Old Friends [COMIC/2019.6.16 ~ 9.11]

★★★☆☆

  I've been a fan of the Corsair, and of the idea of exploring their history with the Doctor and their own exploits ever since The Doctor's Wife. Neil Gaiman's detailed post about them may have sufficed for a few years, but a part of me was desperate for more Corsair. Imagine my reaction, then, when it was announced that the Thirteenth Doctor would meet her in the then-new Titan Comics adventure!

  I'm mentioning all this because I want you to understand just how excited I was to meet a new incarnation, the fabled Corsair finally as a character in a Doctor Who story. Expectations were high, and when it comes to the Corsair herself... I must say that Old Friends more than delivers. She's a delight to behold, the dastardly and charming pirate proving to be more than a match for the rather assertive Thirteen. Their chemistry (and I just know they were flirting) mixes with the mostly light-hearted but fast-paced treasure heist narrative to create quite the engaging comic. 

  I still think Roberta Ingranata struggles with drawing characters (at least, when they aren't traced from existinc publicity stills or screencaps), but this time around I realised just how good she was at drawing evocative alien locations and backgrounds. Rachael Stott's dependable as ever, and Jody Houser's understanding of Thirteen (although even she doesn't seem to know what to do with the three Series 11 companions) and ability to create visually exciting standalone adventures prove to me more and more every day that she deserves a go at writing a TV script. I'm having fun with these Titan Comics adventures, and Old Friends continues that streak with confidence.