The Piggybackers Part 4

"The Piggybackers turn worlds into temples dedicated to themselves."

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 28 May 2020
Printed in: DWM 552

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

Ryan remains lipless. Graham is still tied up at the mercy of Hank. Edith Harcourt runs rampant as she takes the whole school out on a trip, but the danger lies with the Piggybacker that has taken her over. Will it turn Earth into a temple for its own desire?

Verdict

The Piggybackers concluded in fantastic style! Firstly, I will talk about the latest issue of DWM and it looks set to be another excellent issue! I'm very much looking forward to the feature on 50 Brilliant Things About Doctor Who (Not Including Doctor Who) as they should be really intriguing and I'm sure will be a feel good read. I was very pleased to take part in every vote of the World Cup of the First Doctor so I look forward to reading the results as I'm a huge fan of the way they are presented and they're just a real joy to read, especially with this being one of my very favourite eras and Doctors. The unpublished interview with Pip & Jane Baker should be intriguing and I'm also looking forward to discovering their title in the Apocrypha section as that is turning into one of my favourite sections of the magazine. Isolating With the Doctor should be another good look at some very good stories from across the years. The section with a number of writers from the Thirteenth Doctor's era interviewing each other should also be quite a bit of fun. I'm intrigued by the Fact of Fiction covering the third instalment of The Trial of a Time Lord as the timing of that seems weird without the other parts, but alas I look forward to the read. Now, onto the comic strip itself. I really was a tad sceptical about where the story would finish after a somewhat shaky three parts to start things off, but I was delighted with the final part and I just think it's a slight shame that the story as a whole wasn't as good as this part alone was. It was by far and away the best of the four instalments! I really don't understand why the revelations regarding the Piggybackers were not revealed earlier than the first page of the final part as with the reduction in pages allotted to the comic strips for the Thirteenth Doctor's era, there isn't actually a huge amount of room to play with. I really don't understand keeping the details of the monster until the end as by the time that has had an impact, the story is over! That was definitely the feeling I got here which was a tad frustrating because the concept of the Piggybackers was actually superb. Why couldn't we have seen more threaded throughout of their desire to build a temple dedicated to themselves? The pomposity there is off the charts and something that would have been terrific. I can see the Thirteenth Doctor dealing with that terrifically. I just didn't understand. I thought Graham was the strongest of the companions by far throughout this comic strip adventure with his being tied up and pleading to Hank and Lizzie about who he really was and that the Cuban Missile Crisis wouldn't come to disaster. The setting was brilliant and full of potential, but I really don't think it was utilised as well as it should have been which was a shame. The way the Piggybacker and Edith's hold on its silent slaves, again another concept that should have been revealed much earlier, was great and using Mr Endicott to show her that she didn't need the alien menace on her back was very good. It all made logical sense and I thought it was fitting that for a woman of her stature in the community, she sacrificed her life to save those generations she had tought for nearly half a century. Overall, this was a fantastic part that pretty much saved the story as a whole from not being considered at least decent. It's perhaps harsh, but I'm being strict! Overall, a decent comic strip adventure.

Rating: 7/10