It’s been ages since I have read a comic book and I thought I would dive back into things with Doctor Who Classics Omnibus Volume 1 and share my thoughts with you guys. This book features a collection of comics that were originally published in Doctor Who Magazine in the 80s, featuring mostly the Fourth Doctor. They were originally just black and white, and not colored until IDW had them colored by Charlie Kirchoff. The coloring is superb by the way.
This book features work from Dave Gibbons and Grant Morrison. The stories collected here include “City of the Damned,” “Dreamers of Death,” “Iron Legion,” “Spider-God,” “Changes,” and more.
Apparently the magazine was not allowed to license the companions, so some of these adventures feature the Doctor by himself or with new companions created specifically for these comics. When I bought this omnibus, I figured it would be a fun jaunt into the past, a novelty, a fun read that is likely dated. Something to be enjoyed and then left on the shelf. It turns out, I really really love this book.
The thing about reading these comics all collected in one book is that it feels like authentic classic Doctor Who. One of the problems with the vintage DW show is that they suffer from a lot of slowness. I love them, but you could probably cut those episodes in half so that the plot moves along at a good pace. That is solved with this series of comic stories.
The pacing is just right and due to the nature of Doctor Who magazine publishing these weekly, you have the same cool cliffhangers between each installment. That makes this omnibus a joy to read in either large chunks or small. So you get that old DW experience, with some added benefits. Like I said, the pacing a much nicer, the cliffhangers are all there and the art is just amazing and appropriate to DW.
Sure, there are a few missteps here and there. The odd plot point that has you scratching your head, a weirdly drawn panel here or there, but almost all of it is fantastic. This book will really re-awaken your love for classic Doctor Who. It’s pretty darn charming.
This is Doctor Who with no budget constraints, so unlike the TV show, you can expect more alien aliens, plots that are a bit more out there etc. That’s a good thing. Think of it as Doctor Who unchained. And they really nailed Tom Bakers gravitas and personality in much of this book.
For some unknown reason they inserted a few stories from later Doctors, but this is mostly Tom Baker. Give this omnibus a go and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s a great read and a lot of fun. Doctor Who Classics Omnibus Volume 1 is 356 pages of just plain fun.
