- Title: Sonic Boom
- Authors: Robbie Morrison
- Artists: Mariano Laclaustra, Rachael Stott, Agus Calcagno, Fer Centurion, Carlos Cabrera (Colorist), Hernán Cabrera (Colorist), Rodrigo Fernandes (Colorist), Juan Manuel Tumburus (Colorist), Richard Starkings (Letterer), Jimmy Betancourt (Letterer)
- Line: 12th Doctor
- Characters: Twelfth Doctor, Julie D’Aubigny, Val, Sonny
- Collection Date: 2017
- Collected Issues: Year 2, Issues # 11-15
- Publisher: Titan Comics
- Date Reviewed on GoodReads: 5/23/2019
**Spoiler Alert** Titan Comics Doctor Who The Twelfth Doctor Vol. 6 Sonic Boom is the last book in the second year of the Twelfth Doctor graphic Doctor series. The Twelfth Doctor was played by Peter Capaldi in the British television series, Doctor Who. The Doctor is now traveling alone, and this volume features two stories. In the first story, he lands in France in 1695, where he meets Julie D’Aubigny a swordswoman and opera singer. I also really liked the flashback sequence and art that explains Julie’s character. In France, The Doctor quickly discovers that Cardinal Richelieu is still alive. On his deathbed, the Cardinal began studying dark magic from his secret Dark Library. He was taken over by the alien Darkness. This extended his life but made him even more evil as he feeds anyone who challenges him to the Darkness. The Darkness also wants to use an upcoming eclipse to open Dark Matter portals to take over France. The Doctor with help from Julie and her fantastic singing voice, stop this plan and Richelieu finally dies.
The artwork for this story is fantastic – it really looks like paintings. There’s a darkness to the panels, but it has a sepia edge to it. I loved the art, it was so beautiful. I also really liked Julie, who becomes a one-time companion. First, she’s instrumental to the story as her voice, amplified by the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, is able to defeat the darkness. Second, the character in the story is based on a real person, and the graphic novel has a two-page article at the back that tells her real story. I think this is the first time we’ve seen a real historical person in a Titan Comics Doctor Who graphic novel in this way and I really liked it. I hope we see more.
The second story, which is much shorter, is about a comic book writing team. The Writer, Sonny, and the Artist, Val, publish a successful independent comic called “Time Surgeon”. Yes, it’s a reference to Doctor Who and Titan Comics. Sigh. But the Doctor arrives, picks up the two artists, and gives them a grand tour. He finally takes them to a planet that’s meant to be the home of all sorts of artists, writers, and great thinkers and philosophers. But when they arrive it’s been taken over and free and independent thought outlawed. The Doctor, Sonny, and Val have to find a way to stop the Mind Draining Brain Creatures – which they do. Along the way, Sonny and Val go from snipping at each other to admitting their true feelings. At the end of the story, it’s implied this was the Doctor’s entire purpose for meeting them in the first place, rather than being annoyed by the flatness and poor characterization of their Time Surgeon stories.
The second story was OK, and I actually ended up liking the romance, but it was also a bit short. I don’t like seeing comics parody themselves so the story started in an annoying place but it got better. By the end, it felt like a geeky version of Moonlighting which worked.
Overall, this is still a good volume and I like this series. Recommended.
Bitch with Wi-fi 