Surviving Snowmageddon: DOCTOR WHO - PRISONERS OF TIME Hardcover

Thanks to Comic Related/Zone 4 pal Brant, I was able to grab some complimentary copies of IDW's Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time miniseries for review. (You can read it here). Now that Brant was able to provide (thanks to IDW Publishing) a complimentary electronic copy of the collected series (out in hardcover), I was able to sit and read the series in its entirety.

And kudos to Scott Tipton, who managed to write a really strong multi-Doctor story...ironically, by focusing on the companions.

The plot is simple - some force is plucking the Doctor's companions at various points in time, and gradually, the Doctor comes to realize that there is some other force afoot....

...but to say more would be spoiling. Tipton manages to skillfully balance done-in-one tales from each Doctor, reflecting his era, while simultaneously keeping the main plot going. Elements are handled in such a way that even when you anticipate a plot twist...something happens that makes it seem less likely. And there's a great willingness to play within Doctor Who's history, making this the 50th anniversary equivalent of Doctor Who: The Forgotten.

A variety of artists illustrate each tale, and thankfully, each one brings a unique style and perspective (I loved the fact that the artist drawing the Fifth Doctor's issue makes Adric and Nyssa look like kids - something that may not have been apparent during their appearances on the show).  Calling this a "romp" may be something of a misnomer, as this is a really strong series....and deserves to be released as a hardcover.

Both this and Doctor Who: The Forgotten deserve to be on any Who fan's bookshelves. They're that good.