What they got right: Putting Tony Lee on the ongoing. I know he has nice things to say about Gary Russell in his back page intro, but the "Agent Provocateur" story he wrote (otherwise known as the first IDW mini-series) reminded me of the worst parts of the new series episode "Tooth and Claw". This feels more like the Doctor I know, outside of blurting out bits of future knowledge a tad more than usual (or maybe I just haven't watched it recently enough). I do like that he's doing a "period piece" here, and he may turn out knowing more about 1920's Hollywood(land) than I do, which is sad considering I'm the American and he's the Britisher. I picked up the "B" cover, which is a neat movie-style poster, and Al Davidson does a fair job with the internal art.
What they got wrong: However, Al's David Tenant needs a little work. I think it's the nose that throws me off, but I've seen far worse. It didn't bother me once I got used to it. And I'm assuming Tony is just trying to keep me from looking like a total tool fanboy (without reviewing M.I.L.F. Magnet) by making me wonder why the Doctor can't keep a name from one person to the next at the party. Whatever happened to "John Smith"?
Rare "other notes" category": One reviewer I saw noted that the show hasn't been afraid to use the names of actual famous people. The old series had a run-in with H.G. Wells, who also appeared in another Lee story, the one-shot "Time Machination". The new series has used William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie as well as the Queen of England. So I wonder why Charlie Chaplin is replaced with "Archibald ‘Archie' Malpin" when the solicits and promos said that Chaplin himself would be the "special guest star" here.
Recommendation: A fun ride in the Doctor Who mold as the ongoing series (no more minis, although more one-shots are planned) rolls on. I hope they do more with the previous Doctors and companions beyond the "Classics" reprints, but as long as we have Tony Lee on writing duties, it's sure to be a great new series.
