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"The One: A Clash of Eras and a Prison of Secrets"

The One brings an intriguing mix of Classic and New Who as the Eleventh Doctor enlists River Song’s help to unravel the mystery of his supposed crimes during the Time War and his enigmatic companion, The Squire. Their journey takes them to Shada, the lost prison planet of the Time Lords, which the story cleverly builds up with a scene in the TARDIS brimming with Season 18 references. The Doctor’s fragmented memories of the Time Lords’ prison heighten the anticipation of its reveal.

This Titan Comics entry excels in revisiting Classic Who elements, pairing them seamlessly with the modern era. Shada, as a setting, feels rich with untapped potential, and the inclusion of the Roger Delgado Master injects an exciting dynamic into the narrative. The witty, sardonic prison computer guarding Shada adds another layer of charm, making for a memorable antagonist.

The comic shines in its inventive use of the Time Lords’ defense mechanisms, particularly the stasis program that scans each character’s past. The twist allowing the Squire to save the day because she has no past is a standout moment of clever writing.

While the story is compelling, the artwork falters. River Song and the Eleventh Doctor are poorly rendered, which detracts from their on-page presence. Fortunately, the Delgado Master’s character model fares better. On the other hand, the comic redeems itself with strong panel composition, vibrant coloring, and thrilling action sequences, especially during the battles with the Then and the Now.

The narrative concludes with a satisfying twist: the Master is not responsible for framing the Doctor. 

📝Verdict: 7/10

While the escape from Shada is only briefly addressed in the following story, Downtime, The One stands as an enjoyable blend of eras, rich with nostalgia and inventive storytelling.

Overall, this story is fine, the way this year is all one long story and it's split up so often does mean there's often stories with a bit less to talk about though.

The art doesn't really work for me in the first issue, there's a panel where River looks like Four (she's wearing his clothes, but still, her hair and face look off). It goes to a better one for the start of the second issue, but then goes back, it's a bit weird and inconsistent, but when it does go back it's better than it started

Great character moments with River knowing why Eleven looked for her and her way of reassuring him is great.

Four having wiped Shada from his memory is a fun little nod to the story's fate. It doesn't quite work with the multiple references to it in expanded media, but it's still fun. The sentient computer too feels very Adams especially the way they were able to get away from it, with it not having any way to deal with Squire.

I also noticed that when the copies of all the characters show up, there's one for Squire but they're in the background in shadow, we don't get to see them at all, I'm definitely interested in seeing where exactly this goes, and the cliffhanger that the Master was there but at least thinks The Doctor did it is interesting.

Overall though, it's just another piece of the whole, and it's a bit frustrating how long we have to wait to get any answers, just being drip fed small ones along the way..... I guess it's a good representation of the era because of it though.