There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we’re taking a trip through time and space with “Doctor Who: Missy,” written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Roberta Ingranata. It’s the perfect comic for anyone dying for more Doctor Who and couldn’t get enough of Michelle Gomez as the Master’s womanly reincarnation.
Who is this by?
“Doctor Who: Missy” is written by Jody Houser, who has been writing the “Doctor Who” comics for quite some time. Comic fans may also recognize her from her work in DC’s “Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy” or in “Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins.”
Jody is an expert at bringing each of the different Doctors and companions to life through her stories and dialogue, as exemplified in the recent 10th and 13th Doctor crossover comics. Now she gets to show the same wit and love for the series’ characters with Missy and previous regenerations of the Master. With her as the writer, the comic is filled with wit, clever dialogue, and enough Doctor Who easter eggs to keep any Whovian’s hearts full of glee.
The series is illustrated by Roberta Ingranata, who has worked with Jody Houser on “Doctor Who” comics in the past. She’s also known for her work on “Robyn Hood,” 2018’s “Witchblade,” and a nice variety of other comics. Robert’s artwork captures the core elements of “Doctor Who,” bringing to life the various alien species, the vast variety of settings, and of course, the characters. It strikes a great balance in the details, making each character clearly match their live action counterparts, while still maintaining a clear comic book aesthetic. The voice and personality of each character comes through wonderfully through body language and expressions, while providing a clear flow of movement from one image to the next.
The art is enhanced by Enrica Eren Angiolini’s color work, which adds atmosphere to each new location while making everything stand out. There’s a general color scheme unique to each location, such as the blues of the TARDIS’ interior or the oranges of the prison ship as the alarms go off, which set the mood without getting overwhelming. There’s also a nice balance in the brightness of each scene, helping make the comic feel more akin to its television sets.
What’s it all about?
Fans of Doctor Who will fondly remember Missy. She went up against Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor as a surprising reincarnation of the Master, but eventually underwent a redemption arc and seemingly died when she was shot by one of her past incarnations.
Well, there’s a lot that went on in between the episodes, and this comic is covering one of those events.
So far, we’ve seen Missy break into a high-security space prison in the 52nd century only to break out her past self. She’s out to steal a fragment to the Key of Time, which, as the name suggests, is a powerful time-based MacGuffin, and she needs all the help she can get to do it. So who better than herself?
All the while, she’s posing as the Doctor (and calling herself “Doctor Who,” even though the Doctor never actually calls himself that), and is having an absolute blast mocking every one of his personality traits.
While that’s all well and fun, the solicitations let us know that so much more is coming. The third and twelfth Doctors will have to work together to stop her (and the other versions of herself), but we’ve also had various other characters from the Doctor Who series appear, and the solicitations boast “more Doctors and Masters than ever before.”
In short, it has pretty much everything fans of Doctor Who can ask for.
What makes it so great?
While fans of Doctor Who are used to seeing the Doctor and his companions on a romp across time and space, it’s rare that we get to really see the Master in action. Now we can, with a well-written, nicely illustrated trip through time and space with two versions of the Master bouncing lines off one another. It’s not only a new perspective to characters in the Whoniverse, it’s just good fun.
Continued belowBut it goes beyond that. As a comic, “Doctor Who: Missy” can do what the television show can’t, and bring in as many characters and aliens as it needs. While the unfortunate passing of many classic Doctor Who actors means they can’t feasibly appear in the show, the comics can bring in every incarnation of the Master and the Doctor it needs, giving us new character interactions that we’d never be able to get otherwise. Want River Song to make a cameo? She can. Need to take a trip back to a classic Tom Baker episode? It can be done.
And none of these cameos are done simply for the sake of doing them. There’s not only a purpose behind every reference and appearance, but a clear love in their usage. This is a creative team that understands Doctor Who and its history. Without that, we wouldn’t get the Roger Delgado Master with the same level of personality, wit, and general backstabbing that he has in this comic, or the trip through many of the Doctor and Master’s greatest hits.
It’s easy to tell when writers and artists really care about the series they’re adapting, and that love is clear on every page. Whether you’re looking for brief appearances of classic Doctor Who companions or enjoying the literal trip through memory lane, there’s plenty for fans of the series to enjoy in “Doctor Who: Missy.”
How can you read it?
“Doctor Who: Missy” is published monthly by Titan Comics. No graphic novel has been published yet, but issue #3 is out today, and you can find all three issues on Comixology or your friendly local comic book shop.
