https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/official-secrets-by-cavan-scott-adriana-melo-cri...

Next in the sequence of Ninth Doctor graphic novels from Titan Books. There are two stories here; the titular “Official Secrets”, which brings Nine, Rose and Jack into the middle of a UNIT investigation led by a curiously un-aged Harry Sullivan with support from Benton, and the more interesting if less fan-servicey “Slaver’s Song” then brings Team TARDIS, augmented by new UNIT character Tara Mishra, to Brazil in 1682 where there are ancient mermaid-like monsters and hints of Jack’s secret past as a Catholic priest. I especially like artist Adriana Melo’s characterisation of Tara, ad wonder who the model was. ( )

Het eerste deel van deze Negende Doctor reeks had mij zeer aangenaam verrast omdat naast de aardige kwaliteit van het verhaal, ook het tekenwerk prettig was om naar te kijken. Helaas geldt dit niet voor het tweede (Doctormania) en derde (Official Secrets) deel.

De eerste paar bladzijden viel het me nog niet onmiddellijk op maar gaandeweg kwamen daar de steeds slechter lijkende tekeningen en ook de bijna totaal onherkenbare plaatjes. Vooral als de personages qua perspectief wat verder weg staan, worden de gezichten steeds grover en op een gegeven moment dacht ik zelfs dat de tekenaars er simpelweg geen zin in hadden. Het lijkt wel alsof het een haastklus is geweest dat ook nog even gedaan moest worden. Voor mij heeft dat veel leesplezier weggenomen.
En o ja, ik heb nog even gecheckt en inderdaad is het eerste deel door iemand anders getekend. Hadden ze die tekenaar maar aangehouden.

Erg vind ik het ook voor de schrijver. Want het verhaal in zowel het tweede als derde deel is uitstekend. De personages zijn qua gedrag en uitspraken heel erg herkenbaar en de verhaallijnen zijn interessant en prikkelend. Ik zie het zo in een televisieaflevering gegoten worden. Het derde deel eindigt ook nog eens met een knetter van een cliffhanger.

Nu ben ik niet in bezit van verdere delen en ik geloof niet dat ik die ga opzoeken want ik heb al gezien dat het weer van deze zelfde belabberde tekenaars zijn die het verhaal voor mij vergallen. ( )

This is better than previous volumes of The Ninth Doctor, though I still don't get what this comic is going for. I mean, there's no reason it needs to evoke Saturday tea-time 2005 per se, but plunging the ninth Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack into a 1970s UNIT adventure doesn't strike me as particularly interesting, either-- or rather, what writer Cavan Scott does with it isn't interesting. DWM did something neat with a post-Time War tenth Doctor meeting the Brigadier way back in the day. What was it like for the Doctor himself to finally be an old soldier, meeting the man he'd always denigrated for his military mindset? But the ninth Doctor here doesn't really act much different than any Doctor would. Harry Sullivan is a focal character, but I don't know why, and he doesn't always ring true as being very Harry-y.

The second story, about the TARDIS team in Brazil during the era of Portuguese slavers, struggles with length, feeling both too long and too short. Too short in that a lot of its ideas get short shrift: it's about the Doctor confronting slavers, and about alien refugees, and about Rose discovering some of Captain Jack's secrets from his Time Agency days, and about new companion Tara's first trip in the TARDIS. Most of this is rushed and/or underexplored. The conclusion has the Doctor happily mentally subjugating some aliens to another group of aliens, seemingly just because finding a better solution would take more pages than the comic has. But it's also too long in that not much actually seems to happen; it mostly feels like two long scenes, one of Rose and Captain Jack looking at a computer, and one of the Doctor and Tara wandering around the jungle. The more I read of The Ninth Doctor, the more I feel like Cavan Scott doesn't get how to tell a comics story, but he seems to be quite experienced, having written dozens of Star Wars comics for IDW, so I dunno. That might have mostly been after this, though?

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The Doctor, Rose, and Jack continue there adventures by working with a 1970s or 1980s where they end up working with UNIT division in Bristol lead by Harry Sullivan. This is a nice touch since it would be impossible to bring back Harry on TV due to Ian Marter's early death. The story also introduces Tara Mishra, a UNIT nurse and soldier who joins the TARDIS Team! Who knew the Ninth Doctor would be getting new companions between The Doctor Dances and Boom Town!

The second story sees the team travel back in time to 17th century Brazil, where the Doctor deals with both Portuguese slavers and alien mer-people. Meanwhile, Jack continues to make discoveries about his past and the moments erased from his mind by the Time Agents. Rose is uncertain she can trust Jack after what is revealed.

The characterization of Jack relies much on what would learn about him from Torchwood, while the Doctor in these comics is also informed by revelations of the War Doctor. The creators of the comics cleverly retcon these things that no one knew about in Series 1 without overdoing it. ( )

The Doctor, Jack, and Rose search for the human-turned-Gargoyle they sent back in time and encounter a different type of monster, originating from an unexpected sorce. Then the group turn their search to Captain Jack’s missing memories, which leads them 17th century Brazil in the 17th century and alien monsters. Another great installment in the series about the Ninth Doctor. The storylines are solid and the art is great as well, if a little cartoony at times. Great series! ( )