Doctor Who Circuit Breaker #2 Cover Preview

 

Cover A: Nipuni

As the head of UNIT's Black Archive, Osgood is responsible for returning artifacts corrupted by dangerous energy to their proper place in time. Her assistant, Andrew, invented the Resistor to facilitate their return, and strip the objects of the energy that threatens the fabric of reality. Osgood and Andrew have enlisted the earliest known Doctor to return these corrupted relics. But this Doctor is even more unpredictable than her later incarnations. 

After the Fugitive Doctor's mission to Thessaloniki in ancient Greece, where will the next alien artifact take her? And who observed the Doctor's attempts to protect the Humans and the Metiki from a Dalek scout?

Here's all the info from Titan Comics:

 

Doctor Who: Circuit Breaker #2 (Of 2)

Writers: Dan Watters & Dulce M. Montoya

Artists: Roberta Ingranata, Sami Kivelä, Valentina Bianconi

Cover Artists: Nipuni, Kit Wallis & Flops

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $6.99

Comic Description: 48 Pages, Full Color

Release Date: August 5, 2026 

 

The Doctor travels to the war-ravaged world of Skaro as she battles the Daleks with the fate of their Kaled forebears at stake!

 

 

Here are more cover options:

 

 

 

Cover B: Photo

 

Cover C: Kit Wallis

Also Available:

 

Cover D: Flops

Cover E: Flops - Color Your Own

 

 

Thanks to Titan Comics for sharing this cover preview with us.

 

 

For what happened last time see my review of Doctor Who Circuit Breaker #1. 

 

For the previous Doctor Who story, see my review of Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox TP. 

 

Craniacs Vol 1 Review

 

Craniacs Vol 1 Review

Creators: Ira Friedman & Joe Simko

Writer: Sholly Fisch

Artist & Cover Artist: Joe Simko

Colorist: Valentina Bianconi

Letterer: Dave Lentz

Editor: Jonathan Wilkins

Designer: Matt Bookman

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $17.99

Release Date: July 21, 2026

 

As the chieftain's son, Rocky has a duty to be the best smasher around. When he's not smashing things with his club or playing drums along to the latest Ozzy Ozbone single, Rocky hangs out with Phoebe, an artist who enjoys painting murals on boulders.

 

While Rocky and Phoebe enjoy their days in Retrovia, Bo and Darby zoom through the skies of Futurra on their hoverboard and hover skates. The competitive children are always looking for the next challenge. How will they react when they meet Rocky and Phoebe? And can Retrovia and Futurra survive when their two worlds collide? Let’s leap into Craniacs Vol 1 and see!

 

Story

Rocky wakes up on Shatterday to find his mother stomping on Devan's plans for the day's ceremony. When Chieftain Riley insists her son take a bath, Rocky reluctantly heads to the lake, where he also captures a fish for breakfast. Then he takes a ride to school along with Phoebe, where they sit around a campfire while their leader tells them about Shatterday.

 

In Craniacs Vol 1, Bo dashes out of his bedroom when he awakens. He doesn't have time to sit down for breakfast like his sister. But as he rushes off to school on his hoverboard, his sister follows him on her hoverskates. Their friends at school catch a glimpse of the race as they ride in the hoverbus to Napoleon Bone-Apart Skullastic Middle School. In the classroom, their teacher tells them about Shatterday, which celebrates the day two planets became one.

 

Unfortunately, no one regards the joining as a good thing. In Sholly Fisch's story, the leaders of both worlds view their counterparts with suspicion. But for the kids, it's just another day. When Phoebe finds the perfect spot for her next mural, she invites Rocky to see it. In Futurra, Darby dares Bo to brave the dangers of Retrovia.

 

When the four children meet, they view the strangers through the lenses of their cultural biases. As Rocky, Phoebe, Bo, and Darby get to know each other, they discover that their two worlds have much to offer each other. But to continue having fun together, the children must keep their friendships a secret in Craniacs Vol 1.

 

Art

Joe Simko introduces the cast with a series of trading cards. Rocky sleeps in a hammock, clutching drumsticks. While a Craniac skull supports a lamp, his mother reclines on a throne of dinosaur skulls. Despite their closeness to nature, a prehistoric creature repurposed as a school bus sports exhaust pipes. And as the schoolteacher teaches his students, a hologram appears above a firepit.

 

When Bo rises from a bathtub-shaped bed, last night's snacks rest on a hovering end table. He dashes into the kitchen, plucking his helmet from a hovering bowl not laden with fruit or packaged food. While Valentina Bianconi enhances both worlds with vibrant color, purple adorns Rocky and Riley's skin. The flagstones and the cliff bearing Phoebe's mural are purple. As Bo and Darby soar above hovering vehicles and fly past (or through) purple towers, Bo’s blue coloring and Darby’s green helmet and clothes suggest that the Futurrans also retain a closeness to nature.

 

Dave Lentz fills white balloons and colored boxes with black and colored uppercase letters. The letters grow bold and swell with raised voices. Lowercase letters represent lowered voices. Electrifying colorful dialogue accompanies the kids’ youthful exuberance for life, phone calls from worried parents, and a bird’s wake-up call. Colorful sound effects amplify Rocky and Riley's smashing, Bo and Darby's race past honking vehicles, competitive water sports, and Phoebe's favorite new art form. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

At first glance, Retrovia and Future have nothing in common. Each culture blames the other for having to share their divided world. Most children accept their cultures' teachings and observe the warning signs lining the border. Their parents may fear their neighbors. Still, the rulers' children decide to forge a better future for their world in Craniacs Vol 1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Craniacs Vol 1. 

Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox TP Review

 

Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox TP Review

Writer: Dan Watters

Artist: Sami Kivelä

Colorist: Valentina Bianconi

Letterers: Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith

Cover Artist: Nipuni

Editor: Jonathan H Wilkins

Art Director: Oz Browne

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $17.99

Release Date: July 21, 2026

 

The Doctor has worn many faces and lived many lives. In his current incarnation, he has loved and lost. Given his abilities to travel through time and his extraordinarily long life, a companion helps him remember all the people who need his help. After Earth’s sun went nova, the Doctor and his companion freed its remaining inhabitants and reunited a little, lost girl with her parents. Where will the Doctor travel next? And who will help him rescue people in need? Let’s grab our sonic screwdrivers, leap into Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox TP, and see!

 

Story

After robots abducted her, the Doctor was trying to help Belinda Chandra return home. But something was shielding the Earth from his TARDIS’ navigational computers. Then, amid their search for Earth, Shadow Proclamation agents abducted the Human nurse. While Earth hides, the Doctor tracks his abducted companion to the Panoptopolis, a space station that orbits a black hole. No one who arrives there ever leaves. Still, that won’t deter the Doctor from rescuing his companion.

 

Yet in Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox TP, Belinda isn’t his companion. The Doctor arrives on a prison shuttle with a cyborg, a Tentaculon, an Adipose, and a member of the Slitheen family. And when Security drags the new arrivals to Interrogation because of an irregular energy reading, H-8 the Living Gun, Methelough, Annie, and Felik decide they’re better off with the Doctor than going it alone in the Prison’s Gen Pop.

 

Dan Watters’ story contrasts the Doctor with the Warden of Panoptopolis. While the Doctor has lived for centuries, the Warden has ruled the maximum-security establishment for 800 years. Due to the Black Hole's gravity, uncrewed shuttles bring new inmates and supplies. The Warden can always shoot troublesome prisoners into the singularity. But the inhabitants, the Gravelyte guards, and the Warden can never leave.

 

As the Doctor and his new companions set off to find the Warden’s office, they must brave inmates who prey on their fellow captives. The Doctor points out that he and H-8 have slightly different life philosophies. But as his new companions aid him in his search for the Human nurse, the Doctor’s words and actions prompt them to reflect on their past. Yet while his new companions ponder how they might live differently, Belinda Chandra sits in the Warden’s office. And the only thing that keeps her breathing is her ability to entertain the bored ruler of his forever home in Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox TP.

 

Art

Sami Kivelä surrounds the ringed space station with inset panels of the arriving shuttle and a view inside. The Doctor sits on a bench, his hands chained to the floor, beside a tooth-like Adipose and gassy, green Sliveen. Seated nearer the hatch, a purple cephalopod and a multi-armed cyborg frame the trio. Rock-creatures with horns direct them inside with their cattle prods. Before mingling with the rest of the prison population in the dining hall, the Doctor gazes up at an eyeball security camera. Then, he demands they release one of their prisoners to him.

 

Valentina Bianconi links the Doctor's orange-brown coat with the orange-tan rocky guards. With a purple Tentaculon and a green Sliveen for company, the fashion-conscious Doctor stands out among the prisoners and guards in Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox TP. Yellow makes its presence felt in this lavishly colored story. The latest visitors enter beneath a yellow-and-black warning line. They pass through a brownish-yellow hall. The rock guards scan a white card adorned with yellow. As they enter a cafeteria filled with inmates wearing yellow coveralls, a yellow-eyed security camera watches them. Yet red will fill the air and make its presence felt, all too soon.

 

Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith fill white dialogue balloons with uppercase black dialogue. The narrator speaks into light-yellow boxes, while the rocky guards use cloudy, light-yellow balloons. The words grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. Sound effects enhance battles and put would-be rescuers at ease. Yet a lowly character speaks the loudest, even if it is a squeak. The tightly bound trade paperback features glossy paper and doesn’t obscure the art near the gutter. A cover gallery and pages from Sami Kivelä’s notebook fill out this trade paperback. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a physical review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

The Panoptopolis holds many dangerous prisoners. But none of them are as dangerous as the guards or as ruthless as the Warden. In this story about the temptations and abuses of power, the Doctor inspires the imprisoned to ignore their fears in Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox TP.

 

Rating 9.8/10

Doctor Who Circuit Breaker: Adversary of the Daleks #1 Review

 

Doctor Who Circuit Breaker: Adversary of the Daleks #1 Review

Writers: Dulce M Montoya & Dan Watters

Artist: Robert Ingranata

Colorist: Valentina Bianconi

Letterer: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith

Editor: Jonathan H Wilkins

Cover Artists: Jay Anacleto, Photo, Robert Sienicki & Flops

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $6.99

Release Date: July 8, 2026

 

Time Travel is a tricky business. Forget stepping on a Butterfly. You can change someone’s life with a harsh word or a smile. And then there are the things we touch or take with us when we leave. Thankfully, there is an organization that keeps track of all these ripples in spacetime. The Unified Intelligence Taskforce safeguards the people of Earth from alien invasions, scheming mad scientists, and interference in the timestream. But how is UNIT watching over us? And who helps them prevent reality-shattering paradoxes? Let’s leap into Doctor Who Circuit Breaker: Adversary of the Daleks #1 and see!

 

Story

Osgood and Andrew were looking forward to working with the Doctor. But they didn't realize that the Fugitive Doctor would assist them. Unlike the others the Doctors have met, the Fugitive Doctor doesn't know about her other incarnations. Nor does she care what Osgood and Andrew think of her. She has a job to do, and she's doing it her way.

 

UNIT has amassed a storehouse of items from other planets and time periods. In Doctor Who Circuit Breaker: Adversary of the Daleks #1, the Fugitive Doctor must assess where they belong. When she takes each item to her TARDIS, it transports her to the general area where the item belongs. But the Doctor doesn't know who to return it to.

 

Dulce M Montoya and Dan Watters' story transports the Fugitive Doctor to ancient Greece. Instead of arriving amid the Trojan War, she finds a land at peace. The local town has a bustling marketplace. And the locals bring their offerings to Zeus' temple, even if it leaves them with little to eat themselves. Unfortunately, no one there recognizes the item the Fugitive Doctor is trying to return. And after seeing a man faint with hunger, she cannot help but hike up to Mount Olympus to discuss the gods' reliance on the locals' generosity.

 

The Fugitive Doctor arrived in Greece under a cloud, as Osgood and Andrew worried that her last mission might initiate a civil war. But the Doctor can't help their worries. They cannot blame her for other people's irrational actions. As the Doctor attempts to rectify the problems threatening peace in ancient Greece, she tries to help people work together to better their lives. But while an unseen party observes, the Doctor fails to recognize that not everyone shares her definition of reasonable behavior in Doctor Who Circuit Breaker: Adversary of the Daleks #1.

 

Art

After a view from space of other planets, the Doctor, Osgood, and Andrew walk between tall rows of open shelving. The Doctor plucks a pair of alien glasses and tries them on. Osgood rips them away from her. The Doctor frowns and looks away, her body language defensive. Then, the Doctor’s eyes fix on an item crackling with energy set on a high shelf. She runs outside, past the trees rising above a fence, and into her blue police box. The shape of the ceiling and the double-hexagon shadow on the floor evoke the First Doctor’s TARDIS. Then, as she sets the Dalek gun on the console, the Doctor sets her coordinates and pulls a lever as the weapon crackles with energy.

 

As Robert Ingranata portrays the Doctor amid pastoral splendor, Valentina Bianconi adorns Doctor Who Circuit Breaker: Adversary of the Daleks #1 with vibrant colors. The surrounding hills and trees recall the greenery beyond the UNIT base. The white-robed people in the fields seem as innocent as the grazing sheep. Villagers wear browns and pastels, while some in the market dress in more vibrant colors. She may be the Fugitive Doctor. Yet the Time Lord's bright purple hat and suit, accentuated with a multicolored blouse and hatband, command people's attention.

 

Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith fill white and green balloons and boxes with black uppercase dialogue. Raised voices enlarge words and turn balloons spiky. Giant white letters warn the Doctor of approaching danger, while giant red letters accompany its arrival. She faced down a red apple with certainty. But the Fugitive Doctor finds another red menace more difficult to reason with, even if it speaks in a font befitting the birthplace of modern philosophy. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

The Fugitive Doctor recognizes she needs to work on her people skills. Yet she doesn’t understand why people can’t get along. As she goes about her job, trying to prevent world-threatening paradoxes, she struggles to see things from other people’s perspectives. Still, she tries to help, even if success seems unlikely, in Doctor Who Circuit Breaker: Adversary of the Daleks #1.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Doctor Who Circuit Breaker: Adversaryof the Daleks #1. 

 

Doctor Who Circuit Breaker: Adversary of the Daleks #1 Preview

 

COVER A: JAY ANACLETO

When the BBC shut down TV production after the Seventh Doctor and Ace's final onscreen adventures in 1989, work began on making a Doctor Who movie. As the property drifted between filmmakers and studios, all the scripts had one idea in common. Hollywood was fascinated with the Daleks. They just didn't know how to reinvent them for the big screen. 

Perhaps it's just as well the Daleks didn't feature in the 1996 American-made Eighth Doctor TV pilot, as the series eventual return to the BBC in 2005 proved that the Daleks didn't need to be reinvented. They were still capable of turning the Doctor's life inside out, and endangering the Earth, whenever they wished.

Yet every time they've appeared, each Doctor Who story has explored new aspects of the Daleks. What changes will the Daleks demonstrate when the Doctor discovers them meddling in Earth's past? And can the Doctor prevent them from destroying our future?

Here's all the info from Titan Comics: 

DOCTOR WHO: CIRCUIT BREAKER – ADVERSARY OF THE DALEKS

Writers: Dan Watters & Dulce M. Montoya

Artists: Roberta Ingranata, Sami Kivelä & Valentina Bianconi

Publisher: Titan Comics

Issue Length: 48 Pages (Full Color)

Price: $6.99

Release Date: July 8, 2026 

 

THE DALEKS ARE BACK! Titan Comics is thrilled to announce their involvement in the Doctor Who: Circuit Breaker mixed-media event, with TWO comics and an all-new graphic novel which will feature the Fugitive Doctor’s first encounter with the Daleks!

With Issue #1 launching the first full adventure of the epic Circuit Breaker mixed-media event, Titan will publish two thrilling adventures that send the Doctor across time and space into her deadliest conflict yet. In Adversary of the Daleks, the Doctor arrives in Thessaloniki in ancient Greece where she discovers that even the gods fear strange visitors from across the universe.

While in Dawn of the Daleks, the Doctor travels to the war-ravaged world of Skaro as the Doctor battles the Daleks with the fate of their Kaled forebears at stake!

Written by acclaimed comics writers Dulce M. Montoya and Dan Watters (Batman: Dark Patterns, Nightwing) - and brought to life by stunning artwork from Sami Kivelä (Undone by Blood), these comics will be a must-read for fans of Doctor Who, science fiction, and epic intergalactic adventures. 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B: PHOTO

 

COVER C: ROBERT SIENICKI

 

 

COVER D: FLOPS

 

COVER E: FLOPS - COLOUR YOUR OWN VARIANT

 

Jay Anacleto Inks Cover

 

 

Here's the full list of cover options for both issues:

 

ISSUE 1:

COVER A: JAY ANACLETO

COVER B: PHOTO

COVER C: ROBERT SIENICKI

COVER D: FLOPS

COVER E: FLOPS - COLOUR YOUR OWN VARIANT

 

ISSUE 2:

COVER A: NIPUNI

COVER B: PHOTO

COVER C: KIT WALLIS

COVER D: FLOPS

COVER E: FLOPS

Doctor Who: Circuit Breaker: Adversary of the Daleks #1 will be released on July 8, 2026, with Issue #2 on August 5, 2026, and the Graphic Novel to follow on the December 2, 2026. 

Thanks to Titan Comics for sharing this preview with us.

Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox #3 Review

 

Writer: Dan Watters

Artist: Sami Kivelä

Colorist: Valentina Bianconi

Letterers: Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith

Cover Artists: VV Glass, Photo & Sami Kivelä

Editor: Jonathan H Wilkins

Art Director: Oz Browne

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 21, 2026

 

After robots abducted Belinda Chandra, the Doctor tried to return her to Earth. When locating his favorite planet proved difficult, he landed the TARDIS on Clithrow. But while the Doctor took a vindicator reading, Shadow Proclamation agents whisked Belinda off to the Panoptopolis, the escape-proof prison orbiting a black hole.

 

Like CIA agent Snow, the Doctor sneaks into the Panoptopolis on a rescue mission. But can he rescue Belinda from a prison holding more species than space penitentiary MS One? And does the Doctor prefer Luc Besson movies to Roald Dahl adaptations? Let’s grab our sonic screwdrivers, leap into Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox #3, and see!

 

Story

H-8, the living weapon, fell while helping the Doctor escape the Gravelyte guards. Methelough, the Tentaculon who devoured its siblings at birth, fell before its Zygon pursuers. So, as the Doctor prepares to enter a wing filled with dangerous inmates, only Felik the Slitheen and Annie the Adipose accompany him. And while Felik is the larger of the two, the pirate wonders if uniting under the Doctor’s banner was wise.

 

As in the last issue, Dan Watters narrates events from an omniscient perspective. But instead of relating insights from Methelough’s point of view, he filters the Doctor's journey from Annie's worldview. Like Groot, Annie's ability to communicate with non-Adipose species is limited. But even though she is composed of lipids, Annie demonstrates that she has a heart in Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox #3.

 

While addressing what makes the Adipose tick and how other species regard them, the Doctor encounters a danger that wouldn't win entry to the Second Doctor's Monster of the Week ranks. The Doctor also expresses his concern for his squad. Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox #3 may not rack up as high a kill count as classic stories like Warriors of the Deep or Attack of the Cybermen. Still, as the Doctor reminds Felik and Annie, not all the inmates snuck aboard to rescue innocent victims. Nor may they prove as amenable to joining their rescue squad.

 

Art

While Sami Kivelä compares a sleeping baby and cuddly bunnies with Annie, Felik’s eyepatch and claws reinforce the image of a predator. Annie may be tiny compared with the Slitheen. But she gazes up at her ally with a scowl when the Adipose hears something she dislikes. The Doctor flashes a radiant smile as he studies his sonic screwdriver. But he glances back to deliver a warning before placing a hand on a glowing scanner.

 

Valentina Bianconi lavishes a loaded palette of bright and attractive colors on Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox #3. Clad in his long brown coat, the stylish Fifteenth Doctor ventures into danger, followed by the green Slitheen and white Adipose. Red light fills a room filled with containment cells. A spinning fan evokes the Ninth Doctor's journey through Platform One with Jabe, the sentient tree. Yellow links the floor lighting and the yellow hand scanner with the yellow eyes inside each surveillance camera. But purple signals danger as the Doctor travels toward the Warden's yellow office.

 

Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith fill white dialogue balloons with carefully hand-written uppercase black dialogue. The narrator speaks closely spaced lines of text into light-yellow boxes. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and never shrink. Yet the diminutive character most species disdain captures readers' hearts with her big squeaks. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Fighting their way through a maximum-security prison was always going to be dangerous. But while the Doctor fears his allies will succumb to their baser natures, the inmates show a surprising ability to rise above their self-serving ways in Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox #3.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox #3.

Craniacs #2 Review

 

Creators: Ira Friedman & Joe Simko

Writer: Sholly Fisch

Artist: Joe Simko

Colorist: Valentina Bianconi

Letterer: Dave Lentz

Cover Artists: Joe Simko, Kit Wallis & Mark Ellerby

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 12, 2025

 

Rocky loves drumming and smashing. Phoebe is an artist and activist. But after winning yet another game of chess by smashing the gameboard, Rocky is bored. So, he accompanies his friend Phoebe to the sight of her next mural.

 

Bo loves competing. His sister Darby, is a thrill seeker. After celebrating Shatterday at Napoleon Bone-Apart Skullastic Middle School, Darby dares Bo to approach the border. What happens when the son and daughter of Futurra’s president venture over the border and get lost? Will the young Retrovian Rocky smash the Futurran foreigners? Or might Phoebe feature them in her upcoming mural? Let’s grab our trading cards, leap into Craniacs #2, and see!

 

Story

When Rocky and Phoebe meet Bo and Darby, everyone hides. But as curiosity overcomes fear, they explore their differences. The kids discover they have similar interests, even if their societies express them in different ways. After a day of playing together, Darby concocts a plan. Rocky will guide her through Retrovia, and Bo will escort Phoebe to Futurra.

 

In Craniacs #2, Darby and Phoebe wear disguises to blend into these different societies. Phoebe discovers that, aside from the technological differences of Futurra, the kids there still enjoy art. Rocky shares his passion for music with Darby. The thrill seeker likes rock music, but the Retrovian concert energizes her like never before. As they discover the differences in their societies, the kids make new friends. And it’s not long before children in each society see Darby and Rocky, and Bo and Phoebe, having fun together, despite Retrovia and Futurra’s proscriptions against intermingling.

 

While Bo and Rocky think of themselves as leaders, Darby instigates the first border incursion. Letting the boys remain in their worlds, she convinces Phoebe to cross the border in disguise. As the girls provide the impetus for exploring other cultures in Sholly Fisch's story, they also inspire other kids to intermingle.

 

While the kids enjoy playing together and exploring each other’s worlds, Rocky’s mother and Bo and Darby’s father eventually notice that their children aren’t following their usual pursuits. Riley and Alex are the leaders of their respective cultures. In Craniacs #2, the Retrovians’ Grand Chieftain and Futurran President Alex wonder what their kids are getting up to.

 

Art

Although the Craniacs’ skin wraps tightly over their skulls, the characters have no trouble expressing their emotions as they discover Retrovians and Futurrans can have fun together. Rocky sports purple skin and carries a club or drumsticks. Phoebe is a blonde with a pink streak in her upturned hair, while a red horizontal stripe crosses her eyes. A blue-and-red racing stripe runs diagonally across Bo's features. Darby wears rollerskates and a helmet.

 

Valentina Bianconi lavishes a beautiful palette of vivid colors on Craniacs #2, while Joe Simko places his engaging characters in eye-catching settings. Vehicles fly through the sky in Futurra, where President Alex strides through the city as a giant hologram. Compared with the Jetsons or the Back to the Future 2 world of Futurra, Retrovia evokes the Disneyland Jungle Cruise. And after rocking out at an open-air concert, no trip to Retrovia would be complete without enjoying a Tiki Tonic in The Shrunken Skull. Operated by a Retrovian boy, the lounge rivals Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room with its enchanting ambiance.

 

Dave Lentz fills white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with black and colored uppercase letters. The letters turn gray and lowercase for lowered voices, while smaller uppercase letters indicate distant voices. Heightened emotions prompt words to swell and change color, deforming balloons in the process. But despite the hovering skull signs that warn citizens of the dangers of crossing the border, sound effects accompany the joys of exploring other cultures in Craniacs #2. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy. 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

The Retrovians teach their children the joys of nature. The Futurrans share their love of technology with their children. Each culture teaches its children to hate and fear the other. Yet the ancient site that marks the forcible merger of their worlds could help the two societies to form a more amicable bond in Craniacs #2.

 

Rating 9.8/10