With Earth’s Sun ringed by vast and deadly Hyperion technology, set to drain our star of all its energy in the ultimate solar extinction event, the Doctor and Clara – together with a fireman called Sam and the fusion angel Commander Weir – must face their most challenging adventure yet. Will they be able to save humanity’s future – especially when a horde of the Scorched have just crashed the hidden UNIT base…?

It’s the finale to the Twelfth Doctor’s first year of adventures with Titan Comics… so how hot is this showdown with the Hyperions and their fiery cohorts?

Well, it’s rather predictable, actually. The Doctor baffles and defeats his enemies using an array of convenient deus ex machina technology, as has often happened in the television series. Less reminiscent of the screen version of Who, but very obviously signposted, is the permanent demise of a major character.

Meanwhile, the unpleasant politician Grove gets what’s coming to him. Just in case readers didn’t already hate him enough, writer Robbie Morrison has him reiterate David Cameron’s ill-advised use of the Michael Winner advertising slogan, “Calm down, dear.”

Returning artist Daniel Indro ensures that this concluding episode is visually impressive, aside from some ropey likenesses of Peter Capaldi (at one point I mistook the Doctor for Grove). Indro gives us bright orange flames, aggressive stances and form-fitting protective suits aplenty.

Colin Bell and Neil Slorance’s humour strip is absent from this issue, but one of the alternative covers carries a delightful illustration by Slorance, showing Clara and the Doctor eating sandwiches on the step of the TARDIS as it floats through space. In place of the strip, there’s a sneak peek of some uncoloured art (by Rachael Stott) from next issue, featuring the Series 9 ‘aging rock star’ version of the Twelfth Doctor.

Though it came off the boil slightly in this issue, Titan’s Twelfth Doctor comic is still smokin’!

7

Richard McGinlay