Hidden Human History

"Seeing monsters everywhere is one of the quickest paths to becoming one."

Writer: Jody Houser

Format: Comic Strip

Released: March-May 2019

Printed in: The Thirteenth Doctor #5-8

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

The Doctor, Ryan, Yaz and Graham stumble upon a sinister alien with a thirst for human blood! The gang track the Stilean Flesh Eaters throughout history, encountering friends, old and new, along the way. For once, the humans seem to know more about what's going on than the Doctor, thanks to a podcast (Hidden Human History) that everyone is listening to – everyone except the Doctor that is...

Verdict

Hidden Human History was an excellent comic strip to continue along the Thirteenth Doctor's comic strip adventures from Titan Comics! I think the team there do such a terrific job and it's a great shame that the other ongoing series have seemingly come to an end. I still need to complete the last graphic novels of the Tenth and Twelfth Doctors, but at least we get something with the current TARDIS team. I thought this comic strip was highly impressive in capturing the feel of the TV series with superb characterisation of all four members of Team TARDIS. That made the story so much easier to associate with. I loved that element. Even some of the ways the panels were drawn looked similar to the direction that occurred on television which was highly impressive. I thought the idea of a podcast was fantastic and having it deal with lesser known events in human history was great, but when you throw in the Doctor visiting all of those periods with her current set of companions who have all listened to the podcast, you have something special. The formula worked wonderfully well and I liked that things were not just contained to the Guelders Wars of the 1500s. That setting was beautifully drawn and it was good to get some local interaction. The introduction of the Stilean Flesh Eaters was done very well and the cliffhanger to part one with one of them biting the Doctor was good. The resolution could have been improved upon but there was one simple fact that the Doctor was keen to impress on everyone concerned. These aliens were not evil. They were dangerous by the very fact of being carnivores but they couldn't help that. Their intentions were crucial in the Doctor not ridding the planet of them. When they jumped forward to Cary's Rebellion in 1711, the Doctor refusing to think their arrival and location being an episode of the podcast a coincidence was terrific. She was having none of it. I would have liked to have known why Magda kept referring to the Doctor as Mum, but that seemed to be quite forgotten about. I also liked that things became a paradox and Ryan trying to wrap his head around that fact was a great moment. He didn't have much to do in this story and I think it's clear that he's the weakest of the so-called fam. When the team came to modern day to track the podcast host, Bethany Brunwine, the Doctor not being surprised that it turned out to be the very Stilean Flesh Eater that had bitten her all those centuries ago. She was fascinated with the time travel explanation which I liked. Schulz and Perkins returning from A New Beginning was some nice continuity and I get the sense that we might not be done with the Time Agency. A Captain Jack meeting anyone? I'd love that! The story ended in quite nice fashion and there was no real trouble in the end. As the Doctor was keen to remind, you are what you eat, and now the Stilean Flesh Eaters seem to have blended into human society. Bethany is there to keep an eye on things but even her extended life thanks to the Doctor's blood was coming to an end. I thought the little references to The Fires of Pompeii and Journey's End were wonderful and the imagery from Kerblam! and The Witchfinders was also impressive in a brilliant moment for the Thirteenth Doctor with a great speech. Overall, an excellent adventure!

Rating: 9/10