The White Dragon

"This is Bruce Lee, the most famous face in Hong Kong!"

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: December 2020 - March 2021

Printed in: DWM 559-562

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

Hong Kong, 1940. A lucky find in the sea breaks a long friendship.

Hong Kong, 1972. The Doctor and her fam arrive and get quickly embroiled in a local scuffle. A loose pendant becomes the target of thugs, and when Yaz and Graham are kidnapped, the Doctor and Ryan enlist help of the unlikeliest source...

Verdict

The White Dragon was a decent comic book story to welcome back the Thirteenth Doctor and the fam to the Doctor Who comic strip, but despite it being enjoyable and a solid adventure I just couldn't help but have a feeling of wanting something more. I mean, don't get me wrong this was far from being a bad story as my rating reflects, but when it comes to the comic strip format I think they should feel somewhat bigger than the television format with the possibilities on offer with pretty much extensive creative freedom. There's no restraint. Obviously, the inclusion of Bruce Lee here is evident of that usage and maybe it's just my age as a relative youngster at 24 which is why I perhaps didn't appreciate what was happening here as much as one might. I obviously am aware of the reputation of the actor but it's fair to say that I'm not overly aware of the culture of the 1970s! It was brilliant thought to take the Doctor and fam to Hong Kong in a historical setting and I thought the artwork for the city as a whole was magnificent. I was really impressed with that and it looked just totally different to any traditional or 'normal' Doctor Who setting. The city landscape was good and I enjoyed how the Doctor and co got embroiled in some local trouble almost immediately. The mysterious pendant that was found at sea in 1940 coming into play almost straight after in 1972 was unexpected but it was good and I thought it was quite amusing for Yaz to have bought a market pendant and them get mixed up in the scuffle. Graham's reaction to her complete lack of trying to haggle was very good and I enjoyed the pair's relationship together during the comic strip after they'd been kidnapped. The Doctor getting too caught up in the market to see that her companions had been kidnapped was great as well and I thought the characterisation throughout for her was excellent. Tung-Mei was a decent character and her being the one that got the fam in trouble with the pendant was good as she tried to escape the employ of Chen Luo. He made for a good villain and the way he didn't take any trouble was what I would expect from  a character like him with financial backing and almost mafia-like control over the city. His son was an intriguing character but I just wasn't overly fussed on the development into the four-armed man. It was quite the image but for my liking there was far too much action. I know that is what might be expected of a Bruce Lee story, but it was a bit overboard for a comic strip to my taste. It was entertaining, just too much. Ryan's reaction to meeting Bruce Lee and subsequent relationship with him was good and I liked how the latter later taught the former some skills in fighting and to deal with his dyspraxia. The Doctor lending a hand and teaching Bruce some Venusian aikido was fantastic though and I love that this gives her another name to drop in random conversations, something that's become quite the trait of this incarnation. The Kalatra looked pretty impressive as the controllers who had the ability to grant the control of Earth, and Bruce Lee being the designated champion was amusing if not slightly silly. It just all felt slightly recycled with elements of The Christmas Invasion in particular feeling strong. The whole comic strip run of the Thirteenth Doctor, whilst solid, hasn't felt emphatic or leading to anything and the Covid and Time Lord Victorious interruptions won't have helped that, but I feel like I'm still waiting for something big to happen. Overall though, a more than solid little outing!

Rating: 7/10