Sins of the Fathers

"Remember me? I'm your distraction."

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: April-June 2004

Printed in: DWM 343-345

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Destrii

Synopsis 

The Eighth Doctor takes Destrii to Hippocrates Base for her to recover from their recent ordeal. However, the Zeronites have plans for the hospital of their own...

Verdict

Sins of the Fathers was another great comic strip adventure to continue my way through The Flood graphic novel! I have nearly reached the end of the line for the Eighth Doctor in comic strip format now and whilst I didn’t read all of his adventures in publication order, something I do wish I had done in hindsight, I can safely say that it has been a wild time but we are from being done yet! This feels like a brand new beginning which is really intriguing given that there is only one comic strip story left to tell in the collection, but given the size of that and remembering that we would normally only get one part of the story each month, Destrii’s tenure as companion would actually exceed the likes of Martha and Bill on screen which is pretty crazy to say! She still seems like an odd choice as companion but I think that quirkiness is part of the production team’s decision to have her. She’s not human and is basically a fish, something that comes into play in a big way here with the Doctor having her descend into water to calm her down and bring her back to her senses after the dodgy nurse tampered with her drug intake. I thought it was nice to follow on from Bad Blood with the Doctor bringing Destrii to Hippocrates Base and the medical expertise of Dr Partho. He was a nice character and it was a shocking moment when he was murdered by Tollios! That made such an impact and the different reactions of the Doctor and Destrii really does make me question how they will get on together. The Doctor was horrified to have lost a friend who helped him dearly, whilst Destrii called the way they killed him ‘nice’! That took me by surprise and is not what you expect from a Doctor Who companion. Her development is clear to see though and even though the Doctor had to prize it out of her, she would thank him for saving her life after being left for dead by her uncle. I really enjoyed the hospital setting and it allowed for some really funky artwork with a lot of alien species present. One thing I would also like to mention regarding the artwork is just how beautiful the Eighth Doctor’s TARDIS interior looks! I’ve always been a huge fan of the design and in particular the console. I own the Eaglemoss figurine console of this and it’s a prized possession of mine. It really is a thing of beauty and looks tremendous in the comic strip here. I really liked the history behind the Zeronites and Tallios was what you might expect as their leader. They were bred by the Kulkans as nothing more than a kamikaze race to exist in zero gravity which was quite the concept, with them manning missiles and space equipment with the intention of their lives ending when the mission did. Some lifespan! Hippocrates Base was not just a hospital though, it was a former weapons centre and the Zeronites had come home to enact revenge on anybody baring the DNA of their creators. That was wild but they didn’t care. They didn’t even fear death when Destrii had the ability to make Tollios into a mural which was succinctly put, so her threats weren’t exactly frightening. The resolution to the final cliffhanger with the Doctor emerging at the start of part three to put forward a challenge was brilliant, and he easily goaded Tollios into accepting a fight with Destrii that had stakes. The action of that sequence was impressive but the impactful nature of its conclusion was incredible! I really didn’t see it coming but when using the TARDIS as a power source, the Doctor was able to bring gravity into play and ensure that Tollios soon did have a concept of down. The sudden way he met his demise was pretty gory even for a comic strip, but I admired it and it certainly had me raising my eyebrows in surprise! That was an emphatic way to deal with the main villain and from there we had a straightforward conclusion as the Zeronites were in custody. Destrii then arrived officially as the companion and whilst she has ground rules unlike any of her predecessors, she was delighted with the opportunity! Overall, this was a really strong comic strip and I’m excited to read where things go from here in the finale! A brilliant read. 

Rating: 8/10