I don’t know if it was on purpose, or just a happy accident, but allowing Doctor Who: Prisoners Of Time to jump a major plot hurdle in issue #5 has some real symmetry to it. The Fifth Doctor, played by Peter Davison from ’81 to ’85, was a major turning point for the series. Until Davison, the Doctors had all been older, and while Tom Baker was a more eccentric Doctor, Peter Davison was the first to really be cool. The Fifth Doctor was also the last truly memorable Doctor until David Tennant became the Tenth Time Lord.
Prisoners Of Time #5 starts off with the first real view of the man kidnapping the Doctor’s companions over the last four issues. We’re not clued into his plan, but we get a much more complete picture of who he is. The Fifth Doctor and his companions Adric, Nyssa and Tegan, land on a planet where a small crack in time is able to refuel the Tardis. While exploring the planet, our heroes are descended upon by the Rutan, a race of aliens defeated by the Fourth Doctor in the series “The Horror Of Fang Rock.” The Rutans have been at war with the Sontaran empire for 50,000 years, and the Doctor and his companions are caught in the middle.
Issue #5 is cut into two sections – the Doctor’s time escaping the Rutan, and his time trying to convince the Sontaran soldiers not to make a suicide run at the Rutans. There’s a lot of discussion on why the Sontarans would rather fight an unwinnable skirmish as opposed to backing off, but, like the other issues in this series, it’s all window dressing for the man kidnapping companions. The difference here, is at the end of issue #5, the Doctor remembers everything. Realizing he’s been duped, it’s time to find out who is vanishing with his friends.
Writers Scott and David Tipton continue to write these small episodes as though they have been longtime writers for the show. They have the Fifth Doctor’s quirks down – the dialogue, even the plot feels right out of a DW show. With the added element of the Doctor remembering his attacker, Prisoners Of Time becomes much more interesting. I’m curious to see how the Tiptons push through the next five issues, especially because the next three Doctors aren’t particularly exciting.
The art from Philip Bond is passable, better than some issues, no better than others. IDW never seems particularly focused on great art. It’s odd for a comic book publishing company to consistently give readers boring artists, but it must be working for them. Bond’s pencils are clean, his lines strong, but no one here has any character. The Fifth Doctor looks almost goofy, as do his companions. I would almost rather this story arc had been a book than a comic if the art is going to be this dull.
(4 Story. 2 Art)
