Doctor Who: Empire Of The Wolf – Book Two
Writer: Jody Houser
Artist: Roberta Ingranata
Color Artist: Warnia K. Sahadewa
Letterer: Comicraft’s Richard Starkings
Reviewed by: Steve J. Ray
Summary
Doctor Who: Empire Of The Wolf #2 delivers a multiple Doctor story, but with a difference. This time it’s not just one renegade Timelord and his counterpart leading the plot, a classic companion has a doppelgänger, too.
On TV we’ve had many stories where the Doctor encountered past versions of himself; with 1972’s “The Three Doctors”, 1983’s “The Five Doctors”, 1985’s “The Two Doctors” being the first three. Of course, the audio adventures and comics have followed suit on numerous occasions, and even the modern era show has dabbled, with the mini-episode “Time Crash”, in 2007, the wonderful 50th anniversary special “The Name of The Doctor”, in 2013, and “Twice Upon A Time”, back in 2018.
Positives
Jody Houser is clearly a fan of every Doctor Who era, as her love for the character and the show’s history shines from every page and every line of dialogue. Seeing the eighth Doctor interacting with Rose, knowing what his future selves will see and feel for her is fascinating. Witnessing 11 reacting to her alternate timeline self evokes very different emotions.
The fact that the eighth Doctor will lose all memory of this encounter, thanks to the brilliant Doctor Who pseudo-scientific theory of the Blinovitch Limitation Effect, could be a relief, yet it also leaves us slightly heartbroken for him. When two timelords from different time periods meet, the memories of that encounter are erased until the latter version meets his predecessor and remembers the original encounter. This is genius and helps negate all the paradoxes and timey-wimey shenanigans that could otherwise ensue.
The art team of Roberta Ingranata, Warnia Sahadeva, and Richard Starkings also continue to impress. Roberta’s characters are looking more and more like their real-life counterparts with every issue, and Warnia’s colors make the quiet moments shine, and the action pop. The legend that is Richard Starkings delivers every line and every sound effect with style and grace.
Negatives
I don’t really have much to complain about. While some may say that the pacing of this series may be a little slow, I’m a fan of the slow-burn storytelling method. Jody Houser always delivers with her plots, and I’m sure we’ll get more action as the series progresses.
Verdict
Doctor Who: Empire Of The Wolf #2 continues to lay clues and build intrigue. How did the alternate Rose become the way she is? How will the relationship between “our” Rose and the eleventh Doctor develop? I’m really looking forward to finding out.
Images Courtesy of Titan Comics
