DOCTOR WHO: DOOM’S DAY #1, from Titan Comics on 7/5/23, finds Missy chasing after a world-destroying jewel stolen by the universe’s greatest assassin, Doom.
The Details
- Written by: Jody Houser
- Art by: Roberta Ingranata
- Colors by: Warnia K. Sahadewa
- Letters by: Richard Starkings, Jimmy Betancourt
- Cover art by: Pasquale Qualano (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: July 5th, 2023
Is It Good?
Picking up shortly after Titan’s DOCTOR WHO: MISSY mini-series in 2021, DOCTOR WHO: DOOM’S DAY #1 sets Missy on a new course to find a dangerous jewel when she crosses paths with the ultimate assassin. This first issue brims with Missy’s trademark flippancy, and the time/space-hopping action is worthy of a Doctor Who adventure, but two flaws hold this issue back from achieving a rating better than “just okay.”
Jody Houser’s story centers on Doom, the universe’s greatest assassin, who accepts one assignment after another to eliminate targets and steal objects based on her employers’ whims. When Missy (still pretending to be the Doctor) runs into Doom while looking for the same world-destroying jewel, the race is on to catch Doom and retrieve the jewel before the opportunity is lost.
On the whole, this issue has the makings of a solid Doctor Who adventure. Doom and Missy have whimsically compelling personalities, the flits between different points in time and space create a variety of aesthetics that are part of a Doctor Who adventure’s charm, and Houser creates a high-paced race packed with energy and urgency.
That said, the issue falls short in two areas – one new and one old.
First, the new. It’s customary for a Doctor Who comic to have at least one panel with Doctor Who in it. Call us crazy, but a Doctor Who comic without a Doctor Who feels like false advertising. You could argue that the first issue is just the setup in anticipation of the Doctor’s arrival, but we’ve been bitten by that unrealized promise before.
Second, the old. In the previously referenced Missy series, Houser neglected to work out how Missy was able to interact with high-security prison wardens and old companions by claiming to be the Doctor without showing a shred of proof that she was the Doctor. The only way that series progressed was by treating everyone (including companions) as galactically gullible to the point of stupidity. In this issue, Houser oddly points out that flaw when revisiting the same prison warden, and then quickly ignores it by sending Missy on her way, still pretending to be the Doctor.
Part of the Doctor’s charm is that he’s truly smarter than everyone else by showing it. If the goal is to get Missy to pass for the Doctor by making everyone around her appreciably dumber, this series is in for a rough time.
How’s the art? It’s fine. Roberta Ingranata has produced solid work for Titan’s Doctor Who line, and this issue appears to be upholding the same levels of quality. The costume designs are great, the character faces “look” like the real actors, and the scene progression/transitions are on-point.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a posh society party in 1883 New York. Missy “blends” into the masqueraded partygoers while searching for a time anomaly. Unbeknownst to Missy, Doom is attending the same party to find a pair of “cat burglars” to make good on an elimination contract. Doom finds and eliminates her targets, claiming an exceptionally dangerous jewel in exchange. Missy arrives just in time to witness the aftermath of Doom’s and say ‘hello’ before Doom says ‘goodbye.’
Doom teleports to the same prions where Missy released the Master in the previous series to seek out her next target. When Missy gives chase, she and Doom collide in the warden’s office, where Doom chastises the warden for not asking Missy for identification to prove she’s the doctor. While the warden is distracted by his own incompetence, Dom slips away to find and eliminate her next target, one of the prisoners.
We conclude the issue with more distractions, more paperwork, and more chasing.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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DOCTOR WHO: DOOM’S DAY #1 is a serviceable first issue in Missy’s (miss)adventures pretending to be Doctor Who. The pacing, energy, and atmosphere ring true for a Doctor Who adventure, but the absence of logic and an actual Doctor Who are a downer.
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