Fans of Dr. Who will be familiar with the Paradise Towers, those residential apartment buildings that have been home for young and old. UK publishers Cutaway Comics has gone back to the Towers, with Paradise Towers: Paradise Found #1.
Writer Sean Mason (Theatre and screenwriter, etc) sets the scene for us, where we join Viv-2, a young Kang, bored and restless. Unfortunately, to be young and restless in Paradise Towers is a bad idea, and Viv-2 soon lands in deep trouble. Meanwhile, Bubble Wrap, another young woman, has gone missing. What is going on in Paradise Towers???
It’s well-told, even to new ‘non-Doctor’ readers like me. Mason skillfully brings us up to speed and then deals the heavy cards of drama and conflict. Mason carefully composes his character dialogue, a Paradise Tower-specific slang that takes a bit of time for us to acclimatize ourselves to, and provides wonderful story beats.
Artist Silvano Beltramo (Antarctic Press, AC Comics, etc) produces strongly choreographed action, clearly delineated characters, and lots of spooky surroundings. The panels flow seamlessly, pulling us into the drama. And what a collection of dramatic characters it is: the Kang women, the residents of Paradise Towers, the senior security officials, and so on. Colours by Andrew Orton, lettering by Colin Brockhurst.
Bonus features include Graeme Curry’s Happiness Patrol, and Paradise Towers: Paradise Before, Part one, plus an interview with Stephen Wyatt. Well worth reading.
When you purchase the physical printed comic from the Cutaway Comics website, you receive a bonus DVD, containing:
- Audio Content – Newly Recorded commentary for Doctor Who: “Time and the Rani”, with Andrew Cartmel and Karen Clegg, moderated by the BFI’s Justin Johnson
- Video Content – Commentary for Issue 1 of Paradise Towers with Sean Mason (Writer)
- Video Content – An Afternoon with the Script Doctor: Andrew Cartmel in Conversation
Cutaway Comics, Paradise Towers: Paradise Found #1 (of 4), $6.75 US plus shipping, for 36 pages plus DVD.
Available directly from https://www.cutawaycomics.co.uk/publications/paradise-towers
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