"We went on adventures and encountered all kinds of angels and devils."
Writer: Nick Abadzis
Format: Comic Strip
Released: May 2018
Printed in: Free Comic Book Day 2018
Featuring: Gabby
Synopsis
Gabby is falling, and delivers her final thoughts to Cindy reflecting on her time with the Tenth Doctor.
Verdict
Catch a Falling Star was a sublime comic strip story! Oh it was so lovely to delve back into the world of Titan Comics and the Tenth Doctor comics they produced as that was a super fun time in my fandom. I was so saddened when their ranges came to an end because they were so just so good. They provided so much depth and exceeded the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip at the time which is no surprise considering how much bigger they were and the extent of their story arcs. I think not being contained to the current Doctor and having wholly original companions also helped things in terms of the overall story direction. It's fair to say that Gabby was my favourite companion from the Titan Comics run so to revisit her here in a kind of epilogue to her journey as a companion was just a delight. I've had a little bit of a weird relationship with the Free Comic Book Day stories and I really do need to compile a list of what I have and haven't blogged and ensure I get caught up. I would have been living in Bath as a third year student at the time this edition was released and there's a really good comic shop there called American Dream Comics that surely would have partaken in the event. I'm not sure why I never obtained a copy but I was so glad to see this on BorrowBox and ensured that I quickly downloaded the eBook! This was only five pages long but it was just tremendous. I absolutely adore the style of comic strip when it comes to Gabby being featured as the narration being in the form of her writing notes in her sketchbook is just wonderful. She's also just incredibly likeable and having her in reflective mode here was glorious. I definitely thing reading now some eight years later has benefited me and it's been six years since I blogged The Good Companion and would have finished her journey in the TARDIS, so this was pretty nostalgic in a way. Seeing the references to Revolutions of Terror with her as a waitress was marvellous and that's a comic that has stuck with me for a very long time in kicking off this whole era. I really loved the imagery of the numerous monsters and aliens Gabby encountered alongside the Doctor with the illustrations of the likes of Sutekh, Cybermen and Sontarans all looking pretty glorious. The design here was pretty epic, especially considering it was released for free! The attention to detail was second to none. Gabby reflecting on getting pally with Anubis as the Egyptian god that wasn't all bad was a nice touch and I also enjoyed how she was able to almost apologise to Cindy for not quite loving her in the same way she was loved by her. The idea of her following Gabby and not the Doctor into the TARDIS was really quite poignant and showed just how much she cared for her. She was basically an accidental companion and that was a strong reminder here. I think the moment she is falling is presented nicely and having her fall into the TARDIS of the Twelfth Doctor is pretty incredible. I can't believe we haven't had any adventures of them together! What a team. I like that she recognised him from Four Doctors and The Lost Dimension, and here she is grateful that he kept his word even if it was with a different face in catching her when she fell. Overall, just a wonderful little comic strip!
Rating: 10/10
