Tooth and Claw [COMIC/1997.9.25 ~ 12.18]

★★★★★

  Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Terrifying as well, but beautiful nonetheless.

  The introduction of Fey Truscott-Sade is a triumphant one; immediately, we see that she's more than a match for the craziness of the Doctor's life, and one of those coveted group of Dr. Who characters that would match the description "kickass" to a T. It initially feels odd, then, to add secret British spy agent to an Island of Dr. Moreau pastiche horrorfest, but it works. At the end of the day, Fey's as vulnerable as the rest of us chickens... it's just that she carries a more confident self and knows how to take care of herself. Compared to her, Izzy feels much more like her age -- a child barely into adulthood -- and it's heartbreaking to watch her completely traumatised and outside her element. Mysterious murders, blood and vampires, a pool of death and her almost-complete loss of the Doctor, the one man she trusts with her life... the tragedy and horror are not just in the text, but in Martin Geraghty and Robin Smith's illustrations. These panels live and breathe, and the adventure can almost be told without any text boxes; for my money, Tooth and Claw is one of the standout examples of how the Geraghty-Smith collaboration is one of the strongest creative duos in Dr. Who history.

  Just read this comic. It's an integral part of the Eighth Doctor run in the Doctor Who Magazine comics, it's a fantastic showcase of the Doctor at his most selfless hour (quite cruel that the very next adventure would also require the Doctor to sacrifice his body and soul to save the day again), and the artstyle is out of this world. On paper, it's an absolute downer of a story with the Doctor and co. surrounded by morally reprehensible characters and faced against one of Gallifrey's worst enemies, but the absoutely sickening drive is what makes it so electrifying. It doesn't matter how terrifying or sickly the subject matter is when it comes to how exciting a work is; the artists' excitement and enthusiasm are key, and Alan Barnes either convinces himself that he's a truly sick man or he lets his true self slip for one story. Either way, I wouldn't miss Tooth and Claw for anything in the world. The black-and-white pages add to the atmosphere -- the blood is as pungent and permeating as any red stain on a colour comic. This adventure is right up my alley, and another example of something they probably wouldn't be able to pull off on telly for multiple reasons. Moreau meets State of Decay in this devilish, dark and twisted nightmare, and Izzy's sorrow is the guiding light in the middle of all the madness.