The Professor, the Queen and the Bookshop [COMIC/2010.12.16]

★★★★☆

  Jonathan Morris seems to get the Steven Moffat era (i.e. the early Matt Smith era)'s penchant for the magical and the fairy-tale. In a one-part comic adventure, he injects so much depth and warmth to the dynamic of the Eleventh Doctor and Amy -- and he does it with reckless abandon for established lore, only to pull the rug from under us and turn it into a story within a story. I know a few people who would take umbrage at this sort of thing, but I'm not one of them. 

  Rob Davis's illustrations are wonderful at capturing both the comforting and otherworldly bookshop (the TARDIS) and the scary, desolate alien landscape in which the White Queen is located. The heightened fantasy of the artstyle -- which frequently brings to mind old cartoons for children with a morbid sense of curiosity... or morbid parents -- lends itself nicely to the unsettling and adult fairytales of old. The icing in the cake, furthermore, is how the comic quickly turns from a fun, quirky side-step adventure to a scary spook tale with very real stakes, and then to a triumphant moment which gives young Amelia the spotlight and shows her strength as a companion. All really great stuff if you're into Doctor Who being a bit more fairy-tale than usual. 

  If you're into tiny, loving details in comic strips and C.S. Lewis, chances are that The Professor, the Queen and the Bookshop will do it for you. The childlike wonder of the Eleventh Doctor works wonders with Amy and Rory as children, and the fantastical elements will win you over in no time. Once again, Morris creates magical Doctor Who material.