A group of children unwittingly engage tiny hostile aliens, and it’s up to the Fugitive Doctor and the shadowy group she works for, Division, to stop them and save the Earth. Along the way, the Doctor may make some new friends.
Doctor Who: Free Comic Book Day 2022
Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt (Letters), Jody Houser (Writer), Roberta Ingranata (Artist), Warnia K Sahadewa (Colours), Richard Starkings (Letters)
Titan Comics
May 7, 2022
I’m not a massive Doctor Who fan, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Thirteenth Doctor’s tenure and the comic books starring the character. The Fugitive Doctor was a fascinating revelation in the 12th season, and I’ve been hoping to learn more about her adventures. I was very excited when Titan Comics sent a review copy of Doctor Who: FCBD 2022 for FCBD.
We know the Fugitive Doctor worked for Division, but what did that unpleasant work entail? And how did she end up becoming a fugitive in the first place? This series aims to answer those questions. Doctor Who: FCBD 2022 doesn’t give us much of an inkling of what to expect—it’s essentially a teaser for grander and more terrifying things to come.
We meet these aliens, who look deceptively cute but are quite dangerous. But the fun in this story is really around the humans the Fugitive Doctor meets—four teens with strict rules about who is allowed to join their exclusive group. Their interactions with the Doctor are so unexpected and hilarious that I couldn’t help chuckling as I read Doctor Who: FCBD 2022.
I also found it interesting that the Fugitive Doctor doesn’t have a very high opinion of Earth, considering how much time most iterations of the Doctor spend on the planet and among humans! And the Fugitive Doc herself ends up living in exile on Earth. What does it take to change her mind about the world? I’m very interested in reading more.
I like that Doctor Who: FCBD 2022 is pretty much a blank slate—we know so little about the Fugitive Doctor that there’s plenty of room to expand her story and allow her to grow as a character. There’s a tie-in to the series just in this preamble issue, and it does make me want to read more, which is exactly the reaction you’d expect issue zero of a series to evoke!
I do not doubt that Jody Houser and Roberta Ingranata will build an engrossing series from Doctor Who: FCBD 2022. They’ve more than cemented their place as Doctor Who comic creators—they’ve got the language and visual style down pat, so I’m expecting to get an entertaining story, plenty of memorable character moments to make me smile, and some beautiful art.
The art is gorgeous, which I’ve grown to expect from Ingranata. The aliens are fun to look at and I love the expressions on everyone’s faces. They are hilarious and add to my enjoyment of Doctor Who: FCBD 2022. I’m not much for fashion, but I adored the Fugitive Doctor’s spiffy suit in the show. I’m delighted the Ingranata captures her look well on the comic book page.
Warnia K Sahadewa’s colours add richness and texture to this story. I’m thrilled (and relieved) at the consistent colouring of the Fugitive Doctor. I wish I didn’t have to point that out, but inconsistencies in the skin tones of characters of colour has been a major issue in comics for far too long.
I had fun with Doctor Who: FCBD 2022, and I plan to read the rest because the Fugitive Doctor is a fascinating, enigmatic figure. This issue teases us with more adventures, more of the Doctor’s wit, more expansions of the known universe, plus beautiful art. I can’t wait for the first official issue in June.
