Theatre of the Mind

"Intelligent crystal. Crystal that learns."

Writer: Roger Langridge

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 4th February 2016

Printed in: DWM 496

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara 

Synopsis 

It's 1925 and the Twelfth Doctor and Clara visit New York. Mystical powers are in the air as an enigmatic crystal ball seems to hold incredible powers. Along with the help of his old friend Harry Houdini, can the trio escape back to reality?

Verdict 

Theatre of the Mind was an excellent comic strip adventure in the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine! I think it might be my favourite Twelfth Doctor and Clara comic from DWM yet which was a real treat and one I wasn't expecting from a one part story, especially after the relatively poor Space Invaders!. I'll get back to the comic strip shortly but for now I'll preview the magazine itself as has become tradition with my blogging of the DWM comic strip. It seems ages since I blogged part two of The Dragon Lord and I guess that's because I've picked up this DWM some 10 days after its release which is very rare on my behalf but essay after essay at university has taken its toll. But we're back on track and as I went to get the magazine it seems I was quite lucky with my timing as there were only two copies left in WH Smith! I also picked up DWC: Tales from the TARDIS so it was a nice treat after handing in my penultimate essay on Friday. The cover is brilliant with John Hurt taking prominence ahead of the release of Infernal Devices. If it's anything like Only the Monstrous then I'll be sure to enjoy it and I'm definitely looking forward to the interview with the great actor himself which is the main feature this month. I have already read Steven Moffat's column which as usual involved some great humour, especially with the coming of Chris Chibnall as the new head writer from 2018 onwards. It's going to be a blast and I'm just grateful that he follows in the footsteps of being a huge fan of Doctor Who. Judging by the episodes he has already penned I'm sure he's not going to let us down. As well as the interview with John Hurt, I'm looking forward to the separate War Doctor feature that looks ahead to the rest of this incarnation's Big Finish releases. I'm very intrigued by the Doctor Who Videogames feature and that looks like it will be a lot of fun and I'll probably see a lot of what I have missed out on! The only Doctor Who related game I've had was the Top Trumps game on PlayStation 2 which I actually adored but for whatever reason I never purchased the DS or Wii games with the Eleventh Doctor. And of counted there's Destiny of the Doctors but that was quite some way before my time as a Doctor Who fan. I'm intrigued to see what pops up. Public Image was very good and I was glad to see that The Husbands of River Song performed very well in the viewing charts on Christmas Day. Although we have to wait well over a year until the next series of Doctor Who, I'm glad the scheduling has been changed to spring which is where it always should have stayed. Galaxy Forum should be a good read as always and I'm once again looking forward to reading what the barmy Jacqueline Rayner has in store for us this month. Her column is one of my favourite things in the magazine. The DWM Review should be good as per usual and I do hope I win some of the prizes this month! The Space Museum audio particularly caught my eye. Now, back to the comic strip itself and I thought it was just marvellous. There have been numerous mentions of the Doctor previously meeting the great Harry Houdini in the past, particularly with the Twelfth Doctor, so to see this incarnation be reunited with the great escapist was truly magnificent! It's wonderful that we're still getting new adventures with Clara and I thought she was characterised very well here. Peter Capaldi's likeness of the Twelfth Doctor was also very good which was pleasing, but to be honest it rarely isn't well presented. Diamanda was an intriguing character and I liked the disguise used to trick her into revealing that she falsely talked to the dead and even had the cheek to charge for it. I really liked the artwork in this comic strip which was a change from the last that featured in DWM as it actually suited the story magnificently well which is quite a rare occurrence. The trio of the Doctor, Clara and Houdini was fantastic and the numerous escapes they had to perform were terrific! There was a lot of humour, a nice look at the Fourth Doctor's attire hanging up and very good and entertaining climax. Overall, a superb little story! 

Rating: 9/10