The Thirteenth Doctor is well on her way to hitting our television screens but in the meantime Titan Comics is giving us a little taste of the upcoming Doctor through a series of specials. 

Doctor Who: The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor #1: The Tenth Doctor
Written by: James Peaty, Jody Houser
Art by: Iolanda Zanfardino, Rachel Stott
Published by: Titan Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 07/11/2018

The Thirteenth Doctor is well on her way to hitting our television screens but in the meantime Titan Comics is giving us a little taste of the upcoming Doctor through a series of specials. Enter The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor #1: The Tenth Doctor.

There are two tales in this book. The first is about the Tenth Doctor and his two companions Gabby and Cindy as they land on a spaceship in the 31st century that is under attack by walking nervous systems that can destroy people. It’s up to The Doctor to find a way out of the situation and to save the crew being attacked. The second story takes place during David Tennant’s first season as The Doctor. He is walking around a spaceship that readers will find very familiar. He encounters a portal with a hand sticking out of it. Who could it belong to?

James Peaty takes the reigns on the first story and Jody Houser takes over the second. Peaty writes a fun adventure that sets up a whole new story arc for Ten and his companions. I love the humor and the mystery is so good. It feels like an episode of the series. The second story by Jody Houser is great. There isn’t much to it but it sets up the new Doctor while also helping to set up the next event from Titan. Houser has such a great grasp on Ten. As I was reading these stories I kept hearing David Tennant’s voice in my head whenever the Doctor was speaking. I am so excited to see where both of these story lines will go.

Iolanda Zanfardino and Rachel Stott take on the art in these two stories and it is great. Each story has a different art style that fits that story. The first story features art that is very fun and adventurous where as the second story has a tone of mystery. Zanfardino gives Ten his classic blue suit with red t-shirt. Gabby and Cindy who are the Tenth Doctor’s companions look like they were plucked off the modern-day streets of New York and they look fantastic. The “monsters” are so beautiful and mysterious. The art in the second story by Stott is so wonderful. It’s dark and bright at the same time. As I stated earlier, it lends to the mystery surrounding the Thirteenth Doctor.

My only issue with this book is that the second story should be the longer and more important one. They are trying to set up the Thirteenth Doctor but it feels like that takes a backseat to setting up a new story for the Tenth Doctor. I understand that the Tenth Doctor is one of the most popular of the Doctor’s but the title is The Road To The Thirteenth Doctor. Focus on bridging the gap between both Doctors.

With all that being said, I did really enjoy this book.

4 running Doctor’s out of 5