Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Volume 5 – The One

The Doctor is accused of committing genocide during the Time War, but he believes it’s a frame-up. He’s being pursued across time and space by a relentless bounty hunter, and he’s trying to stop a growing monstrous entity unlike anything he’s seen before. Thankfully, he’s not alone. With his librarian companion Alice, a sidekick he doesn’t remember called The Squire, and a Dalek-hunting barbarian named Daak, the Doctor tries to clear his name. With his options exhausted, he turns to someone unexpected…River Song.

Although this is a piece-moving installment — one that complicates and builds on Volume 4’s game board without resolving too much — it’s a very satisfying read. The Doctor’s new cohorts are fascinating in their own right. River avoids her most annoying trappings from the show, and Alice continues to develop into a fantastic companion.

There are several mysteries at play here, and jumping in without reading the previous volume is tough. But surprisingly, it’s not the Doctor who gets you through the rough patches, it’s Alice. This has always been a show about the companions, and that’s especially true of the comics. This is Alice’s show, and she SHINES.