Jeremy Remy is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
The Doctor and Clara left the ice world of Isen VI in the previous issue, having stopped the machinations of the Hyperion. The Swords of Kali begins the first of a three-part story, where Time Lord and companion are joined by an Amazon guard and an astronaut, as they take on assassins, vampires, and Hindu gods—across time and space.
The Twelfth Doctor #3 brings a cast of characters together that are strong and interesting enough to carry a story across three issues and, arguably, beyond. Rani Jhulka is a former member of a merchant’s all-female guard regiment from 1825, on a mission of vengeance. Priyanka Maratha is an astronaut-in-training from 2315, who once hid in the TARDIS as a child while the Doctor and her father traveled together. The characters instantly fit as members of the TARDIS crew, and each add unique skills to the group of protagonists.
In this issue, writer, Robbie Morrison takes his time introducing each time period, and developing the characters. The juxtaposition between 1505, 1825, and 2315, is interesting and a great use of a time travel narrative. Because the vampire-like villains exist in multiple time periods, the reader has to pay attention or risk losing track of where each section of the plot takes place. Still, the brisk pace of the plot ensures the reader remains engaged as the story progresses. It isn’t surprising that the writer who could carry the weight of the first relaunch of The Authority is easily able to handle the often confusing nature of time travel.
David Taylor’s art seems more rushed than his 2000AD work, and lacks the clean smoothness of his work in Batman: Death by Design. Still, the horror elements of the story lend well to a less than crisp presentation, and the art is certainly able to contain the narrative.
A plot point of particular interest to Classic Who fans is the suggestion of a Fourth Doctor missing adventure with Tiger Maratha, an archeologist from 2314. While not yet explored, it opens the door to several unseen adventures that could bring Tiger Maratha back for a Fourth Doctor tale. Early in the story, there is also a painting that ties back to Classic Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Big Finish, as Clara poses for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Of course, the Mona Lisa was duplicated for Scaroth of Jagaroth in City of Death, and one of those paintings would later come to life in The Sarah Jane Adventures: Mona Lisa’s Revenge. In 2016, an earlier meeting between da Vinci and the Fifth Doctor (along with the threat of Weeping Angels) will be presented in Big Finish’s Classic Doctors, New Monsters story, Fallen Angels.
The Swords of Kali is a good jumping-on point for new readers of The Twelfth Doctor, but does require a commitment to following the story through a three-part adventure. Despite nods to Classic Who and the greater Whoniverse, the story remains accessible to readers unfamiliar with stories outside of the Capaldi Era and doesn’t require having started this series at issue one.
Overall, this installment adds to the TARDIS crew in ways that have yet to be explored in the current version of televised series, and provides readers with a reason to try Doctor Who in a new medium.
Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #3 is out now, priced $3.99.
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