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"THE TRAGICAL HISTORY TOUR: A CONCEPT IN NEED OF DEPTH"

The Tragical History Tour throws the Eleventh Doctor, Alice, and the newly introduced Sapling into a wonderfully bizarre scenario—Earth has splintered into multiple versions of itself, with different decades coexisting at once. It’s a classic timey-wimey concept, one that Titan Comics typically excels at, but here, it feels a little underdeveloped. The glimpses we get of this fractured world are intriguing, yet the comic never fully explores the ramifications of time becoming space. Instead, we get a surface-level adventure with little real depth to its premise.

THE SAPLING FINDS ITS PLACE

The Eleventh Doctor’s run at Titan has frequently experimented with alien companions, from ARC to the Sapling, and here, the latter continues to develop his identity. His interactions with Alice in the TARDIS—particularly their quiet moment sharing tea and discussing pronouns—help to establish him as a curious, childlike figure, albeit one infused with Alice’s and the Doctor’s memories. There’s potential in the tension between Alice and the Sapling, as she struggles with missing pieces of her life while the Sapling holds fragments of her memories. However, this conflict is short-lived, as the story quickly moves on without exploring the emotional weight of the situation.

FORGETTABLE VILLAINS AND UNINSPIRED VISUALS

The story’s antagonists—both the raiders plundering history and the giant squid-like creature revealed at the end—fail to leave an impression. The raiders feel like an afterthought, never becoming a real threat, and the final confrontation with the squid creature is over before it can truly escalate. This lack of compelling opposition makes the story feel somewhat weightless.

Visually, the comic also disappoints. The character designs twist faces in odd, exaggerated ways that don’t quite work, and the colour palette is overly simplistic. For a story dealing with multiple time periods colliding, one might expect a more vibrant, dynamic aesthetic, but it ultimately feels flat.

📝VERDICT: 6/10

While The Tragical History Tour presents an interesting sci-fi premise, it never fully capitalises on its potential. The fractured Earth concept is intriguing but underexplored, the supporting cast and villains are forgettable, and the visuals don’t elevate the story. There are some nice moments of character interaction, particularly with the Sapling, but overall, this feels like an issue that skims the surface rather than fully immersing itself in its own ideas.