Doctor Who Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS : Review

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Baalen Brothers, Clara, Doctor Who, Dr Who, Dr Who Season 7, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, Mat King, Matt Smith, Michael Pickwood, Stephen Thompson, TARDIS

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

After the TARDIS has a nasty encounter with a salvage vessel, the time machine is dragged into the ship and dumped onto a scrapheap where it starts leaking time. The space faring Van Baalen Brothers think they have just stumbled upon one the of the greatest hauls of they‘ve ever made, a unique space time machine like the TARDIS could make them a fortune, and they intend to break the TARDIS up and sell it to the highest bidder.

Naturally the Doctor is not prepared to let the TARDIS be plundered without a fight, especially when Clara becomes lost in its corridors, so he puts the TARDIS into lockdown mode and activates the self destruct system – giving them just 30 minutes to find Clara before the ship collapses in on itself and is completely destroyed.

The Doctor and the and Baalen Brothers must find a path through the infinite labyrinth of TARDIS corridors to save Clara, encountering bizarre anomalies and echoes within hidden depths of the malfunctioning time machine, unaware that sinister monsters are also tracking them through the ship, growing angrier as they prepares to attack. While the Doctor and the Baalen brother’s battle to stay alive, Clara makes her way through the TARDIS, she finds many amazing rooms, and stumbles upon one of the Doctor’s greatest secrets…

The title of this episode is enough to raise fan expectations to fever pitch, and for the most part, Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS lives up to its thrilling premise. This episode is written by Stephen Thompson, who also penned the 2011 story The Curse of the Black Spot, and he takes us on a tantalizing adventure right to the heart of the TARDIS itself. The Doctor’s time machine has been explored many times during the shows history: the Doctor and Sarah Jane found a new wood panelled control room in The Mask of Mandragora (1976), in The Invasion of Time (1978) the Sontarans broke into the TARDIS and chased the Doctor and Leela through a vast number of rooms, a majestic cloister appeared in Logopolis (1981), and the healing properties of the Zero Room played a vital role in stabilising the 5^th Doctor’s regeneration in Castrovalva (1982). Since the series return, only the Doctor’s Wife (2011), has really featured the interior of the TARDIS to any great degree, after the time machine was taken over by the parasitic entity House who tortured Amy and Rory with nightmarish visions as they fled through the corridors.

Indeed, The Invasion of Time was the last story to really explore the TARDIS interior in 1978, but due to industrial action, location filming at an old Victorian asylum had to double for the ships vast network of corridors and rooms, hardly creating the desired effect that would have been created by more ambitions studio sets. Fortunately there are no such problems here, and Stephen Thompson’s action packed story has given designer Michael Pickwood, the man responsible for the new TARDIS console room that debuted in the The Snowmen (2012), and director Mat King a field day as the TARDIS corridors and rooms are explored like never before.

There is a real sense of depth and scale as the long TARDIS corridors lead to some amazing rooms: there is an enormous swimming pool, a grand library steeped in shadows, the architectural reconfiguration chamber, an observatory, the Eye of Harmony, and a vast chasm which leads to the incredible splendour of the bizarre void that awaits the Doctor and Clara at the centre of the TARDIS itself. We experience the immense beauty and wonder of the TARDIS in this episode, as well as the dark terror that can be lurking around the next corner, and it’s also quite a shock to see the TARDIS and the console so badly damaged.

This is a very claustrophobic story that really pushes the Doctor’s and Clara’s trust issues to the limit. Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman are constantly developing new aspects to the Doctor and Clara’s relationship; it makes for some really intense scenes, especially as the imminent destruction of the TARDIS forces them to confront their innermost doubts about each other. The zombie-like monsters are also very creepy as they stalk the corridors, their charred bodies move with unnatural speed, making them incredibly menacing.

As the Doctor and Clara make become trapped the identity of the emaciated monsters – their slightest touch burns horribly – is revealed. They seem to have a link to Clara, as if they are some kind of echo from the future, one where the Doctor has failed to save her again. Later when they are faced with a bottomless abyss, the Doctor confronts Clara, revealing his past encounters with Oswin and the Governess to his companion, an emotional moment which leads to them taking the greatest leap of faith of all. Once inside the centre of the TARDIS the markings burnt into Clara’s hand at the start of the episode help he Doctor find the time rift that was caused when the Baalen Brothers captured the TARIDS. Knowing that the memory of these events may be erased when the Doctor enters the rift, Clara asks the Doctor about his true name, the one she read in the book she found in the library about the Time War. The Doctor stops her from saying his name, before leaping into the rift, travelling back to the beginning of the adventure to prevent the TARDIS being captured.

The Baalen Brothers, Gregor (Ashley Walters), Bram (Mark Liver), and Tricky (Jahvel Hall) are a motley bunch of intergalactic rag-and-bone-men, who take great delight in assessing how much money the TARDIS will make them, but unwittingly find themselves trapped inside the very prize they thought they had just captured. There are some great moments as we see them exploring the TARDIS, using their computer to put a value on everything they find, and it’s an interesting concept to imagine this incredible time machine being broken up and sold as scrap. It’s also quite disturbing how the Baalen Brothers made their younger brother, Tricky, believe he was an android after he was injured in an accident. The Doctor is rightly appalled by their actions, deeming it just a cruel trick played by the Brothers to alleviate their boredom. Events inside the TARDIS force the Baalen Brothers to admit the truth to Tricky, which leads into a nice coda at the end of the episode.

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS is another really good episode. We get to see many new areas of the TARDIS, some of them quite unexpected, and Clara’s voyage to the centre of the time machine also leads to her discovery of the Doctor’s name. Although the conclusion to Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS may seem a little bit rushed, it leaves us wondering if Clara really has forgotten everything, possibly foreshadows even darker things to come. There are also plenty of references to the history of Doctor Who, we hear several familiar voices from the past  as time leaks from beneath the TARDIS console, and there are some really exciting action sequences as the monsters run amok which makes Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS one of the most exciting episodes this season.

Iron Man 3 Film Review

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Aldrich Killian, Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle, Drew Pearce, Extremis, Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow, Iron Man 3, Iron Patriot, Marvel, Maya Hansen, Pepper Pots, Rebecca Hall, Rhodey, Robert Downey Jr, Shane Black, The Mandarin, Tony Stark

Iron Man 3

Review by Paul Bowler

Iron Man 3 begins Marvel’s second wave of movies in fine style, following on directly from the events of Joss Whedon’s phenomenally successful Avengers Assemble movie, bringing Tony Stark’s life full circle as he battles to protect those closest to him as the United States is attacked by the Mandarin and his terrorist organisation.

Having risked his life help the Avengers defeat Loki and save New York from the Chitauri invasion, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) has been left traumatised by the experience, a recluse questioning his own mortality and suffering from terrible nightmares. He spends most of his time building new Iron Man suits, while Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) runs Stark industries, and his new suit – the Mark 42 – is so sophisticated he can operate it by remote control.

When the United States is attacked by an international terrorist called the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), who is behind a series of bombings that have baffled the intelligence services, Tony Stark’s life is torn apart when the Mandarin launches an all out assault on his Malibu home. Stark manages to escape as Iron Man only to find himself stranded in a small town in Texas, cut off from Pepper and with Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) in a coma, and with most of his suits destroyed in the attack, Stark is befriended by a kid sidekick, Harley (Ty Simpkins), as he attempts to rebuild his life. Having lost everything, Tony Stark must discover the truth behind the Extremis Virus if he is to fight back and bring the Mandarin’s reign of terror to an end.

Director Shane Black takes over from Jon Favreau to helm this third instalment of the Iron Man saga. Shane Black directs Iron Man 3 with all the usual hallmarks of his previous works, the film is set at Christmas, and much like Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis in Black’s earlier films, we get to see Robert Downey Jr cast into the role of a down and out hero who stands to loose everything he holds dear as his life slowly crumbles around him. Robert Downey Jr is brilliant as Tony Stark / Iron Man and convincingly portrays how Stark has been left suffering from panic attacks after nearly being killed in Avengers Assemble when he flew a nuclear missile into the Chitauri wormhole. We get to see Stark as he struggles to face his inner demons, plagued by insomnia, he is a shadow of the man he once was.

However  events in Iron Man 3 quickly leaves Tony Stark without his armoured suits to protect him, and he spends a good part of the film working in isolation as he attempts to discover the secrets of the Extremis Virus created by Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), along with Tony’s ex, the botanist Dr Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall). This experimental project was used to create genetically modified soldiers that could survive extreme levels of battle damage, enabling them to quickly recover from injury. But the process is highly unstable, creating a perfect weapon, which the Mandarin has used to devastating effect.

The plot for Iron Man 3 draws its inspiration from the brilliant Extremis storyline from the Iron Man comics by Warren Ellis, but Shane Black and co-writer Drew Pearce place their own stamp on the concept, which forces Tony Stark to reassess his life as Iron Man as he battles against the Mandarin and the deadly Extremis enhanced soldiers.

Gwyneth Paltrow is also excellent as Pepper Potts, and she plays a much bigger role in the storyline here than she did in the woeful Iron Man 2, keeping us on the edge of her seat as Pepper has to face the toughest battle of her life without Tony by her side. Tony Stark also teams up with his old friend Col James Rhodey Rhodes (Don Cheadle), who plays his long term ally War Machine, but whose suit has been given a patriotic makeover, and is now called the Iron Patriot. Its great to see Tony Stark and Rhodey working together again, the banter between Robert Downey Jr and Don Cheadle is brilliant, and there are some incredible action set pieces, particularly during the films climatic showdown.

Ben Kingsley is utterly convincing as the Mandarin. While the character may not be exactly like the comic book version, Kingsley’s performance is exceptionally good, and he makes a fantastic adversary for Tony Stark. The Mandarin’s fingers are adorned with rings, he makes some chilling broadcasts across the airwaves as he issues his demands, and there are also a few surprises hidden beneath the super villain’s dark hood.

The special effects in Iron Man 3 will take your breath away, it’s a spectacular film that really allows Robert Downey Jr the chance to portray a new side to the billionaire inventor, and there is also a surprise waiting for you in the end credits that you won’t want to miss either.

The Fury of Firestorm #19 Review

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Black Bison, Dan Jurgens, DC Comics, Firestorm, General Eiling, Hi-Fi, Hyena, Jason Rusch, Karl Kesel, Killer Frost, Multiplex, Plastique, Ray McCarthy, Ronnie Raymond, The Fury of Firestorm The Nuclear Man, The New 52, Typhoon

The Fury of Firestorm the Nuclear Man #19

Review by Paul Bowler

 

After the super villain Multiplex kidnapped Ronnie’s mother, Joann, Firestorm tracked them to a disused warehouse, where Multiplex tried to use a machine to siphon away the Nuclear Man’s powers to enhance his own abilities. Firestorm created a feedback that disabled the machine and knocked Multiplex out. Now that Ronnie’s mother is free, Jason advises Ronnie not to call her “mom” as the building could be under surveillance, but before they can escape from the warehouse they are attacked by Multiplex’s super powered allies: Hyena, Killer Frost, Black Bison, Typhoon, and Plastique.

Firestorm tries to escape Killer Frost’s deadly ice shards, doing his best to protect Ronnie’s mother, but a surprise attack by the feral Hyena and a freak storm summoned by the Shaman  called Black Bison drags Joann back and blasts Firestorm out through a window. As Firestorm plunges unconscious into the water by the riverfront warehouse, Jason’s dad and Tonya drive to the scene, realising that Ronnie and Jason have walked into a trap.

Having recovered quickly Firestorm attempts to return to the surface, but he is attacked underwater by Typhoon, who creates a whirlpool that punches Firestorm out of the water, where he manages to free Joann from Hyena’s clutches only to be frozen in ice by Killer Frost. With the ice disrupting Firestorm’s power to transmute matter, Ronnie is horrified when Killer Frost begins to suffocate his mother with ice, and Multiplex arrives and demands more power from Firestorm.

Unaware that General Eiling has just dispatched a secret operative to finish Firestorm off, Jason gets Ronnie to amplify Firestorm’s power through his eyes so they can escape from the icy trap. They free Joann from the ice and attack Multiplex, but he has absorbed more power, and is stronger than ever, so Jason devises a way to shrink Multiplex’s masks to make it hard to for his duplicates to breathe. But before Firestorm can escape with Joann he is surrounded by the others, where Plastique and Black Bison work together and attack him. Jason’s dad and Tonya arrive at the warehouse, but as they get out of the car a huge explosion rips through the area. Firestorm is sent flying from the heart of the explosion and crashes into their car, they back away in horror when they see the Nuclear Man‘s motionless body, believing he must be dead…

The Fury of Firestorm #19 is a terrific issue by Dan Jurgens that sees the Nuclear Man facing not just Multiplex, but almost nearly every member from Firestorm’s rogue gallery! It’s great to see these classic villains return at last. Individually they are Typhoon, who can manipulate water, the deadly and alluring Killer Frost, master of the elements, Black Bison, the savage Hyena, and the explosive Plastique, who together with Multiplex, make up one of the most formidable threats that Ronnie and Jason have ever faced as Firestorm.

The art by Dan Jurgens positively jumps off the page as this issues explosive action set-pieces unfold, each blending seamlessly into the other, with Jurgens taking the time to highlight each one of Firestorm’s enemies and their incredible powers. This issue is inked by Ray McCarthy and Karl Kesel, with Hi-Fi’s brilliant colours, and lettering by Travis Lanham

Its great to see so many of Firestorm’s classic foes in one issue, only Slipknot is missing, and it looks like Jurgen’s has gone all out to include as many members as he can from Firestorm’s Rogues Gallery before the titles cancellation.

It would seem that General Eiling has been true to his word, perceiving Firestorm to be a threat, and has dispatched another operative to take Firestorm out. However, we will have to wait until next issue for this climatic final battle. This issues cliffhanging ending is one of the series most explosive yet.  After the devastating explosion at the warehouse we have no idea if Joann has survived, or who General Eiling has sent after the Nuclear Man, but I’m sure Dan Jurgens will have a few more surprises in store for Firestorm before the series ends.

Every book released by DC in April has been given a special pull out cover to really showcase the art and storyline of each individual comic. This issues fantastic gatefold cover by Jurgens, McCarthy, and Hi-Fi is also another highlight of Firestorm #19, and its one my favourite covers released this month by DC Comics.

Although I’m still saddened by DC’s decision to cancel Firestorm, I think Dan Jurgens and his talented team have done a fantastic job with the book, and have ensured that Firestorm the Nuclear Man will go out in fine style!

Doctor Who Hide : Review

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Caliburn House, Clara, Doctor Who, Dougray Scott, Dr Who, Dr Who Season 7, Emma Grayling, Hide, Hider, Jamie Payne, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Jessica Raine, Matt Smith, Neil Cross, Professor Alex Palmer, TARDIS, The Doctor, The Witch of the Well

Hide

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

When the Doctor and Clara arrive at Caliburn House in 1974, a haunted mansion on a fog shrouded moor, where Professor Alex Palmer (Dougray Scott) and his assistant, the empathic psychic Emma Grayling (Call The Midwife’s Jessica Raine), are investigating the sightings of a terrifying ghost known as The Witch of the Well.

Caliburn House has stood for over four hundred years, but The Witch of the Well is much older even than that, and she has been known by many names. Now the Doctor has arrived to solve the mystery of this ghostly manifestation. The Doctor and Clara assist the Professor and Emma in their search for The Witch of the Well, exploring the dark halls of the house, but is the apparition really a ghost, and who, or what, is malevolent entity that seems to be chasing her?

When the Doctor and Clara travel back through the history of the Earth in the TARDIS  it becomes clear that the ghost is really a woman called Hila (Kemi-Bo Jacobs), a traveller from the future, who has become trapped in a pocket dimension. Professor Palmer and Emma help the Doctor by to using her empathic abilities to open a wormhole into the pocket dimension, but when the Doctor becomes trapped Clara has to gain access to the TARDIS to rescue him. Once she persuades the visual interface to let her in, the TARDIS enters the pocket dimension, and Emma reopens the wormhole so they can escape.

Afterwards the Doctor realises that Hila is actually a descendant of Professor Palmer and Emma Grayling. It turns out that the Hider is really someone who is in love with Hila, who also became trapped in the pocket universe, so the Doctor returns to rescue him as well. Before he leaves the Doctor asks Emma about Clara, and it would seem that the Time Lord has really come to Caliburn House for reasons of his own…

Hide is the second story this season by Neil Cross (scriptwriter for Spooks and creator of the award winning Luther). While his previous story, The Rings of Akhaten, was set on an alien planet in a distant galaxy, Hide is a supernatural ghost story set on Earth in 1974. Neil Cross delivers a genuinely spooky tale, one which draws its influences from such classic BBC programmes as The Stone Tapes (1972) and the Quatermass serials (1953-59) by Nigel Kneale, and director Jamie Payne enhances the more traditional aspects of this gothic ghost story with some nail biting scenes reminiscent of the first Poltergeist (1982) film and The Haunting (1963) as the Doctor and Clara face the horrors of Caliburn House.

Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman are exceptional good in this episode, the relationship between the Time Lord and his new companion is evolving at a natural pace – highlighted by a fun nod to Ghostbusters in the pre-titles sequence – and they really convey the sense that the Doctor and Clara have been have been travelling for a some time now. As this was the first episode filmed with the present version of Clara, it’s all credit to Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman for making their onscreen chemistry so convincing.

Clara is continuing to adapt to her life as a time traveller, she still seems a little uncertain about her adventures, and Hide also illustrates the interesting concept that – unlike some of the Time Lords previous companions – the Doctor and Clara don’t quite seem to trust each other yet, something which is compounded further by the darker; more unsettling aspects of time travel that Clara experiences in this episode. Troubled by their brief voyage to the beginning and end of life of Earth, so the Doctor can take snapshots of the ghost as it manifests throughout the history of the planet, Clara begins to question the Doctor about how time travel must make people seem like ghosts to him, but the Doctor refutes her assumption when she presses him further: “Then what are we? What can we possibly be?” she asks as the TARDIS returns to Caliburn House in the present, to which the Doctor guardedly replies: “The only mystery worth solving…” Few companions have ever challenged the Doctor quite so openly as Clara does here, it really establish a great dynamic between them, and clearly indicates that Clara is not just going to hang on the Doctor’s every word.

Dougray Scott is also very good as the uptight Professor, Major Alex Palmer, who has dedicated his life to researching the paranormal, and Jessica Raine is entirely convincing as the gifted psychic Emma Grayling, her empathic abilities are crucial to the investigation, and they also allow Emma pick up on the unanswered questions that hang over the Doctor and Clara‘s adventures. There are some great scenes between the Doctor and Emma, where they discuss the enigma of Caliburn House and later where he asks her if she senses anything about Clara, and she plays a pivotal role in helping the Doctor enter the pocket dimension after her powers are amplified by the bizarre properties of a blue crystal from Metebilis III provided for her by the Doctor. Already familiar to viewers for her role as Jenny Lee in BBC One’s Call the midwife, this is Jessica Raine’s first role in Doctor Who, but later this year we will see her play Verity Lambert in the BBC Two drama about the early days of Doctor Who: An Adventure in Time and Space, which chronicles the story of the programme’s creation.

Kemi-Bo Jacobs gives a good performance as the time travelling Hila, the poor woman who tragically became The Witch of the Well after becoming trapped between dimensions. The actual creature of behind the supernatural occurrences, the Hider (The Crooked Man), is a remarkable creation, a gnarled monster born of some unearthly menace, which permeates the story with terrifying malevolence that even gives the Doctor cause to fear its presence when he is trapped in the dark woods of the pocket dimension.

It is only here that Hide looses some of its brooding atmosphere, as the action switches between Caliburn House and the pocket dimension, where the story begins to unravel slightly; giving way to a predictable pseudo-scientific explanation to the ghostly phenomena. The locations for Hide are really effective, Tyntesfield, a National Trust House in Wraxall, near Bristol, and Hensol Castle in South Wales, all serve to heighten the gothic atmosphere of the story.

There are also some remarkable scenes in Earth’s past midway through the story, with some truly stunning primeval landscapes, with the Doctor emerging from the TARDIS wearing a familiar space suit from the 10^th Doctor’s era. Even the TARDIS seems to be warming to Clara’s presence, after denying her and Merry entry in The Rings of Akhaten, the time machine finally relents and allows Clara into the ship to let her rescue the Doctor from the Hider. Its great to hear the Cloister Bell ring out again and it was also fun seeing Clara having to interact with herself when the TARDIS generates a visual interface using her image – although it still leaves you wondering why the TARDIS doesn’t seem to like her.

The mystery of Clara‘s identity continues to confound the Doctor, leaving him almost as baffled as we are, but there are a couple of interesting developments in the Doctor’s quest for answers. One scene in particular has great resonance when Emma warns Clara not to trust the Doctor as he has a sliver of ice in his heart.

This is also a great episode for Matt Smith as the Doctor has to fight against fear itself. It’s quite unsettling to see the Time Lord confronted with such an intangible force as this. We don’t often get to see moments in Doctor Who where the Doctor seems to be genuinely frightened, and Matt Smith gives one of his best performances this series.

Hide is about as close to a traditional gothic horror story as Doctor Who could ever managed to achieve. Its full of terrifically creepy moments that make full use of its wonderful locations, together with some great performances, Hide is a really good story that offers a chilling take on the paranormal in the finest tradition of the Doctor Who universe.

The Walking Dead #109 Review

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Brianna, Charlie Adlard, Ezekiel, Hilltop, Image Comics, Jesus, Maggie, Michonne, Negan, Rick Grimes, Robert Kirkman, The Saviors, The Walking Dead, Walkers, Zombies

The Walking Dead #109

Review by Paul Bowler

 

Now that Rick has formed a new alliance with Ezekiel over at The Kingdom settlement, The Walking Dead #109 turns its attention towards the hilltop community, where Maggie is mourning beside Glen’s graveside. Here she finds a new friend, Brianna, who shares the experiences of her own loss with Maggie, revealing that they normally burn the bodies of the deceased, and that Glen is the only person to have ever been given a proper burial at the hilltop.

Later that day Maggie goes for a check up with Doctor Carson, her pregnancy is going well, and there would seem to be no complications – although there is a moment where Gregory walks in while she is being examined which is a little unsettling.

Jesus returns and begins to make plans for the coming battle against Negan and the Savoirs while Rick has to explain himself to Michonne, who is beginning to tire of the constant fighting, and is annoyed that Rick didn’t take her into his confidence when he deceived the community by pretending to go along with Negan’s demands.

Rick also has an awkward confrontation with Spencer, although the situation is defused quickly, it would seem that Jesus has unwittingly revealed Rick’s new alliance with Ezekiel – along with their plan to attack the Savoirs – to a new traitor in their midst…

The Walking Dead #109 is a great issue that offers Robert Kirkman the opportunity to shift the focus of the story back to the supporting cast, particularly Maggie, who is still coping with Glen‘s death, as well as her pregnancy, and looking after Sophia. It’s good to see Maggie finding a new friend in the Hiltop community as well, Brianna is a great new addition to the cast, and I hope we get to see a lot more of her in future issue.

Many of the supporting characters have been sidelined for a while now, so it’s a refreshing change to finally get to learn more about some of them, and the role many of them have made for themselves in the community. This issue also gives the art by Charlie Adlard a chance to really shine as he brings a multitude of characters to life on the page, which helps to reinforce the bond that this community has established for itself in a short space of time.

While it may not be the most action packed issue of The Walking Dead, issue #109 plays a pivotal role in developing a lot of characters, while brining the impending conflict with Negan and the Saviors one step closer as events takes an unexpected turn at the end of the issue.

Doctor Who Cold War : Review

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Clara, Cold War, David Warner, Doctor Who, Douglas Mackinnon, Dr Who, Dr Who Season 7, Ice Warriors, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Liam Cunningham, Mark Gatiss, Mars, Matt Smith, Professor Grisenko, Skaldak, Submarine, TARDIS, The Doctor

Cold War

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

The Ice Warriors are amongst the most popular monsters ever seen in Doctor Who. Ever since they first battled the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) in The Ice Warriors (1967) and The Seeds of Death (1969), and then later the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) in The Curse of Peladon (1972) and The Monster of Peladon (1974), fans have been eagerly awaiting the day when the Martian warriors from Mars would return to menace the Doctor again. Now at long last the Ice Warriors are back, in a fantastic story by Mark Gatiss, to face the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and his new assistant Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman) in the eagerly anticipated episode – Cold War.

When the Doctor and Clara’s trip to Vegas doesn’t go according to plan they suddenly find themselves on a Soviet submarine which is rapidly sinking to the bottom of the ocean at the North Pole. After the TARDIS Hostile Action Displacement System causes the ship to dematerialise, leaving them stranded, the Doctor realises they have arrived during the cold war in 1983, at the height of the tensions between the worlds two power blocks. The submarine and her crew are returning from a top secret expedition to the North Pole where they discovered a creature frozen in the ice; an Ice Warriors that he been dormant for over five thousand years. Now it has escaped and is making its way though the submarine, where it confronts the Doctor, but a crewmember sneaks up behind the Ice Warrior and disabled it with a cattle prod.

Now that the Ice Warrior is chained up the Doctor explains that the Ice Warrior is Grand Marshal Skaldak, one of the greatest warriors of the Martian race. Clara volunteers to negotiate with the Skaldic, but she is horrified when it becomes apparent that the Martian has escaped from its armoured shell, and is now prowling the ship in its natural form! Later when Skaldak attacks Professor Grisenko and Clara, the Doctor and Captain Zhukov rush to help them. But the Martian has used the tense standoff to summon his armour, and once he is back inside it, the Ice Warrior storms the bridge and takes control of the submarines nuclear missiles. Skaldak knows his distress call will never be answered, his people are no more, but he can still avenge his race and bring this planets cold war to a final end…

Clara Oswald’s first adventure into the past is fraught with danger as she has to learn to cope quickly as events begin to spiral out of control on the submarine. This is another important episode for Clara as it helps to clarify her role as the new companion, by placing her in situations that reinforce the programmes basic concepts, such as the TARDIS translation matrix. In fact, this is the third time that writer Mark Gatiss has penned a new companions first adventure in Earth’s past – the first being Rose in The Unquiet Dead (2005), and then Amy in Victory of the Daleks (2010). There are plenty of chances for Jenna-Louise Coleman to shine as Clara has to cope with being stuck on the submarine and running for her life to escape from the Ice Warrior after it emerges from its armour. There are no clues this episode about the ongoing mystery of Clara Oswald’s origins, although there are some great character moments for her. One of Clara’s best scenes is where she becomes trapped with the Ice Warrior, it’s highly reminiscent of Robert Shearman’s 2005 episode Dalek, and it’s a great tension filled moment that has quite an unexpected payoff at the episodes climax.

The submarine sets for Cold War are really dark and claustrophobic, with steam billowing from pipes and water streaming everywhere, director Douglas Mackinnon really builds up the tension as the vessel sinks and the Ice Warrior goes on the rampage. It really is remarkable how the cast and crew managed to film in such conditions, the sets are so convincing, and with all the water and steam gushing through the fractured hull it looks incredibly realistic.

Right from the moment we catch sight of the Ice Warrior frozen in a block of ice, there is a brooding sense of anticipation until it breaks free attacks the crew. The new look Ice Warrior retains many of the classic element of the original monsters design, but with a few slight changes, namely having three fingered hands instead of its predecessors clam-like pincers. What is really remarkable about Skaldak is how fast he moves. The old Ice Warriors were slow and lumbering, but Skaldak (Spencer Wilding) seems to power through the submarine, stomping through the flooded corridors and killing anyone that gets in his way. It goes to show just how successful the original design of the Ice Warrior really was, the creature’s sonic weaponry is still present here, their distinctive rasping voice – provided by Nicholas Briggs – is slightly deeper, but the reptilian hisses are the same. The biggest change is how Grand Marshal Skaldak is capable emerging from his armour, revealing his true form, something that even the Doctor has never seen before. There are some really creepy moments as Skaldak prowls the ship (particularly when he dismembers some of the crew to study human anatomy) once he is outside his cybernetic armour, although we only see his clawed hands, his face is revealed during the closing moments on the Bridge as the Doctor  and Clara try to stop him firing the nuclear missiles..

Mark Gatiss has crafted a superb story, drawing on such classic sci-fi influences as The Thing From Another World and Alien, while setting it on board the cramped environment of the Soviet submarine. Cold War is a clear homage to the classic base under siege stories from the 2^nd Doctor’s era, where the Ice Warriors first appeared in 1967, and Mark Gatiss has done a fantastic job with this thrilling episode for the Ice Warriors return.

I like how Mark Gattis has taken the opportunity to give a greater scope to the Ice Warriors and their culture. The first Ice Warrior the Doctor encountered (Varga) had been entombed in a glacier for thousands of years, later he stopped them from invading Earth and altering the planets atmosphere with deadly seed pods, before encountering them in the distant future on the planet Peladon, and the 10^th Doctor (David Tennant) also mentioned them in The Waters of Mars (2009). There are huge gaps in the mythology of the Ice Warriors which Mark Gatiss hints at here: mentioning different castes and factions, a code of honour, and aspects of their ancient civilization. There is also a very touching moment when Skaldak remembers his family. The space ship at the end that rescues Skaldak is magnificent; there is a wealth of potential here for the Ice Warriors to return in force, so let’s hope they do soon, preferably with Mark Gatiss scripting their next story.

Matt Smith has some great moments as the Doctor in Cold War. He spends most of the episode struggling to contain the threat posed by the Ice Warrior, while also briefing his new companion on the tense political situation they are faced with, knowing that if Skaldak launches the submarines missiles it will start a war that will destroy the world. We lean that Skaldak was a great hero of the Martian race, a powerful warrior, and Matt Smith’s portrayal of the Doctor continues to impress as he tries to persuade the Ice Warrior not to unleash the nuclear warheads and start a war.

David Warner is also exceptional good as the elderly Professor Grisenko; a great character who steals every scene he’s in as he walks the corridors of the submarine, singing pop songs from the 80’s. The grizzled Captain Zhukov is played by Liam Cunningham, and his Lt Stephashin (Tobias Menzies), along with crewmembers Piotr (Josh O’Connor), Onegin (James Norton), and Belevich (Charle Norton) are all a great bunch of characters that makes Cold War a really fun episode filled with some cracking dialogue and brilliant action scenes.

It’s great to see the Ice Warriors back for Doctor Who’s 50^th Anniversary year. Cold War is a brilliant episode by Mark Gatiss, the Ice Warriors scaly armoured form has received a fantastic update for the iconic monsters return, and together with terrific performances by Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman this is one of the best episodes of season seven.

Batman #19 Review

Tags

Alex Maleev, Basil Karlo, Batman, Bruce Wayne, Clayface, Damien Wayne, Danny Miki, DC Comics, FCO Plascencia, Greg Capullo, James Tynion IV, Reaper, Robin, Scott Snyder, The New 52

Batman #19

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

 

With Batman still reeling from the devastating loss of Damien Wayne, an old enemy returns to Gotham City, one who is capable of evading the Dark Knight himself to strike at Bruce Wayne when he lease expects it. The shroud of Robin’s tragic death still hangs like a dark cloud over Batman #19 as Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo explore the depth of Batman’s grief.

It begins ordinarily enough, with Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock dealing with an armed bank robbery. But when Bruce Wayne walks out holding a female hostage at gunpoint, with explosives strapped to her body, things take an inexplicable turn as Bruce pulls a shotgun on Gordon as he makes his escape on a motorbike.

Events then shift back six days where we rejoin the Dark Knight as he studies the Cowl Archives in the Batcave, lost in thought, as he recalls stopping the Reaper’s plan to deliver a truckload of poisonous flowers to the Falcone wake with Damien. As the memory fades Alfred bring news of the Brian Wayde’s death, the architect of the design company that Bruce Wayne hired to build his Gotham Initiative. He was a trusted ally, who was also terminally ill with Myelodyplastic Syndrome, which makes his apparent suicide all the more unsettling.

With his suspicious raised, Batman investigates Wayde’s apartment, but it would seem the architect has faked his death when he suddenly emerges from the shadows and attacks Batman with a flame thrower. After a brief fight Wayde flees the scene, using an elevator to escape, Batman gives chase but soon looses track of Wayde after he runs into the subway station. After analysing a sample of Wayd’s blood the DNA seems to match, but traces of a Chimeric Code point towards another, more likely suspect – the shape shifting criminal Clayface.

Batman realises the awful truth, that the mystical clay that infected Basil Karlo and transformed him into Clayface, has somehow begun to mutate its hosts DNA, causing Clayface to actually become the people he mimics while his own DNA is slowly eroded by the clay. Bruce Wayne arranges a meeting with Lucius Fox to organise a new suit for Batman, one that will give him heavy epidermal protection, but he may already be too late as Clayface prepares to strike at his next victim…

Batman #19 allows Scott Snyder to really explore the profound effect that Robin’s death has had on Batman. When we first see Batman it’s almost as if he is maintaining a silent vigil for Damien as he examines the Cowl Archive in the cave. There is a flashback to Batman’s last encounter with the Reaper, where he intercepted his truck and its deadly cargo, where Damien realizes that their exposure to the flowers toxins will kill them both in five minutes. As Batman calmly tells him that antidote is on the Bat-Bike, there is a great moment where Snyder heart-warmingly encapsulates Damien‘s character, as Robin smiles and makes light of them both being dead men walking.

Alfred is unable to broach how Bruce is coping with Damien’s death, his concerns are quickly dismissed, especially when he mentions the damage already inflicted by the Joker after his campaign against Batman and his allies. Batman seems to welcome the distraction of Brian Wayde’s apparent suicide, even though it means dealing with the loss of another close ally, it enables Bruce to withdraw from his grief for a time by focusing on his life beyond the cape and cowl.

The return of Clayface is another welcome surprise, and it offers Snyder a fantastic opportunity to bring a whole new dynamic to yet another classic villain from Batman’s rogue gallery. The bizarre opening scene where Bruce Wayne robs a bank and shoots Jim Gordon suddenly becomes clear. As the Batman examines the DNA evidence that reveals Brian Wayde was really Clayface, we are treated to a fresh look at Basil Karlo’s origin, the actor who allowed the mystical properties of the clay he discovered to infect his body so he could become Clayface. I really enjoyed how Scott Snyder rationalized Clyaface’s abilities with the stories of shape-shifters throughout history: drawing comparisons with examples from the cultures of the Rakashasa and the Kumiho, Norse folklore, and Navajo legends of skin walkers. What makes these accounts all the more compelling is how the shaper-shifter slowly loses themselves after each transformation, their humanity gradually being whittled away, until the very essence of their being is consumed by the magical forces inhabiting their bodies.

Greg Capullo returns this issue to bring his own distinctive style to Snyder’s dark take on the legacy of Clayface, moulding the taught storyline around Batman’s all consuming grief, brining considerable weight and power to the opening moments were Bruce Wayne shoots Commissioner Gordon – as well as the beautifully understated flashback featuring Damien Wayne. The inks by Danny Miki bring an added depth, and the colours by FCO Plascencia are also excellent. I really like how Capullo manages to capture how Clayface has become so immersed in the character of Bruce Wayne that he doesn’t even seem to realize what great secrets he now holds within his rapidly diminishing DNA. There is even a reference towards Snyder and Capullo’s next story arc, Zero Year, by Gordon, which continues to resonate long after Wayne‘s “doppelganger” has escaped the scene. As a villain, Clayface has enjoyed something of a renascence of late. In the past he has often gotten a bit of a raw deal, being portrayed as just a super powered brute, without any real focus or cohesive storyline. Snyder and Capullo have really taken the potential that Clayface has to offer and built on it, taking the concept of identity theft and possession to the extreme, while also underlining the awful truth of what price Clayface is unwittingly suffering for his incredible powers.

This month’s backup story, Ghost Lights, is by James Tynion IV and Alex Maleev. It features Batman and Superman as they investigate the strange happening at a rundown apartment block. Having travelled to see how Batman is coping after Robin’s death, Superman’s attempt to get the Dark Knight to open up about what happened to Damien is cut short when a bizarre incident occurs inside the building and draws their attention. As they make their way towards the apartment Superman begins to feel unwell. Once inside they discover that a dark ritual has been performed, one that has unleashed a terrifying supernatural entity.

I really enjoyed the first part of this new back up story. This dark supernatural tale by Tynion draws Batman and Superman together in the most improbable of circumstances. I like how Superman was as uncomfortable about the magical forces inside the building as Batman was about discussing Damien’s death. Another great aspect about Ghost Lights is the art by Alex Maleeve, which really helped build the spooky atmosphere of the story.

Batman #19 also features a striking gatefold cover by Capullo and FCO Plascencia that really blindsides you about what to expect from the story, and it keeps you guessing about where Clayface will strike next right up until the final moments. This is a terrific issue by Snyder and Capullo, it brings a whole new element to Clayface’s powers, and goes to great lengths to underpin the Dark Knights grief in a story where not everyone is quite what they seem.

All New XMen #10 Review

Tags

All New X-Men, Brian Michael Bendis, Cyclops, Marvel Comics, Marvel Now, Scott Summers, Stuart Immonen, The Beast, The Original X-Men, The Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine, X-Men

All New X-Men #10

Review by Paul Bowler

 

Now that the shape shifting mutant know as Mystique has got Lady Mastermind to join forces with her and Sabertooth, they attack an armoured truck which is about to be used to transfer 18 million dollars in North Carolina. Mystique uses her abilities to take the place of the driver, while Lady Mastermind creates the illusion that Wolverine and the Original X-Men are attacking the truck, leaving Sabertooth free to cut a swathe through the security. Satisfied that their first haul has gone so well, Mystique and her team make plans for more robberies.

Meanwhile the Uncanny X-Men have teleported onto the front lawn of The Jean Grey School of Higher Learning. The modern-day Cyclops tells the X-Men that he has come in peace, revealing how he is building a new school in Xavier’s name, before offering to accept any Mutants who wish to be recruited and trained as part of his mutant revolution.  An uneasy standoff ensues, old friends now stand divided, and the original X-Men are caught in the middle.

After the Uncanny X-Men have teleported away to give the student’s time to consider Scott Summers proposition, Wolverine, Kitty, Storm, Iceman and the Original X-Men gather in the school to discuss their options. They receive a call from Maria Hill telling them about Mystique’s attack on The Raft, warning them that Regan Wyngarde is now free, and working with Mystique and Sabertooth to carry out a bank robbing spree.

Outside the young Scott Summers is waiting on the lawn when Cyclops and the Uncanny X-Men return. He confronts them as the others rush to join him outside the school, but Cyclops is not prepared to listen to his younger self. No one is really surprised when Celeste, “Mindee“, and Phoebe Cuckoo decide to join the Uncanny X-Men, but everyone is shocked by the next person who steps forwards and volunteers to join Cyclops and his mutant revolution…

All New X-Men #10 is another spectacular character driven piece by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. With this issue Bendis really gets to the core issues that surround Scott Summers mutant revolution, delving deep into the morality of his actions, while allowing him to finally make his case to his fellow Mutants in person.

Its interesting how the Beast is held to task for his actions by Cyclops, forcing him to justify his reasons for potentially damaging the space time continuum by allowing the Original X-Men to remain in the present. The young Scott Summers also confronts Beast, saying that he believes he misled them about his reasons for brining them to the future.

Stuart Immonen’s art on All New X-Men #10 is just phenomenal, every page is bursting with detail, and he perfectly captures every nuance of Bendis’ highly emotive story as tensions threaten to boil over between the two teams. All New X-Men continues to remain one of the best X-Titles around, with great storytelling and art, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Doctor Who: The Rings of Akhaten

Tags

Clara, Doctor Who, Dr Who, Dr Who Season 7, Farren Blackburn, Festival of Offerings, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Matt Smith, Neil Cross, TARDIS, The Doctor, The Old God, The Queen of Years, The Rings of Akhaten

The Rings of Akhaten

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

Unaware that the Doctor has already begun to delve into her past, Clara Oswald steps back on board the TARDIS, and this time she brings her book of 101 Places to See with her. The Doctor offers to take Clara anywhere in time and space, so Clara asks the Time Lord to take her somewhere “awesome”.

Moments later the TARDIS materialises on the inhabited rings of Akhaten, one of seven worlds situated in a far away star system, whose citizens believe that all life in the universe originated on Akhaten and its incredible asteroid rings. The Doctor and Clara take in the wondrous sight of Akhaten’s fantastic ring system, before exploring the busy Tiaanamatt market place, where countless alien races and pilgrims have gathered to observe the Festival of Offerings.

The festival is part of a ritual that is traditionally held once every millennia at the great pyramid where the mummified Old God has been entombed. This is considered the most sacred place of the Sunsingers of Akhet, where a succession of choristers have performed The Lonely Song for millions of years, a haunting lullaby that prevents the Old God from awakening. The Doctor and Clara endeavour to help the young Merry, The Queen of Years, after she is transported to the pyramid during the handover ceremony between choristers and the Old God suddenly returns to life. The Doctor is faced with a desperate race against time if he is to save the people of Akhaten and rescue Clara and Merry before the Old God consumes all their souls…

The Rings of Akhaten is the first story this season by Dr Who newcomer, Neil Cross (scriptwriter for Spooks and creator of the multi award winning Luther), who has also written the ghost story Hyde for this season. Neil Cross has created an epic adventure for Clara’s first visit to another world, one that is filled with aliens, gods, and monsters. Akhaten is certainly one of the most spectacular alien worlds ever seen in Doctor Who. The diverse alien races that trade at the marketplace with psychic transactions are almost too numerous to mention: we have Panbabylonians, a Lugal-Irra-Kush, the bizarre Hooloovoo, an Qom Vo Tivig, and even a Terrabeserker – much to the Doctor’s delight.  Each alien has a unique look, with up to fifty creatures on screen at one time, and the detailed prosthetics and lavish costumes are some of the best ever created for the series.

As of course are the rings themselves, a beautifully rendered digital effect of the highest order, which provides a stunning alien environment for this adventure. There is also a cleverly filmed sequence with the Doctor and Clara on a flying moped, which is great fun to watch as the time traveller’s race through the asteroid rings to reach the pyramid. While there are some obvious similarities with The End of the World (2005) and The Fires of Pompeii (2008), director Farren Blackburn makes The Rings of Akhaten every bit as exciting. Effortlessly allowing us to experience the adventure through Clara’s eyes: transporting us to a world with a blazing sun, introducing a plethora of new aliens, and rounding it all off by placing Clara at the focal point of the story as we lean more about her mothers death and the significance of the leaf in Clara‘s book..

The mummified remains of the Old God is quite unlike any threat the Doctor has faced before. It feeds on the memories of those around it, experiencing their stories, before devouring their souls. This ancient creature’s distinctive robes and leathery face are extremely menacing, but it turns out to be just a vessel for the Old God. When it breaks free from its glass tomb the Mummy decays, its power shooting though space, where the Old God is revealed to be the sun of Akhaten itself! The sinister Vigil that guard the tomb also act as emissaries for the creatures power, who must ensure The Queen of Years is taken to the Old God to be sacrificed.

Matt Smith now has such a grasp of the Doctor’s character that he is fast becoming one of my favourite incarnations of the Time Lord. He now seems perfectly at ease in the role, which is reflected in the 11^th Doctor’s child-like wonder as he visit’s the Tannamatt marketplace with Clara, relishing the chance to introduce his new companion to the wonders of the universe. Matt Smith is also equally successful in harnessing the darker aspects of the Doctor’s personality, especially here when he is confronted by the Old God’s awakening, and the Time Lords icy countenance when has to confront the ancient entity with his own memories is a fearsome sight to behold. Matt Smith is superb here as the lonely Time Lord is forced to reveal his innermost pain, weeping as he recounts his experiences to the Old God. It’s also interesting how Neil Cross cleverly allows Clara‘s story to play a direct part in defeating the Old God, with Clara returning to help the Doctor, using the leaf that embodies the memory of her mothers tragic death to save them all.

The Rings of Akhaten offers Jenna-Louise Coleman a chance to really shine as Clara Oswald. She brings a playful sense of fun to the character, wholeheartedly embracing her desire to travel the universe, but also proving to be as resourceful as any of her predecessors when faced with danger. She has the steely resolve to face up to the horrors unleashed by the Old God on Akhaten, while also displaying a gentler side as she befriends The Queen of Years. There is also a lovely scene where Clara asks the Doctor to explain what time is actually made of. Time, it would seem is many things, as the Doctor points out, but it certainly is not made of strawberries.

Murray Gold has provided some tremendous music for The Rings of Akhaten that perfectly complements the haunting songs and lullabies that are the main focal point of the story. Emilia Jones, the daughter of Aled Jones, plays Merry, the Queen of Years, and she does a great job of handling all the acting and singing requirements of her role.

Although the story does take a little while to get going, leading to a very rushed final act, The Rings of Akhaten is still a hugely enjoyable story. Bursting with amazing special effects and colourful new alien races, The Rings of Akhaten provides a perfect destination for Clara’s first adventure into space, and also offers us a chance to learn a bit more about Clara. This episode yields many surprises: Clara’s leaf turns out to be the most important leaf in human history, having brought her parents together, it holds the greatest story of all, one so emotive and pure that even the Old God is unable to contain it. The currency on Akhaten is also based on objects of sentimental value, which is reflected in one of Clara’s most treasured possessions – her mother’s ring. There is also a reference to the Doctor’s first incarnation, where he mentions visiting Akhaten with his granddaughter, and perhaps most intriguing of all is the moment where Clara begins to realize how much the Doctor has already become a part of her own history…

The Rings of Akhaten is a fabulous adventure that sets the stage for things to come. The Doctor and Clara make a terrific team; each episode brings new aspects to their relationship, and leaves us breathlessly awaiting their next adventure…

Earth 2 Issue #11 Review

Tags

Brett Booth, DC Comics, Doctor Fate, Dr Fate, Earth 2, James Robinson, Jay Garrick, Khalid, Mr Miracle, Nabu, Nicola Scott, The Flash, The New 52, The Tower of Fate, Trevor Scott, Wotan

Earth 2 Issue #11

Review by Paul Bowler

[CONTAINS SPOILERS]

The all new origin of Doctor Fate continues in Earth 2 #11 as the Flash and Khalid Ben Hussain begin to make their way through the elaborate corridors and walkways of the Tower of Fate. Here they must face the Great Beast, the demonic guardian of the Helm of Fate, and find a way to confront their innermost fears so they can escape the labyrinth and rescue Jay Garrick’s mother from Wotan. Meanwhile in Dherain, the independent nation’s new ruler, Steppenwolf, has learned of some heroes seen in Gotham City and sends Fury to bring them to him.

Earth 2 #11 is an awe inspiring tale by James Robinson who has successfully crafted a brand new mythology for the introduction of Doctor Fate, while still remaining faithful to many of the classic elements of the character. Opening with a confrontation in ancient Egypt between Nabu and Wotan, we lean how the dark mage used a spell to become immortal, existing as both male and female throughout countless lifetimes. After being defeated by Nabu, the Egyptian mage altered Wotan’s skin, killing the dark mage, and tarnishing Wotan’s flesh with a ghastly hue that would last forever.

One character that has continually stood out amongst the cast of Earth 2 is Jay Garrick. Of all the New Wonders of Earth 2 the Flash has been defined by his youthful spirit for adventure and selfless acts of heroism. Having narrowly evaded the Great Beasts clutches the Flash and Khalid take a rest for a moment on one of the Towers vast walkways. They realize the only way they can succeed is to split up. Jay volunteers to go back and face the Great Beast alone; hoping he can buy Khalid enough time to uses his knowledge of the Tower and find the Helm of Fate so they can escape.

Inspired by Jay’s bravery, Khalid sets off into the maze-like corridors of the Tower to find the Helm of Nabu. As he proceeds ever deeper the spirit of Nabu reaches out to him, guiding him towards his goal. When he approaches the chamber, the spirit of Nabu asks Khalid about his thoughts on the death of his guardian, Kent Nelson, and it would seem that many of Khalid’s fears stem from this event. This is a nice reference to the original Dr Fate by James Robinson, who clearly has a great respect for the character, and it also offers up a number of intriguing possibilities for the future. As he reaches for the helm Khalid asks the spirit of Nabu if he will loose his sanity, but Nabu sates he is merely an echo now, and that he will fade when Khalid embraces his new role. This seems to indicate that Khalid will gradually have more control over his powers, instead of just be possessed by the spirit of Nabu; he could become the sole embodiment of Doctor Fate himself.

Earth 2 #11 features some stunning work by Nicola Scott who brings Robinson’s mystical saga to life with some incredible scenes, with every detail beautifully enhanced by Trevor Scott’s inks, and the vivid colours by Alex Sinclair and Peter Pantazis, Earth 2 continues to raise the bar with each successive issue. From the first page we are propelled into the past to witness the magical duel between Nabu and Wotan in Egypt, with events fluidly dovetailing into the present as Wotan recounts his origins to Jay’s mother, through to the huge vaulted chambers of the Tower of Fate itself as the Flash and Khalid creep along the gravity defying walkways.

When the moment comes for Khalid to put on the Helm of Nabu he is instantly transformed into Doctor Fate and rushes to save the Flash from the gnashing jaws of the Great Beast. This fantastic moment is perfectly realized by Nicola Scott, as the new Dr Fate bursts from the page swathed in a magical glow, his armour gleaming with incredible energy. This issues stunning gatefold cover by Brett Booth not only features Doctor Fate, but also heralds the return of Mr Miracle, whose redesign of Mr Miracle is also a faithful enhancement of the original characters appearance.

The stage is now set for an epic showdown between Doctor Fate and Wotan. It will also be interesting to see Fury hunting down Mr Miracle in the ruins of Gotham City. Earth 2 #11 has been one of this series most hotly anticipated issues to date, Doctor Fate’s return has lived up to all my expectations, and in many ways its actually exceeded them. Earth 2 has reintroduced these classic heroes back to the New 52 DCU with a flair of creativity that will satisfy fans of all ages. It has taken decades of complex storylines and reinvigorated them for a whole new generation of readers, offering a fresh perspective with some truly awe inspiring artwork.