Doctor Who Series 2 Volume 2: When Worlds Collide by Tony Lee

Doctor Who Series 2 Volume 2: When Worlds Collide Reviews

• 
  Rae

  I would be the last one to deny that I am a Whovian, big time. My friends and I all got together to watch the premiere of the last series, and I often enjoy listening to audiobooks involving the characters. Needless to say, when I saw that the first part of a Doctor Who comic was available through Netgalley, I pounced on it.
  
  All things considered, I was quite impressed with the art. The likenesses were off several times, but as an artist myself, I more then understand how extremely difficult it is to capture the likeness of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Arthur Darvill, all of whom have extremely distinctive faces. I would say that for an overwhelming amount of the time, the art is spot on, and I loved the little details like the Doctor dawning an extremely long scarf that was reminiscent of the one worn during the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who. Where Mark Buckingham misses occasionally with the faces, he gets the body movements and poses of each character down PERFECTLY which is so crucial, especially for the characters of the Doctor and Rory. Each panel is well composed, with the angle and the framing changing to maintain visual interest, and the focus is always drawn to the right area at the right time.
  
  Which brings me to the actual story itself. This story was a funny little adventure that begins with the Doctor bringing Rory and Amy to see a football (soccer for my fellow Americans that don’t realize that it’s football everywhere else) match in Wembly stadium…but of course in classic Doctor Who fashion, they arrive slightly off in intended time. Unfortunately this story does involve the somewhat tired plot device of Amy being in trouble and Rory and the Doctor needing to save her, which probably is the lowest aspect of this entire story. Still, any time that you get the Doctor playing soccer at some point or another is just plain awesome.
  
  Something this story excels at is at giving little nods to the continuity of Who. Not five pages into the comic there’s a reference to the Blinovitch Limitation Effect – which states that two different items of the same thing from different points in its timeline can cause a paradox. Bravo Mr. Tony Lee for getting that one down.
  
  Overall, as a quick adventure, this story certainly satisfies this Who fan, which is a complement that I don’t hand out lightly!
  
  This galley was obtained for review purposes from Netgalley.com
  
• 
  Megan

  I liked this one quite a bit better than
  Doctor Who The Ripper Eleventh Doctor Comics 1. It felt much more like I was watching an episode. It was exciting and the characters felt more alive and like their actor counterparts. Plus it mostly took place in space, which I think I usually prefer over the episodes where they're on Earth, because it's more unexpected and atypical. It takes place on a vacation planet in which you can choose whatever reality you'd like, whatever time and place you've always dreamed of visiting, and then you get to take a holiday there. It's a pretty cool concept, and it allowed the plot to range from the viking age to dinosaurs and (not much to Rory's surprise) the Romans. It was a lot of fun and I thought the artwork was better in this second installment, so that was nice. Overall, a great comic book series, and I'm looking forward to the next one!
• 
  Leonardo

  A premise that is more exciting than the actual delivery... a plot twist and a villain reveal that is both predictable and interesting... When World Collide is a commonplace "holiday that turns into a disaster" Doctor Who story that nevertheless has some interesting points. The true villain is a classic DW villain that has only appeared only once on TV (back in the 70s) and made sporadic appearances in other media, perhaps because its visual representation is a challenging task. Once it's revealed, the rather mediocre plot and cliché representation of both the Doctor (the 11th), his companions (Amy and Rory) and the apparent villains make some sense and going back in search of both genuine clues and red herrings is actually a pleasant experience. In terms of the art, it features two distinct styles: a more realistic style for the first story (a historical episode) and a more cartoonish, minimalist one for the second, third, and fourth installments (which sometimes undermines the intensity of the plot). The art gallery at the end has some interesting takes on the Doctor and the Ponds.
• 
  Andy Hickman

  “Doctor Who Series 2 Volume 2: When Worlds Collide” (2011) by Tony Lee, Mark Buckingham, Matthew Dow Smith - (The 11th Doctor)
  ***
  
  #1
  (originally Doctor Who II issue #5)
  “Um, I could be mistaken, but I don't remember this many trees on the pitch at Wembley.” - Rory
  
  #2
  (originally Doctor Who II issue #6)
  “You picked the wrong man for a gunfight, pardner!
  The name's Doc Gallifrey, and I'm here to end your life of crime!”
  
  #3
  (originally Doctor Who II issue #7)
  “Sontarans! Nazi Sontarans!” - Amy
  
  #4
  (originally Doctor Who II issue #8)
  “CHARGE! Or something like that! Hit them! Hit them lots!” - Rory brandishing Excalibur, riding Kevin the robotic T-Rex
• 
  J

  I really enjoyed this one It could totally be a Doctor Who episode. They captured the magic of Dr. Who and created a wonderful adventure:) from the multiple world, the sword in the stone, talking robot dinosaur named Kevin, adventure, grand speeches,multiple costume changes, various times in history, It’s magical with some science fiction thrown in for good measure. Wonderful story just like watching Doctor Who:) Would definitely recommend * Happy Sigh*
• 
  Amy Dragonneau

  Un comics très moyen. En effet, j'ai d'abord détesté le style graphique employé. On dirait des photos de la série faites en polygone par une IA. Ensuite, l'intrigue n'était pas incroyable. On se retrouve d'abord avec une histoire de viking sur 20 pages pour partir sur une toute autre intrigue sur les 80 pages restantes. J'ai néanmoins retrouver l'humour de la série télévisée que j'aime tant.
• 
  Shannon

  I've had this volume for a long time and just now decided to read it. It made me really nostalgic for the Doctor Who of 10 years ago. The viking story was great, the second one was ok but a little chaotic.
• 
  Doris Raines

  THIS Ias A LIKEABLE BOOK.
• 
  Electroclan17

  [4.25] I've seen only the first season of Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor but this was still a fun read.
• 
  Chris H-C

  The Sontaran-heavy story was nice, but without threat or tension (despite trying really hard for both). Ah well. And again my complaint that this was a story that happened to the the characters instead of it being about them. Rory yelling about his past in a wall of text to an otherwise-empty frame is a particularly uninspired waste of space that could've been better used to enhance the Sontaran threat, foreshadow the reveal, expand upon the emotional stakes...
  
  Fine light fluff, but nothing I expect I'll revisit.
• 
  Just a Girl Fighting Censorship

  3 1/2 Stars
  
  First things first, IDW needs to get it together! Often the artwork in these Doctor Who comics is absolutely appalling, it looks like a child trying to recreate Picasso.
  
  
  
  It is so distracting because I know what Rory and Amy and Matt Smith human beings look like.
  
  As far as the stories go, they were average. The first story, which was very short and very cheesy, had the Doctor and Rory challenging Vikings to soccer shootout for Amy's honor and the future of England.
  
  The second, and title story, was enjoyable and I might have enjoyed it more if it weren't for the fact that I just read
  Doctor Who: Fairy Tale (Doctor Who which had a very similar premise and in my opinion was better executed. Both take inspiration from
  Westworld, which I admit is a very fun setting, and I really really hope we have these types of amusement parks in the near future! Still, it felt somewhat derivative.
  
  However, for the most part I was able to look past the copycat nature of the plot. Really my biggest problem was the twist, it felt so forced. Also, it was a bit dull at the beginning but then felt very rushed at the end. I wish that some of the beginning could have been cut to better develop the twist and give more time for a resolution.
  
  Overall, this story could have been better than it turned out. A good read but nothing spectacular.
• 
  Andrew

  This one was fun. A single-issue story with art by Mark Buckingham, and a longer story with art by Matthew Dow Smith. Both stories are complete nonsense, but they're enjoyable nonsense.
  
  As to the art, I've always loved Mark Buckingham. I like him better with the right inker, like Steve Leialoha, but he's still great here, inking himself (I presume).
  
  And I'm really starting to like Matthew Dow Smith. His art is a little like Mike Mignola. (And I mean that in a good way; not a cheap imitation, just similar in some ways.) He manages to catch the essence of the characters without trying to be photo-realistic.
• 
  Joshua

  This storyline was one of the best that I've read in the the Doctor Who universe so far. The issues of multiphasic worlds and multiverse characters is an awesome thought process. It is a total throwback to Jet Li's movie "The One" and that is a good thing. There should've been an actual episode devoted to this!
• 
  Ian Williamson

  Not quite as good as volume one, but only just falling short!!! Tony Lee is perfect at the helm, mixing history and future amazingly. He also pays homage to a lot of Moffat doctor who era stories and mini episodes. Artwork is fantastic, and works well with the story. Hopefully volume 3 continues the same excellent tone these have set. GERONIMO!!!!
• 
  Christine

  Having read Issue 5 through NetGalley, I want to read the rest of Volume 2. Although I might just buy the issues separately because it'll be easier to track them down through second-hand stores, plus I already own Issue 6.
• 
  Nicole

  Received issue 5 from NetGalley. Love the artwork. I've seen some of the comics at conventions and stuff, but never really read them. I want to read the other issues now. These were beautifully drawn.
• 
  David

  Terrific volume! A couple great Dr Who stories. Loved the long story that's like Westworld all mixed up and the art on that one was superior. Much like Mike Mignola's art. Great storytelling. If you're a Dr Who fan, I strongly recommend this book. Love the new companion, Kevin the T-Rex!
• 
  Dave

  If you like the 11th Doctor, Any and Rory, you should enjoy this collection from the comic book run.
  The 'main story' reminds me of the film Westworld. But of course with more plot twists and Sci Fi action!
• 
  Jen Schiller

  Love love love. These comics strike the perfect balance between representing the television show and creating a separate world appropriate for the storytelling mode that comics offer. Simply brilliant.
• 
  Jacquie

  Team TARDIS ends up on another vacation planet where guests create a custom world to live in. Of course things end up in chaos, and the Doctor has to try to save the day. Very enjoyable, and the Doctor is perfectly in character.
• 
  Shannon Appelcline

  The initial issue is pretty much a one-joke pony: Vikings playing football [6/10]. The three-part that follows however has a lot of nice elements: evocative settings, fun action, and some good surprises at the end [7/10].
• 
  Sean Kennedy

  A good story, but terrible artwork mars it. It often feels lazy and unfinished, with long-distance shots of the characters not even having any facial features.
  
  I am looking forward to seeing how long the new 'companion', Kevin the polite dinosaur, sticks around.
• 
  Raymond

  I really liked the story, it being over the top like a 'proper' episode, having 12 versions of The Doctor, Rory and Amy fighting the Sontarans and, ehm, phone spam but it was dragged down by the artwork. Too cartoony for my taste unfortunately.
• 
  Kaethe

  There was a brilliant review here earlier that GoodReads somehow devoured. It went
  
  something Vikings something something Westworld something talking dino named Kevin! something something something
  
  
  Library copy
• 
  Alex

  Bought this and Les oubliés on my trip to France in 2013. My French isn't very good, but I managed to get through it and somewhat understand what was going on. Great art, and (as far as I could tell) a pretty good story!
• 
  Lilybeth

  Fun read.
  Both the short and long comic are good.
  I found myself truly laughing out loud win some parts.
  The conclusion of the long comic is a little lame but you just gotta go with it.
  
  Love these comics because 11, Amy, and Rory are still with us.
  :)
• 
  Mindy

  I loved it of course simply because it was Doctor Who. However, I did not find it as awesome as the other one, The Ripper. I do want to know how they manage to get a dinosaur inside the Tardis. :)
• 
  Matt Sears

  How is it that the comics make more sense than the TV series.