In-Between Times

"They mustn't think we are hiding secrets!"

Writer: Paul Cornell
Format: Comic Strip
Released: September 2018
Printed in: Humble Bundle Exclusive

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara

Synopsis

In the depths of the TARDIS, in the middle of the night, Ian and Barbara go in search of urgent answers

Verdict

In-Between Times was a very intriguing little comic strip adventure! I really hadn't expected to find a brand new comic strip for the First Doctor in the graphic novel that collected the Seventh Doctor's run in Titan Comics but I am certainly not complaining! I'm not entirely sure what Humble Bundle is or meant but for them to be able to gain an extra story is good in my books. I'm also very thankful that Titan printed this story within the Seventh Doctor collection as I'm really not sure if I would ever have been aware of it otherwise. Now, onto the story itself and it really did create an interesting atmosphere. I would suggest it was somewhere close to the very start of Ian and Barbara's travels in the TARDIS, and that would seem to make sense if Susan's writing was still present from before they came aboard. I liked the idea of her having a sketchpad and that seems to be like a likely trait of her personality and character. The drawing of the names Barbara and Ian to create the term 'BarbaraIan' was fantastic and something I have never noticed before. That is some coincidence I must say but I loved how it was used here. It was quite niche which I liked a lot. The Doctor didn't have much to do in this story but his presence immediately changed its tone which was excellent. I thought the brief characterisation of the First Doctor was really good and I was particularly impressed with the artwork. For a black and white story, it definitely had a distinct feeling of being more modern in terms of its presentation which was great. Ian and Barbara feeling a little underestimated by Susan was good and I liked how that was explored. Witnessing her incredible array of paintings was unexpected and it turns out she was actually rather good! Her works on Ian and Barbara were why she didn't want them snooping around the TARDIS but the pair were overcome with the quality of her works. I thought that was really nice. The line about there being a future for this kid was clever and a good way to finish. Despite not much going on, which was always really going to be the case in a five-page story, this story managed to impress and interest me. Overall, a lovely little read.

Rating: 7/10