Doctor Who: The Four Doctors #5

By Paul Cornell, Neil Edwards, Ivan Nunes

The fifth issue of Doctor Who: The Four Doctors concludes the weekly event series in style as The 10^th, 11^th and 12^th Doctors are pitted against the alternate reality 12^th Doctor, who, as he’s from the future, can predict their every move before they pull it off because he’s already been a part of that group and tried everything. It’s an interesting dilemma and isn’t something that the series hasn’t really explored since its return in 2005. A rogue Doctor and the sheer consequences of that would be unimaginable. The Four Doctors explores this in the final issue as it wraps up everything really well, concluding the story on a high note that will not leave fans disappointed.

Cornell explores both the antagonists in the series and the Doctors’ characters incredibly well. He knows what he’s talking about and it shows. The personalities of everyone involved continue to be pretty exciting, even if the final issue may be more focused on moving along fairly quickly to wrap up the event, there’s still plenty of time to get the fantastic interactions between the cast spot on. One thing that this reviewer is going to miss most about The Four Doctors is the characters interactions with each other because it’s been fantastic to read about and as they’re acting in-character very much all the time, it continues to give that feel as though this is really just an episode of the series. There’s some great exchanges here, as there has been throughout the entirety of the event so far.

After last issue left most of the Doctors and their companions alike, trapped in various difficult situations, another writer might not have managed to wrap it up on a satisfying note, but Cornell does that, even if he uses a method that will be familiar to fans of the show. It’s a pretty good resolution that’s handled fairly well, and doesn’t leave readers feeling underwhelmed. When you throw into the mix of the mostly reliable artwork from Neil Edwards and Ivan Nunes as well, the book is pretty solid overall, despite a couple of problems here and there.

As mentioned above, there were a couple of problems with Edwards’ artwork and that can probably be attributed to the fact that he’s had to pencil all five issues in the series. Despite the fact that some parts work excellently, the scenery and action sequences in particular, a few panels don’t quite fit and feel rushed almost, which is kind of a shame, but doesn’t throw the reader off too much. Ivan Nunes’ colours are also pretty solid, working well with Edwards’ artwork and everything works well together to make the issue and the event as a whole carve out its own corner in the Doctor Who Universe, feeling very much at home. There’s also a fantastic cameo at the end of the book that will please fans of the series a lot, especially with the way that it’s handled and how it provided a perfect explanation for those who were wondering why this particular character may not have been in the event, ending The Four Doctors on a very high note indeed. If you’re a Doctor Who fan who hasn’t quite checked out this series and has been reading the reviews to the end to see whether it’s worth your time or not, The Four Doctors is an event that most certainly is.