This mainly gets a solid rating for me because of the Artwork, which is just stunning. The inner Monologue is great and overall this one is one of the much better ones of this whole Comic, sadly there is only so much you can do with just a Page or two. What they did was pretty sold, not essential but if you already liked Twelves Regeneration Scene like I do, you will probably like this as well!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“THE MANY LIVES OF DOCTOR WHO: A VISUAL REGENERATION”

The Many Lives of Doctor Who is the framing story of Titan Comics’ collection of the same name, offering a unique perspective on the Twelfth Doctor’s regeneration into the Thirteenth. Set during the very moment of transition seen in Twice Upon a Time, the comic adds a layer of internal monologue, providing a glimpse into the Doctor’s thoughts as they bid farewell to their past selves and embrace an uncertain future.

The story is interwoven throughout the collection, appearing between short adventures featuring the Doctor’s previous twelve incarnations. As the regeneration unfolds, the Doctor’s mind wanders through past selves, reminiscing on old battles, friends, and defining moments. It’s a clever way to tie the Thirteenth Doctor’s arrival to the character’s long history while maintaining the structure of an anthology.

A VISUAL MASTERPIECE

What stands out most about The Many Lives of Doctor Who is its artwork. The comic’s photorealistic style perfectly captures the visuals of Twice Upon a Time, making it feel like a seamless extension of the episode. The attention to detail, from the lighting effects of the regeneration to the expressive faces of the Doctor, is stunning. Each panel is beautifully crafted, offering a cinematic feel that enhances the weight of the moment.

A SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE TRANSITION

Narratively, the comic doesn’t introduce anything groundbreaking. The regeneration itself plays out just as it did on-screen, with the added dialogue boxes simply giving voice to the Doctor’s internal reflections. The thoughts feel authentic, blending nostalgia for the past with excitement and trepidation for the future. There’s a distinct sense of optimism, reinforcing the idea that, no matter the change in face, the Doctor remains the Doctor.

However, for those expecting a deep psychological exploration of regeneration or a mindscape-style adventure, this story won’t quite deliver. It’s more of a poetic reflection than a plot-driven tale.

📝VERDICT: 7/10

A visually stunning but straightforward framing device, The Many Lives of Doctor Who provides a contemplative look at the Twelfth Doctor’s final moments. While it doesn’t offer a deep dive into regeneration mechanics or an entirely new perspective, it serves as a respectful and nostalgic bridge to the Thirteenth Doctor’s era. A pleasant addition for fans, but not an essential read unless you’re a completist.

Disclaimer: This is the last in a series of reviews. If you want the full EPIC experience, you should probably go to the next story in this set. The one about skulls and the first doctor. Yeah that one. Read my words from there on, and continue to the next one to see me progress into insanity. Once you’ve gotten to the last one with the Twelfth Doctor and Daleks, come back here. Okay? Okay. You’ve done that? Then let’s begin.

So, imagine you’re me, or anyone who’s been reading this. Maybe that’s you, maybe you’ve been reading this, imagine you’re you. You’ve gone through whatever that was supposed to be. But there did seem to be at least a thematic running thread. Each short mini ‘story’ was about a part of the Doctor’s character. 1st was about seeing the good in things, 2nd was about… Oh, there falls your theory in the water already. But it at least felt like that must’ve been it. That each short thingything had something to say. And now, in the end, the Doctor realizes all of this, and she declares to herself in her head, that indeed, she is the Doctor, she was kind and cruel and cowardly and now she’s who she is or something cheesy like that. It’ll be stupid probably, considering what has come before, but you can at least see how this will turn out, even if it’s a bit simple and easy, but like, you know, it will have been a fun ride. All those little things, together they have at least made for an… enjoyable. experience, yes! In the end it has. When the frame story thematically ties them all together, it will at least have felt worth it. And then it doesn’t do that.

Look in the end I will still give this release in it’s entirety probably a 3,5/5, because it had enjoyable parts to it, and the sum of it all makes of it, and that there were multiple positives, and it’s been good. Sort of. Kind of. Technically. Maybe. But this is not a competent release. This is barely anything at all. A frame story that is just a repeat of scenes on tv, isn’t even really a story at all, and it’s framing for ‘stories’ in quotation marks. If you ask me, this isn’t a comic book, and should not actually make it as the sort of release that it is. You could put these short stories in other publications as little extra harmless treats, and then, for the fans of those stories, have this omnibus, so they can have it together. But as a standalone product it doesn’t work. If you’d theoretically ask me.

I’m honestly still just really confused by it. I’ve been writing for almost three hours straight now, and I’m still mostly just confused. Like after all that time writing about it, I don’t feel much different or any less confused than from when I finished reading the thing a few minutes before writing that first review. I don’t know how the American comics climate is (except that it’s bad) but this is such complete nonsense. It feels like such a misleading marketing ploy too. The Thirteenth Doctor that everybody is so excited about is here! Put her on the cover! Put her in the title! And it’s not about her. Everything about it reeks not so nice practices to me. Oh well. I don’t dislike this release, because I’ve found things to appreciate in it, but I also don’t like it, for reasons you can probably understand.

I don’t know how to end this review, and I want to, because it’s becoming a lot, is already a lot, so imagine the tardis crashing and me falling out of it or something. Wee.

Its cute, I liked the premise behind a short story for each Doctor leading into 13's comic run. I have read it years ago but mostly forgotten it, there was a huge hype around the 13 comics as it was a revamp of the range I seem to recall!

The Thirteenth Doctor #1

'The Many Lives of Doctor Who' (2018) from Titan Comics.

Aside from being an adaptation of Twelve's regeneration, there's not much else more to this other than being linking material and a set-up to twelve other stories following it in the collection.