Day: February 16, 2024

The History Between Us anthology chronicles the Doctor and the Master’s adventures across every incarnation, with short stories weaving in and out of a therapy session with the Doctor and Master.

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As with most anthologies with multiple authors the range of quality of the submissions can vary this is doubly so with a charity or fan produced volume. There are several good stories here. I especially enjoyed the Ninth Doctor story where in finds himself on an abandoned space ship where he meets an out of sync Master. There is also the first meeting with the Dhawan Master in his guise as O. The main conceit of the book where the Thirteenth Doctor and the Dhawan Master are in a couples therapy session is my real problem with the book. Both characters are not true to their current personas. So much has happened between the two of them over the course of centuries I cannot see their interaction as love torn paramours ringing true. The artwork accompanying the stories varies in quality and does not evoke the needed visceral response for the narratives. 5.5 out of 10.

The Doctor Who 60 Years 60 Moments in Time bookazine was published by Panini in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the show.

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This was one of the very best celebratory volumes published. There is extensive information on all aspects of Doctor Who including pages of information on comics, novels, annuals, fanzines, collectable cards to name just a few. You do not typically see such in depth coverage of the extended media. My hope is the casual fan will pick this up and discover the myriad ways one can enjoy the program above and beyond the TV show. 10 out of 10.

Liberation of the Daleks graphic novel is a collection of the strips first appearing in issues of Doctor Who Magazine. It is the first official appearance of the Fourteenth Doctor taking place immediately after the regeneration from The Thirteenth Doctor. It was written by Alan Barnes with art by Lee Sullivan.

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It was great to see the first adventure of the latest incarnation of the Doctor appear in extended media. Alan Barnes provides a solid narrative accompanied by the beautiful Lee Sullivan artwork. We see the destruction of Jody’s sonic and the last appearance of her control room. The story flows directly into the Children in Need special and leaves room for more extended media adventures prior to the events of the TV story The Star Beast. 8 out of 10.

Doom’s Day A Doctor in the House? was written by Jody Houser with art by Roberta Ingranata. A Doctor in the House? is a comic story across two issues, released on 5 July and 26 July 2023 by Titan Comics. It was released in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who and was collected here in this graphic novel. Doom’s Day was a multi-media series beginning on 20 March 2023, with its first story released on 5 June and final story on 6 October. It followed the exploits of the time-traveling assassin Doom as she is searching for the Doctor and trying to escape death.

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I was not a fan of this multi-media series as I felt that an unrepentant assassin was not a good template for a protagonist for the Whoniverse. I do like the idea of the multi-media crossover as a big proponent of the extended media. This release features the beautiful artwork of Roberta Ingranata and does not disappoint. Jody Houser’s prose is on point and the plot flows through the two issues collected here with pace and interest. 7 out of 10.

Whotopia: The Ultimate Guide to the Whoniverse was written by three experienced Doctor Who stalwarts; Jonathan Morris, Simon Guerrier and Una McCormack. Published in the 60th anniversary year it is a lavishly illustrated introduction to all things Who.

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The book is geared towards new fans coming on board with the new 60th anniversary specials. There is a good mixture of classic and NuWho entries providing a solid overview of the entire series. There are some omissions and inaccuracies included most likely because they are trying to streamline the entries to make sure new readers are not confused. Sara Kingdom is relegated to the status of a guest star and not a companion and the Delgado Master is referred to as the first incarnation of the Master and not the 13th. Some details were spot on with Liz being on the UNIT moon base as mentioned in an episode of the Sarah Jane Adventures as well as in the extended media. As with most of these reference books there is not mention of the extended media which is disappointing. The text is all written with an in-universe conceit. 8 out of 10 with the caveat that Who scholars will not find much they do not already know.