The Warmonger Part 1

"Why is this city in such a state?"

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 18th October 2018
Printed in: DWM 531

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

The Thirteenth Doctor has taken her friends to the City of Radiant Stone on Gatan. She was aiming for the party era but something went wrong. They arrive in the aftermath of what has clearly been a war, and a city ravaged with destruction. Why is Tondi so afraid of the soldiers?

Verdict

The Warmonger started the comic strip era of the Thirteenth Doctor in great style! I thought it was a really strong and intriguing beginning of which I will discuss more of shortly. Now, to the magazine itself and it's always an exciting issue in the midst of a series being broadcast. I've had a quick glimpse at the magazine and I was delighted to see that my thoughts about The Woman Who Fell to Earth made it into Galaxy Forum (second one in for anyone looking). It kept up my 100% print rate which I was very happy about and I can't wait to read the thoughts of everyone else. I'm sure Jodie Whittaker will have been welcomed very warmly and I can't wait to read the previews of the next four episodes, particularly tomorrow's offering of Rosa. The previews have been quite different to recent years as they don't really reveal much at all and are usually just someone's thoughts on the episode and its making. I'm interested to see the reviews of the first two episodes as well and I think the interview with Bradley Walsh should be fantastic as he's a humorous and likeable man. I'm really not a fan of the Time Team discussing pop songs concerning Doctor Who this issue - surely that's not relevant? I'm also still not liking the Cosplay feature and I maintain that it will only appeal to a very small section of the readership. John Levene being interviewed should be very good as well as he's an interesting and famed name of the show. It looks set to be another action-packed issue and one I cannot wait to divulge into. The previews of the Thirteenth Doctor books are also something I can't wait for! Back to the comic strip itself and after only two episodes, it was really interesting to be doing a story with the Thirteenth Doctor in a different format. I thought the characterisation was absolutely superb though! That goes for all four of the regular cast. I really liked how Ryan and Graham's relationship was captured on the page and I thought the artwork was also hugely impressive. The Gatan setting was good and I liked how the Doctor was aware that something was wrong. Tondi was a lovely little character and I loved how Yaz consoled her. The arrival of the Soldiers was a good cliffhanger and I'm really looking forward to finding out more about their intentions and just who they are. Will the Thirteenth Doctor be able to get out of this one intact? I look forward to finding out. Overall, a very good start to the story and a brand new era of comic strip adventures.