The Master Plan

"Hold onto your beard!"

Writer: Jody Houser

Format: Comic Strip

Released: April-July 2021

Printed in: Missy #1-4

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis

Missy is up to her old tricks, but this time she's not alone! How will the Doctor survive this latest maniacal plot in this special story celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Master?

Verdict

The Master Plan was a fantastic comic strip adventure to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Master! I wasn't sure what to expect from this comic strip event, but I was certainly not left disappointed! I'm a huge fan of Missy anyway so getting her own comic series was something I was well on board with, and having her paired with the first incarnation we ever saw on television in the form of the Delgado Master was excellent. It was such a fun combination and just seeing them side by side and having a multi-part story together was wonderful. It was a magnificent use of the comic strip format and there were so many celebratory elements in the adventure. I liked the idea of the Delgado Master being imprisoned at Stormcage and the Third Doctor's cameo ringing in to share his concerns about the facility and containing someone like the Master was a lot of fun. It fitted well with the Third Doctor and having Missy then be the one to break him out was amusing. The placement of this adventure within Series 10 was brilliant and Missy impersonating Doctor Who and playing with that act was marvellous. I was a huge fan of getting an extension on the trial we saw in World Enough and Time and she really embraced the role with her former self. It was obvious that the Master was going to know that Missy wasn't actually the Doctor, but that moment occurring was still so fun and I think the anticipation actually helped. The imagery of this Master in the Twelfth Doctor's TARDIS was brilliant and hearing how the Master was mocking the Doctor's ability to fly it was really good. I thought the plot of the story was a lot of fun with Missy tempting the Master into help through the effort to find a fragment of the door to the Key to Time, and seeing his eyes light up regarding that was fantastic. I thought the effort to find this in their own timelines was superb and is something I'm a right sucker for. Going to the events of Spyfall, The End of Time, The Movie, The Keeper of Traken and The Deadly Assassin was magnificent, and then having the Master back at the moments of Terror of the Autons was wonderful! Bringing things full circle in the anniversary special was really well done. Missy referring to the Master throughout as a pet was really amusing but so in line with her characterisation. The duck adorning her hat was good and I loved the symbolism of the Master having a sword and eventually striking through it. The question mark on Missy's dress was also a lovely touch. The artwork was excellent in this comic strip. I wasn't a huge fan of River's appearance in Stormcage as it just felt a little predictable and wasted, but it was fun to have Missy recognise her. The ending with the Master realising that Missy was doing good in the name of the Doctor was fantastic and reminiscent of The Doctor Falls which was terrific and good parallelism, and I liked how that was foreshadowed. The simplicity of the ending was decent but I was expecting something a little more impactful despite enjoying it, and I would have preferred to see Missy side with the Doctor resulting in the Master going back to Stormcage. Regardless, a brilliant comic strip adventure!

Rating: 9/10