World Without End

"Something is attacking our heliosphere."

Writers: John & Carole E. Barrowman
Format: Comic Strip
Released:
Printed in: Torchwood #1.1-4

Featuring: Captain Jack, Gwen

Synopsis

Torchwood: outside the government, beyond the police. Tracking down alien life on Earth, arming the human race against the future.

Gwen Cooper, acting head of Torchwood Cardiff, is hoping for a quieter life, but her plans are disrupted by the reappearance of Captain Jack Harkness.

Along with the immortal former Time Agent and the crew of the alien tech-filled ship the Ice Maiden, Gwen is plunged into danger once again. But can this new-look Torchwood cope with a series of alien attacks, a mysterious stowaway, the return of an old enemy and the arrival of a new one who could well be Jack's equal...?

Verdict

World Without End was a decent and very interesting beginning to Titan's take on Torchwood in these brand new comic strips. Continuing Torchwood in any format is something I'm a huge fan of but I have to say I was quite surprised with the direction here. I'm really glad that I recently read Exodus Code otherwise I don't think I'd have been overly pleased with this story's presentation. There was an awful lot going on without any real threat so I thought, for the casual reader, the least they could have done was explain the background to Jack and Gwen knowing the crew of the Ice Maiden and how Jack came to have this alien ship under his command. It was great to put visuals to the characters that were very good in the aforementioned novel and I liked how humorous Shelley continued to be. Her comments towards Jack and Hollis were excellent and one thing I was very surprised about was the intimacy of Jack and Gwen's relationship. That didn't seem quite right for me. But it's an interesting perspective that's for sure! The return of Captain John Hart is something I have been longing for and to see him back in action here was fantastic. I liked how Torchwood House was incorporated into the story in a rather crucial way and I was very surprised to find Sir James still alive. That was a very unexpected revelation. I loved the cameo of a Sontaran in white armour and I thought the continuous change in setting was an intriguing approach. There was a lot to follow but it allowed us to see a lot which was good. The artwork was very impressive throughout with my only qualm being on the drawing of Gwen in some panels. Seeing Rhys have to put up with her leaving again was heartbreaking and he really does deserve a medal for all she puts him through. The 'foreplay' of building up to what was actually going on was probably longer than it needed to be but that seems to be a theme of this pair of writers. They like setting the stage a lot and don't leave much for the actual story and resolution. Thankfully, there will be a whole other collection of stories to reveal all about the Navigators and Jack and John's encounter with them in the past. But the library doesn't have that one so I'll have to purchase it! Overall, I thought this was a solid but unexpected start to Torchwood's life in the Titan comics. One thing I forgot to mention, I really wasn't a fan of the Ice Maiden having a chameleon circuit - be original! I've focused a little too much on the negatives in this Verdict but that's just because it's new! I did actually really enjoy it.

Rating: 7/10