive into the Doctor Who catalogue and give us a classic series monster return, and their plot to devolve the Earth with their devolution ray feels like textbook Doctor Who.
The references to Series 3 of the revival during the bookend scenes are nice too. There's Martha becoming fed up at the Doctor mentioning rose, which feels authentic to the unrequited love subplot, and even a nod to Last Of The Time Lords, when she wandered the Earth telling stories about the Doctor. It makes it feel like a comic for fans, by a fan.
The comic story is like one big love letter to Doctor Who, featuring connections to stories like Pyramids Of Mars and The Christmas Invasion. The realm of the dead section, in particular, is an epic read, featuring every Doctor Who monster you could dream of. Everybody from The Web Of Fear's Yeti to the Draconians is present, and the werewolf from Tooth And Claw even features prominently in the third act, taking the Doctor to the Empress Of The Racnoss.
The conclusion is also very clever, and feels like typical Doctor Who. Martha uses underhand tactics to trick the Pyromeths, who think the Tenth Doctor is a fictional character in-universe, and it's an extremely satisfying end.
Rhyme Or Reason: This is a fun little back-up strip to Dan Slott's first Doctor Who comic book. It concerns the Tenth Doctor recalling an adventure to Martha back when he was in his Ninth incarnation and travelling with Rose. The story feels like an authentic adventure from Series 1 in 2005, and it's easy to imagine it slotting in somewhere between The Long Game and Father's Day.
The main difference is that in 2005, they probably wouldn't have brought back the Terileptils from The Visitation. It's extremely cool to see Dan Slott dive into the Doctor Who catalogue and give us a classic series monster return, and their plot to devolve the Earth with their devolution ray feels like textbook Doctor Who.
The references to Series 3 of the revival during the bookend scenes are nice too. There's Martha becoming fed up at the Doctor mentioning rose, which feels authentic to the unrequited love subplot, and even a nod to Last Of The Time Lords, when she wandered the Earth telling stories about the Doctor. It makes it feel like a comic for fans, by a fan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 13, 2024In his long Marvel career, Dan Slott has more than once tried to finesse their characters into the mould of the Doctor, which was utterly charming when it was the Silver Surfer and somewhat less so when it was Hank bloody Pym. So it's lovely that, in the dying days of Titan's sometimes very impressive time with the Who licence, they've finally given him the chance to have a go on the real thing. It's by no means perfect; by his own admission he's thrown in everything but the kitchen sink in case the opportunity never comes again, which means a parade of old adversaries including both the overfamiliar and the plain dud, plus one where they seem out of character (is playing Ahab in a Moby-Dick riff particularly Sycorax?) and one where nobody seems sure how to spell them from one page to the next (Osiran is usual, and I've seen Osirian before, but never Osirin, which is where we end up). That segment also brings in an Indiana Jones riff updated for modern political sensitivities, which when you're already getting a go on one of the great heroes, is arguably just greedy.
But, cramming in more than the space should be able to hold, and being able to drop in on any story you fancy, is after all part of the brilliance of Doctor Who. And especially in the framing story it's clear that Slott has internalised the whole bonkers science fiction, fairytale, shaggy dog spirit of the show. He's helped by having an art team who, unlike some of Titan's, catch both the likenesses and the liveliness, even on the spread carrying a single story across ten incarnations and companions (with, beautifully, no attempt made to explain to casual fans why one of the latter is a penguin). Meaning that by the end I felt more than vindicated in my choice of this for my 10,000th thing read on Goodreads. After all, it mostly stars the Tenth, and it is a worthy enough section of the greatest story ever told.
But, cramming in more than the space should be able to hold, and being able to drop in on any story you fancy, is after all part of the brilliance of Doctor Who. And especially in the framing story it's clear that Slott has internalised the whole bonkers science fiction, fairytale, shaggy dog spirit of the show. He's helped by having an art team who, unlike some of Titan's, catch both the likenesses and the liveliness, even on the spread carrying a single story across ten incarnations and companions (with, beautifully, no attempt made to explain to casual fans why one of the latter is a penguin). Meaning that by the end I felt more than vindicated in my choice of this for my 10,000th thing read on Goodreads. After all, it mostly stars the Tenth, and it is a worthy enough section of the greatest story ever told.
September 30, 2025
Dan Slott is a famous comic book writer who is also known for writing the Amazing Spider-Man series. I admittedly know next to nothing about the man, but I know Titan made him out to be a big deal when they announced this comic book. I'm very intrigued to see what Dan brings to the table.
Firelight:
A group of aliens have kidnapped Martha, and they demand she tell them stories until the day she dies. Martha has a story to tell of the time The Doctor went on an epic quest across the universe and the underworld of the dead to find the most valuable thing in the universe.
This is a fun but admittedly very fan-wanky and messy story that concludes on a rather sweet note that also isn't as clever as Slott seems to think it is. There are 3 segments to this story, but the second, with the Osirian tomb, was definitely my favorite. 5/10
Rhyme or Reason:
The Doctor and Rose have only five minutes to save the Earth from the Terileptils turning humanity into primordial soup. Unfortunately for them, the Tardis translation circuits are acting up on them.
This is a fun 9 and Rose story that was admittedly the stronger story of this release, but not by much, admittedly. I'd love to see Big Finish do a full-on 9th Doctor story with the Terileptils as they're surprisingly a really fun combination. 6/10
Overall: 11/20
Firelight:
A group of aliens have kidnapped Martha, and they demand she tell them stories until the day she dies. Martha has a story to tell of the time The Doctor went on an epic quest across the universe and the underworld of the dead to find the most valuable thing in the universe.
This is a fun but admittedly very fan-wanky and messy story that concludes on a rather sweet note that also isn't as clever as Slott seems to think it is. There are 3 segments to this story, but the second, with the Osirian tomb, was definitely my favorite. 5/10
Rhyme or Reason:
The Doctor and Rose have only five minutes to save the Earth from the Terileptils turning humanity into primordial soup. Unfortunately for them, the Tardis translation circuits are acting up on them.
This is a fun 9 and Rose story that was admittedly the stronger story of this release, but not by much, admittedly. I'd love to see Big Finish do a full-on 9th Doctor story with the Terileptils as they're surprisingly a really fun combination. 6/10
Overall: 11/20
April 23, 2024
I love Dan Slott's writing and his creativity PLUS his insane love for Doctor Who shine through in these two short stories. Yes only 66 pages but man, what a great 66 pages. They are two amazing Doctor Who stories that would blow most of the recent TV episodes out of the water.
Why? Because they are creative and smart! Something that has been missing in Doctor Who recently. They are also tales that only Doctor Who would fit for - i.e. not a generic adventure for any hero. They are sci fi smart/funny/silly. I really don't want to give their plots away but one involves overcoming aliens who steal Martha to tell them stories - they feed on stories and will kill you if you stop telling them. Not only is the conclusion brilliant I love the humour of the aliens making ctitiques of the story Martha is telling while she is telling it.
The second story is even shorter but involves figuring out a way around aliens listening in on their (the Doctor and Rose) universal translator.
But I love that they are short and don't overstay their welcome. Too much in comics today is about stretching things out. And these are a nice reminder - that short, entertaining stories beat out long winded stories that have nothing new to say by a mile.
Why? Because they are creative and smart! Something that has been missing in Doctor Who recently. They are also tales that only Doctor Who would fit for - i.e. not a generic adventure for any hero. They are sci fi smart/funny/silly. I really don't want to give their plots away but one involves overcoming aliens who steal Martha to tell them stories - they feed on stories and will kill you if you stop telling them. Not only is the conclusion brilliant I love the humour of the aliens making ctitiques of the story Martha is telling while she is telling it.
The second story is even shorter but involves figuring out a way around aliens listening in on their (the Doctor and Rose) universal translator.
But I love that they are short and don't overstay their welcome. Too much in comics today is about stretching things out. And these are a nice reminder - that short, entertaining stories beat out long winded stories that have nothing new to say by a mile.
July 24, 2025
Nice, fresh-feeling pages surrounded by a beautiful cover and a neat blurb. Physically, this is a fantastic piece of merchandise to own.
The stories are pretty good as well. The first is a well-structured homage to the Tenth Doctor era as a whole, while the second is a short and sweet tale pitching Nine and Rose against the Terileptils. Hm, neat - Although I couldn't buy into Rose's characterization at all, though in fairness I do think she is probably one of the hardest companions to accurately replicate on paper.
Beyond the Tenth Doctor homage, there are some welcome cameos on the first page, including two expanded media characters that I was delighted to see again, even if only for a second.
However, I do think £15 might have been a bit too high for this. As good as it is, it's very 'thin' and feels more like a £10-12 piece at a push. If you find this on discount anywhere, I'd say go for it. For the actual RRP, honestly it comes down to your discretion but I'd say you'd be safe to wait and see if the price comes down eventually.
All the same, I'm excited to see what the other two annual comic specials will be, though we may have to wait quite a few 'annuals' given the confused release window of this one.
The stories are pretty good as well. The first is a well-structured homage to the Tenth Doctor era as a whole, while the second is a short and sweet tale pitching Nine and Rose against the Terileptils. Hm, neat - Although I couldn't buy into Rose's characterization at all, though in fairness I do think she is probably one of the hardest companions to accurately replicate on paper.
Beyond the Tenth Doctor homage, there are some welcome cameos on the first page, including two expanded media characters that I was delighted to see again, even if only for a second.
However, I do think £15 might have been a bit too high for this. As good as it is, it's very 'thin' and feels more like a £10-12 piece at a push. If you find this on discount anywhere, I'd say go for it. For the actual RRP, honestly it comes down to your discretion but I'd say you'd be safe to wait and see if the price comes down eventually.
All the same, I'm excited to see what the other two annual comic specials will be, though we may have to wait quite a few 'annuals' given the confused release window of this one.
November 26, 2023
Trapped by a group of aliens that thrive on stories, Martha spins a yarn about the Tenth Doctor to play for time until help arrives.
This is fun. The concept's neat, and Slott keeps the momentum going across the extended page count. The framing sequence serves its purpose, and it has a neat little resolution at the end. You can feel Slott's love for these characters and this world, even as he throws every villain you can think of at the Doctor, and manages to get cameos from all the other Doctors thrown in along the way too.
My main issue was the artwork - Matthew Dow Smith's visuals are murky as hell, not helped by the thick colouring, so it's often hard to see the expressions that the characters have, or even who they're meant to be. It doesn't ruin things, but it's definitely distracting.
Also included is a back-up story featuring Rose and the Ninth Doctor which is absolutely a story you could only tell in comic form given the linguistic trick they pull to outwit their enemies. Much better art here, as well.
Slott's first (and hopefully not last) foray into Doctor Who comics is solid, but marred by dark artwork that detracts from the fun.
This is fun. The concept's neat, and Slott keeps the momentum going across the extended page count. The framing sequence serves its purpose, and it has a neat little resolution at the end. You can feel Slott's love for these characters and this world, even as he throws every villain you can think of at the Doctor, and manages to get cameos from all the other Doctors thrown in along the way too.
My main issue was the artwork - Matthew Dow Smith's visuals are murky as hell, not helped by the thick colouring, so it's often hard to see the expressions that the characters have, or even who they're meant to be. It doesn't ruin things, but it's definitely distracting.
Also included is a back-up story featuring Rose and the Ninth Doctor which is absolutely a story you could only tell in comic form given the linguistic trick they pull to outwit their enemies. Much better art here, as well.
Slott's first (and hopefully not last) foray into Doctor Who comics is solid, but marred by dark artwork that detracts from the fun.
December 21, 2023
Fun romp through the modern era of Doctor Who, specifically the Russel T Davies era. The main story features the Tenth Doctor and Martha jones. Martha gets separated from the Doctor and is forced to tell stories to the Pyrometh's. If she doesn't entertain the Pyrometh's she will die. She's actually killing time while the Doctor tracks her down, but it foreshadows Martha's eventual fate of having to wander the Earth telling stories about the Doctor to help save the world.
The back up story features the Ninth Doctor and Rose trying to stop a group of Terileptils from destroying Earth. This one features the Doctor and Rose using pig Latin and Gibberish to confuse the Terileptils.
Dan Slott does a great job of capturing the feel of this era of Doctor Who and should probably write more Doctor Who comics.
The back up story features the Ninth Doctor and Rose trying to stop a group of Terileptils from destroying Earth. This one features the Doctor and Rose using pig Latin and Gibberish to confuse the Terileptils.
Dan Slott does a great job of capturing the feel of this era of Doctor Who and should probably write more Doctor Who comics.
November 24, 2023
It's hard to believe that BBCs Doctor Who is now 60 (as of 2023).
Yes, you read that right: 60.
Albeit with a hiatus in the 1980s/1990s, until it's triumphant return in 2005.
And it's that later incarnation that is the main lead in this graphic novel, with perhaps-the-most-popular-modern-incarnation (Dr #10, David Tennant, soon also to be Dr #14) taking the lead here alongside his just-after-Rose-Tyler companion Martha. This is then a whistle-stop tour of the Doctor's various enemies, with the story itself being told as a story within a story by Martha to a group of alien monsters who feed off the pyschic energy released by storytellers.
Yes, you read that right: 60.
Albeit with a hiatus in the 1980s/1990s, until it's triumphant return in 2005.
And it's that later incarnation that is the main lead in this graphic novel, with perhaps-the-most-popular-modern-incarnation (Dr #10, David Tennant, soon also to be Dr #14) taking the lead here alongside his just-after-Rose-Tyler companion Martha. This is then a whistle-stop tour of the Doctor's various enemies, with the story itself being told as a story within a story by Martha to a group of alien monsters who feed off the pyschic energy released by storytellers.
January 14, 2024
I've been on a bit of a Doctor Who kick recently after watching the 60th anniversary specials, so I picked this volume up.
I love Martha as a companion - and I liked how they used her story-telling as a narrative device. The villains in this one are quite fun, and I like the way they acknowledge The Doctor's quirks and the OP-ness of his sonic and psychic paper.
Unfortunately, some of the execution fell a but flat to me, and chunks of the story either bored me or were off-putting with the way faces were illustrated (not bad by any means, but not a style I prefer). The bonus story with 9 and Rose was fun though.
3.5 Stars
I love Martha as a companion - and I liked how they used her story-telling as a narrative device. The villains in this one are quite fun, and I like the way they acknowledge The Doctor's quirks and the OP-ness of his sonic and psychic paper.
Unfortunately, some of the execution fell a but flat to me, and chunks of the story either bored me or were off-putting with the way faces were illustrated (not bad by any means, but not a style I prefer). The bonus story with 9 and Rose was fun though.
3.5 Stars
January 24, 2025
This Dan Slott book was a long time coming, but not quite worth the wait and it's hard to see why it took so long - some of the artwork feels very rushed. The 2 stories are good fun and capture the feel of the modern era very well. They are clever, and there's lots of references to 60 years of the show and comic strip.
Mike Collins art for the backup story is terrific, and makes it the better of the two despite being shorter. The first story could have been amazing with another artist but the main bulk of the story is murky and angular. Absolutely baffling that anyone thought this would be a good idea, especially considering how great the cover is.
Mike Collins art for the backup story is terrific, and makes it the better of the two despite being shorter. The first story could have been amazing with another artist but the main bulk of the story is murky and angular. Absolutely baffling that anyone thought this would be a good idea, especially considering how great the cover is.
November 4, 2023
This was really fun. As a fan of Dan Slott’s Superior Spider-Man and Silver Surfer runs, I knew this was going to be good, but I underestimated just how good. Slott is clearly a massive Doctor Who fan. This special is not only filled with references and callbacks to the first RTD era of the show, but it reads like a lost episode from Series 3. Slott perfectly captured the voices of the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. Highly recommend.
November 5, 2023
The main story, Firelight was a fun, action-filled romp with some surprising Monster throwbacks! I really enjoyed the way the story kicked off with each doctor giving a speech about the main villains. I loved the slight twist of the ending!
Rhyme or Reason continues a bit with the previous story, and Ten tells Martha a story of when he was Nine and his companion was Rose. Nine and Rose are two nerds and it really shows! I loved it!
Rhyme or Reason continues a bit with the previous story, and Ten tells Martha a story of when he was Nine and his companion was Rose. Nine and Rose are two nerds and it really shows! I loved it!
December 10, 2023
Dan Slott's love for Doctor Who is well known. His wonderful Silver Surfer run with Mike Allred basically was a Doctor Who story. So my expectations were high. But somehow this was .. alright? Didn't quite click with me. But to be fair - Doctor Who comics never really do. I think the screen presence of the Doctors and companions is a big part of why the show works and the comics can't quite transport that for me.
November 23, 2023
Writer Dan Slott fulfills a lifelong dream by writing a Doctor Who story, and it doesn’t disappoint. Featuring one of my favorite teams of the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones, each character feels authentically written and wonderfully rendered by the art team. Appropriate for the 60th anniversary because it contains a TARDIS-full of fun references to the franchise. Slott has said that he wasn’t sure he’d ever get the chance to work on Doctor Who again so he put everything he had in this story, but I hope there’s some still left in the tank as I would love to read more.
November 1, 2023
Obviously having a writer of Dan Slott's calibre (especially when he's such a massive fan of the show) write for Who is very exciting, and I liked the artwork throughout. Both the main strip and back-up are serviceable pieces of Doctor Who, not spectacular or game-changing but not awful either.
September 9, 2023
Review to come.
December 4, 2023
It’s fun to still be having 10/Martha stories 16 years after they were originally together on screen and this is a fun adventure for the duo. A story about storytelling, it uses plenty of meta elements to incorporate the Doctor as a fictional character so that the ‘real’ Doctor is able to save the day. Martha retains all her boldness and strength of character from TV while getting to show vulnerability and humanity so I was perfectly happy with how my favourite New Who companion was treated in this.
A very Doctor-lite story for the most part bar exploring old stories with a menagerie of old monsters and adventures. A bit of fan service is fun, and our main villains not really doing much bar being threatening meant there was plenty space in the story for lots of flashbacks. Eventually the Doctor saves the day in a fun ‘this unseen moment now flashback-ed to set up the ending’. The art style for this story is great and I’m glad as I hardly want to be seeing Sutekh and Nimon in some really ugly ‘artsy’ style. Overall a good story that flies by quickly as it’s just a little fun adventure, and definitely is fitting for Doctor Who’s 60th birthday year.
A very Doctor-lite story for the most part bar exploring old stories with a menagerie of old monsters and adventures. A bit of fan service is fun, and our main villains not really doing much bar being threatening meant there was plenty space in the story for lots of flashbacks. Eventually the Doctor saves the day in a fun ‘this unseen moment now flashback-ed to set up the ending’. The art style for this story is great and I’m glad as I hardly want to be seeing Sutekh and Nimon in some really ugly ‘artsy’ style. Overall a good story that flies by quickly as it’s just a little fun adventure, and definitely is fitting for Doctor Who’s 60th birthday year.
December 3, 2023
Awesome issue
Well that's a fun read with 10 and Martha, along with 9 and Rose!
The two stories are awesome. Read this issue.
Well that's a fun read with 10 and Martha, along with 9 and Rose!
The two stories are awesome. Read this issue.
December 10, 2023
Storytelling is a major theme throughout this graphic novel. Kind of a mixed bag in terms of both the writing and the art. The Ninth Doctor story was unexpectedly short.
December 28, 2023
An enjoyable read, beautiful artwork. Nice to have hardback versions of these graphic novels.
December 29, 2023
Cute little story.
Nothing too deep., but entertaining.
Nothing too deep., but entertaining.
March 12, 2024
Disappointing considering all the hype and potential. A fun, if childish, story let down by some hideous art.
May 16, 2024
I love doctor who
July 23, 2024
This was a good Martha/10 story that didn't depend on her being either a damsel in distress or so in love with the doctor that it became annoying.
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