Cindy, Cleo and the Magic Sketchbook

"It's an emotion somewhere between fear and euphoria..."

Writer: Nick Abadzis 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 5th May 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 06

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby, Cindy, Captain Jack

Synopsis 

Gabby's best friend Cindy remained on Earth at the end of her last adventure with the Doctor - a decision Cindy immediately regretted! Now, with only Gabby's sketchbook of unseen adventures to guide her, she must find her way back to the Doctor... but sinister forces already have her under surveillance! 

Verdict 

Cindy, Cleo and the Magic Sketchbook was a wonderful continuation of the Tenth Doctor comic strip adventures! It seems quite a while now since I read the fifth issue of Tales from the TARDIS, which has taken over the originally titled Doctor Who Comic, but I was delighted with this story to get me back into the swing of things. Exams are quickly on the horizon so a story of this length is ideal to get my daily dose of Doctor Who, something I will try and maintain as best I can, but I wasn't expecting a story to not feature the Doctor or Gabby in a physical role. That seemed a little bit strange to do in a comic but I didn't mind one bit because it really saw us get to know Cindy on her own. I love her as a character and I think if she joined Gabby as a companion then I'd enjoy the Tenth Doctor section of the comic more than I already do! There was more than one reference to The Fountains of Forever/Spiral Staircase/Sins of the Father which was good as I liked how much of an impact that adventure had on Cindy. We've previously seen her ridicule Gabby for her art documenting her travels but after Cindy saw life with the Doctor firsthand, she wanted a part of it. Gabby's sketchbook is simply stunning and I absolutely adore the parts of a story that show her comments accompanying her incredible artwork. There was an abundance of that in this story which I just loved! Without Gabby technically featuring, we learned an incredible amount about her which was marvellous. She's definitely my favourite comic strip companion ever and I must admit I would love for her to get a role in a performed story if the actress chosen was a wise choice. I really do think she's that good. Her own acronym for TARDIS was pretty humorous which I liked but I also loved her comments about the impact the Doctor has had on not only her life, but the lives of the companions that came before her. She's very much aware that she's not the first companion to step through the doors of the TARDIS and with a neat reference to The Stolen Earth/Journey's End, she's worked out that Donna was her immediate predecessor. This story actually contained numerous references to past adventures which I always love with The Arts in Space, The Weeping Angels of Mons, An Unearthly Child and Pyramids of Mars all getting a nice mention (or drawing!). I loved the irony that this comic has brought to School Reunion with Gabby mentioning that the Doctor has been talking about Sarah Jane after Rose stating that he'd never mentioned her during her travels with the Doctor. It was also nice of Gabby to acknowledge some drawings left by Turlough in the TARDIS. I liked the continuation from the Year 1 finale and The Singer Not the Song with another Anubis reference but I'm quite surprised by the fact this looks set to be a recurring story arc. I thought the second year might distance itself from the first, similarly to the way the Eleventh Doctor comics have, but that doesn't seem to be the case. There's nothing wrong with that I guess but the cliffhanger ending looks set to provide some differentiation! Erik and Cleo appearing again was good and I like how they're still not recovered from the aforementioned Year 1 finale's events. Mister Ebonite was a great little villain and I don't think this will be the last time that we see him but the way, or rather who, in which he was dealt with was simply magnificent! I have been longing for a Captain Jack return to Doctor Who for such a long time now and with ongoing rumours about him featuring in this year's Christmas special, I'm more than happy that he's appeared in these comics! I do hope he joins the Doctor and Gabby in the TARDIS but even if he doesn't, an encounter with the Doctor is simply a must! I'll be distraught if that doesn't happen after this story. I'm sure he'll get along splendidly with Cindy and Cleo though but that can only lead to a meeting with the Doctor. I'm not sure if there's a Torchwood connection regarding Jack being in New York, but whatever the reason I'm just happy he's there. Overall, a simply stunning comic strip adventure! 

Rating: 10/10