The Lunar Strangers

"Talking cows from space!"

Writer: Gareth Roberts
Format: Comic Strip
Released: July-September 1994
Printed in: DWM 215-217

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis

The Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough land on a moonbase, and encounter some alien bovines hiding a deadly secret! Why are they so concerned at finding the treasure they themselves left some time ago? Whatever the answer, they will go to some deadly lengths to retrieve it...

Verdict

The Lunar Strangers was a bit of an average comic strip it has to be said. It was quite the mixed bag which was a shame as I was kind of hoping for a better start to the Land of the Blind graphic novel when this is considered with Victims (that's not saying that was a bad story in any stretch of the imagination though). I really liked the trio of the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough and it's not a team I seem to have done an awful lot of together at all so I really welcomed that. I thought the characterisation of Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor was really good throughout with his likeness captured very well and that made for a positive effect on the comic strip as a whole. However, I think Tegan and Turlough went missing towards the second half of the adventure and that was definitely noticeable which isn't a great thing to have happen. The first page was actually terrific and seeing cows on the moon was quite extraordinary. I think I'd actually have much preferred it if a story could have been centred on actual cows on the moon because that's just incredibly barmy. The Dryrth, who they actually were, were quite weird enemies and once their association with cows had been made, it was difficult to take my mind off that aspect of their appearance and it just became more and more ridiculous as the story progressed. I couldn't take them seriously which was a shame. Jackson was a good character but her sudden u-turn on trusting Vartex and Ravnok didn't make much sense and seemed to come out of nowhere which was a shame. I did like how she didn't want them to remain alive once she was against them, despite the Doctor's best wishes. The way she killed Vortex was unexpected but the deviousness with which she ridded Ravnok of his oxygen tank was really good. I didn't see that coming at all and the Doctor's reaction spoke volumes. I was particularly intrigued, now reading in 2018, by the 2015 setting. I do wonder what the thoughts of those in 1994 were for the future and space exploration. It wasn't made into a huge deal which was good but the story ending on the revelation that the treasure was just cheese was far too silly for my liking. An economy based on cheese? Maybe. But it just wasn't for me and took away from some of the seriousness of the story. Overall, some decent aspects but a few too many negatives to make it really good.

Rating: 6/10