Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor Volume 2 – Fractures

The Doctor and Clara Oswald return to Earth for two otherworldly adventures. First, a refugee from another world accidentally discovers creatures who reside in the cracks between universes, and those creatures aren’t happy about his universe-hopping. Then, an unexpected alliance in ’60s Las Vegas leads to the Doctor and Clara crossing paths with a famous boxer, a few crooners, and a tentacled menace!

The Twelfth Doctor’s adventures got off to a solid start in their first volume, Terrorformer, and they’ve only grown more charming with Fractures. The title story features a terrific callback to one of the Tenth Doctor’s most infamous stories and sight gags, while introducing its own delightful running joke: the doctor mocking Clara about teaching English. The follow-up story set in Vegas was immensely charming, utilizing celebrity cameos as only Doctor Who can.

As fun as they are, though, they felt a bit too easily resolved for my tastes, wrapping up in a neat little bow that doesn’t really befit Capaldi’s run as a rougher, more alien Doctor. That being said, you could do a lot worse for a snack to sate your Doctorlessness until the new season arrives next year.