Originally published November 16, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
Tony Black reviews Doctor Who: Supremacy of the Cybermen #5…
The storming conclusion to the 2016 Event! Universes will live and die, and timelines will be changed for ever. You MUST NOT MISS this staggering finale!
So the conclusion of Doctor Who: Supremacy of the Cybermen hinges on a delicious irony which underpins what, in some respects, could be considered a sequel to season 9 finale ‘Hell Bent’ now the day is done, or at least a little side journey. George Mann & Cavan Scott complete their epic, Doctor-spanning story without delivering a hoped for meeting of all four Doctors involved in the same room, but rather focusing heavily on the Twelfth Doctor and his radical method for preventing the creation of the Cyberiad, the ultimate Cyberman conversion of reality using Time Lord energy. A tall order but one he manages through an enjoyable central choice and message which is refreshing, even if by the end the entire story is effectively retconned.
That had to happen in many respects, this was just too big a universe shattering tale to become part of the Doctor’s story and have repercussions, given it brings all of reality almost to the end of existence. The other Doctors play their part here of course but their involvement is slim, given they’re now historical Doctors in what is essentially a post-s9 problem and Scott & Mann had pushed all of them into a climatic point of no return – the Ninth Doctor planning to destroy the Earth, the Tenth using Cyber-technology against them on Sontar, and the Eleventh channeling positive vibes through Cyber-energy in prehistoric Earth. It takes our current Doctor, alongside the fooled and foolish Rassilon, to come up with a timey wimey solution which is typically Doctor Who bonkers and few other shows would honestly get away with. It works, just about, and thankfully one Doctor at least doesn’t forget what almost happened.
Though not really ever feeling like a meal broken up into issues, as a whole Supremacy of the Cybermen has been an enjoyably epic comic book run, with some great artwork on the whole and a story which takes all the best Who tropes and dials them up to eleven. The denouement is very Doctor Who at its most modern, filled with piss and vinegar, but it brings this large scale tale to an enjoyable conclusion. A five part run worth the time of any Whovian, especially one following all of the comic runs.
Rating: 7/10
Tony Black
