This post is to discuss the greater 14th Doctor era. You have the three specials, their novelizations, Liberation of the Daleks from DWM and a small scattering of other stuff. How does the extra material affect your perception of the Fourteenth Doctor?
I wasnāt that impressed with Liberation of the Daleks, it all seemed a bit strange to me - I might go back and re-read it now that itās all finished but it wasnāt my cup of tea.
I did love the comic set in between The Star Beast and Wild Blue Yonder - that was a lot of fun
Iāve yet to read the novelisations but heard great things about The Giggle.
The specials themselves were wonderful, I know some people have David Tennant fatigue but he will always be one of my favourite Doctors, and Donna is just brilliant, it was a dream come true to see them both on my screen again, even if just for a short time!
Liberation of the Daleks really suffered from the reduced page count for the comic strip. I really struggled to follow the story and a lot of characters were just sort of āthereā with no real explanation as to who they were.
It definitely needs a read all in one go rather than once a month!
I enjoyed the three specials. I think The Giggle was my favorite, partially because of the three of them, it felt the most like what one expects from an anniversary special. Iāll admit that I was having a lot of fun in the Star Beast when Donna got her memory back. I like the concept of Wild Blue Yonder and that the Doctor and Donna get a chance to just talk. That said, I canāt stand the āMavityā running gag and it either has an amazing, rewarding payoff, or just disappears into the void. Iāve got Liberation of the Daleks and The Giggle novelization on order through my local library. But itāll still be a little bit before I can read them. The untitled DWM comic looks interesting but who knows if Iāll ever read it since I donāt get DWM and I have no idea if or when itāll be collected. (Still waiting on Monstrous Beauty from TLV to get collected somewhere.) As for the other few appearances of Fourteen, I may get around to tracking them down someday. Much more looking forward to seeing where we go with Gatwa.
I gave up on liberation, problem with a lot of the Who comics is it feeling really generic. I did love 14 differently to 10, but the outside material has had no bearing I think
I get what RTD was going for with recasting Tennant again. And it works more as a fix for what he did to Donna. That said, why couldnāt we have gone straight into Ncuti? I like the idea of the Doctor actually taking a rest to heal from his trauma, and it allows Ncutiās era to feel more fresh and without the baggage of either the Classic Series or the Modern one. I still donāt know what I feel about this incarnation. I donāt think I want it to have gone on any longer, but itās almost too short at the same time.
It was to bring back fans of Tennant who had since been disillusioned with the show. Looking at the ratings, I think it worked.
I also have to give it to Russell, only a true Doctor Who fan would resurrect the āLetās just cast Patrick Troughton againā plan that they were tossing around in the mid 80s before they decided on Sly.
Iāve only watched the three specials but for me it was to try and wash away what people consider the bad taste of Chibnel era. It felt like a more mature 10 and kinda made sense with what they were going for with fallout from Flux (which iāve not watched properly).
It got me watching but, for me, fumbled it at the finish line.