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“THE SCREAM: AN INFO-DUMP CONTINUATION”

The Scream follows directly from Remembrance, revealing the true nature of the villain’s plan: using an organic virus, the Sapling, to siphon memory energy from the Doctor and spread its influence across the universe. There’s an eerie, unsettling quality to the antagonist, who has clearly laid an elaborate trap for the Doctor. Unfortunately, the story itself seems to struggle with making the villain memorable. There’s a nagging sense that Eleven has encountered this species before, but their abilities and motivations feel off—assuming one can even recall who they are meant to be.

A DUMP OF EXPLANATION

A large chunk of this issue is devoted to exposition, with the Scream extensively explaining its plan. Instead of delivering a tense showdown or meaningful character development, the comic opts for heavy dialogue that drags the pace down. Rather than a dynamic battle of wits, it feels more like sitting through a lengthy briefing on how the villain operates. This could have been compelling if it built towards something dramatic, but instead, it mostly serves to introduce a new character.

JONES, THE SAPLING, AND NEW BEGINNINGS

Jones makes a brief return, once again evoking a David Bowie aesthetic, but he’s mostly here to provide a convenient resolution before vanishing from the narrative. The issue also introduces the Sapling in a more personified form—a sleek, humanoid Groot-like figure created from the Doctor’s and Alice’s memories. He’s a fascinating concept: a being infused with Time Lord knowledge, genetically coded for destruction, but possessing the mind of a child. His introduction is clearly the main purpose of this story, as he’s set up to join the Doctor and Alice on further adventures.

📝VERDICT: 5/10

As the second half of the Remembrance/Scream storyline, this issue doesn’t quite stand on its own. It feels like an extended info-dump, more concerned with explaining things than telling an engaging story. While the Sapling’s introduction holds promise, the villain lacks impact, and the pacing suffers under the weight of excessive exposition. Instead of a gripping adventure, The Scream feels like a necessary but unremarkable transition into the next phase of the Eleventh Doctor’s journey.