Defender of the Daleks

 

"The Doctor will save Skaro and the Daleks."

Writer: Jody Houser

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September-October 2020

Series: Time Lord Victorious #1-2

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

The Tenth Doctor has been mysteriously transported to a rewritten timeline where the Time War never happened and the Dalek Empire is still a fearsome force in the universe. Recruited as an unlikely ally by the Emperor Dalek, the Doctor must now face a deadly alien threat that even the Daleks fear: the Hond. Aided by the Dalek Prime Strategist, the Doctor is preparing for battle, when he encounters the deadly Hond...

Verdict

Defender of the Daleks was an excellent comic strip story and a great way to start Time Lord Victorious! This has been an unprecedented event across a number of licensees which is a wonderful concept and I think starting things off with this comic strip, well the first issue at least, was done really well. It had good continuity from the Titan run which I didn't actually expect but I'm glad that was there for their comic run. Whilst that was the case, this could still very much be read as a standalone piece and what we got was a great deal of fun. I think the addition of a companion might have helped as there was so much dialogue for just the Doctor, but other than that I don't really have any complaints. Placing the Tenth Doctor in a time where the Time War hadn't happened was intriguing and I suspect that point may get developed further as the overall story arc rolls on. I thought the Daleks themselves were terrific and I loved the artwork of the Emperor and the Prime Strategist. The dissension in the ranks between those two Dalek figures was fantastic and I liked how the former was younger than the latter, something that seemed to irk the Strategist given his superior age. The casing was also an interesting note that I really enjoyed and I definitely got a sense of wisdom from this Dalek. He being the one that wanted the Doctor to come to Skaro to help them against the Hond was really good and only added to the potential division between Strategist and Emperor. The very idea of the Doctor being requested for help by the Daleks was terrific and seeing them actually ask quite nicely and request rather than command was quite something! The continuity from a Dalek perspective was really good and I liked how the Doctor mentioned not having been reunited with the Dalek Emperor for a long time. The disdain was clear to hear in the dialogue. The Doctor's reaction to not being shot at was wonderful and I thought the little chase across planets with the Daleks always being outside the TARDIS was fantastic stuff and a lot of fun. The idea of the Daleks being scared isn't quite a new one but it is really fun to play around with because they are pretty arrogant and see themselves as the superior beings. The Hond were an interesting species and them being displaced in time from the Dark Times was great. Their appearance as almost gooey creatures was decent and I liked the image of them pretty much consuming a planet very much. Them being the sentient form of pain was unexpected and something I thoroughly enjoyed as that is quite difficult to fully comprehend. What must it be like to perpetually feel pain? That beggars belief! The Doctor gaining access to the Dalek weaponry systems was fun, especially when it was clear he was up to something other than stopping the Hond. He made it clear he would prevent them from destroying Skaro, and did that with some clever sonic screwdriver action utilising a bioscan and emitting a signal that was the opposite of pain to make them feel free, but he was still far from being trusting of the Daleks. The Prime Strategist calmly admitting that after all, he was still a Dalek, when it came to attempting to kill the Doctor after he'd achieved what they wanted was magnificent and just typical of the Doctor's greatest foes. Him not being recognised as such when the Hond were around almost seemed to upset him as his outburst resembled pride in his status amongst the Daleks, something that was picked up on by the Emperor really well. I thought the cameo save from the Thirteenth Doctor at the end was really good and it's a shame that Alternating Current was delayed in its release, although with that being a multi-Doctor story at least we mostly only see things after that from the Tenth Doctor's perspective. The paradoxical nature of the story was marvellous and I look forward to seeing what caused the Tenth Doctor to go off into a vortex. I'm a huge fan of the relationship and interaction between the Tenth and Thirteenth Doctors, and seeing that again here was brilliant. The relationship between the Doctor and the Strategist was also fantastic stuff. The way things ended with the Emperor being displeased with the Strategist after not foreseeing the involvement of another Doctor was great, and the line about the Doctor's help coming in many faces and the image of the Eighth Doctor was an excellent way to leave things for a different strand of the arc to pick up. Overall, a really enjoyable comic strip!

Rating: 9/10