Doctor Who: Empire Of The Wolf – Book Three
Writer: Jody Houser
Artist: Roberta Ingranata
Color Artist: Warnia K. Sahadewa
Letterer: Comicraft’s Richard Starkings
Reviewed by: Steve J. Ray
Summary
In Doctor Who: Empire Of The Wolf #3 we learn more of how the alternate Rose has become empress, and the Doctors revert to type and demonstrate that sometimes even Time-Lords can prove to be their own worst enemy.
Empress Rose sent her advisor, D’Pau, to find The Doctor only to discover that our hero’s 11th incarnation was no longer the man she knew. Meanwhile, the 8th Doctor meets our Rose and similar emotions are felt. Oh, timey-wimey… how much do I love thee? Let me count the Doctors.
Positives
Once again Jody Houser’s script and characterization are flawless. Ruthless Rose is still the same Ms. Tyler we know and love at her core. Seeing 8 and 11 bickering, reminds me of the wonderful love/hate relationship between 2 and 3 in the classic “The Three Doctors” (1972). I love the character of D’Pau, who seems to demonstrate Jody Houser’s love for either Vintage Star Trek or 80s pop music. The fact that he also looks like an armored version of one of the characters from Pog (Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing Vol 2 #32, 1985) also tickled my nostalgia funny-bone.
The art and colors by Roberta Ingranata and Warnia Sahadewa has always been great, but they actually seem to be improving issue by issue, and I’m loving it. The more natural orange/brown skin tones, as opposed to the pinks we more frequently see in comics, make a huge difference to the overall feel and believability of the characters.
Oh… and some villains I’d almost forgotten about rear their ugly heads again this month. Ha!
Negatives
Not a one. Seeing Doctors interact, finally having Rose meet the other Rose, and a character’s unexpected heel turn late in the issue made Doctor Who: Empire Of The Wolf #3 a fascinating and fun read.
Verdict
Things are heating up! It looks like war is on the horizon as old enemies and new rivalries are revealed. We learn that Empress Rose has made some mistakes and the 8th Doctor confirms that he’ll probably be leaving this adventure with no memory of it, just as I predicted in my review for the previous issue.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes next!
Images Courtesy of Titan Comics
