The Monster Makers

by Alan Barns

Ncuti Gatwa & Ruby Sunday graphic novel

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Comics

114 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Congratulations this wins an award ,The Headache Award 2025 .Because that's what I got Tring to read this, the print was far to small and gave me a terrible headache. Spoiled the story, it had good artwork and interesting stories which is what you want from a Graphic novel, stories that could not work on the Television series because of cost.Shame about about the shity print

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but the limited edition Target novel style cover on this is gorgeous and a total must have now for Who fans.

Majority of stories collected here are Ncuti Gatwa & Ruby Sunday - It's captured the Doctor perfectly both in the art and the mannerisms and speech - Ruby though.... looks absolutely nothing like Millie Gibson and virtually nothing of her personality shines through.

Stories are a mixed bag. The highlight is easily the titular Monster Makers - solid, fun story with some really nice art. I love the Orb headed invaders - they remind me of the Orb from Astonishing Spiderman & Wolverine (one of my favourites). I also really liked Mancopolis - which is heavily inspired by 2000AD (no surprise knowing Alan Barns history here) set in a future Manchester - both very visual stories that would have made excellent TV episodes.

The Hans of Fear, a time travel tale where the Doctor encounters Hans Christian Anderson and the snow queen was disappointing. Its a rather derivative story and I just felt the Doctor meeting Hans should have been so much more.....

This finishes with 4 2 page stories with Tennant and Donna. Did absolutely nothing for me and a very weak way to conclude this. The only episode here that raised a slight smile was their appearance in 1066 and preventing Harold getting shot in the eye - I liked the explanation as to why the end of the tapestry is missing....

So overall not bad - there's 2000AD and X-Men vibes with a splash of Space 1999 (Mayor Mulberry from Mancopolis is so Maya from Space 1999!) - Its very out there Who (alien planets or distant times) and no familiar aliens or places - Featuring a new Doctor as well (this is the first Ncuti strip) that's a very bold decision. I enjoyed it, but its not the most 'Who'

[Alex Sarll]

Sometimes a wobbly Who era is redeemed by the ancillary media – it's a truism that Colin was better in audio (though even there they had to change his outfit), and Jodie was always best without the execrable Chibnall, whether that be the comics or an emergency lockdown broadcast from her cupboard. Alas, the DWM comics collected here mostly repeat the failings of the second RTD era, even the colouring somehow suggesting too much Disney money spaffed on flimsy CGI. The tragedy is, I think it might be precisely because Rusty cares, keeps an eye on the spin-offs, wants everything to hang together – which means that when he's off his game, everything takes the hit. There are three main stories here: Mega-City One except worse because it's Manchester (and also there are exploitative moths, but mainly Manchester); a 'celebrity historical'* with the Doctor and Hans Christian Andersen rescuing Ruby from the Ice Queen; and the title tale, in which a promising set-up riffing on Repo Man and endless requests for feedback from companies who should be happy they've got your money collapses into a frustrating tangle of double-crosses and dodgy fixes. It reprises, all too well, the feeling of watching a Ncuti story on TV, where the undoubted charm of the leads struggled against stories which determinedly prioritised vibes over logic, and then too often couldn't even quite get the vibes right. A little more satisfactory is the short story set between two of the Tennant and Tate anniversary specials, if only because it knows it's a throwaway romp; it also uses the word 'gravity' at one point, simultaneously a relief compared to and potential foreshadowing of a certain infuriating running gag.

*A genre of Who which, the backmatter informs us, was invented by Mark Gatiss with The Unquiet Dead. Marco Polo, The Gunfighters and, gods help us, Timelash would like a fucking word.