Meet the Fam!

"Today is the TARDIS's pick."

Writer: Jody Houser

Format: Comic Strip

Released: May 2019

Printed in: Free Comic Book Day 2019

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

For once, or more than is usually the case, the Doctor lets the TARDIS pick the destination for herself and the fam. They arrive at a carnival funfair where games of chance are found to have terrible consequences, and the Doctor won't allow them to be rigged any longer.

Verdict

Meet the Fam! was a decent little story to serve as the adventure released for 2019's Free Comic Book Day. I remember heading to Forbidden Planet last year for the first time as part of the comic freebie festivities, but unfortunately I didn't actually manage to get hold of the Doctor Who comic and I was bitterly disappointed. Going back the next and subsequent days provided no luck and I thought I was going to miss out on the story altogether! Thankfully, I was able to find it on eBay for no more than £2 and whilst it is frustrating to pay for something that was free, it didn't set me back too much and means I can now continue my feat of blogging everything possible with the current incarnation of the Doctor. With this being part of the Free Comic Book Day, it was clear that the story was formatted as almost being an introduction to what Doctor Who comic strips can be like and who exactly the team that make up the main characters are. Being an avid fan of each and every era of the show, that didn't quite work out for me in the same way it might for a non-fan. That's not to say it was bad by any means and I can fully appreciate what was trying to be done. Why not utilise the Free Comic Book Day to try and bring on board more fans and show off the Thirteenth Doctor and her fam? I mean, from the title I should have been able to guess what was going to happen in the adventure. I have to say, Jody Houser is doing a wonderful job at the helm of the ongoing comic strips for the Thirteenth Doctor and I have been hugely impressed with her characterisation. She is able to capture Jodie Whittaker's personality and traits excellently and that really does make for good reading. The basic premise behind the story was simple with the danger arising from the Bevivian game of chance. The Doctor hadn't quite anticipated that when she'd got the whole gang into the carnival funfair as multi-guests. It was all in the terms and conditions though. Of course it was. Graham knew the game was rigged but played anyway and lost. That resulted in him getting teleported away! The Doctor was soon on the case to win him back by their own rules and whilst she cheated considerably by having Ryan use the sonic screwdriver to aid her throw, the reactions of those in charge of the game was priceless. The Doctor taking on the responsibility for her companions was really nice to see and it was also good to see how much Ryan cared for his grandad when he thought he might be gone. One thing I really noticed about the story was how little was actually going on in each panel. I wasn't surprised by that in the slightest given that it was produced for free, but that didn't impact the artwork which was of an incredibly high standard. It definitely looked impressive. The Thirteenth Doctor continuing to namedrop famous people she has met in her past was great and it left me wondering why we didn't have an adventure featuring Babe Ruth in the recent Star Tales short story anthology. I'm sure that would have a lot of potential! Yaz comforting the alien child that was also rescued by the Doctor's victory was nice to see and the last page said everything you needed to know about the story and Doctor Who in general. This was the Doctor and her fam and they helped people out. Overall, a good little tale!

Rating: 7/10