inkyinsanity's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Not perfect, but the character moments and the bits between the Roses and the Doctors? *chef’s kiss*
annarella's review
4.0
Let's say I forgot the canonical stories and enjoyed this new take on Rose and 8th and 11th. It was a bit weird as they never met before but it was entertaining.
It's a tight and fast paced story, I had some doubt about the Bad Wolf part but I liked it.
I think it requires to take it as it comes and enjoy it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's a tight and fast paced story, I had some doubt about the Bad Wolf part but I liked it.
I think it requires to take it as it comes and enjoy it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
thoroughlymodernreviewer's review
4.0
One of the best things about the "Doctor Who" franchise is that even when the show's off the air, there's a constant wealth of new stories to explore. And oftentimes, these expanded universe stories go places the TV series can't - experimental format-breaking stories, stories with such an epic scale that a BBC TV budget could never pull it off, or, as is the case with Titan Comics' newest "Doctor Who" arc, "Empire of the Wolf", a multi-Doctor story that combines elements of Classic and New Who together in a way that defies actor availability (or age). And that right there is what makes "Empire of the Wolf" so fun. It's the kind of fast-paced multi-Doctor romp you've always wanted to see on TV but never thought you would. And that gimmick easily smoothes over some of the story's weaker elements.
Written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Roberta Ingranata, "Empire of the Wolf" finds Rose Tyler pulled out of the alternate reality she lives in with the Metacrisis Doctor and back into the main Whoniverse. Only this time, something is weird. There’s another Rose - and she’s an empress. The Bad Wolf Empress, to be exact, bent on conquering worlds to “save” their citizens. It’s a paradox so big that multiple TARDISes are hot on its trail, bringing the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors into a bombastic, multi-Doctor bonanza that’s every bit as thrilling as you’d hope it would be. Multiverses are all the rage right now, so it’s fun to see "Doctor Who", which has been flirting with its own multiverse for nearly two decades, joining in on the fun. And for fans of Rose, seeing her in such a new light is worth the price of entry alone.
For many, the idea of a multi-Doctor adventure with the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors will be the bigger draw here. The two have never met on screen, so this is the perfect opportunity to bring these Doctors together. And in some ways, "Empire of the Wolf" delivers brilliantly on that front, really playing up the differences between the pre-Time War Eighth Doctor and the post-Time War Eleventh. But surprisingly, the two Doctors actually spend a fair amount of the story separated. Without venturing too far into spoilers, the two Doctors get paired off with the two different Roses - which, to be fair, is also a lot of fun. Especially since Eight has never met Rose and Eleven is all too familiar with how her story ended. But if you’re expecting "Day of the Doctor"-style shenanigans here, you should temper those expectations.
What you can expect is a portrayal of the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors that avoids caricature - an impressive feat given how short "Empire of the Wolf" is. Both Doctors are traveling on their own as the arc begins. And Houser explores their shared loneliness, their longing for adventure, and their weariness at their respective heartaches brilliantly and quite movingly. It’s a characterization that feels true to both Doctors - but one that also ties in with Rose’s arc. A woman once again lost in time and space (and a woman born out of a paradox), the two Roses are every bit as lost as the Doctors. Houser uses all of these characters’ losses to explore the idea of how we cope with such situations - in an exceedingly bonkers sci-fi way.
Where "Empire of the Wolf" falters some is in its brevity. Like most of Titan Comics’ recent "Doctor Who" comics, "Empire of the Wolf" is only four issues long - meaning there’s not a lot of time to really delve deep into the story’s ideas. Now, there are some positives here. "Empire of the Wolf" is captivating from start to finish, immediately hitting the ground running and never taking its foot off the gas until the story ends. But that comes at the cost of both character development and world-building. Avoiding spoilers, a character basically makes a complete 180 within the span of only a few pages. And very little time is spent explaining how the Bad Wolf Empress exists or who she is (outside of basically being Rose). And these definitely knock the story’s effectiveness down a few notches.
It’s difficult not to think of all the ways a five or six-issue arc could’ve expanded upon these ideas. But Houser makes the most of these four issues and finds some time for quieter, character-driven moments. Unfortunately, the whole arc just moves so quickly that there’s not enough time for it to slow down enough and reflect on its characters or its world as much as you might like. Still, "Empire of the Wolf" works far more often than it doesn’t. As usual, Houser perfectly captures the voices of the TV series’ characters, bringing them to life with such accuracy that it genuinely feels like you’re reading an unmade "Doctor Who" episode. And the story, itself, is a perfectly fun romp that hits the vast majority of the notes you want it to. It’s just also easy to see the moments that could’ve been expanded.
As for the artwork, it’s just as excellent. Roberta Ingranata’s artwork and Warnia K. Sahadewa’s colors perfectly balance screen accuracy with the needs of a comic book. Ingranata captures the essence of Paul McGann, Matt Smith, and Billie Piper’s physicalities and facial expressions, beautifully translating them into comic form. There’s never a moment where you don’t feel like you’re looking at the Eighth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor, or Rose Tyler. And the very retro sci-fi vibe she imbues the Bad Wolf Empress’s headquarters and spaceships with makes me even happier. Alongside Houser’s script, Ingranata’s artwork keeps the action moving at a brisk pace - but never so quickly that it’s hard to follow. And combined with Sahadewa’s eye-popping colors, every page of "Empire of the Wolf" is a delight to behold, filled with little pockets of sci-fi magic and boundless energy.
On the whole, "Empire of the Wolf" is a multi-Doctor story unlike many others. With the focus less on the multiple Doctors and more on the multiple Rose Tylers, it’s an exciting, character-driven, bombastic event. While the story’s shorter length prevents it from exploring its ideas as deeply as you might like, it’s still an endlessly captivating page-turner of a comic. As someone who’s never particularly thrilled for another Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler story, this one is the exception to that rule. Plus, Houser’s depiction of the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors is particularly impressive. Plus, Ingranata’s artwork is always a sight to behold. If you’re looking for a good, solid "Doctor Who" story to tide you over until the 13th Doctor’s final episode, "Empire of the Wolf" is a great place to start.
Written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Roberta Ingranata, "Empire of the Wolf" finds Rose Tyler pulled out of the alternate reality she lives in with the Metacrisis Doctor and back into the main Whoniverse. Only this time, something is weird. There’s another Rose - and she’s an empress. The Bad Wolf Empress, to be exact, bent on conquering worlds to “save” their citizens. It’s a paradox so big that multiple TARDISes are hot on its trail, bringing the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors into a bombastic, multi-Doctor bonanza that’s every bit as thrilling as you’d hope it would be. Multiverses are all the rage right now, so it’s fun to see "Doctor Who", which has been flirting with its own multiverse for nearly two decades, joining in on the fun. And for fans of Rose, seeing her in such a new light is worth the price of entry alone.
For many, the idea of a multi-Doctor adventure with the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors will be the bigger draw here. The two have never met on screen, so this is the perfect opportunity to bring these Doctors together. And in some ways, "Empire of the Wolf" delivers brilliantly on that front, really playing up the differences between the pre-Time War Eighth Doctor and the post-Time War Eleventh. But surprisingly, the two Doctors actually spend a fair amount of the story separated. Without venturing too far into spoilers, the two Doctors get paired off with the two different Roses - which, to be fair, is also a lot of fun. Especially since Eight has never met Rose and Eleven is all too familiar with how her story ended. But if you’re expecting "Day of the Doctor"-style shenanigans here, you should temper those expectations.
What you can expect is a portrayal of the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors that avoids caricature - an impressive feat given how short "Empire of the Wolf" is. Both Doctors are traveling on their own as the arc begins. And Houser explores their shared loneliness, their longing for adventure, and their weariness at their respective heartaches brilliantly and quite movingly. It’s a characterization that feels true to both Doctors - but one that also ties in with Rose’s arc. A woman once again lost in time and space (and a woman born out of a paradox), the two Roses are every bit as lost as the Doctors. Houser uses all of these characters’ losses to explore the idea of how we cope with such situations - in an exceedingly bonkers sci-fi way.
Where "Empire of the Wolf" falters some is in its brevity. Like most of Titan Comics’ recent "Doctor Who" comics, "Empire of the Wolf" is only four issues long - meaning there’s not a lot of time to really delve deep into the story’s ideas. Now, there are some positives here. "Empire of the Wolf" is captivating from start to finish, immediately hitting the ground running and never taking its foot off the gas until the story ends. But that comes at the cost of both character development and world-building. Avoiding spoilers, a character basically makes a complete 180 within the span of only a few pages. And very little time is spent explaining how the Bad Wolf Empress exists or who she is (outside of basically being Rose). And these definitely knock the story’s effectiveness down a few notches.
It’s difficult not to think of all the ways a five or six-issue arc could’ve expanded upon these ideas. But Houser makes the most of these four issues and finds some time for quieter, character-driven moments. Unfortunately, the whole arc just moves so quickly that there’s not enough time for it to slow down enough and reflect on its characters or its world as much as you might like. Still, "Empire of the Wolf" works far more often than it doesn’t. As usual, Houser perfectly captures the voices of the TV series’ characters, bringing them to life with such accuracy that it genuinely feels like you’re reading an unmade "Doctor Who" episode. And the story, itself, is a perfectly fun romp that hits the vast majority of the notes you want it to. It’s just also easy to see the moments that could’ve been expanded.
As for the artwork, it’s just as excellent. Roberta Ingranata’s artwork and Warnia K. Sahadewa’s colors perfectly balance screen accuracy with the needs of a comic book. Ingranata captures the essence of Paul McGann, Matt Smith, and Billie Piper’s physicalities and facial expressions, beautifully translating them into comic form. There’s never a moment where you don’t feel like you’re looking at the Eighth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor, or Rose Tyler. And the very retro sci-fi vibe she imbues the Bad Wolf Empress’s headquarters and spaceships with makes me even happier. Alongside Houser’s script, Ingranata’s artwork keeps the action moving at a brisk pace - but never so quickly that it’s hard to follow. And combined with Sahadewa’s eye-popping colors, every page of "Empire of the Wolf" is a delight to behold, filled with little pockets of sci-fi magic and boundless energy.
On the whole, "Empire of the Wolf" is a multi-Doctor story unlike many others. With the focus less on the multiple Doctors and more on the multiple Rose Tylers, it’s an exciting, character-driven, bombastic event. While the story’s shorter length prevents it from exploring its ideas as deeply as you might like, it’s still an endlessly captivating page-turner of a comic. As someone who’s never particularly thrilled for another Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler story, this one is the exception to that rule. Plus, Houser’s depiction of the Eighth and Eleventh Doctors is particularly impressive. Plus, Ingranata’s artwork is always a sight to behold. If you’re looking for a good, solid "Doctor Who" story to tide you over until the 13th Doctor’s final episode, "Empire of the Wolf" is a great place to start.
cassiebee's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
The illustrations are a bit off. They're not bad, per se, just off. I loved the little moments of emotion we got, like Eleven's flashback to little Amy, and the moments we get between Tentoo and Rose at home with their daughter, but I wish there was more of that! I wish we got more of Eight, and that Eleven was a little bit more... anything? about seeing Rose for the first time since Journey's End. It was a fun romp, with alternate universe Rose giving me Daenerys Targaryen vibes, but it read very fanfic... the kind you read after you've gone through the top kudos stories but you still want more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, War, Violence, and Slavery
robinlikesreading's review
3.0
Doctor Who: Empire of The Wolf tells the story of Rose, the Eight Doctor and the Eleventh Doctor. Rose gets transported back to 'our' universe, leaving John Smith and her daughter behind, she meets the Eight Doctor and eventually ends up on a planet where an alternate version of Rose lives. And that's where they meet the Eleventh Doctor...
Honestly, I enjoyed it. I love multidoctor stories and I love Rose. Since I started watching Doctor Who with the Ninth Doctor, she was my first companion so seeing her again was great.
I do think the plot was really rushed and I wanted to see more of the 'evil' Rose.
Still a must read for every Doctor Who fan.
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Honestly, I enjoyed it. I love multidoctor stories and I love Rose. Since I started watching Doctor Who with the Ninth Doctor, she was my first companion so seeing her again was great.
I do think the plot was really rushed and I wanted to see more of the 'evil' Rose.
Still a must read for every Doctor Who fan.
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inkandplasma's review
4.0
Full review available on my blog, 5th August 2022: https://inkandplasma.com/2022/08/05/doctor-who-empire-of-the-wolf/
Character - 7
Atmosphere - 10
Writing - 9
Plot - 8
Intrigue - 7
Logic - 8
Enjoyment - 8
Rating: 8.14 / 4 stars
Thanks to Titan Comics for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Tal and I have been rewatching Doctor Who for a few weeks now, so when I saw EMPIRE OF THE WOLF pop up on Netgalley I knew I had to request it. As soon as I was approved, I curled up to read it and it’s totally rekindled my love for reading Doctor Who content. As I write this, I’m listening to an anthology of short stories (12 Doctors, 12 Stories) and I’ve added a dozen more to my tbr. Oops.
I’m very familiar with Nine onwards, but didn’t know much about Eight before reading this comic. I actually really liked the balance of Eight versus Eleven, especially in combination with the two Roses in this graphic novel. It worked very well, and I always enjoy Doctor and Doctor interactions. In this graphic novel, we also get to see an insight into TenToo and Rose’s life in the alternate universe, which I absolutely loved. We’d only recently rewatched Ten’s seasons, so it was nice to see this little scrap of her future.
I don’t know enough to say if Eight was in character, but Eleven definitely felt accurately portrayed – I could imagine Matt Smith saying his dialogue and all of his individual quirks were present. Rose was also well-written, and I liked that the two Roses were still very distinct characters. The art style was very pretty, though the character designs could have been a bit more distinct, and I liked the page design very much. It was dynamic and guided the eye very well, leading us through the story in a very readable way. I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting.
Bad Wolf Rose is super interesting to see and I’d love to see more about her. Her character arc is fascinating and I do wish that there was more depth to her character. We get to see an excellent storyline where she deals with the moral consequences of her own actions, but I’d have liked to see more about how she became the Empress in the first place. A story about her rise to power would be fascinating and I’d like that a lot as a graphic novel.
Character - 7
Atmosphere - 10
Writing - 9
Plot - 8
Intrigue - 7
Logic - 8
Enjoyment - 8
Rating: 8.14 / 4 stars
Thanks to Titan Comics for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Tal and I have been rewatching Doctor Who for a few weeks now, so when I saw EMPIRE OF THE WOLF pop up on Netgalley I knew I had to request it. As soon as I was approved, I curled up to read it and it’s totally rekindled my love for reading Doctor Who content. As I write this, I’m listening to an anthology of short stories (12 Doctors, 12 Stories) and I’ve added a dozen more to my tbr. Oops.
I’m very familiar with Nine onwards, but didn’t know much about Eight before reading this comic. I actually really liked the balance of Eight versus Eleven, especially in combination with the two Roses in this graphic novel. It worked very well, and I always enjoy Doctor and Doctor interactions. In this graphic novel, we also get to see an insight into TenToo and Rose’s life in the alternate universe, which I absolutely loved. We’d only recently rewatched Ten’s seasons, so it was nice to see this little scrap of her future.
I don’t know enough to say if Eight was in character, but Eleven definitely felt accurately portrayed – I could imagine Matt Smith saying his dialogue and all of his individual quirks were present. Rose was also well-written, and I liked that the two Roses were still very distinct characters. The art style was very pretty, though the character designs could have been a bit more distinct, and I liked the page design very much. It was dynamic and guided the eye very well, leading us through the story in a very readable way. I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting.
Bad Wolf Rose is super interesting to see and I’d love to see more about her. Her character arc is fascinating and I do wish that there was more depth to her character. We get to see an excellent storyline where she deals with the moral consequences of her own actions, but I’d have liked to see more about how she became the Empress in the first place. A story about her rise to power would be fascinating and I’d like that a lot as a graphic novel.
lady_nett's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the E-ARC to read and review.
“Doctor Who: Empire of the Wolf” follows 2 different versions of Rose Tyler and 2 separate Doctors. The story was very well done and it felt a lot like an episode of the show. As a fan of Matt Smith’s version of the Doctor it was nice to see him again. The story while interesting did seem to carry a lot of holes in it or events that simply went unexplained which took me out of the story several times.
I loved the glimpses into Rose’s regular life and her daughter and everything. It pulled at my heartstrings and brought back a lot of emotions about how crushing that story.one n the show had been. This really added a nice continuation to that storyline and I enjoyed the look into the “after.”
The voices of both Doctors were really well done and it was easy to relate them back to their show counterparts because they sounded true to their characters which was a nice and welcome touch.
The art was beautifully done and tied in with the overall feel of the story as a whole. I think that fans of “Doctor Who” will enjoy this comic a great deal.
“Doctor Who: Empire of the Wolf” follows 2 different versions of Rose Tyler and 2 separate Doctors. The story was very well done and it felt a lot like an episode of the show. As a fan of Matt Smith’s version of the Doctor it was nice to see him again. The story while interesting did seem to carry a lot of holes in it or events that simply went unexplained which took me out of the story several times.
I loved the glimpses into Rose’s regular life and her daughter and everything. It pulled at my heartstrings and brought back a lot of emotions about how crushing that story.one n the show had been. This really added a nice continuation to that storyline and I enjoyed the look into the “after.”
The voices of both Doctors were really well done and it was easy to relate them back to their show counterparts because they sounded true to their characters which was a nice and welcome touch.
The art was beautifully done and tied in with the overall feel of the story as a whole. I think that fans of “Doctor Who” will enjoy this comic a great deal.
carlar's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
3.0
Only rating it three stars because I saw the best parts on Tumblr before I read it, but it's a decent comic with above average art aside from the eye colors.