The Girl Who Loved Doctor Who

"They made a TV show about me?"

Writer: Paul Cornell

Format: Comic Strip

Released: December 2013

Printed in: IDW 2013

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor 

Synopsis

A strange force flings the TARDIS and the Eleventh Doctor into our own universe! Once here, the Doctor encounters a 10-year-old girl who happens to be a huge fan of the Doctor Who TV show. The Doctor grapples with being a fictional character and a monster lurking at the girl's school on the way to coming face-to-face with the actor who portrays him, Matt Smith!

Verdict

The Girl Who Loved Doctor Who was just wonderful. This was a real love letter to the fans and it made the whole idea behind the show and its fiction become real in a brilliantly accessible way. I loved how the Doctor arrived in what was just recognised on the TARDIS console as a parallel universe, but it was actually this one! The Doctor arrived in a world where he was the centre of attention and a revered character. The TV series following his life was superb and the imagery of him just holding a copy of The Twin Dilemma was something quite spectacular. I loved the comment regarding The Android Invasion as that title definitely would have made things easier for him! That was a humorous moment. We even got to see the 2007 Doctor Who Annual make an appearance in the hands of Ally. She was a fantastic character and just epitomised what it meant to be a fan. She wasn't stupid though and whilst she loved Doctor Who, she had no desire for who she thought to be Matt Smith to act out being her hero. She knew it was all a story. I thought that was nice. It just stunned me a little to actually have Matt Smith's name referred to in a Doctor Who adventure! And it actually made sense and worked really well. The Eleventh Doctor met Matt Smith. How barmy is that? I love it. The Doctor mentioning having saved Peter Davison in the past was further comedic value and I also thought the line about Peter Capaldi was great, even if it seemed a tad forced. The Doctor's initial reaction to the new universe was good and perfectly in line with his incarnation. Ahh! That reminds me, the Doctor's mentioning of him not calling his past selves 'incarnations' was delightful and it was just fantastic for Ally to prove him wrong. The appearance of a Cyberman as a full on enemy was an unexpected pleasure and I loved that it was one from the Battle of Canary Wharf. It managed to slip into this parallel universe and wanted to convert the planet. Ally mentioning it being from Doomsday was just splendid too! I did like that a lot. There was so much to love about this comic strip and you really couldn't help but smile throughout. A real treat. The way the Doctor was able to take advantage of the Cyberman to get back to his own universe was good and quite quick, but that was what you wanted in a story of this nature. It wasn't about the monsters here, but it was nice to have that connection. The little mention of Elisabeth Sladen was a terrific touch and I liked how the Doctor was able to tell Ally that Sarah Jane was still alive and well in Ealing. She would live forever through the Doctor, but I did think it was intriguing for her to mention knowing the fate of his old companion. The convention scenes were very good and I absolutely adored the moment where the Doctor was fooled by cosplay. The Krotons were coming! Well, not quite. When the Doctor started saying he should have known it was them, only to then correct himself was absolutely superb. I found that too funny. Overall, a simply splendid comic strip adventure! Even a mention of the missing episodes. All round great.

Rating: 10/10