Space Squid

"Bow down before the Holy Space Squid! The End of Days is coming!"

Writer: Tony Lee
Format: Comic Strip
Released: September 2011
Printed in: DW11 #9

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory, Kevin

Synopsis

The Doctor, Amy, Rory, and new travelling companion Kevin - a cybernetic dinosaur - arrive on a familiar-looking space station. They find a scientific crew under attack from a giant space squid! With the security robot destroyed, it's up to the Doctor and his friends to save the day. Who will sacrifice themselves to save the many?

Verdict

Space Squid was a decent continuation of the Eleventh Doctor's IDW run but I think it was the story with the least amount of quality thus far. As my rating reflects, though, it was far from bad and was surprisingly enjoyable! I was a little sceptical before reading this one due its name and with that being accompanied by the fact a dinosaur is a new companion, I think it was warranted! Now, I thought Kevin served his role well in When Worlds Collide but I really did not see the necessity in having him join the TARDIS crew. There were some humorous scenes concerning him and the TARDIS due to his size but apart from that I'm really not sure what he offered. It is a bit of a silly idea but by having him depart so soon, it can be gotten away with. He wasn't actually that bad in this story but the way he was used with having an exoskeleton was nothing more than a cheap laughs panel in my opinion. A triumphant dinosaur. Barmy. The spaceship setting worked well and I thought Fillion and Katic were very good characters. I was surprised with how willing they were to just let the Squid and his ship dock with them, even after the mysterious holy relics were sprinkled. It was so obvious that they were something more! The Doctor saw it straight away. I thought the characterisation of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor was brilliant throughout which is always great to be able to say and the little almost mention of Beep the Meep was terrific when listing religious figureheads. Rory and Amy had a good story together once again and I am liking the reminder of what Rory did for his wife in The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang in protecting her for 2,000 years. That was his purpose and it was never going to change now. Him telling Kevin that and how he would soon find his purpose after a shaky start to his travels was lovely and a fantastic way to give Rory some character depth. Amy took the backseat and the pair soon found themselves pretending to be working for the High Priest, to the very man himself! It was quite a humorous circumstance. The pace of the story was decent and although there was a tendency for some slight silliness, the conclusion with Kevin taking the fight to the giant Space Squid in space itself coming to mind, it didn't overshadow things and we actually had a really intriguing plot. The High Priest quickly came away from forced worship and was free but Kevin was going to stay and act as the ship's new security force. This was his purpose now and even though I thought the idea of a dinosaur companion was beyond ludicrous, this kind of departure was very much welcomed and a nice way for him to go out. Overall, a decent comic strip story!

Rating: 7/10