Doctor Who – The Tenth Doctor: Facing Fate Volume 2: Vortex Butterflies

The TARDIS crew has had a rough time of late, so the Tenth Doctor leaves Gabby and Cindy in 2009 London for a bit to recuperate while he investigates a hiccup in the TARDIS systems. As Gabby and Cindy meet and learn from one of the Doctor’s oldest friends, the Doctor follows a hidden message to the emptiest part of space, discovering the source of the TARDIS’s troubles: a dangerous, elusive entity that might know him better than he knows himself.

Vortex Butterflies is a tale of two plotlines, one ambitious and confusing, the other heartfelt and enrapturing. Cindy and Gabby’s plotline is more meditative than most Doctor Who stories since it’s all about downtime, processing what it means to be a companion, to travel with the Doctor, to experience the incredible, impossible adventures that make up the Doctor’s daily life. The conversations that ensue add real depth to the characters, and the companions have rarely had a better chance to shine than they do here.

And while the Doctor’s plotline is mind-bending, it’s also gorgeous, as the artistic team really gets to take over, creating an ethereal threat that’s among the most beautiful images ever seen in a Doctor Who story.