The Whispering Gallery

"No one ever smiles or laughs or cries here."

Writers: Leah Moore & John Reppion
Format: Comic Strip
Released: February 2009
Printed in: IDW #3.01

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis 

The TARDIS has landed in a maze-like gallery filled with thousands of talking pictures, and the Doctor and Martha discovery they have come across a planet where showing emotion has been outlawed. The inhabitants have good reason for their suppression, but it wouldn't be like the Doctor to leave them in fear of truly living.

Verdict

The Whispering Gallery was an excellent start to the second volume graphic novel of IDW's collected Tenth Doctor comic strip adventures! I was hugely impressed with this adventure and whilst I find it a little confusing that Martha featured in a story released in 2009, I absolutely loved it. I thought the characterisation of the Tenth Doctor was outstanding throughout with the likeness of David Tennant wonderfully captured on the page. I really liked the TARDIS scene at the opening concerning milk and the Doctor not really listening to what Martha was saying. She was great in this story too and even though some of her artwork was a bit off at times, it didn't take away from the quality of the story. I thought the setting of the whispering gallery itself was excellent and the whole concept was quite shocking! It really evoked some emotion in me and the idea of the portraits containing a final thought of a deceased was incredible. It really got me thinking about what I may say if I could have just a little bit of me to live on after I die. The theme of non-emotion was brilliant and the emergence of the Morkon, an Empathivore, was all because of the Doctor which was something I loved. The reveal from the Doctor that he had previously travelled with a Grattite by the name of Grayla was quite a surprise, especially when a flashback showed that he did so when in his current incarnation so it must have been quite soon before Martha's arrival. He only gave her a lift but he opened up her eyes to all sorts of things and after years and generations of repressing emotions to protect themselves from the Morkon, the Grattites were now doomed because Grayla was changed. She had hope and emotion and the Empathivore was awoken to feast. The Doctor realising the similarities with the situation he had left Martha in inside the gallery was terrific and he was quick to go and fix things. Martha putting a deceased couple side by side so they could hear the other's dying thoughts was a lovely touch and whilst the ending was a little predictable with the Doctor giving himself up for the Morkon to overfeed and destroy itself, it was still very impactful. I really liked it and there wasn't too much that I disliked about this comic strip. Overall, a fantastic comic strip!

Rating: 9/10