The Phantom Piper Part 4

"I'm the King of the Dreamspace!"

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 8th February 2018
Printed in: DWM 522

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill

Synopsis

The coded message inscribed on the TARDIS has finally been decoded... and with it came the emergence of the Phantom Piper. As if this didn't bring enough problems, the fuel in a potential war between humanity and the Galateans is about to be lit.

Verdict

The Phantom Piper continued in magnificent style with this fantastic fourth part of the story! I must admit that I was expecting things to conclude here but that was not the case. Anyway, per the usual DWM comic strip blog entry I like to talk about the magazine itself and this will be an issue I remember as it is the first one I have received as part of my subscription. It's been a long time coming but I have finally committed and what a front cover we have! The main features concerning the Daleks looks very exciting and I'm delighted that the Daleks we see on the front page are of their earliest design. They look brilliant. I have read a little of the magazine so far (university research projects are currently taking over my life!) and I was glad to read that I wasn't the only one disappointed with the writing of the First Doctor in Twice Upon a Time. It still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth if I'm honest. The Peter Capaldi Tapes looks set to be an excellent feature and his time as the Twelfth Doctor really did just about have it all. He was a great Doctor and I look forward to reminiscing on his time in the TARDIS. I'm intrigued to read about the breakfast with the Doctors that was part of last year's Comic Relief and having that many actors who played the Doctor all in one room is rather rare. I must say I'm not too fussed about the cosplay feature as that doesn't overly interest me but I am looking forward to the three interviews that have also been lined up this month. It looks like I started subscribing for a very good issue! Now, back to the comic strip and I have to say that this part was sublime! It was definitely my favourite part since any of Doorway to Hell and I really did think that the Phantom Piper made an excellent villain. The language and tone he used was terrific and you really did get a sense that he had manifested in real space just for the hell of it. He wanted to cause chaos and do so by having a laugh. He knew all about the Doctor and Chiyoko and the events of The Child of Time and that caused a lot of nightmares he could claim to go missing. The way the Piper murdered Tommy Flowers was quite shocking but it did finally spark some emotion from Alan Turing. The Doctor's realisation that Turing was using block transfer computation was terrific and I enjoyed the subtle reference to Logopolis. The explanation of how the Phantom Piper came to be through using this along with the Galateans was great and I thought things really did tie in together very nicely. The Piper taking Chiyoko hostage and using her brain was good and the cliffhanger was another very good one. Overall, a brilliant fourth part of the story!

Who's That Girl!

"Don't you remember? You regenerated... into me!"

Writer: Simon Furman
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 25th November - 2nd December 1989
Printed in: The Incredible Hulk Presents 8-9

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis

The Doctor is adjudicating at a delicate planetary peace conference. Unfortunately, the delegates don't realise that the woman they think is the Doctor is really a hired assassin...

Verdict

Who's That Girl! was a brilliant comic strip adventure and I think part one was one of the most entertaining and intriguing five pages I've read in a graphic novel for quite some time. It seems quite apt that I am reading this story some time after the announcement of Jodie Whittaker's casting as the Thirteenth Doctor. I am very excited to see what the gender change brings to the role and I am sure that the possibilities are endless but for just a second in this story we got a snippet of what things might be like with the Doctor as a female. I loved that there was no explanation as to why a woman exited the TARDIS and the attire she was wearing really was magnificent. It was a cluster of past Doctor's wardrobes and I really did think she looked impressive. She had all the characteristics of the Doctor and I can't imagine the reception this story might have had upon its release in the 1980s. Would any readers just accept the regeneration? I'd love to know if there was any kind of backlash to the idea of the Doctor being a woman. I doubt there is anything of the kind though given that this story was only printed in The Incredible Hulk Presents. What I do love is that the idea of the Doctor being a woman was present in 1989 and actually got represented in a printed story. Of course, the Doctor did not regenerate into a woman in a 1989 comic strip and he was actually being impersonated by a hired assassin in the form of Kasgi. I thought she was terrific and the way it was revealed that she had the Doctor captured and was intent on killing Luj was marvellous. It really was a brilliant cliffhanger. Sadly, I didn't feel that part two quite measured up to the first part but the story as a whole was still really good. The way the Doctor found out the true intentions of his supposed old friend was a little too easy for my liking and the way he just emerged from the secret passage was again a little too simple. He was once again seemingly an advocate of the Time Lords which is intriguing given he is in his seventh incarnation but it really is something that continues to interest me. Kasgi's respect for the Doctor when she overlooked him leaving was a nice touch and I liked how she survived intact. The Doctor knew that Luj needed to be stopped and went about ensuring it happened but he would not allow Kasgi to do it in the form of an assassination. Overall, a very bold, brave and brilliant little story.

Rating: 8/10

The Sentinel!

"I, it was, who stood and watched the ascent of creation!"

Writer: John Tomlinson
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 18th November 1989
Printed in: The Incredible Hulk Presents 7

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis

When the Seventh Doctor meets an ancient being named Seneschal who claims to have been responsible for human evolution itself, the Time Lord chastises him for meddling. Predictably, the being gets angry and chases the Doctor away. Too late, the time traveller understands that Seneschal has taken a sample of his DNA, with which he can, given billions of years, create a new race of Time Lords.

Verdict

The Sentinel! was a very good little comic strip and a great continuation of the Nemesis of the Daleks graphic novel. I thought it was an intriguing adventure and continued the solo travels of the Seventh Doctor very nicely. The dialogue was good characterisation of Sylvester McCoy's seventh incarnation and I do think that this comic strip has arguably best-captured his likeness in this graphic novel collection. His arrival on Earth during the Cenozoic era was a mightily interesting setting and I almost thought the image of the apes would lead to a mini story on the lines of something similar to Planet of the Apes. That is one of my all-time favourite films so I was quite excited but despite what followed being nothing like I had envisioned (or maybe hoped for), I still very much enjoyed. Seneschal was a brilliant character and his laying claim to causing human evolution was quite bold! I really liked it though and considering how long he had waited for man to get as far as it had at this point, his disappointment seemed warranted. The subtle reference to Earthshock was excellent and I liked how intelligent Seneschal was. He knew all about the Doctor once he had woken up and the Time Lord was quite shocked by that. The continued use of the Doctor seemingly representing the Time Lords in this collection is something that has struck my interest and whilst I do hope it would lead to something, I will be very surprised if it does. The Doctor walking around with a plaster on his head seemed like a harmless artistic inclusion but its relevance to the story actually turned out to be wonderful. I did wonder when I first saw it who had applied it but it actually turned out to be rather genius. The idea of Seneschal getting bored of humanity only to then get some Time Lord DNA to play around with was really good. It may take him quite some time for this DNA to evolve into the level of Time Lord that the Doctor is currently at, but it would be much more worth the wait than was the case with humanity. The idea of the Doctor being the catalyst for a new race of Time Lords was excellent and one I really enjoyed. That was especially enhanced once the Doctor realised in the TARDIS just what had happened. I'd love a sequel exploring the aftermath of this story but I do like the ambiguity if one does not arise. Overall, a very good story!

Rating: 8/10

Day of the Vashta Nerada

"Vashta Nerada. It eats. It lives. That's it."

Writer: Matt Fitton
Format: Audio
Released: July 2017
Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 2.04

Featuring: Eighth Doctor

Synopsis

As the Time War rages, Cardinal Ollistra of Gallifrey seeks to create ever more dangerous weapons to deploy against the enemy.

When the Doctor stumbles across Synthesis Station, he discovers that the Time Lords have sponsored a project to weaponise already-lethal creatures. But in doing so, Eva Morrison and her team have unwittingly used a colony of Vashta Nerada with a very unfortunate history of humanoid contact.

The Doctor finds himself leading a desperate race for survival, in which the shadows may be the least of their worries...

Verdict

Day of the Vashta Nerada was a very good story and a great conclusion to the second series of Classic Doctors, New Monsters. I must admit that I had been looking forward to this story for a while now and even though it's slightly a letdown that the same monster appears twice in the same boxset, the idea of the Vashta Nerada in the Time War is very intriguing. The Eighth Doctor had arrived ahead of the intended Time Lord party on Synthesis and that posed some interesting questions. He soon learned of the breeding of Vashta Nerada that had been going on and he was hardly impressed. This story probably predates the recent Eighth Doctor Time War series but I honestly don't understand why this story could not just be part of a Time War boxset, something we have had plenty of now, instead of taking up a slot here. We could have easily had the Eighth Doctor encounter a monster like the Gelth, Slitheen or the Silence. Anyway, a standalone story in the Time War is not unprecedented following The Sontaran Ordeal so I can't have any real complaints. The relationship between the Doctor and Ollistra was good and I liked how she thought she could handle him by herself. She was though most worried about him when he was right in front of her which I liked. The Time Lords hoping to utilise the Vashta Nerada and manipulate them to devour Dalekanium was hardly surprising but it's a concept I love. It's brilliant and the deadly monsters could prove to be a devastating weapon. How would the Daleks be able to adapt against them? The Doctor's continued abhorrence towards the Time War was good and I liked how he refused to be conscripted by Ollistra despite her being convinced that he could find a way to end it all. Of course he would do so in The Day of the Doctor and I liked how that was foreshadowed. I did not expect this story to be a loose sequel to Night of the Vashta Nerada and the references to that audio were terrific. Eva was a wonderful character and her death was very emotional and quite gutting to be honest. She deserved better. I was quite shocked by the Doctor's reaction to Raldon's death as he seemed dismissive of it if he could just place the blame on the Time War. Maybe our Doctor was becoming something of a warrior at this point? Roxita was an excellent character and his devotion to the cause and the safety of Ollistra proved to cost him his life but would ultimately end up contributing to the demise of the Vashta Nerada. That came with a simple ejecting of a TARDIS room after they were brought on board via a staser. Dendry's scheme was interesting but I must say that I loved the concept behind the Nerada Vashta and I think the negative take on them is something that can definitely be explored further in a future story. Overall though, a great story!

Rating: 8/10

The Carrionite Curse

"A real witch!"

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: July 2017
Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 2.03

Featuring: Sixth Doctor

Synopsis

Katy Bell returns to her Midlands home to find strange goings-on at the buskers fair. A witch trial in the 1980s. A bonfire ready to be lit...

Luckily, a colourful visitor is already investigating, and the local vicar, Katy's dad, is versed in tales of the macabre. Terrifying forces are on the loose, and the town hall holds a secret. There is black magic in the Black Country, and the Doctor has the name of his enemy on the tip of his tongue...

Something wicked this way comes.

Verdict

The Carrionite Curse was a great audio adventure and a good continuation of the second Classic Doctors, New Monsters boxset. University work and my personal life has meant a break in my listening but the beauty of this range is that the stories aren't connected so it didn't matter how long I left things. This was just a standalone story and I truly do think they are what works best. The latest new series monster that we see a Classic Doctor encountering was the Carrionites and I do think they were another obvious choice. There is plenty that could be done with them and I'm glad that we got a witchcraft story. The idea of a witch trial was excellent but I was all the more intrigued by the fact it was happening during the 1980s! The Black Country setting was also rather refreshing and I thought it worked really well with the buskers fair as its central focus. The Sixth Doctor is arguably my favourite on audio and his water-balloon demonstration at the start of the audio adventure was rather humorous. He soon met Katy who turned out to be a terrific character. She got to see inside the TARDIS and she even ended up stealing a book. It did appear that she intended to aid the Carrionites in their battle against the Doctor but she ended up making the ultimate sacrifice. The references to The Library of Alexandria and Attack of the Cybermen were terrific and I also thought that Reverend Douglas was brilliant. He knew some of the witchcraft history in the area and the latter inclusion of a book by George Litefoot was a lovely little throwback to The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The linguistic theme in this story was fantastic and I really did enjoy how the Doctor came to understand and use the power of words. He dismissed the idea of witches existing but that didn't really last long once they named him as President of the Time Lords of Gallifrey. Witches having to answer to figures of authority was great and I really liked how the guilty plea came at the story's beginning. It was a shock to everyone. I wasn't quite sure by the Carrionites' intention to turn people into ink but I guess that did fit the word theme. The reference to the Globe Theatre and the fourteen sides was great and I absolutely loved the Carrionites referencing The Shakespeare Code and their defeat at the hands of the Tenth Doctor. The Sixth Doctor then realised that if he defeated them once then he could do it again - even if he was yet to do it. The mentions of paradoxes and their power was very good but I was quite surprised by the audio's conclusion with Katy taking herself to defeat the Carrionites. It was emotional with Douglas but that was excellent. Overall, a very good audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Empire of the Racnoss

"This war is not fought in my name."

Writer: Scott Handcock
Format: Audio
Released: July 2017
Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 2.02

Featuring: Fifth Doctor

Synopsis

When a distress call rips the TARDIS from the Vortex, dragging it back through time, it arrives in the midst of a conflict between Gallifrey and an acient foe.

The Doctor, as ever, wants to help, but in returning a wounded combatant home, he becomes further and further entangled in a web of deceit and recrimination. A web spun by an eight-legged Empress and her minions...

The Empire of the Racnoss is at war, and wherever he stands, the Doctor is on the wrong side.

Verdict

Empire of the Racnoss was a very good audio adventure and a great way to continue the second series of Classic Doctors, New Monsters! The Racnoss, more specifically the Empress of Racnoss, is a brilliant character to bring back for this boxset and I thought she worked very well alongside the Fifth Doctor. Peter Davison gave an excellent performance and I liked his reaction when he realised that the distress call he received was from the Racnoss. The idea of doing a story in the midst of the war between the Time Lords and the Racnoss was terrific and I thought the delivery was very good indeed. The story wasn't really that similar at all to The Runaway Bride and I liked that. With these new series monsters, I think it's important to place them in different scenarios to what we have seen on television already. I wasn't sure that the Empress would appear at all once the story had begun but she did show up a little way through the audio. Herrax and Alayna were great characters and I liked their shock when they found out that the Doctor had actually saved the Consort. The idea of a Racnoss fitting inside the TARDIS during the time of the Fifth Doctor seems quite improbable, even with the marvel that is the time and space machine. He did have some help later on from Alayna when it came to materialising around the Racnoss children but I wasn't overly convinced by the TARDIS's ability to house a Racnoss. The dispute between the Empress and Emperor of the Racnoss was very intriguing and I loved how the Doctor had found himself caught up in the midst of a Racnoss civil war. That taking place during the interference of the Time Lords as well only added to complications. Hearing from Herrax what Gallifrey had envisioned for the future if the Racnoss weren't stopped was very enlightening and it really sold what kind of a threat they were. The use of the fast return switch was a nice inclusion but one thing I am concerned about is where this story would fit in the Fifth Doctor's timeline. He rarely, if ever, travels alone and that made me all the more interested in the story's conclusion with Alayna seemingly joining him as companion. There was some ambiguity which was good but I was very interested. The demise of the Emperor of the Racnoss was quite a shock but the Doctor taking the children back to the dawn of time was a nice touch and familiar setting when it comes to the Racnoss. Overall, this was a very entertaining and interesting story and I think there is definitely more that could be explored in the war between the Racnoss and the Time Lord. A great audio!

Rating: 8/10

Night of the Vashta Nerada

"The night came alive. The darkness that devours."

Writer: John Dorney
Format: Audio
Released: July 2017
Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 2.01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor

Synopsis

Funworld was set to be the happiest planet in the galaxy. A planet of joy, of euphoria, of laughter and delight. Except construction was marred by reports of a predator and then, a few days before opening, all communications ceased.

Owner Georgia Donnelly is desperate to open the resort and has hired Amanda Steele's crew to find out what happened on the planet. They're the best. But even they might not be up to the task.

Joined by the Doctor and being picked off one by one, they slowly start to realise that something terrifying lurks in the shadows.

Verdict

Night of the Vashta Nerada was an excellent audio adventure and a terrific way to kick off the second series of Classic Doctors, New Monsters! I love the concept of this boxset and after a pretty strong first series I was very eager to begin series two. This time around we hear the Fourth Doctor encounter a monster that we first saw in the new series and an obvious choice for this boxset was certainly the Vashta Nerada. What I liked about this story that differed from those in the first series was that this seemed to be the Doctor's first encounter with the deadly foe. That didn't happen last time around but with only past knowledge being mentioned, this was the first time the Doctor had tackled the Vashta Nerada. And I really enjoyed that. It was intriguing to note that they were only hunting the humanity in this story because they had been provoked by the building of Funworld. Previously a forest planet, Georgia Donnelly had come and wiped out an entire ecosystem and replaced it with a funfair. The Doctor's thoughts about that were good because he wasn't best pleased. This story seemed to take place shortly after The Hand of Fear which is a good placement with the lack of companions in this series and I liked how it was referenced. There were some expected similarities to Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead but this definitely did have a fresh feel as well. Amanda Steele was an interesting character and her refusal to do what the Doctor asked of her on this planet was frustrating. But she was adamant that she would get her prey. Little did she know that she was the one who would end up being hunted and feasted upon. Phelan was a wonderful character and I loved how the Doctor offered her the chance to travel with him. He could see that she didn't want to be there but she owed her life to Steele so she was willing to help. Her psychic ability and how she could interact with the dead's memories was intriguing and her death was extremely emotional. The same could be said of Grosta. He was made of stone but that didn't hinder the Vashta Nerada from wanting to tear him apart. The idea of the Vashta Nerada not being seen until they came together as a swarm was brilliant and it just really reminded you of how deadly and efficient a hunter they really are. They wanted revenge and that was rather frightening. The ending was again emotional with Amanda sacrificing herself and using some kind of Sontaran poison to wipe them out. She poisoned herself and once the Vashta Nerada swarmed on her, she took them with her. The Doctor commenting to himself 'Ah well" when he hadn't managed to save anyone was quite a shock but as a whole, this was a superb story. A strong opening to the series!

Rating: 9/10

A Switch in Time!

"Enter Professor from flying saucer with sub-atomic particle generator!"

Writer: John Freeman
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 
Printed in: The Incredible Hulk Presents 6

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis

The Seventh Doctor materialises inside of a television programme on a world populated by non-humanoids. The only problem is that no one has given him a script, so he keeps blowing his cues. He escapes before he gets into any real trouble for it. Still, at least two members of the Holo TV viewing audience appreciate his performance and are glad they remembered to tape the broadcast...

Verdict

A Switch in Time! was a terrific little comic strip! It continued my reading of the Nemesis of the Daleks graphic novel in a great way and it really was a welcomed improvement following the pretty dismal Technical Hitch. I was a little worried that things may take a turn for the worse in this collection of stories following that poor adventure but thankfully things were right back on track here. The Seventh Doctor was still travelling alone and the characterisation was actually pretty decent here as Sylvester McCoy's likeness was well captured. His arrival at the latest destination was seemingly expected which was intriguing and my interest was immediately captured by him being addressed as the Professor. Of course, that is the infamous name that former companion Ace called him by, much to the Doctor's continued annoyance, so for that to be included was really good. He again was quick to point out that he should be called the Doctor and also that his TARDIS was no flying saucer. Thyron was confusing the Doctor with what was going on and then things soon got turned on their head with the emergence of the Gherax. This creature looked pretty dominating and monstrous and that didn't bode well at all for our Time Lord hero but little did he know what he was in for. Just at the moment it seemed like all was lost and a naturalist was going to be killed along with him, in what would be horrific circumstances, things halted and Thyron and the Gherax were both angry with the Doctor! The reasoning was wonderful. It looked like he had forgotten his lines! It was barmy but brilliant as it appeared that the TARDIS had landed within a galactic television drama. That concept is magnificent and it worked very well considering there were only five pages to play with. Thyron and the Gherax were arguing with each other over who was to blame for including a human in the drama but little did they know that the Doctor was no human. Casting a Time Lord might have been considered a real coup if they knew! Whilst they were bickering and Thyron was getting squashed, the Doctor managed to slip away and seemed quite shaken by what he had just experienced. The throwback to Remembrance of the Daleks and the inclusion of Doctor Who being watched on a television in the Doctor Who universe was terrific and really put a smile on my face. Overall, a fantastic little adventure.

Rating: 8/10

Memory Lane

"The TARDIS has been stolen... by an ice cream man!"

Writer: Eddie Robson
Format: Audio
Released: October 2006
Series: Main Range 88

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, C'rizz

Synopsis

No summer can ever quite be as glorious as the ones you remember from when you were young, when a sunny afternoon seemed to last forever and all there was to do was ride your bike, eat ice-lollies and play with Lego. Tom Braudy is enjoying just such an afternoon when the TARDIS lands in his Nan's living room and interrupts her in the middle of the snooker.

After they've apologised, the Doctor and his friends soon discover matters of far greater concern than the fact that their time machine is blocking Mrs Braudy's view of a thrilling century break. The street which Tom happily cycles up and down appears to have no beginning or end, and every single house on it is identical.

Is this the future of suburbia, or something even more sinister? Why doesn't Tom look as young as he behaves? And can anybody remember which house the TARDIS is in?

Verdict

Memory Lane was an excellent audio adventure that continued my listening of the Main Range from Big Finish. It was another brilliant story in what has been a great set of releases for the Eighth Doctor recently. It started off with confusion and intrigue but that was part of the appeal and the enigma that was the street and the identical people and houses really was superb. The TARDIS materialising in a grandma's living room during the middle of a snooker game was quite a change to what we're used to which was good and I loved that the Doctor took an interest in who was contesting the match. Paul McGann was fantastic as the Eighth Doctor once again but as is often the case with the adventures featuring his incarnation, Charley stole the show. She's such a terrific companion and I liked how we got an idea of her childhood and we also got to meet her mother, albeit in an imagined form. It took a little bit for some revelations but once Kim kidnapped C'rizz, she gave us a lot of interesting information that set up the rest of the audio very nicely. Tom was a good character and the mystery surrounding the failed correlation between his voice and his age was excellent. Something wasn't right and I really liked that. Mrs Braudy was a humorous character and the ebullience of her personality was quite infectious. She just merrily lived her life and answered everything with a simple smile and chuckle. The TV footage actually being black box footage of the accident that caused Tom to create his own little bubble world. Charley then getting sucked into things and recreating her own childhood house was good and I liked how that ended up contributing to the audio's resolution. The Cellscape setting was fantastic and it provided a lot of opportunities for Lest and the Governor to cause havoc. Their plan was intriguing as was their relationship. The reference to Something Inside was good and I also liked the relationship between Charley and C'rizz. The background noise of the ice cream van was terrific and I thought the cliffhanger to part one was staggeringly good! It was wonderfully barmy. I did think part four was a little confusing and things maybe advanced a little too quickly or without clarity which meant I couldn't quite give the story full marks but I still loved it. The ending then seemed to come a little suddenly but after finding out that Lest and the Governor were just making their livelihood, the black box could be used as a substitute for their imagination bubbles. Overall, a great audio adventure!

Rating: 9/10