Doctor Who is fortunate in being one of the only shows that can have a crossover with its own series. Thanks to the smart continuity over the years, each incarnation of The Doctor has meant that the show remains the same, but at the same time can be totally different. Over the decades on television, it’s resulted in several notable team-ups of various incarnations of The Doctor – very few of whom seem to ever get along. Whenever those episodes happen, fans have reason to rejoice.
That same sense of energy and excitement is present in this series’ first issue, which will instantly please countless fans out there. It’s clear that various companions will appear based on the return of the ever-popular Captain Jack right from the outset, and that’s as good a start as any. The return of Jenny is arguably even better, and her sense of fun is evident. Plus, in an incredibly knowing wink to hardcore fans, there’s a priceless moment when she responds to the Fourth Doctor as “Dad!”, even though she was cloned from the Tenth Doctor – a wonderful reference to the actress who played Jenny, Georgia Tennant (daughter of Fourth Doctor Peter Davison and wife of Tenth Doctor David Tennant).
Captain Jack and Tara are in serious trouble. Hunted on an alien world and with Jack’s vortex manipulator not working, all they can do is send out a call to The Doctor for help. However, the Ninth Doctor isn’t the one who charges into the rescue, but rather Jenny – the clone daughter of the Tenth Doctor. Things seem simple enough, but her actions set in motion a crisis throughout time. The Third Doctor arrives in the TARDIS of the Tenth Doctor, to the sounds of the Cloister Bell. The Fourth Doctor is swallowed up into non-existence. The Eleventh Doctor confronts the end of all time and space. And, back at St Luke’s in Bristol, the Twelfth Doctor – with his companions Nardol and Bill – struggles to make tea, leaving the good people at UNIT to explain away a crashed spaceship…
In a rapid bombardment, the story throws six Doctors at readers and the end result makes ever page a treat. Each one looks and acts exactly the way they should, with antics ranging from the adventurous and frivolous to simply being moody. None of them steals the spotlight from each other, although Twelve gets to do all the explaining and is the clear focus of the story initially.
It’s hard to quite know where the story will go because just having so many Doctors in this first issue means more time is dedicated to them than the problem at hand. But on every level, Doctor Who: The Lost Dimension #1: Alpha is a joy for Doctor Who fans because it’s everything they’ve ever wanted to see on TV.
