Doctor Who #7 is a decent addition to the sci-fi library of comics but is cluttered with problems. The issue fails to bring the same charm the popular show has with characters lacking an interesting spark. There are still great intellectual elements and the design of the Tardis and other dimensions are creative, but the overall art is not detailed enough, especially regarding the characters. Still, the story is solid and the Doctor is fun – and he's gotten himself into another mess, of course.Tony Lee crafts this tale featuring the Doctor, who is now traveling with his two new companions, Matthew and Emily, both from the silent age of Hollywood. The Doctor's Tardis merges with another ship – a ship harboring a race of spiders known as the Acari who have a hatred for the Doctor (don't all aliens?) – and a leader aware of the Doctor's dark past. The opening of the comic has plenty of callbacks readers will enjoy. The best is the reappearance of the Doctor's famous rainbow-colored scarf which ends up saving his life. All these references were a nice way to ease into the comic and were worth every panel. The incoming aliens and ship unfortunately had mixed results.The Acari, and I am in complete agreement with Emily's thoughts, look more like crickets than spiders. Too much is going on with their look making them look silly and non-threatening. They still manage to be enjoyable despite their atrocious fashion sense by being given very amusing dialogue stemming from a very generic idea that can never be overused: becoming confused by human technology that is completely foreign to them. They were a lot more fun for the writer to play around with than the leader of the Acari, who looks like a knock-off of Mystique. She presents a more foreboding feel than the Acari and does spark some interest in getting to know her backstory, but feels more like a generic villain. The other aliens, seemingly coming from nowhere and interrupting the story for no clear purpose other than to make the story more convoluted, are the Tef'aree (who must hate the people that named them). Their design is weird and their dialogue full of riddles. The moments between them and Emily do have some added intensity, but they feel out of place with everything else going on in the story.The Doctor has his usual wit and charm with only a few misses in his humor, but never has any dialogue made you laugh as hard as you would when watching the TV show. The comic fails to deliver what the TV series had: David Tennant's acting. The comic could never match his charm, but makes a valiant attempt to show just how witty AND intelligent the Doctor can be. His genius shows through clearly, with his comedy coming in second. The Doctor's two companions are also a step down from his previous companions. Both Matthew and Emily are more than capable in a fight but their dialogue never makes an impact on the reader. The Doctor steals the reader's attention with his charm and even the Acari are ten times more entertaining than his companions.The art from Al Davison is the biggest drawback of the issue with the Doctor barely looking like his real-life counterpart David Tennant. There is no terrible art but not much great work going on with the characters in a positive light, unlike the setting. The designs of the ship's various chambers and hallways are especially creative and make you linger on the page for a couple more seconds than you need to just to admire the structures.This issue is fun with an interesting story, a somewhat witty Doctor and the humorous Acari. Some characters need work, both personality-wise and art-wise. The best part of the issue is all the callbacks strewn throughout the comic, making the comic to be fully enjoyed only by fans of the Doctor Who show. Casual watchers can still find some enjoyment but will be much more entertained with more knowledge of the Doctor's past under their belts.
An all-around nerdette, I’m a comic book connoisseur, horror aficionado, video game addict, anime enthusiast and an aspiring novelist/comic book writer. I am the head of the comic book department and the editor-in-chief of Entertainment Fuse. I also write and edit articles for Comic Frontline. I am also an intern at Action Lab Entertainment, a comic book publisher at which I edit comic book scripts, help work on images in solicitations and help with other comic book related project. My own personal website is comicmaven.com.
The Acari, and I am in complete agreement with Emily's thoughts, look more like crickets than spiders. Too much is going on with their look making them look silly and non-threatening. They still manage to be enjoyable despite their atrocious fashion sense by being given very amusing dialogue stemming from a very generic idea that can never be overused: becoming confused by human technology that is completely foreign to them. They were a lot more fun for the writer to play around with than the leader of the Acari, who looks like a knock-off of Mystique. She presents a more foreboding feel than the Acari and does spark some interest in getting to know her backstory, but feels more like a generic villain. The other aliens, seemingly coming from nowhere and interrupting the story for no clear purpose other than to make the story more convoluted, are the Tef'aree (who must hate the people that named them). Their design is weird and their dialogue full of riddles. The moments between them and Emily do have some added intensity, but they feel out of place with everything else going on in the story.
The Doctor has his usual wit and charm with only a few misses in his humor, but never has any dialogue made you laugh as hard as you would when watching the TV show. The comic fails to deliver what the TV series had: David Tennant's acting. The comic could never match his charm, but makes a valiant attempt to show just how witty AND intelligent the Doctor can be. His genius shows through clearly, with his comedy coming in second. The Doctor's two companions are also a step down from his previous companions. Both Matthew and Emily are more than capable in a fight but their dialogue never makes an impact on the reader. The Doctor steals the reader's attention with his charm and even the Acari are ten times more entertaining than his companions.
The art from Al Davison is the biggest drawback of the issue with the Doctor barely looking like his real-life counterpart David Tennant. There is no terrible art but not much great work going on with the characters in a positive light, unlike the setting. The designs of the ship's various chambers and hallways are especially creative and make you linger on the page for a couple more seconds than you need to just to admire the structures.
This issue is fun with an interesting story, a somewhat witty Doctor and the humorous Acari. Some characters need work, both personality-wise and art-wise. The best part of the issue is all the callbacks strewn throughout the comic, making the comic to be fully enjoyed only by fans of the Doctor Who show. Casual watchers can still find some enjoyment but will be much more entertained with more knowledge of the Doctor's past under their belts. 
