Ah, Torchwood, the anagram for “Doctor Who” that went from a working title to a spinoff all of its own, featuring Captain Jack Harkness and his crew of sexed-up paranormal investigators. Since “Doctor Who” has its own comics, it only makes sense that “Torchwood” do the same, so let’s see how this new run does.
Written by John Barrowman and Carole Barrowman
Illustrated by Antonio Fuso and Pasquale QualanoTorchwood is back, in an all-new ongoing comics series written by Captain Jack himself, John Barrowman! Captain Jack Harkness is back in Cardiff, and there’s ony one person he can turn to, the last person who expected to see him, Gwen Cooper! On the road, on the run, and under fire, can the pair put aside their differences and rebuild the heart of Torchwood, before its flame is stamped out forever?
In spite of being issue 1, it might take a little knowledge from prior “Torchwood” works, both of the TV series and of “Exodus Code,” but fortunately, there’s a brief summary and quick introductions as characters appear to catch new readers up. That said, it’s likely that anyone reading the comic has at least watched the “Torchwood” TV show, so the only parts that may confuse new readers are the events of “Exodus Code” anyways.
As a first issue, a good amount of time is spent just catching up to and with the characters, and setting the stage for events yet to come. There are several plot points being set in motion, characters being introduced or re-introduced, and a good amount of action in-between.
However, that may be to the comic’s detriment as well, given how often it jumps between scenes and events. Often times it’ll cut away from one scene to introduce something completely unrelated, then jump back. Even the issue’s end seems so sudden in the middle of everything, so it feels like they could have found a better point to end it at if they’d just saved one or two of those two-page subplot drops for the next issue.
It pains me to say this, too, since I’m a big fan of John Barrowman, both as an actor and a writer. His sister and co-writer, Carole, is also very talented, and I have a copy of “Hollow Earth” signed by the both of them. I know they’re more than capable of providing good pacing, but this issue still feels jumbled.
However, that’s not to say the characters or dialogue are less than satisfying. In fact, in spite of my earlier complaints, this issue still provided perhaps the best moment in comics I’ve seen all week: “Ninjas on flying jetskis. Must be Tuesday.” Additionally, each character has a solid voice behind every line, and there are some nice bits of dialogue from even the more minor characters.
The artwork is mostly fine, but it also contributes to the somewhat jumpy feel; a character will go from hugging another in one panel, to being off with a pair of binoculars in the next, while the other one involved in the hug will be five feet away in the middle of a conversation with a third, without a break in the conversation. Some dramatic or more action-filled scenes cut from moment to moment oddly, where it’s not clear where the action is coming from, so it can be harder to follow in those moments too.
Similarly, though, just because there are issues with the pacing doesn’t mean the art itself is necessarily bad. In fact, there are some fantastic designs in regards to the ships, aliens, and scenery. The characters are also unique and easily identifiable, and the artists do a fine job capturing the looks of the actors from the show.
Maybe not so much for the characters who never appeared on TV, whose faces sometimes seem a little too jagged and sharp around the edges, although that varies from character to character as well.
Yet the comic ties in to the “Torchwood” audio dramas from Big Finish (which I have yet to listen to, but Big Finish’s audio dramas do tend to be very good) so I get the feeling that many of the comic’s shortcomings would make more sense if I had listened to those as well. As it is, I’m only getting so much of the story, and I see nothing wrong with a story that spans across multiple forms of media – after all, familiarity with the “Torchwood” show is pretty necessary for reading this comic, so including a few audio drama tie-ins isn’t a sin.
Overall, the comic feels like it’s being written for the trade, and each issue and jump within it will make more sense when put together into the greater context of the show, audio dramas, and later issues. As it is on its own, it still has some great moments, but they don’t always connect like they should.
Final Verdict: 5.0 – Some great dialogue and scenes, backed up by good artwork, but still feels all over the place, and the moments feel disconnected from one another.
