Dr. Second by Adam Hargreaves (Puffin, 2017) Hargreaves’ mash-up of Doctor Who and Mr. Men remains more of a conceptual than an actual triumph, but on this occasion the characterisation—of Jamie, Victoria and the Doctor—is quite good, as are the illustrations and (to an extent) the storyline.
Tag Archive for Mr. Men
Dr. Twelfth
Dr. Twelfth by Adam Hargreaves (Penguin, 2017) One of Hargreaves’ better efforts. The Doctor succeeds in foiling Missy’s convoluted and nefarious plan—without understanding it or allowing her to explicate! His insouciance is a nice touch but, even so, the story fails to live up to the cover’s allure.
Dr. Thirteenth
Dr. Thirteenth by Adam Hargreaves (Penguin, 2019) Hargreaves takes his series of Doctor Who / Mister Men mashups out in one last glorious blaze of banality. Again, the illustrations aren’t bad, but the story is pointless and what little connection it has to Doctor Who is pure Russell T Davies-era.
Dr. Tenth
Dr. Tenth by Adam Hargreaves (BBC, 2018) The Doctor’s adults-only wardrobe notwithstanding, Hargreaves captures the Tennant persona quite well (in looks, attitude and voice). The Humpty Dumpty Sontaran is also not the worst, though as usual Hargreaves drafts at least one gross infelicity into the story. Cue the Ogron…
Dr. Eighth
Dr. Eighth by Adam Hargreaves BBC, 2017) The Eighth Doctor offering very little by way of (televised) source material, this volume was a real chance for Hargreaves to exercise his imagination. Unfortunately this manifests largely in absentia. Readers need not persist beyond the cover illustration and the rainbow-cake planet.
Dr. Seventh
Dr. Seventh by Adam Hargreaves (BBC, 2017) Though drawing a pretty faithful Seventh Doctor (and Ace), Hargreaves manages the almost inconceivable feat of making his Cheetah People less threatening than those of the original serial. In mitigation, the Master’s cameo is era-appropriate in its preening reveal and blustering fizzle.
Dr. Eleventh
Dr. Eleventh by Adam Hargreaves (BBC, 2017) Hargreaves, in his usual clumsy way, has Matt Smith’s Doctor and River Song run a pointless gamut of monsters… but can only think of three (Zygons, Silurians, Weeping Angels) before resorting to snakes and spiders! The ending is as tiresome as ever.
Dr. Ninth
Dr. Ninth by Adam Hargreaves (BBC, 2017) As if inspired by a particularly insipid Terrance Dicks novelisation, Hargreaves doesn’t so much attempt a mash-up here as a clumsy retelling of Rose’s first story. The text is belaboured and even the pictures offer little. Jack Harkness is a middling highpoint.
Dr. First
Dr. First by Adam Hargreaves (Puffin, 2017) Doctor Who purists may not approve of this playful rewriting of the programme’s origin story. There’s no denying, however, that the characters are beautifully drawn – from Susan, to William Hartnell’s cantankerous purple and grey Doctor, to the jiving, sports mascot, continuity-defying Cybermen!
Dr. Sixth
Dr. Sixth by Adam Hargreaves (Puffin, 2018) Poor Colin Baker. Hargreaves captures something of the Sixth Doctor’s voice, and also his rather planless propensity towards grandiloquent bluster as a means by which to defeat evil (in this case, the Rani). Unfortunately, the illustrations in this volume are rather bland.