Lucky Thirteen

You guys, are you watching the Thirteenth Doctor? So good.

I knew I was going to like it because, you know, friends going on space adventures, but honestly whenever I saw some fanboy moaning about too many ladies having too much screentime, or why science fiction “suddenly” turned political, I knew it was going to be extra good.

A few years ago, I used to fall asleep watching old Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes, and drift off thinking about the space friends. If you’re ever in a toxic workplace, the fantasy of common goals, competent coworkers, time for hobbies and friends is pretty good.  Even when everything’s fine, I just really like space, adventures and optimism.

Anyway, I like the newest Doctor Who TV show so much that Harold got me some of the Thirteenth Doctor comics, BUT it’s the stupid serial format with cliffhangers and weeks between them, which is not at all how I like to read comics. I think I’m going to wait for the trade, instead, so I can bingeread my comics like an adult.

I bought one of the spinoff novels, Molten Heart. It reads like a longer ep, with more internal monologue, especially from Yaz. There’s more space for character growth, too. Or, in certain cases, some spot-on character stagnancy, like when Ryan just switches to past tense for Ash’s missing dad, because he’s Ryan and he has gigantic father issues.  The characters are so good that I hear their dialogue in the actors’ voices — also can we talk about how this season’s companions are actually very good at taking direction and not needing rescue every 10 minutes? Yes.

The author is a creative writing prof at Anglia Ruskin, which makes me want to immediately go sign up for a creative writing PhD (Wait, didn’t I just finish my MFA about 5 minutes ago? Didn’t I just drag myself to the academic finish line?) so I can learn how to do that, too.

Molten Heart has the same optimism, risk, friendships and danger that I love in the TV season (and that sucked me into the Ninth Doctor, too). I’m really enjoying the complete lack of Daleks, Cybermen or the Master this season. Classic Who is fine, but I feel like all of those classic enemies has been taken just about as far as those storylines can go. I don’t want to find just one more final Dalek, again. Molten Heart has a new enemy, which can be read as an allegory for climate change denial, but also works as another beautiful, dangerous planet, in need of the Doctor and friends. So good, you guys.