The Ten Doctors is an unofficial Doctor Who comic drawn by Canadian artist Richard Morris. It brings together each of the Doctor’s 10 incarnations (plus many of his companions) in a complex, engaging adventure that will interest fans of both the new and classic Who series.
After the 10th Doctor loses Rose to a parallel universe, he goes to the Eye of Orion to wallow in his sadness. There he encounters Doctor #9 and Rose, which naturally confuses him. Then, in short order, Doctors 7, 2, 3, and all the rest show up… except #8. Nine Doctors, nine little blue boxes, but where is the missing link? (psst, in America!)
So far I’m really loving The Ten Doctors and the author’s vast knowledge of the Whoniverse and its history. He manages to work in major foes like the Daleks and the Master plus some lesser-known characters from serials long past. Being a late-comer to Doctor Who, I don’t know who a lot of the characters are, but I’m easily able to keep up with the story without having to rush to Wikipedia. The scope of the comic is vast, but Morris has a handle on it–which shows.
The comic art itself is rough–since page 3 the artist stopped coloring and only posts the pencil sketches. This aspect won’t bother more text-oriented readers for whom the art is secondary. People used to polished comic art may be put off at first, but the drawings aren’t amateurish, even in their sketch state. Morris is particularly good at capturing Doctor #10′s expressions and Doctor #4′s goofy yet dangerous vibe. The companions are a little less detailed and recognizable physically, but character-wise are mostly spot on.
Fans of Doctor Who should definitely check out The Ten Doctors. The comic is up to page 115 now and still in the thick of things. It may be just what we need to get us through the long, cold months until series 5.
A small correction: Rich has never coloured this comic, it has always been a pencil drawn comic. (Which, incidentally, I think is just brilliant. I think in the colourisations details disappear.) However, some other people have been colouring some of the pages. And the poster shown above IS coloured by Rich.
Thank you for this review. it is spot on. the ten doctors is one of the best Dr. Who plots I have ever encountered, including the show itself. Richard has done an amazing job in giving each incarnation of the Doctor enough to do so their individual personalities and styles come through plus adding fandom subtext like the “too many bakers spoil the cake” comment. I have been watching Dr. Who since the early 80′s (which for this show means I was also a latecomer)and love this comic. The pencil sketches have so much personality and clarity it would almost be a shame to cover them with ink and colour.
Thank you Richard!