This week, Titan Comics wrapped up a storyline in the twelfth Doctor comics, "Terror of the Cabinet Noir."
Paris, 1695. Cardinal Richelieu seems to be immortal, and there's a darkness permeating French society. The upper classes are taken by an enchanting twenty-two-year-old opera soprano, one who is as quick with the sword and an insult as she is with a song. Her name is Julie d'Aubigny, and when she crosses swords with the Doctor in the streets of Paris she embarks on a wild adventure that involves Dark Matter invading our world and possessing Richelieu, making him both near-immortal and near-omnipotent.
Julie d'Aubigny is one of history's notorious badasses, a bisexual opera singer and swordswoman who lived fast and hard and died young. And Robbie Morrison's script for "Terror of the Cabinet Noir" doesn't shy away from her unsavory history; issue #11 features a four-page flashback to Julie's childhood, her arranged marriage, her love for another woman that led her to join a convent just so she could kidnap her paramour, and her skill with the sword. She's an incredibly headstrong and self-confident woman, and when she steps in the TARDIS at the end of issue #11 she doesn't have time for the "It's bigger on the inside" nonsense.
Despite a rushed ending in issue #13 (I felt that it was missing several pages), "Terror of the Cabinet Noir" is an immensely fun story thanks to a captivating characterization of Julie as a bright and quick-witted person who doesn't have the time for anyone's nonsense (including the Doctor) and the artwork by Mariano Laclaustra which has an almost painted quality to it. It feels very much like a "companion introduction" story; besides the villain referring to Julie as the Doctor's "companion," there's a nice rapport between the Doctor and Julie, we "see" a lot of the story through Julie's POV and a lot of the narrative weight rests on her, and at the end of the story she says outright that she's looking forward to more adventures in time and space (to which the Doctor notably does not say no).
Personally, I hope Julie sticks around until Titan introduces Bill in the summer. Titan has done well introducing original companions (the tenth and eleventh Doctors have travelled exclusively with comics-original companions in Titan's comics, and they've just introduced a comics-original companion for the Nine/Rose/Jack team), and bringing an historical personage into the TARDIS would, I think, be quite fun. She'd have to leave eventually -- the BBC would prefer Bill (and Nardole, I'd assume) in the TARDIS as soon as possible -- but until then, she could have a nice ten-issue run (from her debut in Year Two #11 to, presumably, Year Three #5). Some television companions don't even last that long.
If you want a nice pseudohistorical, "Terror of the Cabinet Noir" in Twelfth Doctor Year Two #11-13 is a good choice with fun characters and great artwork.
Paris, 1695. Cardinal Richelieu seems to be immortal, and there's a darkness permeating French society. The upper classes are taken by an enchanting twenty-two-year-old opera soprano, one who is as quick with the sword and an insult as she is with a song. Her name is Julie d'Aubigny, and when she crosses swords with the Doctor in the streets of Paris she embarks on a wild adventure that involves Dark Matter invading our world and possessing Richelieu, making him both near-immortal and near-omnipotent.
Julie d'Aubigny is one of history's notorious badasses, a bisexual opera singer and swordswoman who lived fast and hard and died young. And Robbie Morrison's script for "Terror of the Cabinet Noir" doesn't shy away from her unsavory history; issue #11 features a four-page flashback to Julie's childhood, her arranged marriage, her love for another woman that led her to join a convent just so she could kidnap her paramour, and her skill with the sword. She's an incredibly headstrong and self-confident woman, and when she steps in the TARDIS at the end of issue #11 she doesn't have time for the "It's bigger on the inside" nonsense.
Despite a rushed ending in issue #13 (I felt that it was missing several pages), "Terror of the Cabinet Noir" is an immensely fun story thanks to a captivating characterization of Julie as a bright and quick-witted person who doesn't have the time for anyone's nonsense (including the Doctor) and the artwork by Mariano Laclaustra which has an almost painted quality to it. It feels very much like a "companion introduction" story; besides the villain referring to Julie as the Doctor's "companion," there's a nice rapport between the Doctor and Julie, we "see" a lot of the story through Julie's POV and a lot of the narrative weight rests on her, and at the end of the story she says outright that she's looking forward to more adventures in time and space (to which the Doctor notably does not say no).
Personally, I hope Julie sticks around until Titan introduces Bill in the summer. Titan has done well introducing original companions (the tenth and eleventh Doctors have travelled exclusively with comics-original companions in Titan's comics, and they've just introduced a comics-original companion for the Nine/Rose/Jack team), and bringing an historical personage into the TARDIS would, I think, be quite fun. She'd have to leave eventually -- the BBC would prefer Bill (and Nardole, I'd assume) in the TARDIS as soon as possible -- but until then, she could have a nice ten-issue run (from her debut in Year Two #11 to, presumably, Year Three #5). Some television companions don't even last that long.
If you want a nice pseudohistorical, "Terror of the Cabinet Noir" in Twelfth Doctor Year Two #11-13 is a good choice with fun characters and great artwork.
