Writer: Jody Houser
Artist: Roberta Ingranata
Colorist: Warnia K. Sahadewa
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt
Cover Artists: Pasquale Qualano;
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 5, 2023
Wearing a cloak, a monocle, and a Cat Eye mask, Doom attends a 19th Century ball. Missy, the female incarnation of the Master, also crashed the party. She introduces herself to guests as Doctor Who. Is the assassin after Missy or someone else? Let’s activate our vortex manipulators, travel into Doctor Who: Doom’s Day #1, and find out!
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Story
Doom, the time-traveling assassin, received orders from Terri at the Lesser Order of Oberon. Her target is The Thief. In the webcast, “Meet Doom: The Universe’s Greatest Assassin,” Doom says that Death stalks her. She only has 24 hours to live unless she can find the Doctor. Somehow, she knows that Missy isn’t the Doctor. We later learn that The Thief she hunts is a couple. Amid the costumes, the aliens fit right in.
Later, Doom visits the Stormcage Containment Facility, the sometimes home of River Song. Doom tells the administrator she’s here to quash a danger threatening the 52nd Century prison’s reputation. Missy tracks the trail left by Doom’s vortex manipulator and follows her there. Doctor Who: Doom’s Day #1 sparkles with humor. While most stem from Missy’s banter, Jody Houser suggests allusions to the Third Doctor story “The Sea Devils.” It’s difficult to know how to feel about Doom or worry that an assassin we don’t know might die. But at least she protects the administrator’s job and saves the universe from her targets’ villainy.
Art
Some guests in the grand ballroom wear fanciful masks like Doom’s. A few wear costumes. Most dress like Missy, in attire suitable for high-society functions in the late 19th Century. Wood-paneled walls rise to decorated ceilings. Guests stride past turned banisters lining the upper-story landings. Lord and Lady Pretty Paw bring to mind the Sisters Of Plenitude from the Tenth Doctor story “New Earth.” A cloak sheathes Doom’s clothes. Missy saunters along in her purple coat and skirt. A green stripe and “12” placard adorn her purple tophat.
With bar-lined cells occupying several levels, Stormcage brings to mind the original Master’s visit to Stangmoor Prison in the Third Doctor story, “The Mind Of Evil.” Yet another cell, holding a green-skinned alien, uses laser beams for metal bars. With his green skin, pointy ears, and purple hair, Administrator Cire looks nothing like Colonel Trenchard, the prison warden in “The Sea Devils,” or Raymond Westwell, the Prison Governor in “The Mind Of Evil.” But he’s got a pleasant view as a blue-tinged transparent ceiling reveals stars glowing and ribbons of cloud circling a gas giant.
A rich spectrum of soft colors makes Doctor Who: Doom’s Day #1 an appealing comic. Sometimes shadows ground characters, and shading adds depth to interiors. Panels glow with radiance. Missy’s purple tophat, coat, and skirt link her with the purple-haired administrator and Doom, who wears a purple waistcoat. The vortex manipulator on Doom’s arm also features purple. While our monocled assassin doesn’t wear green, the green stripe on Missy’s hat blends well with the administrator’s skin and that of one of Doom’s targets at Stormcage. My only question is why Missy’s travel through time makes the “12” placard shrink when she reaches Stormcage.
Uppercase black letters inhabit white dialogue balloons, making Doctor Who: Doom’s Day #1 an easy read. Yellow narrative boxes relate targets from Terri at the Lesser Order Of Oberon. Sound effects help us hear Doom’s vortex manipulator activate and feel the anguish of her targets.
Final Thoughts
Doctor Who: Doom’s Day #1 is a diverting romp from 19th Century New York to 52nd Century’s Stormcage. Seasoned with humor and peppered with allusions to the original Master and River Song, the story satisfies as Missy constantly fights her instincts to be oh-so-bad.