Doctor Who: Empire of the Wolf #1
Doctor Who: Empire of the Wolf from Titan Comics is a time-twisting tale featuring four familiar Doctor faces and two Rose Tylers. It will have you flipping through the pages to see what happens. Then, it’s time for another run-through to get the details that writer Jody Houser and illustrator Roberta Ingranata left for fans. Doctor Who is known for cameo appearances, and this issue doesn’t disappoint. This ensemble is cast, and now the story unfolds.
By: Titan Comics
Written by: Jody Houser
Art by: Roberta Ingranata
Colors by: Warnia K. Sahadewa
Letters by: Richard Starkings
Initial Impressions
This Doctor Who comic weaves around one alternate timeline with our Rose and another with Empress Rose. Neither is the timeline that you may be the most familiar with. It’s relatively easy to get lost if you don’t remember all of the Rose Tyler story. By now, Bad Wolf has accomplished what she needed, and the heroic portion of Rose Tyler’s has been left behind. She’s now settled down with her love, John Smith.
If you are a new fan of Doctor Who and pick up this issue, you may fall a bit behind. But have no fear, I will try my best to decode the character backstories that I know without spoiling this incredible new graphic novel. Even though we see more than one face we recognize, the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors feature heavily in this one.
Meet the Characters
Rose Tyler
The girl who learned how to run (New Doctor Who: Seasons 1-2), Rose Tyler believed in so much, and her Time Lord Doctor gave her a new Doctor (New Doctor Who: Season 4), her very own Doctor, John Smith.
Empress Rose Tyler
This mysterious empress plagued with dreams of another life is the girl who learned to fight and intends to dig deeper. The series description hints at her tyrannical rule in this parallel universe and evolution into a warmongering Bad Wolf empress.
John Smith
John Smith, David Tennant, is part human and part Time Lord. He looks like the Tenth Doctor and acts like him quite a bit, but he’s also only human in so many ways. He has the life of his dreams, but something is wrong. Rose is having her own dreams, and they aren’t as pleasant.
The Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor, Paul McGann, debuted 25 years ago in Doctor Who: The Movie. Who better to make an appearance than a Doctor untouched by the Time War, but perhaps not the one Rose is looking for. He is suave and naive in an adorable way.
The Eleventh Doctor
This lovable Doctor, Matt Smith, is an ancient being behind the eyes of a child. He finds the silly moments in an attempt to shake off what he’s done. While the Tardis doesn’t always go where he wants it to, it always takes him where he needs to go.
Overall Impressions
Jody Houser has such an expansive playground to work with here, and she navigates it beautifully. When the Eighth Doctor meets Rose, the scene fits right into the Who-niverse. The collection continues in a fun way. These time-traveling tales are mysterious so far and are gearing up to be quite the story!
Both Rose’s seem to have their color palettes. I feel our Rose’s palette features muted colors such as blues and browns, giving a sense of comfort and ease. Empress Rose has many rich colors that demand to be the center of attention. The next Empire of the Wolf adventure released by Titan Comics is a comic already greatly anticipated by this Whovian.