The Collector

"Dead? Oh dear... that wasn't supposed to happen." 

Writer: Steve Moore

Format: Comic Strip

Released: November 1980

Printed in: DWM 46

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sharon, K9

Synopsis

The Fourth Doctor, against the odds, returns his companion Sharon home to 20th century England. But just before the pair can enjoy being back home, the TARDIS is teleported to a house right in the middle of the asteroid belt, and there's no welcoming committee...

Verdict 

The Collector was a terrific comic strip story, I really enjoyed it! This was my first adventure with Sharon as companion, somebody I had absolutely no knowledge of prior to reading this story, and to be honest, she was pretty useless in this story. The Fourth Doctor was the main lead and other than Sharon providing the location for the TARDIS to go to before being teleported, she seemed irrelevant. But, this was my first story to feature her and it was only one adventure, so I cannot judge her as a companion in the slightest. I'm more than willing to give her chance! K9 was terrific in this story and I loved how he was kind of like the Doctor's secret weapon. Where his trustee sonic screwdriver failed, his robot dog certainly would not! Varan Tak was an intriguing character to say the least, using a teleport device to literally kidnap humans from Earth and place them in a time stasis in different rooms in his house. The house's location, in the middle of the asteroid belt, was uniquely fantastic! I liked the resemblances to Smith and Jones and The Doctor's Wife, with the teleportation to an impossible place and the house having feelings of sort, respectively. The Doctor punching a duplicate version of himself from the past was an instant highlight! He just walloped himself right in the kisser! K9's destruction was a shock but the way it was reverted was excellent. The mother ship robot, a robot with feelings, was very good and looked impressive! Her reaction to Varan Tak's teleportation to Earth by the Doctor was certainly something. The scale of her lifespan was also envious! Overall, a wonderful adventure but, despite the fact I don't know her well, I still think Sharon should have done something more in the companion's role. But K9 more than made up for her lacklustre presence! 

Rating: 9/10