REVIEW: Doctor Who: Four Doctors #5 (Comic Book)

"“Every now and then I remember why you’re the one standing next to me, Clara Oswald.”"

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After a lengthy delay, the final issue of ‘Four Doctors’ hits our comic book shelves. The previous issue ended in one belter of a cliffhanger with the apparent slaughter of companions Alice and Gabby. I was so disappointed when I found out that I would have to wait another week. Fortunately, writer Paul Cornell and artist Neil Edwards deliver a concluding chapter that finishes this special Doctor Who crossover event nicely. Despite a few shortcomings, the strengths of the final issue definitely outweigh its weaknesses.

When we last left Gabby, she had just witnessed Alice’s death and was about to join her. However, there is always an angel watching over you — in this case a weeping angel. Thanks to a special method of escape placed in the Eleventh Doctor’s comics bundle, Gabby was instantly placed back at the cafe in Paris where everything started. The three Doctors and their respective companions meet up again. The Doctors decide to return to Marinus with their new knowledge that they can stop the alternate Voord Doctor.

Paul Cornell turns up the timey-wimeyness up to the maximum and manages to make it work. I love his knowledge of Whovian lore, and he has once again done a fantastic job of merging old-school and new Who together. Speaking of the fantastic, readers will be happy to know we get a cameo from one other Doctor. Can you guess which one? After all, this is the Tenth Anniversary celebration. The great dialogue continues throughout this issue as the three Doctors have to work together. Although Cornell captured Doctors Ten and Eleven beautifully, I felt like the current Doctor was slightly off. At times, the Twelfth Doctor almost seemed like an echo of the First Doctor.

Neil Edwards provides his usual excellency in the visuals. However, there were a couple of closeup face shots that didn’t quite work for me. I’m still confused about Clara’s changing hair lengths, and a couple of shots didn’t look anything like her at all. Despite these little complaints, I enjoyed the stunning artwork of Marinus and the Voord.

One question I felt was unanswered regarded Clara’s future betrayal of the Doctor. Is this possibly eluding to an event that is upcoming in a future episode? Cornell is a master writer, and I hope he does get an opportunity to write a script for Capaldi’s Doctor. If you haven’t been buying these individual issues, then treat yourself to the trade paperback when it gets released. Steven Moffat may not be honoring the Tenth Anniversary this series, so this may be the closes we Whovians get to a proper celebration of the last decade.

Next: Preview/Synopsis: 'The Witch's Familiar'

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