Doctor Who Omnibus, Vol. 2
Written by Tony Lee, Jonathan L. Davis, Matthew Dow Smith, Al Davison, Matt Sturges
Illustrated by Al Davison, Matthew Dow Smith, Blair Shedd, Kelly Yates, Brian Shearer
Colored by Lovern Kindzierski, Charlie Kirchoff, Phil Elliot, Al Davison, Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by Chris Mowry, Robbie Robbins, Neil Uyetake, Al Davison, Shawn Lee
Cover by Tony Lee Edwards
IDW Publishing
Release Date: October 23, 2013
Cover Price: $29.99

Doctor Who Omnibus, Vol. 2 is a massive collection featuring the tenth Doctor, as portrayed by David Tennant. It collects issues #1-16, as well as the 2010 annual comic, and an eleventh doctor story, “A Fairytale Life.”

Now, I’m a pretty big Doctor Who fan, and the tenth doctor is my favorite, but this collection largely fails to capture that Whovian magic I was looking for. I would have expected to have larger, more explosive stories in a comic because the special effects budget has no limits, but I found the majority of the stories were contained to a handful of “sets” and sometimes felt claustrophobic.

MacGyver: The Fugitive Gauntlet #5
Written by Lee David Zlotoff & Tony Lee
Art by Will Sliney
Colors by Owen Jollands
Letters by Aditya Bidikar
Cover by Andie Tong & Ciaran Lucas
Image Comics
Release Date: February 27, 2013
Cover Price: $3.50

MacGyver: The Fugitive Gauntlet #5 is bittersweet. I’ve loved this series SO MUCH, that while I’m excited to see how everything concludes, I’m sorry to see this miniseries end.

For the past four issues Lee David Zlotoff and Tony Lee have written an absolute perfect comic book based on the television series with all the hallmarks and standards of the MacGyver television show, and this issue is no exception. Everything comes to a head this issue, and it’s a great wrap up to the series. There’s TONS of twists and turns and some classic MacGyver gadget-making and using household cleaning tools to do some amazing feats. It’s very well written and just when you think things are settled, we get another few pages of wrap up. A great ending to this series.

MacGyver: The Fugitive Gauntlet #4
Written by Lee David Zlotoff & Tony Lee
Pencils/Inks by Will Sliney
Colors by Owen Jollands
Letters by Aditya Bidikar
Cover by Andie Tong & Ciaran Lucas
Consulting editor: John Potter
Image Comics
Release Date: January 30, 2013
Cover Price: $3.50

Wow! You get more action in MacGyver: The Fugitive Gauntlet #4 than you do in most action movies! It’s a great read, just like the previous 3 issues, and the next issue can’t get here fast enough.

I hope writers Lee David Zlotoff & Tony Lee plan on doing an ongoing MacGyver series. Or, at the very least, one mini-series a year. I really need my MacGyver fix after reading this series. This issue, like the ones before it, is packed with action, drama, fun, and…knowledge! I now know how to make tear gas and smoke bombs out of household items. You’ve been warned. This is CLASSIC MacGyver. Inventions, betrayal, drama, action, this book has got it all. One of the most entertaining books I’ve read in quite a while.

MacGyver: Fugitive Gauntlet #3
Written by Lee David Zlotoff & Tony Lee
Pencils/Inks Will Sliney
Colors by Owen Jollands
Letters by Aditya Bidikar
Cover by Andy Tong & Ciaran Lucas
Consulting Editor John Potter
Image Comics
Release Date: December 19, 2012
Cover Price: $2.99

MacGyver: Fugitive Gauntlet #3 finds Mac running around a lot. And I mean A LOT. Wouldn’t have it any other way, as this is vintage MacGyver! This issue has more cliffhangers than a Back to the Future movie. And all the trademark MacGyver things that you want to see are right here in this issue. Heck, the mullet even makes an appearance!

Authors Lee David Zlotoff and Tony Lee have mastered the art of pacing in an action/adventure comic. This issue is all suspense and barely escapes, which makes it such a pleasure to read. To say that this is a “page turner” would be the understatement of the year. In this issue, Mac is all over the place. Egypt, Russia, and every place in between. We get some great history of the character, all mixed in naturally with no jarring scene changes or flashback, everything has a very smooth feel to it.

MacGyver: Fugitive Gauntlet #1
Written by Tony Lee & Lee David Zlotoff
Pencils & Inks by Will Sliney
Colors by Ciaran Lucas
Letters by Aditya Bidikar
Cover by Andie Tong & Ciaran Lucas
Image Comics
Release Date: October 10, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

In the world of licensed comics, there’s the good, the bad, and the awesome. Sometimes a writer loves the franchise a little TOO much, and more often than not, that leads to bad comics. In other cases, the writer knows NOTHING about the franchise and that leads to a lack of proper characterization and messy story lines. Then, there’s cases where the creative team is dead on perfect for the property and everything meshes into a beautiful blend of a great story, awesome art, and it makes pretty much the perfectly enjoyable comic book. Thankfully, MacGyer #1 is that comic.