Script: Scott Gray Art: Martin Geraghty
The Mexican Fish by Noe Geric 11/5/21
In the third of the ''Izzy is now in Destrii's body'' stories, the Doctor takes his companion to Mexico in 1941 and meets artists Diego Riviera and Frida Khalo, who are real historical artists. They must face a creature that turns death into an art. Of course, the story tries to be a standalone but add some elements of the main arc to it, and it works extremely well! I've no particular complaint; it's a fun adventure in a big story arc, like in the Moffat series. And so far, every Eighth Doctor comic strip arc has worked well. The Threshold adventures had the biggest twist ever with the Doctor's fake regeneration, The Glorious Dead saw the Master come back in an epic finale, and now the Izzy/Destrii arc is on track to be even better. It's a shame that it's the last story arc before the strip became only a succession of standalone stories with the Doctor travelling alone.
The artwork for The Way of All Flesh is excellent. Martin Geraghty is my favorite artist of the strip and will remain so until someone can deliver better than his detailed and inspired drawings. While Diego and Frida look exactly like the real artists, the monsters are incredibly creepy. The scene where two old people are turned into skeletons to be eaten by a twisted ghost of (what is apparently) their son is absolutely terrifying and drawn with great talent. That scene has a big place in my heart, next to the Jackie-Tyler-kisses-the-Doctor panel.
The script is a mix of alien invasion, mad artist stuff and historical lesson. We learn a lot about Frida and Diego across the four episodes; the research for the story is complete, and nothing is said without a reason. The parallel between Izzy's situation and Frida's terrible car accident when she was young is a nice little addition. Characterization is on top form, and Izzy feels as if she has lost her humanity forever when the last picture of her body is destroyed.
Conclusion: the script is interesting, the artwork is perfect, and the arc seems to move forward. The 8th Doctor comic strips are a nearly perfect run, with Martin Geragthy at the drawings and Alan Barnes/Scott Gray at the script. From Endgame to Oblivion, it feels like the TV series the 8th Doctor never had. Quality stuff from beginning to end: 9/10