Origins [COMIC/2022.6.8 ~ 9.7]

★★★★☆

  If there's one thing that Origins does so well, it's the portrayal of the Fugitive Doctor. She's always been a strikeout incarnation, being a memorable character ever since her introduction in Fugitive of the Judoon, and it was only a matter of time before Titan released this comic and Big Finish announced a boxset series of her with Jo Martin returning. Now all we need is a novel series called the Fugitive Doctor Adventures... the FDAs (not to be concerned with the Fourth Doctor Adventures from Big Finish). 

  Jody Houser has a lot of fun with such a boundless concept as Time Lords intermingling with other species, evolving and changing shapes, and Roberta Ingranata provides some excellent location illustrations to show just how imaginative Doctor Who settings can be in the comic medium (although she still relies a bit too much on photoshoots and screencaps for my liking). The Doctor, despite still being an incarnation shrouded in mystery and acting as an operative for the Time Lord shadow organisation Division, is presented as above all petty nationalist squabbles and genuinely caring for those who pose no threat for anyone, and Houser writes dialogue so well that I could hear Jo Martin reading them inside my head. 

  I suppose for you, Origins will either be the continuation of a direction of Doctor Who mythos you hate with a burning passion or a cool glimpse into an avenue of possibility hitherto untouched in the show. For me it's very much the latter; the comic medium allows for some ambitious settings and alien landscapes, and this Doctor has so much potential to be one of the best. Origins is a solid, confident addition to the mythos, a fun adventure in its own right and an indication that the Fugitive Doctor needs to become a constant fixture of the show (whether it be the TV show or the extended universe) from now on.