Trapped in a parallel universe, Rose Tyler believed her adventures with the Doctor were over. Now, pulled by a mysterious energy into this reality, she must work with two different Doctors (Matt Smith and Paul McGann) to end the tyrannical rule of the warmongering Bad Wolf Empress!

Doctor Who: Empire of the Wolf continues with issue #2 from Titan Comics. You can check out the variant cover options and our review of the second issue below.

  • Doctor Who: Empire of the Wolf #2 Cover A

Empire of the Wolf #2 Review

The appeal of a multi-Doctor/multi-companion story is getting to see them play off each other. And issue #2 of Doctor Who: Empire of the Wolf does not make you wait! After setting up the story in the first issue, this one follows through with all the first interactions you’d look forward to; The Eleventh Doctor encounters Empress Rose, and not long after, the real Rose turns up with the Eighth Doctor in tow.

Choosing to send Rose on an adventure with the Doctor’s regenerations immediately before and after her own remains a compelling choice in this issue. Rose finds herself frustrated by her inability to express things to the Eighth Doctor, fearing a paradox. When she finally runs into Eleven and realizes he knows her, it’s such a sweet moment! You really feel her relief and joy at the reunion.

The two Doctors interacting with each other is a different story. Their interaction proves much more challenging. Not full-on combative or unpleasant, but they definitely step on each other’s toes a bit. I thought this issue carried the character work for the different Doctors beautifully. The Eighth Doctor as a character is so much more emotionally open and vulnerable, whereas the Eleventh Doctor is definitely notorious for suppressing his darker and more unpleasant feelings. Empire of the Wolf clearly understands their personalities and how to bring them into a story. 

(Also, as an Eighth Doctor fan, I love stories that explore the nuance of his emotional vulnerability, and don’t act like he hasn’t suffered at all just because he’s pre-Time War. In this issue Eight immediately clocks that Eleven has suffered a recent loss, and calls him out on his behavior as a result. It was one of my favorite moments of the issue.)

Plot-and-action wise, this issue is pretty light. Technically, not too much happens beyond the characters arriving on Creerm and meeting each other. But again, these interactions really drive these kinds of stories. The character work feels natural and well-thought out. I’m excited to see how the team comes together to bring down the Empire while saving the Empress.

Get your first look at Doctor Who: Empire of the Wolf issue #2 in the preview pages below.

Doctor Who: Empire of the Wolf #2 is available from Titan Comics now.

You can also learn more about the story from our interview with series writer Jody Houser.

Series Info

Description: Trapped in a parallel universe, Rose Tyler believed her adventures with the Doctor were over. Now, pulled by a mysterious energy into this reality, she must work with the Doctors (Matt Smith and Paul McGann) to end the tyrannical rule of the warmongering BAD WOLF EMPRESS! 

Author: Jody Houser

Artist: Roberta Ingranata

Release: Monthly (Issue #1 November 17, 2021)