The Pictures of Josephine Day [COMIC/2015.11.4]

★★★☆☆

  I really must praise the colourists on this one, Hi-Fi Colour Design. Titan Comics adventures have always had really solid to absolutely wonderful colouring, and it stands out even more in this comic -- strangely because both the setting and premise demand for a less bombastic and overwhelming shade! From Josie Day's fantastic hair colour to the paintings to the warmth of the Welsh village, every panel feels like it's happening in an entirely different and evocative world, like a matte painting (quite fitting, considering the premise of creatures from paintings coming to life). I gues it's a long-winded way of saying that I love how the colours are, and I love Josie's hair. It's been a while since a character design in Doctor Who caught my eye, and the unique hues bring out something special from the new companion. As she is at this stage, Josie is mainly an enigma for the Doctor to solve, but she has the advantage of having a definable personality (a down-to-earth artist who's quick on her wits). She's a pleasure to be around, and I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of her stories.

  The Pictures of Josephine Day manages to be a cut above your usual harmless and cookie-cutter series opener with George Mann's deft hand at writing for the Eighth Doctor and creating an engaging charcter (Josie), as well as Emma Vieceli's energetic (the only word I can think of to describe it) illustrating style. It won't blow your world away, but it's still a fun tale about fiction becoming reality with great pacing. There are many ways to deal with introducing an overarching mystery, and I find that Pictures does it very well; the Doctor comments on it, and that mystery is central to both the plot and the resolution, but nothing is driven home so gratingly. Good fun all around, this, and I'm excited for more from Titan's Eight range.