Steven MoffatReviews

It just the first episode of BBC Sherlock but drawn/reformatted frame by frame. Which when I don't think about that fact, makes it enjoyable. But when I do think about it, it makes the volume annoying. Like yea, go and get your very obvious cash grab BBC. Granted, it does make me a wee bit of a hypocrite as there are manga produced after the anime. There's even been manga made after video games. Guess I'm conflicted about it all.

The final episode is a let down after two very solid first thirds, but even so, this is an enjoyable reimagining of the classic tale. As a result of the somewhat lacklustre third part, it doesn't in my opinion quite live up to Moffat's two excellent previous Victorian classic remakes ("Jekyll" and "Sherlock"), but it's well worth the watch. Dolly Wells is particularly memorable as Sister Agatha Van Helsing.

Access a version of the below that includes illustrations on my blog.

I've always been a bit salty that this book exists. Well, it would be more accurate to say that I am salty that the DWM Special Edition The Ninth Doctor Collected Comics exists. I dutifully bought that, expecting that no such graphic novel would ever come out—there just weren't enough strip adventures to justify such a collection! Eight years later, and the size of these collections had been halved, and so I bought those stories all over again, with just one addition—a prose story that I already had! Well, that and the as usual excellent extras.

So this was a reread again for me, but the added context of the extras was new. I appreciated in particular that were get to hear a lot from Mike Collins, who illustrated every DWM strip of the ninth Doctor; this is one of those eras where we have a consistent artist but not a consistent writer. I've opined before that you need one of those two, otherwise the strip doesn't feel cohesive because you don't have an actor's performance to unify the various voices as the tv programme does. And Mike Collins does good work; he's been with DWM since 1987 as a writer, and since 1991 as an artist, but I knew him first from his work on Star Trek comics for Marvel and Wildstorm and Babylon 5 comics for DC. He's good at likenesses, great at storytelling—exactly the artist you want, I reckon, when you're suddenly producing a tv tie-in strip to an actual tv programme for the first time in over fifteen years!

It's funny, in the extras to both this and the next volume, The Betrothal of Sontar, editor Clay Hickman talks about how they felt they had to a go a bit more kid-friendly now that the tv show was back... but I would hesitate to call any of the DWM strips here notably kid friendly, especially Rob Shearman's! But overall, I remembered this era as a bit of a shambles, and rereading it I didn't find that true at all. It's not perfect, but this is a solid slice of Doctor Who comics. Certainly it's much better than what DWM was putting out last time the tv programme was still on!

The Love Invasion
The ninth Doctor and Rose debut with a very solid piece of Russell T Davies pastiche. There's a lot of running back and forth in 1960s London as the Doctor and Rose must piece together what links some overly helpful young women, the death of several prominent scientists, and a woman who keeps killing aliens. There's solid humor, a decent alien motivation, and a strong sense of the voices of both Eccleston and Piper. The main thing I didn't like was that there's sort of a fake-out double ending, which felt tacked on.

Art Attack
This is a decent story with a good ending, about the Doctor and Rose coming to a futuristic art gallery, and getting caught up in an evil piece of performance art. That said, I felt like there's a better version of this story somewhere in the multiverse: a comics story about art written by an artist seems like it could have done more fun stuff than the story does, and there's surprisingly little made of the fact that both the Doctor and the alien are the last of their kinds—that would have been the emotional center of the story on tv, I think.

The Cruel Sea
I was pretty surprised when Mike Collins noted this as one of the best comic strips he's ever illustrated—because to me it was the weakest story in this volume. It has striking visuals—a cruise ship on the red oceans of Mars, Billie Piper in a skintight spacesuit, a woman whose face looks like a fractured mirror—and some neat uses of the medium—the conversation between the two Doctors—but even though I'm a big fan of Robert Shearman's audio work for Big Finish and his original prose fiction, I found something deeply unpleasant about reading this story. Some of the visuals struck me as inappropriate for the Doctor Who of 2005, and some I just didn't like. Well rendered, but genuinely unpleasant to think about. It's the kind of thing Shearman makes work in prose or audio, I guess (there's some gross stuff in Scherzo), but when you have to actually see it, it's very different. The characters generally are unpleasant, too—this story is very much the epitome of something that's well-crafted but just did not work for me.

When I posted the above on GallifreyBase, Rob himself popped up to opine, "I absolutely agree with you! I'm so grateful to Mike Collins for his amazing art and lovely support, but I don't think I got this story right at all. I've never been a big comics fan, and so misunderstood the particular demands of the medium - and yeah, I think I got the tone wrong completely." Phew!

Mr Nobody / What I Did on My Christmas Holidays by Sally Sparrow
These two stories, one comics, one prose, are both from Panini's only Doctor Who Annual, and are both more child-focused than the average DWM strip. But they're still both solid. You can of course count on Scott Gray for a well put-together done-in-one, and Steven Moffat's story is a fun time travel loop. We should meet this Sally Sparrow again!

A Groatsworth of Wit
The ninth Doctor's DWM tenure comes to a quick end with this, a decently fun story with some good jokes and a nice last scene. Obviously this ended up a dry run for a David Tennant episode, like some many stories in this volume, but it's different enough to be worthwhile.

Other Notes:

• The Love Invasion, despite being three issues long, spans the entirety of Christopher Eccleston's on-screen tenure.
• The behind-the-scenes stuff about Mike Collins trying to get Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper's likenesses down was great. On the one hand, Eccleston kept shooting down images that were too heroic and good-looking and muscular, too American comics! On the other hand, Piper just said, "Ooh, he's given me hips and tits, I like it!"
• After all the talk of likenesses, it thus becomes very noticeable when Rose has a dream in The Cruel Sea about marrying Mickey, but we never actually see his face, presumably so the story could avoid an extra set of approvals just for a one-page sequence.
• Elements of The Love Invasion, The Cruel Sea, What I Did on My Christmas Holidays, and A Groatsworth of Wit arguably all ended up on screen. The latter two are obvious, but Clay Hickman makes the case that The Cruel Sea influenced "The Waters of Mars." Is this an offshoot of the Flood? A GallifreyBase commenter pointed out to me that the scene in Love Invasion where the Doctor counteracts being poisoned by eating random foods was lifted for "The Unicorn and the Wasp."
• Rose is the first companion to spontaneously appear in the strip since Benny, and only the second to ever do so. Every other previous companion was introduced, even if (as in Peri and Ace) it was a reintroduction. Between this and the Doctor's regeneration, the illusion of the DWM strip as a standalone continuous narrative is shattered. We're in for a lot of that over the next couple years...
• Rob Shearman is, I think, the first tv writer to work on the strip since Marc Platt. (Though one other strip writer here would go on to be a tv writer, as is the case with a couple past writers.)
• It's pretty mind-boggling to learn about the ninth Doctor strips we didn't get from the extras: Russell T Davies and Bryan Hitch writing the ninth Doctor's debut! Russell T Davies and Dave Gibbons writing his final episode!! It's a shame we've still never gotten an RTD Doctor Who comic. I don't know if comics would play to his strength like tv, but I'd certainly be interested to see it.

Doctor Who Magazine and Marvel UK: « Previous in sequence | Next in sequence »

As far as I'm concerned this is exactly what a Christmas special should be like. There's a Christmas surprise, some amazing visual effects, and a large nod to CS Lewis and Narnia (not just a snow-covered planet but a line quoted from the book). There's some humour, there are some unusual aliens, and, best of all there's a wonderful climax and a great ending.

it's not standard Doctor Who, and probably won't appeal to hard-line fans. It's rated PG, and there's only mild suspense; there's a lot that's silly and the whole is somewhat twee. Credulity is always suspended in this series, but perhaps even more so in this.

And I loved it.

This was a great joy to read. Though the set up is very different from the show upon which it is based, the story really does reflect the way several time lines converge and separate to cover the whole of the story. What's more Moffat has proven himself to be capable of a great deal of humor, creative ideas (where have those been the in the past few years?), and to be the Whovian I've missed since he became show runner (that this book was influenced by the books and audios of the so called Wilderness Years is obvious).

I also really liked the narrative structure and how he manages to convey different Doctors without giving away the prize of the story. The ending left me grinning and really looking forward to October.

Why do we have to wait until October?! >Whine

Although the Tintin comics were published in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, they were popular around my house when my kids were growing up in the 1990s. My youngest son in particularly loved them and we bought him all the books. We all went to see the animated The Adventures of Tintin the other morning.

For those of you that don't know the story, Tintin is a young Belgian reporter (as is the original artist, Herge) who, with the help of his fox terrier, Snowy, is always after a story. The movie is a combination of two of the Tintin books, The Secret of the Unicorn and it's sequel, Red Rackham's Treasure.

First, the technical stuff. The movie is in 3D animation with heavy use of motion capture. The results are just stunning. You won't be fooled into thinking you're seeing a live action movie, and I don't think director Spielberg meant you to be, but there is so much detail that every scene just pops off the screen. We saw in in flat screen because none of us really likes 3D movies which explains why we were at the theater at 10:15 in the morning. Every other showing was in 3D.

The story concerns the long-ago sinking of ship The Unicorn by pirates. The captain of The Unicorn and the captain of the pirate ship, Red Rackham, survive and the fight for the treasure sunk with the ship is now rejoined by their decedents. The movie is full of action (not all of it believable but it's a cartoon after all), exotic locales and humor. It sounds like IM: Ghost Protocol, except it's more believable and funnier. My kids tell me that it's full of references to other Tintin books. There is also a lot of stuff going on in the background, usually involving Snowy, that is funny.

Take the kids. If they are familiar with the Tintin books they (and you) will love this movie. If they are not familiar with Tintin, this will expose them to some of the best comic book writing of the 20th century.

A fun read of one of my favourite episodes of "Sherlock." I'd forgotten how challenging reading right to left is, but I got the hang of it again fairly quickly. The art is great, and really, Benedict Cumberbatch already looks like an anime character, so this wasn't too much of a stretch! I look forward to the rest of the series!

É uma adaptação em mangá da (ótima) série da BBC. Arte bonita, bacana o modo como é transcrito os efeitos especiais usados da série para o mangá.

Traumatizado pela guerra, Dr. Watson retorna do serviço militar no Afeganistão e é apresentado por um velho amigo a Sherlock Holmes, um detetive consultor que mora em um apartamento na Baker Street. Juntos, eles investigarão casos na Londres do século XXI. Esta obra é uma adaptação do seriado “SHERLOCK”, produzido pela BBC, e este volume é baseado no episódio 1 da primeira temporada e no primeiro romance publicado por Conan Doyle, “Um estudo em vermelho”.

Positively stuffed with charming little moments and memorable characters, but the plot feels a bit by the numbers, and several of the action sequences are much too long.½

Steven Moffat should absolutely consider novelizing more of his episodes if the BBC decides to do more of these. This book brilliantly expands on all the best parts of the episodes while filling in gaps that weren't able to be filled in in the episode itself. There are so many unexpected elements of this book that I don't wanna go into any detail about them for fear of ruining the fun. Needless to say, if you loved the episode, you'll love the book. And the best part is that it's still a surprising book even if you've seen the episode one hundred times. It begins with an adaptation of the 8th Doctor mini-episode, Night of the Doctor, and that's everything you'd ever hoped it would be, and continues from there, more or less following the sequence of events as they happened in the episode, while adding lots of new details here and there as appropriate. There are many, many little moments that Moffat sprinkles throughout this adaptation that really adds to the magic of the episode, especially towards the end when the multiple incarnations of the Doctor come together to save Gallifrey.

Moffat plays with point of view a lot in this book and uses the fact that it's a multi-Doctor story to his advantage when it comes to exploring the Doctor's thoughts in regards to the action happening around him. There's a chapter, about midway through the book, where the 10th Doctor, 11th Doctor, and War Doctor are being transported to the London Tower and the chapter really goes into how it feels for the Doctor to be experiencing the same events, over and over again, throughout these three incarnations. This exploration comes to a head in a later chapter that covers the events inside the prison cell where the multiple incarnations of the Doctor confront themselves over how many children were on Gallifrey when it was destroyed. It's a beautiful moment in the show that's made even more beautiful by the way Moffat uses the prose to explore the thoughts and feelings of each of these three Doctors and how it feels to know what's about to happen and having to feel the pain of the realization over and over again. My words don't do the beauty of the chapter justice.

Like many of Moffat's best episodes, this adaptation of The Day of the Doctor features many timey-wimey elements, least of which being the fact that the chapters aren't at all in the correct order (the first chapter of the book is actually Chapter 8, and they continue to be out of order for the remainder of the book). There's a reason for all of this, of course, but it still feels very Moffat-y. The action jumps around from scene to scene and features lots of added scenes and asides to flesh out the book, and it's all narrated by a rather surprising narrator. At the end of the day, if you liked the episode, you'll love the novel even more. It's Moffat at his best.

I enjoyed BBC's Sherlock when it aired. Like any long-running show, it had its ups and downs; its good parts and its bad ones. While the last season of the show may not have been great, its earlier brilliance was not erased. In fact, I believe the show peaked in its second season. Those three episodes were Sherlock working on all cylinders. This is what interested me in this manga adaptation of the season's first episode, A Scandal in Belgravia. Adapted and illustrated by Jay, this volume adapts the first half of the episode. As an adaptation, it's fine. The artwork is neat and much of the episode's wit is retained, but some of the show's charm and visual flair are lost in translation.

I have no interest in reviewing A Scandal in Belgravia's story - it's a faithful adaptation of an eight-year-old piece of television. Instead, I want to talk about how the manga adapts the material. Much of Steven Moffat's script is completely carried over, with the dialogue coming directly from the script - though a bit abridged, I suspect. Everything plays out exactly as you remember it; plot points and iconic changes are unchanged. As a result, the manga feels distinctly Sherlock. It's a case of "if it ain't broke don't fix it," and Jay adheres to that.

The artwork, however, is where most of the changes come into play. On the positive end of things, Jay's artwork is solid. He does a great job of capturing the look of the show, and most of its characters. His Sherlock and Watson look remarkably close to Cumberbatch and Freeman, though some other characters don't quite look like their on-screen counterparts. He finds a nice balance between maintaining the atmospheres of both the show and of a traditional manga. His characters are expressive and his environments are full of life. On the whole, his artwork is solid. It serves the story well and it's easy to follow.

Where the artwork falters a bit is in capturing the show's unique visual flair. Much of Sherlock's appeal was its distinct cinematography and visual effects and, unfortunately, most of that has been lost in this adaptation. In fairness to Jay, these elements are the hardest to capture in still images, especially when you're drawing in an art form as stylized as manga. However, I found myself missing these elements greatly as I read the volume. They played an important part in making the show feel special and without them, everything feels more pedestrian. It doesn't ruin the experience of reading the manga, but their absence is felt.

At the end of the day, Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia Part 1 is a solid adaptation of the first half of the episode. The script is mostly unchanged, retaining much of the episode's dialogue, narrative, and wit. The artwork is solid, with Jay capturing the show's atmosphere and the character's likenesses well. Some of the show's charm and visual flair gets lost in translation, but it's still a fun read for those wishing to revisit the episode. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who's never seen the show, but for fans? It's fun.

Follows the outline of the Sherlock episode precisely. Loved reading it in Manga form! Can't wait for the Blind Banker!

Region 1 (NTSC) 2 disk set.

Region 1 (NTSC) 2 disk set.

Region 1 (NTSC) 1 disk.

Region 1 (NTSC) 1 disk.

Really fun and well written novelization of this 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who (and the mini-episode "The Night of the Doctor" that preceded it on-line). Being about time travel, the chapters are presented out of order. Pay particularly close attention to chapter 9, it's important.

I enjoyed it. The Victorian set looked so very like the set from the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes, and Cumberbatch seemed to be imitating Brett. The preposterous plot didn't seem so annoying as the plots had recently become due to the games with the setting. Moriarity's character was, however, just tiresome.

Manga based on the TV-series created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. It's fun to see the episode in comic format, but be aware that it doesn't really add anything to the story since the scenes are near verbatim of the scenes in the TV series. Recommended for people who don't have access to a TV(?).½

Absolutely excellent novelisation of the original episode. Moffat expands imaginatively on his original script, as well as playing fast and loose with our expectations of what a novelisation could be. In some respects, it actually manages to improve on the original episode (in particular, the last couple of chapters), and is an even better celebration of 50 (well, now 55) years of my favourite TV programme.

Wonderful.

This is the novelization of the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who, broadcast on 23 November 2013. The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors come face-to-face with their past in the form of the War Doctor, the one who fought the Time War, the one whose final decision may threaten the entire universe. Along the way, there are Elizabethan Zygon shenanigans, modern-day alien invasions, and heaping helpings of humour and personality conflicts by having more than one of the Doctor in the same room.

I had so much fun reading this and tore through it in about an hour. Having seen the episode, but many years ago, I found all the memories come flooding back. The story is structured in an ingenious way and I’m sure Steven had tremendous fun putting it together. There was a great deal of hooting with laughter at the page, yelling “Whaaaat” and tearing up at the line about “Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to fuel the flame.” So basically just like watching the episode, except different.

The only reason this isn't five stars is there were some goofy proofreading errors, such as extra or missing words.

I borrowed this from the library, because I think it important to encourage my library to buy more Doctor Who novels, but I’m definitely going to have to get my own copy of this one. Highly recommended.½

This is a novelization of the Doctor Who episode "The Day of the Doctor" written by Steven Moffat, who, of course, also did the original script. And a wonderful job he's done of it! This version adds in a few new scenes, as well as a lot of character insights, and it takes us fairly deep into an exploration of the Doctor, including the Doctor at the most pivotal moment of his life. It's also got lots of timey-wimeyness (of course!) and cheeky in-jokes and complex layers of meta-ness. Some of that works better than others for me, but overall I enjoyed it greatly, in the way that I enjoy so much of Moffat's work: it may be a bit of a mess, but it's a glorious, entertaining mess. I'll also add that when I first saw this particular episode, I had somewhat mixed feelings about the way it's resolved, but whether it's due more to the passage of time since then or to the way Moffat presents it here, I've found that it now actually works quite well for me.

Definitely recommended for Who fans, or at least for those who liked Moffat's approach to the show. (Which I did. I really, really did.) Heck, I sort of expected this to be a really quick, easy read, much like the Who novelizations of yesteryear, most of which I could read in one short sitting, but it ended up taking me much longer than I expected to finish it, just because I found myself wanting to savor it and to get as much as I could out of every sentence.½

Great fun

Brings back memories of watching The Day of the Doctor, but with plenty of surprises and fresh laugh-out-loud moments. Brilliantly written by the inimitable Steven Moffat. One to treasure.