Tuesday 18 September 2018

Hacked


"Everyone died. And I'm not a fan of stories that end like that."

Writer: Cavan Scott
Format: Comic Strip
Released: May 2016
Printed in: Free Comic Book Day 2016

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack

Synopsis

The Doctor, Rose and Jack encounter a rogue and wanted artist who has been defacing planets in the images of many a people. There's another element of the Time War present and the history stretches back to the Time Lords themselves. The Eye of Orion was not what the Doctor remembered...

Verdict

Hacked was a superb little story as part of the 2016 Free Comic Book Day! Considering this was only six pages long, it was absolutely brilliant and I was thoroughly impressed with what I read. It saw us return to the adventures of the Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack, a sublime trio, which is fantastic as we get to see more of their adventures that clearly took place prior to Jack's sudden departure in The Parting of the Ways. There's so much potential for this trio and even by the time of Boom Town, it's clear that they have enjoyed a number of adventures together so it's hugely exciting to read what they got up to here. There are three novels which depict those stories but there's just something special about visuals. It's also somewhat of a rarity to get extra material for the Ninth Doctor so that's a big plus too. I thought the characterisation of this incarnation was very well done for this adventure as Christopher Eccleston's likeness was neatly captured on the page. I thought the Eye of Orion setting may have been wasted at the start as it was only going to feature in a six page story but boy was I proven wrong! It didn't turn out to be the Eye as the Doctor remembered it which was good but I definitely could have done without the slight insult to my home nation of Wales. The Taggani was an intriguing villain and I liked how Jack used the vortex manipulator to decipher who he was. The Doctor was surprisingly thrilled at the result and told Rose of just what his kind did. They were geo hackers which was rather interesting and I thought it was very humorous that Jack now had his face engraved on the side of a moon! He was unsurprisingly delighted. Rose didn't have too much involvement in this comic strip but that wasn't a bad thing, especially with the six page limit. The Aesirian world-shaper was a good device to deface the planets and I thought the flashback to the likes of Daemons and Osirans battling to get their hands on it was excellent. It showed its worth perfectly. The Doctor using his mind to hack through the Taggani's true identity and broadcast was great and I liked how things were left with Jack boasting about his face still being on the side of a moon. Things could definitely be worse! Overall, a terrific little story to reignite the comics of the Ninth Doctor!

Rating: 9/10

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