Well that was...good! Endgame seemed to come alive with real pizzaz unlike other comics I have tried to read in the past. I have always skipped over the comic strip in Doctor Who magazine - the only one I can ever remember reading involved Liz Shaw and as she drove up to a house there was an almighty explosion in the window - that's all I can remember! Oh and something about cows in spacesuits on the moon! There is something about having this in a graphic novel format, rather than sandwiched between the pages of Doctor Who magazine where I am far more interested in the reviews (obviously) and the news about the new series.
And can I say what a genuine thrill it was to see the 8th Doctor in action! He springs of the page as a force of nature, an action hero and looks fantastic! And what about those gorgeous depictions of the TV Movie TARDIS console room? There was one absolutely stunning frame drawn from above looking down on the Doctor and Izzy entering the TARDIS that was practically photographic. How nice to see this blind alley of the TV series given some life visually.
The story itself was great fun and its always nice to see the Celestial Toymaker back. Not being a comic strip veteran myself I can't imagine they are always as whacky as this but the surreal machinations of the Toymaker give the artist a real chance to go to town with some truly wierd and freaky imagery. That page filled underlit shot of the Toymaker holding the snowglobe was terrifying and even worse those horrible cracked faced dolls approaching the Doctor and Izzy are enough to give you nightmares! I loved how on page 25 there was a frame that stretched the entire length of the page to suggest the never ending staircase they are climbing. My favourite two panels would have to be the Toymaker opening his arms and screaming 'Welcome to my Domain!' - how vivid is that location in black and white, especially with the chess board motif and also the creepy shot of the evil Doctor with rosy cheeks and blank eyes advancing on our Doctor. Brrrr.
I'm not too sure about Izzy yet as the story concentrates on its whacked out concepts rather than focusing on characterisation but that was a nice touch with her adoptive parents and she certainly seems capable enough. I thought she found the interior dimensions of the TARDIS a little too easy to grasp, though! Nobody seems terribly impressed these days.
Overall something or a minor triumph...a comic strip that has whetted my apetite for more! And with Simon's grudging assent (dont'cha just love him...he can see huge loss of earnings now I have found another Doctor Who media to explore) I have ordered the 2nd, 3rd and 4th volumes. Correct me if im worng but that makes nearly 1000 pages of new adventures to read! Happy days: 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment