The Crystal Throne

"The world is a hunting ground, Madame. As Mr Darwin might say, only the strongest and most adaptable have the right to survive."

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: June 2014

Printed in: DWM 475-476

Featuring: Madame Vastra, Jenny, Strax

Synopsis 

Madame Vast, Jenny Flint and Strax, better known as the Paternoster Gang, are dealing with a fresh revolutionary plot to overthrow Queen Victoria, only this time with the help of a relic from Silurian history, the death of a monarch seems likely. Can the gang, whilst battling mutated wasp policemen, prevent the revolution from succeeding?

Verdict 

The Crystal Throne was a very good two part comic strip! I really liked that the guys at Doctor Who Magazine gave the terrific trio of Vastra, Jenny and Strax the chance to shine and take centre stage in the first story that's absolutely their own. For at least a third of The Crimson Horror that was the case until the Doctor arrived in unusual fashion. But no arrival was to occur in this comic strip and was a brilliant spinoff trip from the usual stuff during the transition of Doctor from Matt Smith to Peter Capaldi. The plot itself was very good I thought! The Victorian setting is always magnificent and the crystal palace centre added to the look and story. The plan of the stunning Lady Cornelian Basildon-Stone was both intriguing and borderline insane! She'd transformed hundreds of policemen into half man, half wasp, giving her a crew of controllable creatures following just one order, any order she desired. And in this case it was to bring the downfall of her majesty. I was extremely surprised to discover that she'd actually gone as far as using the gene splicer to convert herself into a half wasp as well! Just why would you want to do that to yourself? I really liked the use of archaic Silurian relics and the story of the scientist who was left to die was heartfelt. Scott Gray did a magnificent job of portraying the Paternoster Gang as they appear on TV. Vastra taking centre stage was terrific although I think better font should have been used for her narration. Jenny was nailed spot on with her speech and dialect perfect. Strax was, as usual, humorous and comical although his language was a bit too good from what we're used to but I can let that slide. The overall plot was fantastic and I liked how the Doctor had left and entrusted Vastra with his sonic screwdriver and she used it in dazzling effect here shattering the palace. The fact that Lady Basildon-Stone just fell despite having wings was a bit edgy and the fact that the wasp effects simply faded after the source being destroyed wasn't quite the climax I hoped for but overall it was very enjoyable! 

Rating: 8/10