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My biggest problem with this story is that I don’t really care for the big overarching plot. The Silent is kind of a good villain, but I find it hard to engage with them in this, making the whole book kind of meh.
My thoughts on Eleventh’s third year are that it was an improvement over year two, but it felt like they could have done more. I feel like Alice was kind of wasted in these last two years. She was such an interesting character in the beginning, but that got lost in stories that were too big for their own good.
A silent who’s so good at being a silent that the other silents forgot them… so they’ve started calling themself The Scream, carved ‘SCREAM’ into their forehead, and wear a white suit (which this cover just didn’t include for some reason)
I wish I had more to say about these, but 11Y3 all has the same problems, in that there’s a really cool idea (here Orphan), but it’s not at all given the time it needs to develop, and because it doesn’t have that time, it all just feels so rushed
Wow, okay, reusing art with no or minimal changes can be fair sometimes depending on the context, but uh, that third panel is literally just the first again but zoomed in…
And Eleven year three ends the same it’s been going all this time, with a great concept that’s not given the time it needs, and with some unfortunately less than stellar art
The defeat of The Scream is really fun, and there’s some brilliant visuals in here but mostly, eh
I’m just starting to think that I don’t like comics as a medium because they just always feel so rushed in comparison to other ones and although you can argue that sure, visually, they can go further than TV shows. Comics like this sometimes make me wonder if that’s all they can possibly do? Maybe I’m just miserable though. Who knows.
The Scream is a bit daft but I actually did like the Orphan by comparison for what we got and although I can maybe understand not wanting to explore too much of the Orphan due to it being dangerously close to just being a rip-off of the Moment, it would have been fun to explore it more.
Strange Loops indeed. This story, and the entire arc, tries to do a bit too much. So it just feels a bit underwhelming as a result.
Strange Loops starts with an intriguing mystery but ultimately lacks emotional depth. The Orphan is an underwhelming character, and the supporting cast fails to make much impact. However, Sapling’s sacrifice provides a bittersweet and fitting conclusion to his journey, giving the story some much-needed weight. The worldbuilding is interesting but underutilised, making this an uneven but not entirely forgettable entry in the Sapling arc.
You’re welcome to read my full review below (spoilers hidden):
This is a satisfying conclusion to Titan’s Eleventh Doctor comics and the Sapling arc. It’s a good story, with strong art.
Hungry Thirsty Roots delivers a solid conclusion to the Sapling arc, wrapping up its themes in a visually creative and engaging way. The improved artwork, the journey through the Doctor’s memories, and the Scream’s fitting motivations make this one of the stronger instalments in Titan’s Eleventh Doctor run. While the arc as a whole has had its ups and downs, this final chapter brings it to a satisfying close.
You’re welcome to read my full review below (spoiler alert):
Strange Loops played with an interesting concept and I found the Orphan to be a neat idea but it ends up feeling a bit rushed. And with Hungry Thirsty Roots, The Scream was just a mediocre villain. So while I liked Alice and Eleven’s dynamic with the Sapling, I wasn’t super invested in what The Scream’s plan was.
Strange Loops: Nice little environmental fable, continuing the critique of regressive attitudes from the first volume. Felt like an upgraded version of The Airzone Solution.
Hungry Thirsty Roots: The Scream reaches their emo apotheosis. Decent conclusion to the Year’s arc, and did an alright job of actually getting me to care about the nightmare creature by the end.
Eh. Didn’t think much about either of these Stories sadly. I think Year 3 was probably my least favorite for 11, it had some nice Ideas going for it, but most stories left me a bit on a shrug. Sure I think some of the real stinkers of the last year didn’t quite work for me either, but at least I had some thoughts on them. Here? Kinda nothing. Which to me is vastly more frustrating than not liking a Story.
As for the Arc it has its nice ideas, but never feels like it explores them to a great extent, similarly while the Idea of a Silence who is so good at it, they have been forgotten by their own kind has promise, I can’t really take them serious because of the whole “SCREAM” carving. You know what it reminds me of? Jared Leto’s Joker. It’s quite literally the same. (Now I prefer the Scream over what ever the hell Leto’s Joker is, but honestly just that takes away a lot from this Character (even if that is partially more on me, I admit ))
Like @Tian, I wasn’t very invested in the Scream or the Silence. They were a pretty decent villian but I am not a big fan of the Silence. Also not very invested in the Sapling storyline either. I’m in the camp of ‘year three wasn’t for me’.
I did really like Alice though and I was genuinely worried about her. Especially knowing this was the last issue, I was afraid she would be killed or something.