Philip BondRezensionen

I'm trying to figure out where this fits in on the Grant Morrison scoring chart. Essentially, it's fine - fairly amusing, some good character interactions (particularly between Ali, his brother and their father) and great visuals. A short, diverting read.

But the plot just feels rushed and half-baked, and that really rankles with me for some reason. It's like Morrison lost interest in it halfway through. Possibly sooner. Lots of cosmic out-thereness to camouflage the lack of coherence. A deus ex machina here (but the actual mechanics of the story were so confused it's not even clear that it was necessary), a Morrisonesque breaking of the fourth wall there (ditto - to be uncharitable Morrison is papering over the obvious cracks with a veneer of his go-to tricks, in an effort to distract us); but you're left scrabbling to find the sum of its parts.

The Indian/Pakistani background quickly becomes superfluous to the story (again to be uncharitable, the main relevance seems to be that the family owns a corner shop), which is fine, except that such a lot is made of the background in the packaging of the book. And there's a very odd blend of Hindu and Muslim cultures used in the book. Its name, the font used in its logo, the poses of the characters on the cover, the demigods (the Ultrahadeen) are all rooted in Hindu culture (i.e., a culture which is predominantly Indian); but the characters are of Pakistani origin and are Muslim. There's no reason why these two different cultures couldn't be utilised in the same book, but there is no reason in this book why they are. They are presented here without distinction, which just seems lazy.

The best thing about the book is Philip Bond's charming art - for that alone the book probably deserves 3 stars. I would like to read a story illustrated by Bond, with the same characters, but without all the mythic, supernatural and superheroic elements. While he does carry off the Demigods, battleships, demons etc. just fine, it's in the smaller things that his art really comes to life.

So on the Morrison scale of things - the book is short (generally a good sign for a Morrison work); it has few pretensions, and is not trying to carry A Bigger Message (again, normally in its favour); unfortunately, through lack of time or interest, Morrison didn't seem to care enough about the story to make it cohere (kinda fatal in the Morrison canon). And that makes it very minor Morrison - a shame, as Philip Bond (not to mention the readers, and Southern Asian culture as a whole) deserved better.

I've never met a Morrison I've liked so far.

Despite continuing with the same Doctor and same companions as the last, this volume restarts the numbering, I guess because of the arrival of superstar writer/artist team Andy Diggle and Mark Buckingham. Well, like too many superstar teams on IDW comics, they don't last long-- all of two issues! And to be honest, it's neither's best work. Diggle's writing is not flooded with continuity references like previous Who scripter Tony Lee, but it shares Lee's lack of depth. And Mark Buckingham can do great work, but I find his tie-in work distractingly over-referenced at times.

It's the second story here, "The Doctor and the Nurse," by Brandon Seifert and Philip Bond, that's delightful. Amy forces the Doctor and Rory to undertake some male bonding, but they hate the idea so much they jump into the future to finish early-- only the TARDIS misses its destination. Meanwhile, Amy gets embroiled in the hijinks of the previously-unknown-to-me-but-delightfully-real-except-that-some-people-actually-died-in-it Great London Beer Flood. Seifert's writing nails the characters and humor, and I loved Bond's Dan McDaid-esque art, cartoony but very reflective of the characters' personalities. It's a shame these two didn't take over the title. (I feel like I say that a lot. I guess a lot of the "guest" contributions on IDW's Doctor Who stuff are often better than the "actual" ones!)

The Hypothetical Gentleman: A shadow being is stealing time from those he touches in order to become real. Some of the drawings of the characters are awful but the story itself is solid Who. The Doctor and the Nurse: Amy forces the Doctor and Rory to spend some time bonding together. Excellent Who-story where all the characters are exactly as they "should," the stakes are high, and it is, in addition, very funny.½

Last year my family and I had the pleasure of discovering Doctor Who for the first time. It was love at first sight with the whole family. Now as I impatiently await the next new episode, I find myself drawn to books based on the show. So needless to say this graphic novel held great appeal to me.
What I really liked about this book:
It has the Ponds in it! They are two of my favorite companions of all time. I loved seeing them back in action with The Doctor. I think the author did a good job with keeping up with the characterization and personalities of all the characters. The story-lines are okay. They're not nearly as complex and detailed as other stories that I have read, but they're enjoyable all the same.
What I didn't really like:
The artwork. I thought is was just okay. There were times that the characters looked expressionless. In one part Amy was irritated, but she had the same look on her face when she wasn't. I think one of the most important attributes of graphic novels is to be able to depict the characters emotions in the art frames. I've not read many graphic novels, but the ones I have read seemed to have more details to the pictures. It's not awful, but it could have been better.
Overall, I did enjoy it. It got me a quick Doctor Who fix while I'm waiting for the second half of season 7.
Read more at http://www.2readornot2read.com/2013/03/review-doctor-who.html#LGM6HaxO4frdSX7m.9...

Mixed feelings about this. I remember picking up one or two X-Force/X-Statix back in the day, but not really liking them. Picked up this at the library and was going to put it down after the first few pages. Then it drew me in a little. However, it's still not the most compelling comic, although it's got some great nods to comic culture and some occasional excellent issues.

Certainly a lot of dark humor.

'Kill Your Boyfriend' came out a year before Columbine. The eponymous Columbine. The tragic and fearful Columbine. It would be understandable in this post-Columbine, post-Vtech, post-9/11 world if a reader might have difficulty with some aspects of this story, but if art is war on another battlefront, Morrisson is a sniper behind enemy lines.

Like a sniper, his work is rarely pretty to see, skilled as it may be. It reminds us of the suddenness of this big, ugly world. Sometimes Morrison misses his mark, usually when he grows overly self aware. However, the lighthearted and straightforward tone of this book means he has little chance to derail his own story.

Morrisson is a prophet by way of pessimism. It seems that by expecting the worst from mankind, we can rarely be disappointed. However, like Chekhov, Morrisson is tempered by a firm belief in a single person riding over that bloody tide by strength of personality.

This need not mean the unattached, humorless anti-hero that is so often cast as Nietzsche's Ubermensch; Too often, we forget that Nietzsche was the philosopher who told us to love and seek beauty and dance, and that skepticism can free us from the static even as it reminds us why our heart aches.

Morrisson tells of growing up confused, self-unknown, with a need to scratch an itch without a place. Morrisson tends to find that place in an unlikely locale--be it a cybernetic dog or a homicidal teen girl.

Morrisson's search for beauty in all things horrific and horror in all things beautiful comes from his need to be different at any cost. In The Invisibles, this often interferes with our empathy or even our comprehension, but it is not so forced here.

If it upset you that 9/11 turned into the unquestioned Iraq war, or that the Vtech massacre will more likely result in a new book by Dr. Phil than in any change in how we treat each other, then perhaps it is time to take a little revenge. Perhaps it is time to sit back for a moment and wonder what it might be like to Kill Your Boyfriend.

Series III, vol. 1. 11th Doctor, Amy, Rory.