Nick Abadzis Talks Titan's Tenth Doctor

It’s not every day that you get to write about a character that’s known around the world. So when the opportunity presents itself, you step it up a notch. Nick Abadzis certainly did. With his work on Doctor Who 10^TH Volume 1: Revolutions Terror HC (SEP141636), Nick hit the ground running, and never hesitated. We caught up with the writer this past month, and asked him a few questions about his latest writing assignment for Doctor Who.

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PREVIEWSworld: What’s the attraction for you to work on a Doctor Who book?

Nick Abadzis: I’m a lifelong Doctor Who fan and it’s the most flexible storytelling format ever invented. I’m very happy and honored to contribute to the unfolding mythology.

PREVIEWSworld: What do you like about this particular incarnation of the Doctor?

Nick Abadzis: He gives any story a certain momentum right away, because he’s so energetic and intense. I like the romance of him, the fact that he’s both a tortured soul and a hero, a war survivor, and a fairly flawed being, albeit one who always strives to do the right thing. He doesn’t get everything right, but he always works very hard to save the day – he’s not great on the human details because he’s always seeing the bigger picture.

PREVIEWSworld: When you put together the script for this book, did you hammer it out all at once, or did things change along the way?

Nick Abadzis: I planned the first three issues and wrote those all at the same time – one long story. The second story (two issues) came along a little later and I drew a whole plan of that, of the sketchbook sequences, which Elena and Arianna used as a blueprint for how each page would look. I always have an outline but I try not to stick to it too rigidly as that doesn’t allow for happy storytelling accidents and you do have to go where the characters are taking you. You loosen some bits and tighten other bits of the narrative – a bit like the Doctor, if the Doctor were a writer whose TARDIS is his own mind.

PREVIEWSworld: If you had to give a presentation at a panel, how would you describe this book to the audience? What would you say in your pitch?

Nick Abadzis: This is how the TV show might’ve continued on TV for a fourth full season of David Tennant in the role, except these episodes are too epic for TV. If you think you knew the tenth Doctor, these adventures begin a whole new chapter in this life, proving his song didn’t end quite as soon as we thought.

PREVIEWSworld: If you had to type up a blog entry about your experience writing this book, what scene in the story would you most likely “geek” over?

Nick Abadzis: I think the scene I’m happiest with is the one where Gabby, the Doctor’s new companion, talks her way on board the TARDIS for the first time. I got a lot of positive feedback about that. The Doctor absolutely is not going to let her on board, especially after what happened with Donna. In the end, he relents, he does decide to take Gabby for a short trip, but is it an accident of fate, or something more…? Read it and find out.

PREVIEWSworld: Can fans contact you through any social media site?

Nick Abadzis:  I’m on Twitter and Tumblr.

Doctor Who: Tenth Vol. 1 hits comic stores on March 25. For more information visit Titan Comics