WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1 by
Jody Houser, Rachael Stott and Enrica Eren Angiolini, on sale now.
The much-anticipated Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1 does a good job of introducing Thirteen to new readers. On the show, we’re still getting to know Thirteen and her companions: Ryan, Yaz and Graham. With three companions to divide our attention in addition to a new Doctor, having character descriptions preceding the story was a smart choice on the part of the creative team.
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Writer Jody Houser and artist Rachael Stott had to accomplish many tasks with the first issue of this much-anticipated series. They had to tell a story for both new and old readers of the Doctor Who comics and new and old viewers of the show. One of the ways the creative team succeeded in this is the creepy alien they introduce in the middle of the issue.
The first monster of Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1 is unnamed, but has quite a presence in the panels. First, it’s blue. Second, it sits atop a mountain of plush chairs. That’s already enough to make an impression. However, the villain (or, at the very least, a creature of dubious morals) of our story clearly enjoys extravagance, as it surrounds itself with piles of gold and jewels that rival Scrooge McDuck’s horde.
If that weren’t enough, it has quite a look put together for itself. It’s draped in red fabric with gold accents. On its horns are chains of gold and jewels. A wide gold ring encircles its neck, also with jewels hanging off it. Then there are multiple layers of gold chains and necklaces around its neck as well.
When it comes to famous comic villains with a thing for gold and jewels, Thanos immediately comes to mind, but this creature is not content with just six stones. On each finger, there are multiple gold rings with huge stones of different shapes and colors. When it points, it has your attention.
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Even its cronies are covered in jewels! These giant bug-like creatures with exoskeletons adorned with giant gems administer a shot to Doctor Schultz, one of the new characters. The bejeweled king of plush chair mountain clearly wants something from these characters, but we don’t know what it is yet.
By the end of the first issue, we have a lot of questions. Who is the Grand Army of the Just? Why are Doctor Schultz and her scientist friend stealing art for a big blue alien with an accessory addiction? There is a lot of mystery, and treasure, surrounding the villain, and it’s certainly intriguing. The scene of luxury gets the readers’ attention and piques our interest to keep an eye out for Issue #2... and perhaps a couple of gold pieces for ourselves.