Code of the Krillitanes

"They're warlike empire-builders who'll enslave the human race..."

Writer: Justin Richards 

Format: Novel

Released: March 2010

Series: Quick Reads 05

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis 

"I blame those new Brainy Crisps. Since he started eating them, he's been too clever by half."

Can eating a bag of crisps really make you more clever? The company that makes the crisps says so, and they seem to be right.

But the Doctor is worried. Who would want to make people more brainy? And why?

With just his sonic screwdriver and a supermarket trolley full of crisps, the Doctor sets out to the find the truth. The answer is scary - the Krillitanes are back on Earth, and evryione is at risk! 

Last time they took over a school. This time they have hijacked the internet. Whatever they are up to, it's big and it's nasty.

Only the Doctor can stop them - if he isn't already too late...

Verdict 

Code of the Krillitanes was another very good Quick Read novel! Following on quickly from the I Am a Dalek novel that I read on the short (ish) journey back home from university, I again went with a Quick Read for the journey back across the border and into England. This format of novel was perfect as it was easily finished before I got off the train and with a looming essay due in on Friday, I just didn't have the time to be doing anything Doctor Who other than the free time I had on the early train journey. The novel took my mind off the disrupted journey due to the stupendous weather Storm Imogen brought and I think it's very good to see a recent enemy return in the form of the Krillitanes! I know they appeared in another novel, The Krillitane Storm, I am yet to actually purchase that so for me this was my first encounter with the returning Krillitanes since their debut in School Reunion. I'm not sure which novel came out first but with the differing lengths I imagine the stories are extremely different. However, it's probably best that we start with this story and I really liked how it started with the Doctor in the shop. His interest with the new Brainy Crisps was excellent and I loved the humour he had with the children playing football. The description of their ball and goals was exactly how I used to play when I was around the age of 11-12 so the memories of that brought a smile to my face. There were a lot of similarities in this story to School Reunion and I was actually quite surprised that the Doctor needed to do tests on the crisps in the TARDIS to find out what and who was behind the science of the crisps making people brainier. Surely it was obvious that the Krillitanes were involved? It was exactly their method of taking over the school in their first appearance and now they were just using crisps instead of chips and expanding to a national scale. I liked the test that came with the crisps and that was where the true intention of the Krillitanes lied. They were hijacking the internet and hoping to feed in personality traits of those who were aggressive or impolite to their new and improved Super Krillitanes. After all the changes they had gone through, eventually having their own oil becoming poisonous to them, they wanted to start from scratch and improve hugely on what they had already developed into. The confidence of the Doctor in this story was staggeringly good with the characterisation of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor a real highlight. I quite liked Henry though I thought things were a little confusing with it being hinted that he was a Krillitane. When Jeff died, I just got a tad more confused by the Doctor questioning whether Krillitanes could cry or not. Once it was confirmed to me that he was human, and just stupid enough not to ask questions about what was going on, he was great and it was lovely how the Doctor had such confidence in him to save the day. I quite liked some of the Krillitane characters with Sir Manning Cross and Stella Sark standing out as the leaders of the alien group. Their fatal mistake though was to underestimate the Doctor and continuously gloat when they were far from victory. I loved how the continuity from The Christmas Invasion shone here with the Doctor offering no second chances. He did offer that here though and pointed out how that was very rare, especially in this incarnation. I really liked Gabby and I'm not sure where this story lies in regards to Revolutions of Terror, but she was definitely not the companion we met in that brilliant comic strip adventure! The way it was revealed she was a Krillitane was magnificent and tied in with Jeff's death very well. I thought the climax was very good with Henry having fed in positive and polite personalities into the new Super Krillitanes. They just wanted to play with the Doctor and Henry, not murder them. Their demise, and that of the original Krillitanes, was quite action packed which was good. Overall, a very good novel!

Rating: 8/10

I Am a Dalek

"It's all that's left of the most terrifying thing in the universe."

Writer: Gareth Roberts 

Format: Novel

Released: May 2006

Series: Quick Reads 01

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis 

Equipped with space suits, golf clubs, and a flag, the Doctor and Rose are planning to live it up, Apollo mission-style, on the Moon. But the TARDIS has other plans, landing them instead in a village on the south coast of England; a picture-postcard sort of place where nothing much happens. Until now...

An archaeological dig has turned up a Roman mosaic, circa 70 AD, depicting mythical scenes, grapes - and a Dalek. A few days later a young woman, rushing for work, is knocked over and killed by a bus, then comes back to life. It's not long before all hell breaks loose, and the Doctor and Rose must use all their courage and cunning against an alien enemy - and a not-quite-human accomplice - who are intent on destroying humanity. 

Verdict 

I Am a Dalek was an excellent little novel! Reading on what has now become the normal train journey home to South Wales from Bath, I seemed to fly through this despite it being from the Quick Reads collection of books. I know they're meant to be done rather quickly but I don't think I took a breath between reading chapters! I just rolled off one after the other and I think that definitely helped with the pace and flow of the story from my perspective. I really liked how the story started immediately with action and the Doctor and Rose intending to walk on the Moon quite some time in the past. I loved the humour surrounding the Doctor deciding which flag to plant in the surface to give the first moon walkers quite a surprise when they got there. Of course, he couldn't do it but the intent was there and I liked that. This was really nice to read after a week of comic strip adventures from Doctor Who Comic or the Tales from the TARDIS sister title which my last five blog entries actually have been. It has seemed a little while since my last story that required reading like this with Engines of War, but speaking of that novel and my recent listening of Only the Monstrous, I liked how the Doctor referred to the Time War in quite considerable detail in this story which, given its chronological placement, actually surprised me a little bit. The events of The Day of the Doctor were of course foreshadowed for the reader at the time but from the Doctor's timeline perspective and me reading nearly a decade after the novel was released, I can somewhat relate to what the Doctor had to go through during the hellacious years of the Time War. There was death and devastation and the Doctor's initial reaction to seeing the Dalek casing wasn't too far removed from the Ninth Doctor's reaction to seeing a solitary Dalek in Dalek. If the Doctor is scared or worried then it goes some way to selling the threat which was in this case the Daleks. Now they don't really need much in terms of selling but the fact the Doctor was scared showed just how horrific the Time War must have been. As the Big Finish War Doctor adventures expand, we're going to learn a lot more about it and I can't wait. Kate Yates was an excellent character and her introduction to the story was an entertaining one as she found herself listening to the radio in bed before work and before she knew it she was late for work. It's happened to me before on a Friday for my 9am seminar where I woke up five minutes after my bus had left so I could certainly relate to her. The use of the Dalek factor in this story was unexpected but I loved the similarities to The Evil of the Daleks! I also loved the references to Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways, Father's Day and The Romans with the latter particularly putting a smile on my face. Frank was a brilliant character and I loved how despite his reluctance to wanting to, he ended up believing every word the Doctor said about meeting Nero and knowing about the Daleks. The story of Frank was great though with his lovely little love story with his wife at Durham University. I certainly hope a situation like that doesn't happen to me! The Doctor helping out his friend though through breaking the laws of time and allowing Frank to meet his wife ten years earlier as the Doctor knew that he was responsible for his death. The Dalek wanted its gun back and once it did, it exterminated everyone on that train. The Dalek was ruthless and I liked that very much. The climax was brilliant with Rose being the centre of attention and talking the Dalek into its demise. The Doctor didn't seem to have a choice between the Earth and another planet in space but through Kate, Rose was wonderful and talked her way to destroying the Dalek. It really was a great ending to a fantastic little novel! 

Rating: 9/10

The Comfort of the Good Part 1

"I wanted to be someone special. Someone like nobody ever before. I wanted to be one of the stars."

Writers: Al Ewing & Rob Williams

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 28th January 2016

Printed in: DWC 2.05

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice, Jones, ARC

Synopsis

The Doctor, Alice and ARC remain in 4th century Rome after fending off a Cybermen attack. Jones thinks he's dead whilst inside the Entity. But when the TARDIS turns its back on the Doctor and leaves with no way of leaving, how will they rescue Jones from entering a timestream of nothingness?

Verdict 

The Comfort of the Good kicked off in tremendous style with this brilliant first part to the story! If it carries on in the same way then we're going to have quite the first year finale for the Eleventh Doctor and co! Starting pretty much where Conversion left off, I finally got the story I was after with Jones! He finally felt like a companion and he actually contributed and played a major role in the story which was pleasing. I mean, it took for him to think he was dead for that to happen but at least we finally got there! Judging by his lack of appearance in Four Doctors, and what occurred towards the end of this story here, my guess is this story will be his last as companion and although I haven't been his biggest fan since What He Wants..., I can't say I've disliked him. He's just not contributed greatly but hearing what he would tell his mother made me think that actually he had done quite a considerable amount on his travels in the TARDIS. There were great references to The Rise and Fall/The Other Doctor and Conversion but as he was flying the air he seemed to have quite enjoyed what he took to be dying. He was having a whale of a time in the afterlife and to be honest, what we saw was exactly how I'd depict Jones! It was just perfect for what had happened to him and suited his character perfectly. ARC played a prominent role in the story and it seems his time as companion may soon be up as well. After the Doctor hurt him to save the people from the Entity Cybermen, the Doctor wasn't sure if he could learn from what he had done. ARC still had a connection with Jones who was now in the Entity itself and through that the three of them in fourth century Rome managed to help him back just in the nick of time. For me though, whilst Jones was extremely prominent I thought the story was absolutely all about the Doctor and the TARDIS. The relationship between the pair hasn't been brought to the forefront of a story since The Doctor's Wife, which actually chronologically takes place after this story, but never have we had so much information revealed about Time Lords and their TARDIS! There was a connection of trust on both parts which I found extremely fascinating as it led me to ask are there evil TARDISes as well? How else could you explain the Master and the Rani's respective TARDIS trusting them. I was quite surprised that after everything the Doctor and his TARDIS had been through, that these events saw him locked out, and apparently for good. The characterisation of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor was outstanding here with his anger portrayed sublimely. It really did feel like a Smith story with all that anger ventilated! I loved it. He got outraged by the TARDIS closing her doors on him and that led him to calling her his. His TARDIS. She should do as he commanded and that led her to run away. The Doctor revealed what happened in that situation as usually it would just return to Gallifrey but with the planet lost, it would now go to the nearest Time Lord. The only problem was, there are no others left. Or are there? We saw a brief glimpse of one a long time ago now in After Life and I do wonder whether that is truly the same women we saw at the incredible cliffhanger! When I first read it, I was not ready for that bombshell! Even if this Time Lord turns out to just be another trick of the Talent Scout as I suspect, the fact we now know unambiguously what the mother of the Doctor looks like makes these comics a huge deal! We weren't entirely sure in The End of Time but the artwork doesn't really contradict whether the two are the same women or not, and with regeneration I don't think it really matters. But now we have an actual image to start basing a family of the Doctor off. Other than Susan, we know pretty much nothing about the Doctor's family but now things could change. The cliffhanger was superb and so was the story! I just hope it continues well which is of course where the rating will appear. 

Conversion Part 2

"The Entity with the might of a Cyberman army... an army that now shows you what your heart wants most as they attack."

Writer: Rob Williams 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 28th January 2016

Printed in: DWC 2.05

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice, Jones, ARC

Synopsis

Jones is lost within the Entity. TARDIS is sulking. And the Doctor is all out of ideas... Together with Constantine Augustus they have to face an unstoppable army... An army that can use your deepest desires and turn them against you!

Verdict 

Conversion concluded in excellent style with this brilliant second part of the comic strip adventure! I thoroughly enjoyed this story I must say though I probably should admit that I did not know it was ending after just two parts. I'm not sure why, but I had gotten it into my head that this story was a full five-part whammy of a first year finale for the Eleventh Doctor but evidently that is not the case. It's not a problem at all and in fact I'm actually glad that we're going to be getting another story in this ongoing run of adventures and what will surely be the conclusion of the year long story arc involving SERVEYOUinc. It's been quite the ride and with this much effort put in across numerous stories, it deserves a fitting finale. But for now, we had another superb story on the way to getting there! I was thrilled with the cliffhanger at the end of part one with the emergence of the Cybermen intertwined with the Entity, but I initially thought the build up from the stories of the year previous was all for the Cybermen. My belief was that they were behind the Talent Scout and SERVEYOUinc but that actually wasn't the case. With the action packed events of part one, the Entity had inadvertently intercepted a Cyberman invasion ship and had actually taken them over and formed a horrifying hybrid! The Cybermen did look disturbing I must say and I really am glad that they appeared in their design prior to the drastic change in Nightmare in Silver. I thought the characterisation of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor was excellent and arguably the best it has been in the entire DWC run thus far. It was really good, which it sometimes hasn't been. Alice has grown on me hugely as the stories have developed and I loved the way she challenged the Doctor here, even going as far as referring to him as a god. In human terms it would be hard to argue that he wasn't. He was constantly changing the past and future as he roamed through time but now Jones had been taken over by the Entity Cybermen and she wanted the Doctor to do something about. I was quite surprised that the Doctor just left Jones even if there wasn't really anything much he could do. I loved the continuation of the Roman setting at the battle for Milvian Bridge. Constantine, the Roman Emperor following the demise of Maximus, was brilliant and I loved the courage he displayed in wanting to protect his people and city by battling against the Cybermen. The way it was said that aliens, no matter how terrifying they were, always wanted something and just that allowed them to have a spot of weakness was superb. No matter how desperate, there was always a chance and I think that must be what the Doctor has always thought over his many battles against evil. Not many have topped the Cybermen when it comes to that respect and I just loved their appearance here. The reference to The Stolen Earth/Journey's End was fantastic and so was the climax of the story. To take on the Entity Cybermen, the Doctor became one with ARC and together they became one with the Entity. Once intertwined, the Doctor took charge and used the ability of showing what your heart most desires against the Cybermen and people around. It could possibly be seen as a birth of religion with numerous deities seen, and even a Cyber Deity that scared the Cybermen off! ARC seemed largely affected by the affair, but the Doctor had saved so many lives. However, Jones was still missing and they couldn't be sure whether he was alive or dead. Alice wasn't too pleased about that, but I refuse to believe he would simply vanish as being his conclusion as companion. I'm convinced he'll appear in the next story, which must surely serve as the first year finale! But for now, this was a superb comic strip story.

Rating: 9/10

The Hyperion Empire Part 2

"I seem to have inadvertently reanimated a small army of smouldering zombies."

Writer: Robbie Morrison 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 28th January 2016

Printed in: DWC 2.05

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

The Hyperions are burning up! And they're planning on taking our planet with them... Can Clara and the Doctor, alongside their new friend, Fireman Sam, stop the complete destruction of what remains of the human race?

Verdict 

The Hyperion Empire continued in tremendous style with this excellent second part to the four part first year finale of Twelfth Doctor and Clara comic strip adventures! I bet Titan Comics are secretly quite happy with the news that Doctor Who won't be airing Series 10 until spring 2017 as their second year run of comics with the current incarnation, as far as I'm aware and can guess from Relative Dimensions, also features Clara as the companion. I think it's great that through Doctor Who Comic, and I'm guessing through the comic strip content of DWM, that we are still going to be having numerous adventures with Clara. I mean, we've had plenty so far but I've got absolutely no problem with us having a few more! She's just brilliant and even in these comic strip adventures she just continues to impress. The story itself continued very well after the suffer cliffhanger of the first part with Clara and Sam emerging to the Doctor's rescue. When I reread that part, it seemed a whole lot more familiar than my recent rereading of parts for Weapons of Past Destruction which I blogged over the weekend. I'm not too sure as to why that was but I think it did help remembering a lot about the previous part and rereading just consolidated what I already had fresh in my mind. The story itself is just devastating and it's quite a brave move in having London, and the rest of the world, completely obliterated really. I mean, it worked for The Dalek Invasion of Earth but that was set two centuries after the broadcast. This is modern day London, a story in the present, and presenting it as being a burned wreck is a bold way to go. I must admit, I like the audacity of Robbie Morrison to go in that direction and it presents an interesting dynamic for characters we are familiar with such as Clara and Kate. I really liked having Kate included again after her appearance in The Fractures and this part she was a lot more prevalent than in the first. The moment she and the Doctor met again was magnificent and I just loved the continuation from Dark Water/Death in Heaven with the Doctor again exercising his right as President of Earth. The entire planet was at the mercy of an extraterrestrial race and that meant that the Doctor was in charge. His word was law so what he said went, and it nearly resulted in a politician getting his head cut off with an axe! It was all a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved though. I really liked the relationship between Clara and Sam in this story and I especially loved the Doctor's reaction to finding out that Clara had gotten friendly with fireman Sam. I must admit, I'll be surprised if we don't get a kiss moment like Gabby had in The Weeping Angels of Mons but I'm not sure how far after Danny's death this is set. Is Clara ready to see other people? They certainly seem to have hit it off together. The characterisation of both the Doctor and Clara was very good and I must say DWC has absolutely nailed the likeness of Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor and lately they really have captured Jenna Coleman's portrayal wonderfully well too. I have a feeling that Robbie Morrison is a big fan of Game of Thrones as I noticed a couple of references to that incredible show in this comic strip. We had the Doctor saying "off with his head!", a catchphrase of Joffrey, and then we also had the infamous "winter is coming" said! That was magnificent and I do hope more GoT references come! The cliffhanger was very good with the Hyperion Angels (no connection with the Weeping Angels I believe) arrived and had the Doctor, Clara and co sentenced to incineration. There was a lot of intrigue in the story with an apparent Human-Dalek hybrid being part of the historic alliance that took on the Hyperions. The Scorched were a horrific concept and we had great references to The Time of the Doctor and Terrorformer, but these angels really intrigued me and I can't wait for the next part!

Weapons of Past Destruction Part 4

"Getting caught in a supernova? That's new."

Writer: Cavan Scott 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 14th January 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 02

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack

Synopsis 

With the Doctor apparently dead, Rose lost once again and Captain Jack and the TARDIS not getting along all that well, how will the war between the Lect and Unon be prevented from reaching devastating consequences?

Verdict 

Weapons of Past Destruction continued in excellent style with this fantastic fourth part of the story! When I first found out that the Ninth Doctor comics were kicking off with a five-part epic I was a bit sceptical of whether that was the right way to go. But then I came to do some thinking about the comics as a whole and I realised that we didn't need any introducing to the characters as we are more than familiar with this tremendous trio, despite its arguable rarity with them only appearing in three television stories and three novels together. But those three television stories were actually spread across five episodes and as comes naturally with the television format, putting those characters into other formats makes things a whole lot easier for things like familiarity and characterisation. Speaking of which, I thought the characterisation for all three main characters was excellent once again and considering this is the first story from DWC for this trio, Cavan Scott has done a brilliant job in capturing their likenesses at such an early stage of the run. I thought the plot advancement was really good with the TARDIS team being split up for the majority of the story. That often opens up a lot of doors for story advancement and that's exactly what occurred here. We had Rose trapped at the mercy of the Lect and through that we actually got to learn a great deal about the alien race! The reveal of what was actually inside the robots was quite a surprise and throughout the story thus far, I honesty didn't think they would be similar to the Daleks in having a creature inside literally pulling the strings. That creature didn't seem too impressed with its life though as it openly revealed that it was living in torture. At that moment it seemed the same fate awaited Rose but what happened between that moment and the cliffhanger we don't know, and I'd sure love to find out! Jack's role in the story was very good and I liked how he was the one flying the TARDIS around but just as he was hoping to bring Rose aboard, the Unon took command and were bringing the TARDIS to the Doctor. Rescuing it. The Doctor and Jack were soon reunited and quickly deployed on a mission to Traxis, a vulnerable planet that was on a Time War fault line. All of its past, present and future was collapsing into one but thanks to Gallifreyan technology and the Doctor's ingenuity, the whole in time was stitched back together. The inclusion of the mammoth didn't really seem necessary but it was a lot of fun and it allowed us to get that glorious 'fantastic!' moment from the Ninth Doctor that I really have been waiting for in this comic strip run. It was probably my favourite moment of this part! I also liked the great artwork showing the new era Sontarans and a stunning version of the 1960s Cybermen! The artists have been allowed to go wild in this story and I bet they've had a ball penning it. I also really liked that Rose mentioned having faced Slitheen, in what would be Aliens of London/World War Three and the Daleks, in the brilliant Dalek. Once the Doctor and Jack had saved Traxis and a Time War fault line from fissuring out further, the cliffhanger was something I did not expect. Rose seemed to be in league with the Lect and tricked Jack into revealing their location! The Lect and the Unon were in the same location, and with Rose on the other side it seems like all hell is going to break loose in the fifth and final part! This was again excellent but I do look forward to the finale, which is of course where the rating will appear.

Weapons of Past Destruction Part 3

"He just wanted to talk to you and you killed him!"

Writer: Cavan Scott 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 14th January 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 02

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack

Synopsis 

The Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack find themselves in a spot of bother at the Fluren Temporal Bazaar as the bidding for the mind of the Doctor gets nasty. How far will the Lect or Unon go to know how weapons from the Time War truly work?

Verdict 

Weapons of Past Destruction continued wonderfully well with this fantastic third instalment of the lengthy adventure! It looks set to overthrow The Weeping Angels of Mons as the longest story from Doctor Who Comic yet, whether that's the normal title or this Tales from the TARDIS sister title. It really was an outstanding continuation of the story I started over the Christmas holidays and to be fair it really did seem a long time since I had the first two parts that appeared in the very first issue of this comic title. It was not advertised to me so I was delighted to see that we were adding the Ninth Doctor to the list of incarnations from Titan Comics whose adventures would be made available in the UK! I'm very grateful to WH Smith in Bath for continuing to stock both titles of DWC and long may that continue throughout my stay here at university. They haven't let me down yet so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. After refreshing my memory of the story by re-reading the first two parts, I was enthralled with how much I enjoyed the story and I certainly think that this is the best part yet! It advanced the story along very well and we now know a lot more about the Lect and Unon. After the part two cliffhanger with the Lect surrounding the TARDIS trio, the continuation here was very good. The Unon actually saving the day was terrific but to Rose's horror, just when it seemed like the Doctor had the upper hand of the situation and wanted to talk, the Unon seemed to disintegrate him into bits. It really did seem like he had just been reduced to nothing but ashes. That would have been quite a rubbish way for the Doctor to die given all else he had gone through! He of course turned out to be in a sub-void at the hands of Arnora, the Mother Superior of the Unon. I thought it was quite a fancy title I must say. When in that void though the Doctor's ability to talk about just about anything was demonstrated marvellously. I really liked how we got a mention of the Rani and the Corsair (a nice homage to The Doctor's Wife). I do like a name drop I must admit. I enjoyed the characterisation of Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor very much and j must praise Cavan Scott on also capturing the likeness of Rose and Captain Jack as the companions. Some of the dialogue is really impressive with how it directly links to characterisation. Rose's reaction to the Doctor's apparent death was excellent and instantly you could just see how helpless she would be if he were to suddenly die. She doesn't know any better that he's alive, but at least here she has Jack. I'm really liking Captain Jack in these comics so far and I think it's marvellous that we get to see more adventures with this relatively rare TARDIS trio. I'm very glad Titan Comics decided on going with Captain Jack instead of just Rose as it definitely adds something to each comic strip. The Doctor's flashback to the Time War where we got a great graphic of the Eighth and War Doctors was magnificent and it was probably the highlight of the comic strip's artwork so far. I thought the cliffhanger to this part was absolutely brilliant and it really did have me wanting to read part four almost immediately! After Captain Jack's surprise future self showing up, it would appear that Rose is falling again as she couldn't quire reach Jack's hand and get into the TARDIS. And as for the planet, the time bubble defences seem to be giving up and it's only seconds away from destruction! The Doctor is helpless, and that's what makes a great cliffhanger. As always, the rating will appear in the blog entry of the final part. 

Time Tunnel

"It's just an old folk story, nothing to worry about..."

Writer: Nigel Fairs

Format: Audio

Released: March 2015

Series: Short Trips 5.03

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

Reports are coming in to UNIT of trains emerging from a railway tunnel in Sussex, their passengers and drivers dead. The Doctor elects to drive a train through the tunnel himself, but when he emerged Jo sees to her horror that he is covered in ice. Something in the tunnel has driven him close to the point of death. What can it be?

Verdict 

Time Tunnel was a pretty interesting and decent audio adventure! I'm slowly finding my way through the fifth series of Short Trips but I must admit I do seem to be taking my time! At just £2.99 an audio, you'd think I would do one from this series more often but the fact of the matter is there is just so much content from other areas of the Doctor Who world that I'm more interested in at the minute. Whether it was with my listening of Only the Monstrous or my reading of The Betrothal of Sontar, I've found myself prioritising what I would call 'better' adventures. I obviously don't know until I listen to the stories (or read/watch) if they actually are better but if I've got the time then I'll definitely prioritise something I consider feature length (over forty-five minutes) to a shorter story like this, which just reached the half an hour mark. I have my strange ways but today I found myself with a free night actually but with plans for entertainment and relaxation as a reward for a Tudors & Stuarts presentation in university today, I thought I'd delve back into this series. It's actually been nearly three months since I listened to Little Terrors and goodness knows how long since Flywheel Revolution before that, but I did quite enjoy this one. Katy Manning did an excellent job of portraying both the Third Doctor and the Brigadier, but I thought her impressions of Mike Yates and Sergeant Benton were pretty poor sadly. That actually surprised me because in the previous Short Trips and Companion Chronicles that I have listened to her perform in, she's been really terrific. She still was in this story for a large proportion of it but the attempted capturing of those aforementioned regulars during this era was slightly disappointing I must say. Speaking of the era, I thought the story fitted in well with the early 1970s stories of the Third Doctor era which I definitely think is important for a story that is being written and performed over forty years since the era that is housed actually occurred. There's no real reason to break away from the era but thankfully this audio adventure fitted right in the exile years of the Third Doctor. The plot of the story was pretty intriguing I must say with the mystery of the train tunnel, as you might guess with the name of the story! I liked the idea of the tunnel and now time went a whole lot slower than outside but the thing that bothered me most about the story as a whole was that we never got to find out what was inside! The whole story was about the tunnel but we didn't really get to solve what was in it which really annoyed me I must say. I really liked the reference to The Curse of Peladon in this adventure but the ending was far too similar to Doctor Who and the Silurians. The Doctor didn't even get an opportunity to argue against the Brigadier's decision to blow up the tunnel. Obviously the decision had come from Geneva but the Doctor really wasn't happy about another innocent alien species just being blown up. From the Doctor's first exit out of the tunnel, on the train and not foot, it would appear that whatever was inside may be hostile but that wouldn't actually turn out to be the case. However, that didn't seem to matter as the order was given and UNIT blew up the tunnel. The story as a whole was a good one but I just did not like the climax at all. Overall, pretty decent for a Short Trips audio however the ending was just not for me.

Rating: 7/10

The Warkeeper's Crown

"This Brigadier is the greatest leader you have ever encountered."

Writer: Alan Barnes

Format: Comic Strip

Released: January-March 2007

Printed in: DWM 378-380

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Brigadier

Synopsis 

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart is abducted from out of nowhere. Upon his arrival in mysterious surroundings, he is greeted by the Doctor, again sporting a new regeneration. Together, they must solve the mystery of the Warkeeper's crown and ensure that war doesn't reach Earth.  

Verdict 

The Warkeeper's Crown was a magnificent comic strip adventure to finish my reading of The Betrothal of Sontar graphic novel! It really was a fantastic way to conclude what has been a marvellous collection of comic strip adventures from 2006 and going into 2007. Doctor Who Magazine housed these adventures largely containing the Tenth Doctor alongside Rose, and sporadically with Mickey, but I was not expecting such a wonderful conclusion to the great graphic novel! We got to see an encounter between the Tenth Doctor and the Brigadier! I was overjoyed to see the latter on the first page of the comic and, nine years after this story was first printed, it had somehow escaped me that this story existed. It was a real joy to read and I really did have no idea that a post-revival era Doctor met the Brigadier. I thought it was lovely. I thought Alan Barnes characterised Nicholas Courtney's infamous character wonderfully well and I loved the inclusion at the climax where the name of the species was commonly referred to as 'Blazes'. That was an excellent touch. David Tennant's Tenth Doctor was also characterised extremely well and I would probably argue it was the best capturing of his likeness in the graphic novel as a whole. It was very strong here and I think that's only natural for it come out when the Doctor meets a very old and close friend. I just couldn't believe they got to meet! I mean we got to see Sarah Jane and the Brigadier reunited on screen in The Sarah Jane Adventures, a spinoff I am yet to begin blogging on, but I will get to it at some point. Probably once I've gotten around to finishing off Torchwood with the Miracle Day fourth series. I really liked the plot of this story and just having the presence of the Brigadier doesn't automatically make it a good story, but it of course does help things which was the case here. The Hawks were an interesting concept and I guess it's rather fitting that they appeared in a collection under the title named that included the home planet of the Sontarans as these beasties as another old friend of the Doctor's would put, were clone creatures too. The way that was used against them on Earth with an amazing scene of dozens of Brigadier was quite special. A moment of nostalgia that's for sure. The inclusion of Michael Yates, yes Michael and not Mike, was actually the only slight disappointment of the comic strip for me. The mention of Yates, who came ahead of Benton to my surprise, had me filled with excitement at the possibility of a UNIT reunion but sadly we got some silly businessman who really didn't have a clue what he was doing. The group of Tilly, Lilly and seemingly any other name that rhymed were intriguing and I did like the subplot of what they were up to. The Warkeeper's crown itself had a feel of an enigma to it which I thought was good and I loved how the Doctor being incredibly smart actually worked against him here. The crown was for the simple minded. Or more specifically for the humans. The Brigadier would end up saving the day, as he rightly should, with more than a little luck but the 'Blazes' moment really was wonderful. Overall, a joyous way to finish the graphic novel and on a personal level this was an incredible bargain. Working out at just 38p of my own money, I think it's fair to say that I got my money's worth! A fantastic adventure to finish on. A real treat. 

Rating: 9/10

The Green-Eyed Monster

"When did you decide to become a feckless chav bumming around the universe with a man 900 years your senior?"

Writer: Nev Fountain

Format: Comic Strip

Released: January 2007

Printed in: DWM 377

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Rose, Mickey

Synopsis 

Rose awakes alone and apparently abandoned in the TARDIS. As she searches for the Doctor and Mickey, she finds herself on an intergalactic talk show not too dissimilar to the Jeremy Kyle Show. With the Doctor, Mickey and even her own mother taking part, how will Rose cope?

Verdict 

The Green-Eyed Monster was a pretty average comic strip adventure to continue my reading of The Betrothal of Sontar which was a real shame as this has to rank as the worst of the collection so far. To add to that it would appear that this comic strip is the final one for Rose and Mickey in this format and in my opinion they deserved a better farewell! By the time this story was printed in DWM, it had been well over six months since Rose's departure in Army of Ghosts/Doomsday so this was like the final goodbye to the readers. Obviously it wasn't too long until she returned in Turn Left but I'm not sure the readers at the time were to know that. I do like the fact that the story was all about Rose though. She'd survived the entire Ninth Doctor era, not that it was all that long, and now she'd been there to see in the Tenth Doctor's arrival. She'd had quite an affect on the Doctor and even though I wasn't keen on the plot, I'm glad she was the centre of attention. I'm not sure whether I would have preferred the whole story to have ended up being a dream or if I was actually a fan of it being a plan of the Doctor, well Jackie actually, to rid Rose of her green-eyed monster. It was basically Doctor Who's intergalactic take on the Jeremy Kyle or Jerry Springer Show. It just shouldn't have been done in my opinion. The overlaying theme of jealousy was good but I think it could have been incorporated into a Doctor Who comic strip a lot more effectively. We know that Rose had feelings for the Doctor and in hindsight from The Stolen Earth/Journey's End we know that the Doctor very probably had feelings for her too. That in itself surprises me greatly but that's the direction things seemed to go with this era. There was actually a lot of subtle sexual references in this comic strip which quite surprised me. The Doctor seemed quite at home with having the Amazastians cool off and change in the TARDIS console room! Imagination may have a tendency to run wild with that many incredibly beautiful and young girls, but that doesn't have any place in my blog really, even if I did express some kind of joy in my blogging of Day One and Greeks Bearing Gifts during my Series One run of Torchwood way back near the beginnings of the blog. But hey, I'm allowed. It was included and I'm merely giving my verdict on what I have read and watched in these cases. I thought the concept of the Iagnon was very good actually with it being an alien that fed off jealousy but it would appear that Rose was very difficult to make jealous! It took a lot to actually overload the Iagnon that was stuck inside her ear. Eventually it was overloaded thanks to Jackie and the Doctor claiming they had found love! That was quite a disturbing thought to be honest and I was humorously cast back to the bedroom scene in Rose. The Doctor must really care for Rose if it meant having to kiss her mother, apparently on intergalactic television, to save her. I'm sure it's something he won't want to remember too often. The Iagnon basically destroying itself was actually quite a humorous demise to what turned out to be a pretty pathetic creature! It got so jealous of the Doctor that it fed off itself and caused its own demise. Overall though, despite excellent references to School Reunion and The Girl in the Fireplace, this just didn't do enough justice as a comic strip sendoff for Rose. It was too short at just one part and I wasn't an enormous fan of the idea. Good in places, but it could have been so much more.

Rating: 6/10

Interstellar Overdrive

"Brilliant! We're flying into an asteroid belt!"

Writer: Jonathan Morris 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: November-December 2006

Printed in: DWM 375-376

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Rose arrive on a Magellan-class star cruiser in the year 3000. There they encounter the members of the Pakafroon Wabster, the greatest rock band in history. But with the ship in a time loop and a murder mystery ensuing, the Doctor has his work cut out...

Verdict 

Interstellar Overdrive was a very good comic strip adventure to get me back into the swing of things with my reading of The Betrothal of Sontar! I've not been the biggest fan of Jonathan Morris in the past as I don't he's really written a story of the highest calibre so my expectations were probably a little lower than normal. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable this comic strip adventure actually was. I definitely think it was one of the best comic strip adventures from Jonathan Morris yet. It could have been better of course but for a two parter I couldn't really have any complaints about the quality that we got. It started off with the Doctor and Rose getting immediately amongst the action which is something I always like. There was no real getting to know their surroundings and instead we just had a quick burst of information from the Doctor which I thought was really effective. The characterisation of David Tennant's terrific Tenth Doctor was tremendous which really pleased me as sometimes in this graphic novel thus far it hasn't been quite captured but that's understandable seeing as his first few comic adventures were printed prior to the broadcast of New Earth! There's no doubting here though that Morris did a good job. I didn't feel the characterisation of Rose was as good as it could have been but I think that might be down to her not really being the centre of attention during this story. It was all about the Doctor and Pakafroon Wabster. The band presented quite an interesting set of characters and I loved the Doctor's reaction to meeting them all. It wasn't too dissimilar to his somewhat starstruck reaction to meeting Agatha Christie in The Unicorn and the Wasp. They must be pretty good in the future then! I must admit I was hoping for a Busted reference with a music theme and a story in the year circa 3000 but sadly I didn't quite get that. I can't expect everything though! I really liked Banksy and Fluke out of the band and they were probably my standout guest characters from the story. They just had something more enigmatic than the other members of the band. An endearing quality hidden beneath the surface you might say. The cliffhanger between the parts was absolutely brilliant and it more than resembled the part one cliffhanger of the ongoing Ninth Doctor comic strip story Weapons of Past Destruction. Rose features in that story too and she sure does like getting herself thrown out into space! The resolution though was magnificent and even just by reading it I got that deja vu moment which I thought was superb. The pace of the second part was like a whirlwind which is what you have to do in a story featuring a time loop as you don't want to risk things becoming repetitive. It worked very well in Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters and it worked fantastically once again here. I thought Jacey was a pretty good character and although I thought the revelation that she was the murderer was a little too predictable, I loved how her motive made up for that. With the band set to be dropped off their record label, Jacey had planned on killing off the band and making it look like an accident, with a tragic death meaning they'd live on in music history forever! It was quite a dastardly scheme just for some money but I guess that's why I liked it and I think it definitely worked. The Doctor, with the help of a certain resurrected band member, soon put a stop to that and the time loop, even if the ending seemed a little sudden. Overall though, a very good comic strip adventure and one I definitely enjoyed! 

Rating: 8/10  

The Heart of the Battle

"You are a civilised man, not a man of war."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: December 2015

Series: Only the Monstrous 03

Featuring: War Doctor

Synopsis 

Trapped in a citadel swarming with Daleks, the Time Lord rescue force must find a way to overcome insurmountable odds. With the Daleks apparently planning to rule the Null Zone, perhaps their thirst for universal conquest and victory has been quenched...

The Doctor doesn't believe so - but how can he probe it without destroying any chance of peace?

As the countdown to the destruction of Keska proceeds, a deadly choice must be made... A choice that will define this Doctor and perhaps forever cast him

in the role of 'monster'.

Verdict 

The Heart of the Battle was a very good conclusion to the Only the Monstrous anthology of War Doctor audio adventures! The title of the anthology certainly had its name warranted in this story as we saw the Doctor being faced with such terrible circumstances. He was forced to make uncomfortable decisions and whichever choice he made, it would be monstrous. That's what the Time War had done now. It had turned even the Doctor into a warrior, whether he wanted to admit or not. This story followed pretty much immediately where The Thousand Worlds left off and the revelation about the thousand planets that the Daleks had at their mercy in the Null Zone was rather frightening! Instead of wanting to pilot the planet as they attempted with Earth in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, they were going to literally propel over a thousand planets into Gallifrey! The Daleks were absolutely intent on wiping out every single Time Lord. It was an incredible plan and even for the Daleks it was mightily ruthless. For both of the sides, the Time War was making them desperate. It did appear that both sides wanted an end to things now as they'd been fighting for eternity (which is quite a long time!) and the Doctor was certainly sick of things. John Hurt gave another wonderful performance and I really do think it's terrific that Big Finish managed to sign him to three more War Doctor boxsets to come over the next 18 months. It's not long to wait until the next one either! But we're still talking about his first boxset and its great ending. The citadel setting on Keska was again very good and I liked the aggressiveness of the Daleks. The Prime Dalek was very good though I'm not really sure how or why he differs from the Dalek Supreme. But I'm not one to dispute titles, especially when it comes to the Daleks. Ever since the revival of Doctor Who with Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor, I've wanted to know what happened in the Time War and I'm just so glad that these audios are giving us an insight into the terrible events. The only problem I guess that comes with the War Doctor from that though is that the Daleks are always going to be the enemies. Big Finish need to be careful not to fall into a trap of being repetitive as it could easily be done. I trust that they won't let me down though! Rejoice was again a lovely character and although TARDISwiki (a site I get a lot of information from and love reading the continuity section) mark her down as the companion for these first three War Doctor audios, I would argue against her being so. In my opinion, she's just a recurring character and despite the Doctor taking a liking to her, she was nothing more. I don't think we will be seeing her again in future audios but the ambiguity surrounding her ending certainly leaves the possibility open. I think it's nice how when the Doctor and Ollistra visited Keska's future that she was remembered as a symbol of peace. That would be one saving grace for the Doctor in the aftermath of making a terrible decision. The decision the Doctor had to make was actually quite an easy one as the consequences were the same for those concerned, namely Garv and the other Keskan scientists. The Doctor though was not aware that the scientists were actually guiding the drill into the planet's core from inside the descending drill itself! Once it reached its destination that would send the signal for the same to occur on the rest of the thousand worlds. The Doctor had found the signal that would blow it up before making impact but he just couldn't accept that there was no other way. Garv wanted to die in saving his family and planet but the Doctor didn't want him to die at all. Sadly, he had no choice and that was the decision he was forced to make. He had no other choice really. I really liked Traanus in this story and I thought he was a much better villain than in the previous audio. He was toying with the Doctor's cowardice but I think in the end even he couldn't doubt that the Doctor was monstrous. The way he dealt with the Daleks was superb. The Doctor's continued banter with Veklin has been a real highlight of this audio series and it continuing here was marvellous. Despite being primarily associated with the Time War, I could really imagine John Hurt's incarnation being quite the mischievous devil. The idea of peace was never going to work and I was astounded Seratrix thought it possible. But thanks to the Doctor all was out right. He dealt with the Daleks and saved the thousand worlds from being fired at Gallifrey. Despite his reluctance, I loved Ollistra's talk at the end in saying that he was on their side. I like to think of him as a neutral, but the Doctor couldn't deny he had the same goal as his fellow Time Lords. Overall, a very good ending to a marvellous little anthology! I can't wait for the continuation of adventures for this incarnation of the Doctor!

Rating: 8/10

The Thousand Worlds

"You saved our planet once... but you're too late to save it again."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: December 2015

Series: Only the Monstrous 02

Featuring: War Doctor

Synopsis 

With the high ranking Time Lord Seratrix behind enemy lines, the Doctor finds himself assigned to a rescue mission. But any room for manoeuvre is severely restricted by an area of space known as the Null Zone.

Times have changed on Keska, and a countdown to destruction is beginning.

But who are the Taalyens and what is their part in the great and terrifying Dalek plan?

Verdict 

The Thousand Worlds was an excellent story and a superb continuation of the Only the Monstrous anthology of War Doctor adventures! It was an improvement on yesterday's beginning and I'm very intrigued to see how this chapter in the Time War will conclude tomorrow when I listen to this boxset's final instalment, but for now I thoroughly enjoyed this middle filling! I must admit I was quite surprised to hear quite an emotional Rejoice encounter her father after she was returned home from the Doctor's TARDIS by the Time Lords. It would appear that in this incarnation he wouldn't be having any companions just yet. We didn't hear a lot of her in her youth in this one but I certainly was not expecting her to feature rather heavily quite a few decades after her first meeting with the Doctor. It was a lovely moment when Rejoice revealed her identity and for a moment, the Doctor seemed rather gentle. Something quite rare for this incarnation. John Hurt gave an outstanding performance in this audio and he really has brought his part back to life. He's more than warranting his role as an incarnation of the Doctor. I love how he can just shift from being calm and normal to vengeful and monstrous. It's a great quality and it really helps sell how terrible this Time War has been. The plan of the Daleks was quite a frightening one and I liked the subtle reference to The Dalek Invasion of Earth with the Doctor remembering a familiarity to their plan. But this time, instead of drilling into the core of Earth and piloting that planet, as you can probably guess from the audio's title, they intended on doing something similar with a thousand worlds. That's some scale and it almost seems incomprehensible! Imagine what the Daleks could do with that kind of power. The Doctor thought he'd put a huge dent in their plans by using the time destructor against them in The Innocent, but here they were well and truly back on track. The thought of the Daleks having that kind of arsenal under their command is rather frightening. Would the Time Lords be able to stop them? I would probably argue that there would be no way possible. Despite the resources the Time Lords have at their disposal, how would they deal with a thousand planets attacking them? The concept of the Null Zone was a very good one and I really did like the idea of an area in space, and quite a large one at that, that time was not possible. Somehow the Daleks had taken a grasp of this area of space and it was now their time. Cardinal Ollistra was not doing much to please the Doctor, not that she was trying, but I loved how despite her best efforts the Doctor just kept on infuriating her! But despite her anger being caused by him, she couldn't deny that he was brilliant. Difficult to work with yes, but a remarkable man. Instead of joining the team she had tried to assemble with Veklin, Bennus and Arverton but the Doctor was having none of it. He would go behind enemy lines in seeking Seratrix but it would be on his own terms. The way he left Gallifrey once more was excellent. He just did it so brilliantly casually. That trio had quite the adventure themselves on Keska and I liked the change in dynamic on that planet with the Daleks now in control of the Citadel. The death of Arverton was quite an emotional moment, especially for Bennus, but there was no time to mourn. The Prime Dalek was an interesting choice of title and I did like the Doctor mocking the numerous titles they seem to have. Garv was a good character and I loved how the Doctor faces a very awkward moment when asked for his identity. He flat out disputes being recognised as the Doctor. Once Seratrix was found, surprisingly alongside the Daleks, it was a very uncomfortable embrace. It appeared like a mutiny for peace was sought after from both parties! That was unexpected I must say. Just what the Daleks were really up to I'm not sure, but I've got a hunch it doesn't involve peace. The cliffhanger finish was good and I really am intrigued to see what the launch was. Was Seratrix on the Daleks side? And just how would the Doctor stop it? I guess only time will tell. But for now, a fantastic story.

Rating: 9/10

The Innocent

"I've seen too much of this war already..."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: December 2015

Series: Only the Monstrous 01

Featuring: War Doctor, Rejoice

Synopsis 

As the Daleks mass their time fleet for a final assault on Gallifrey, something ancient is waiting for them at Omega One. And a sacrifice must be made.

Arch manipulator and Time Lord strategist, Cardinal Ollistra receives shock news of the Doctor's death.

Meanwhile, on the planet Keska, a parochial war has returned to plague a peaceful civilisation after decades of tranquility. But how can such a war have any connection with the great Time War which, at any one moment in the whole of eternity, could threaten to tear the universe apart?

If only the Doctor were still alive...

Verdict 

The Innocent was a very good and solid start to what is pretty much a brand new era of Doctor Who! The War Doctor has returned to performed Doctor Who following his solitary appearance in The Day of the Doctor as the 'missing' incarnation that embodied our favourite Time Lord in the cancellation years. Big Finish really do work wonders and I'm just so glad that we're going to be getting at least twelve adventures with John Hurt's incarnation of the Doctor. He's going to feel a lot more like the Doctor by the end of the fourth anthology of adventures late next year and I can't wait to see how he does in developing his character. As was the case in this story, there's not a lot of room for roaming with this Doctor as he is just engulfed in the Time War but I think the fact it was this incarnation for nearly the whole war illustrates just how long and drawn out the Time War really was. The War Doctor appeared really young immediately after the Eighth Doctor regenerated in The Night of the Doctor but even by this point in the war, the Doctor has revoked his own name and appears quite aged and exhausted from the strain of war. I must admit for the first War Doctor audio adventure, I was expecting Gallifrey to be the prime setting but instead the audio primarily took place on Keska. I was somewhat surprised the Doctor had never heard of the planet as by this time he's heard of just about everywhere! Rejoice was a magnificent character and although I'm not entirely sure about her credibility as being a companion just yet, she looks like she's going to be fantastic! She differed from Cinder in Engines of War, a story that this had great continuity from, as the Doctor didn't seem to formally accept her as companion but he knew the signs were there as she was absolutely wonderful and I really enjoyed that the Doctor grew rather fond of her as the adventure went on. The way the Doctor was looked upon on Gallifrey was a really intriguing part of the story and I must say I didn't expect his life to be celebrated in the way it was after it was announced the Doctor had died. That was of course not the case but to go from that to Ollistra and others calling the Doctor's acquisition of companions just "another stray" was quite the contrast I thought. The depiction of the war itself was excellent in this story and I adored the reference to The Daleks' Master Plan and the return of the time destructor! It was such a debating weapon in that story and if it was ever going to be used again then the Time War was the perfect place. It had devastating effects and saw Dalek plans held back by millennia. That in itself just showed how long this war had been raging. A question I've always wanted a definitive answer to is how the Time War started and whilst it was touched upon here with a reference to Genesis of the Daleks, I would like it set in stone at some point. It's such a significant event that I think some light should be shredded on how it all began. The plot of the story itself was solid and I did like the inclusion of another war with the Taalyens attacking Keska. The Doctor would soon help out the locals though and despite his claims that he was a monster, perhaps suggesting a darker past in the war prior to this point, he was still the Doctor. We could see that and I think whilst he's retracted his name, he is still the same great man. Cardinal Ollistra seems an intriguing character and I really am looking forward to learning more about her. She certainly isn't afraid to take a risk as we saw at the end with her using power from the Eye of Harmony, seriously depleting the temporal defences of Gallifrey, to bring the Doctor back home. He wasn't all that happy about it and genuinely did seem upset that he and Rejoice would be saying a fast goodbye as the Time Lords returned her home. I liked how the ending seems to lead right into the next instalment of the anthology and I just can't wait! John Hurt was brilliant and we're getting War Doctor adventures, what's not to love? We're off to a good start.

Rating: 8/10

The Rival Robots

"Every Zheng contains a neutron bomb in his brain. They're going to blow us all up!"

Writer: Unknown 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 1977

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 1978

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah

Synopsis 

The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith arrive in the midst of a fierce rivalry between two robot factions - the Yeng and the Domos. With the rivalry getting ever heated and Sarah being kidnapped, what lays in store for the Doctor?

Verdict 

The Rival Robots was a pretty average comic strip story sadly as I had high hopes of it being at least pretty good. Well in saying that, it was decent in parts but as a whole the story just seemed to want to do too much in the short allocation of pages it had in this 1978 edition of the Doctor Who Annual. After my recent reading of the 2016 Annual which I really was not a fan of, I was delighted to see this little gem being sold on eBay for a mere £3 which included postage and packaging. How could I not purchase it? It adds to my slowly growing collection of Classic era Annuals and now sits nicely alongside my 1980 and 1983 editions. I have noticed that quite a lot of the latter years of the Classic era have pretty cheap Annuals so as I get through the content I will be sure to contribute to the growing collection. I do love the Classic Annuals because they're just so much better than the modern ones we have been getting recently. The audience it pitches too is just fantastic and I firmly believe that text stories is absolutely the way to go. Can we please be rid of all the recent monster files and children quizzes and what have you. It's aimed at such a small portion of the overall Doctor Who audience which I think is a real shame because they could just be so much more! I do feel strongly about this because collecting the Annuals every year is a tradition and despite the quality of recent ones which really annoys me, I will contribute to collect because they're just part of my overall collection right now. That collection is slightly scattered at the moment sadly due to my studying for a degree but it will join back together nicely in the near future. When this Annual arrived I was overjoyed by its good condition which is testament to the previous owner as it has nearly been forty years now since this hit the shelves on the high street. It's wonderful how after all this time people are still enjoying the content and there's even lunatics like me blogging about the stories individually! I will continue to do that. I think I've been blogging for so long now and I've built up such an accumulation of entries that it wouldn't ever feel right doing a Doctor Who story and then not giving my verdict on it here! The story itself could have been better and sadly I thought the artwork of Sarah was appalling. It didn't resemble her at all which was a real shame. In a comic strip, especially in one as short as this, I think artwork is crucial and it really can have a big effect on the way a story is perceived. The characterisation of Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor was actually really good which I'm glad to say and there were some of his traits cropping up which is always a good sign. The arrival of Olak seemed rather sudden and strange as I would have liked at least a little backdrop explaining who he was and what his connection was on the planet. The rivalry between the two sets of robots was interesting though considering that was the title of the comic strip adventure, I was expecting it to be a tad more fierce. I did enjoy the revelation that every Yeng had a neutron bomb in their brain I must admit. That provided an exciting climax which more than saved the story from a disastrous rating. It certainly had its positives and that was absolutely one of them. The Doctor talking himself out of the explosive countdown was the highlight of the comic strip in my opinion. It was something he had demonstrated many times before and would go on to do countless more times in his future. Talk. It was always his answer of getting out of problems and there's rarely, if any, times where it doesn't work. The reunion with Sarah seemed a bit too easy and although the story did have its highlights, it just seemed a bit rushed and jumbled at times. Overall, good in parts but sadly too inconsistent. 

Rating: 6/10

Flesh and Stone

"The Angels are laughing."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 1st May 2010

Series: 5.05

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, River

Synopsis 

There's no way back, no way up and no way out. Trapped by an army of Weeping Angels and an ever-growing mysterious crack, the Eleventh Doctor and his friends try to escape through the wreckage of a crashed space liner. Meanwhile, surrounded by Angels, Amy faces an even more deadly attack, as she's forced to find her way through the forest vault, eyes closed.

Verdict 

Flesh and Stone was an excellent conclusion of the story already started in The Time of Angels. It wrapped things up nicely and contributed greatly to the series arc as a whole! Where in the first episode I thought Matt Smith absolutely shined in his new role as the Eleventh Doctor, I felt this episode was all about Amy at the centre of attention and Karen Gillan did a fantastic job. As I only bought this DVD recently due to just no luck in finding it in shops, the three episodes on the volume 2 release of Series 5 are probably the Eleventh Doctor stories I have watched the least and I don't think I have watched since my circa 260 day run of going from An Unearthly Child to The Snowmen back in 2012-13. So it's been some time which is definitely positive as there was a lot of this episode that I simply did not remember. After Amy had looked into the eyes of the Weeping Angel in the previous episode, we were now seeing the ramifications that came with that. Continuing the theme of the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel, it had been imprinted in Amy's mind and the Angel was taking over her. The countdown was subtle and good and I just loved the Doctor's reaction to discovering why the Angels were counting down. For fun. That just angered him massively which meant they surely weren't going to succeed in their plans. Father Octavian was a superb guest character once again and I liked how he was laying down his authority to River Song throughout, so much so that he actually revealed to the Doctor that River Song was in Stormcage and that she had killed a good man. That wasn't going to go down well with the Doctor but he'd have to wait to be angry with her and experience the events himself. They were going to be rather eventful! I really liked the references to The Stolen Earth/Journey's End and The Next Doctor, as the crack in Amy's bedroom from The Eleventh Hour, another story that was nicely referenced, made quite the impact. It was the reason for the presence of the Weeping Angels as they hoped to feed off the mass time energy that it carried. The army of Angels was weak and close to death but as we saw throughout the episode, they were rejuvenating and regenerating thanks to the field of the crack. The Doctor slowly working out what the crack meant was excellent and I loved it when he realised time could be unwritten and that was exactly what happened to Octavian's clerics. They all couldn't resist a look at the light and it cost them they're entire existence. I don't think it was really worth it in the end! Matt Smith showing the angry side of the Doctor in this episode was brilliant and he did such a phenomenal job. His outburst to River highlighted just how real the situation was. Amy was in huge danger. They had stopped the Angel coming pretty easily really with Amy just closing her eyes. It presented its problems for Amy escaping the forest but River's brilliance soon dealt with that. The idea of the Angels laughing was astounding and I imagine that would send chills down many viewer's spine. Seeing the Angels move for the first time was excellent and I loved how we almost saw a look of realisation in their stone faces. The climax was fantastic and not too dissimilar to Doomsday with the Doctor keeping the Angels at bay by talking long enough. The gravity of the ship failed, and the Angels were sent back into the crack forcing it closed. They wanted to feed on the crack but instead it fed on them and the Angels had ceased to ever exist. It was an excellent ending to a fantastic two part story! I liked the foreshadowing of The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang with River mentioning remembering the events well. But I loved the inclusion of the Doctor from the future and after the events of said story and told Amy that she had to remember. I remember thinking on broadcast that something was strange about that scene and I would be proved right eight weeks later. Overall as a whole, an excellent return for the Weeping Angels and a superb story! 

Rating: 9/10

The Time of Angels

"That which holds an image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel." 

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 24th April 2010

Series: 5.04

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, River

Synopsis 

The enigmatic River Song hurtles back into the Doctor's life, but she's not the only familiar face returning - the Weeping Angels are back! Following River's calling card, the Doctor is recruited to help track down the last of the Angels, which has escaped from the Byzantium starliner and into the terrifying Maze of the Dead. 

Verdict 

The Time of Angels was an excellent first episode to the first two-part story of Series 5! This was still in the very early days of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor but boy didn't he settle in quickly! Considering this was actually the first episode he shot as the Doctor, his performance was nothing short of astounding really. He had all the traits of his incredible Doctor and it just reaffirmed to me that on screen, he is absolutely my favourite incarnation of the Doctor. If this was Smith's first episode then it must surely have been Karen Gillan's as Amy as well. She too has settled in very nicely and this is actually a bit of a rarity in the grand scheme of things as this is one of very few episodes where Amy is the sole companion. She has come to be associated with Rory and rightly so, but I must admit it was nice seeing Amy travelling on her own. The arrival of River Song to the story was just magnificent and I loved how the Doctor echoed the words of his granddaughter in An Unearthly Child by correcting not a book, but a museum about its history. River's message in Gallifreyan to hike a ride with the Doctor was magnificent and something so typical of the enigmatic and enthusiastic women. I loved how Amy picked up on River being the Doctor's wife in his future and she did foreshadow The Wedding of River Song very nicely. There was a whole lot of foreshadowing in this episode actually which I thought was really clever of Steven Moffat and I have no doubt that it was intentional! The man is a genius after all and it was just another piece in his master plan that started with Silence in the Library and ended with The Husbands of River Song. The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon would be foreshadowed massively which was excellent as for the viewer, very little was actually known about River at this point. That in itself offered quite a lot. Father Octavian was a fantastic character and as this was the first time I've watched the episode since I became acquainted with Game of Thrones, I was delighted to see Ser Jorah appear! Of course, Octavian was a much different character but Iain Glen is such a good actor and he really does offer a lot to the role. I'm currently in the middle of writing an essay on the importance of religion during the Georgian period so I found it quite fascinating to see what had come of religion in the 51st century. It certainly seemed a lot more violent and outgoing! Surely it would have died out by now and people would have realised its stupidity? It's just so ridiculous. I'm not sure watching this episode in the early hours of the morning was a good idea or not given the creepy atmosphere the episode provided, but I thought the mood was superb. The Maze of the Dead is just the perfect setting for the Weeping Angels. It's vast, dark and scary. What more do you want? The Doctor referencing Blink was very good but dialogue about him only meeting the Angels once certainly contradicts the events of The Weeping Angels of Mons and the upcoming audio release of an Angel story. Bob was a good character while he lasted and I just how his death was put to use. The Angels speaking through him was brilliant and I loved how they tried to anger the Doctor. The way he just bluntly revealed that he too had died was magnificent. A chilling moment. Amy being haunted by the projection of the Angel was excellent and I loved how they just got added threat from the image of an Angel becoming an Angel. They were scary enough already! I loved the revelation that all the statues that surrounded them in the Maze of the Dead were actually Angels. It was marvellous and it immediately shifted the dynamic of the episode. They were dying Angels but they still carried a threat, and there were thousands of them surrounding. It seemed that the Doctor, River and co were trapped. The Angels were coming and the lights were flickering. The Doctor uncharacteristically grabbed a gun and shot high above towards the Byzantium. It was a pretty good cliffhanger and it certainly left me intrigued! Overall, a superb start and I'm now looking forward to the conclusion of the story in the next episode, which is of course where the rating will appear.  

The Fountains of Forever Part 2

"Everything has its time..."

Writer: Nick Abadzis 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 14th January 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 02

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

As the Doctor suffers the effects of retro-regenerating, Cindy is still nagging Gabby about the ridiculousness of her apparent adventures through time and space. But with the Doctor weakened, it's up to Gabby to try and discover just why there's so much psychic activity in New York, and why people will go to such extremes for rejuvenation...

Verdict 

The Fountains of Forever continued along very strongly after a fantastic first part. I think it definitely helps reading the second part immediately after the first and had the story been released in single parts, as was the case at the start of the range, then I would have obviously reread part one to familiarise myself with the story once again as it's usually around a month between blogging separate parts of the whole story. I'm just so glad that this magnificent Tales from the TARDIS sister comic to DWC is being filled with content and at just £3.99 for four parts of stories, it surely will sell! I know that the next issue is also a 100 pages special and I would expect the price to increase by a pound but I am hopeful they keep it at the steady price that it currently is. I'll have no qualms about purchasing in the future that is for sure as I'm just loving the run of stories and now I get to do a trio or quartet every fortnight with there now being two magazines! Do I dare suggest that there will soon be a third with the addition of the Fourth and Eighth Doctor titles from Titan Comics to the UK? That would be astounding! Anyway, back to the story itself and after the incredible conclusion to part one with the Tenth Doctor reverting back to the Ninth Doctor, I was slightly disappointed that we didn't get longer with the previous incarnation but the moments we did were just magical. The image just looked so entirely wrong seeing Christopher Eccleston's Doctor in the attire of his successor David Tennant! I think that just highlights how brilliant these comics are and also illustrates that this format can do just about anything. Just when you think you've seen it all, they go and do a retro-regeneration! I loved the ambiguity behind the Doctor wondering if he reverted back one regeneration or two with an obvious reference there to The Stolen Earth/Journey's End. The Tenth Doctor really is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to regeneration as he used up two regenerations and didn't change his appearance! The cheeky man. I loved the foreshadowing of The End of Time as well with Vivian asking the Doctor if he'd want to go when it was his time. I thought that was extremely clever. I like that not printing stories at the time the incarnation is current allows for things like that and they really do add a nice extra spice to stories. It always puts a smile on my face and this story was no different. Have I mentioned before that I just love Gabby? She's the highlight of this entire comic, both titles, in my opinion. As a companion, she really is just fantastic and it's wonderful to see what a positive effect the Doctor has had on her life. Cindy was continuing to disbelieve her best friend about travelling the universe in a wooden box and Gabby didn't really seem to care now. She was intent on finding the Doctor after some strange messages on the psychic paper. I loved how she just knew she'd find the Doctor and didn't even need to ask any questions. When she'd found him, things started to get very interesting. I'm really not sure what the entity that merged with Dorothy is going to turn out to be but with a quire serious and lengthy build, I do hope it's good! This range hasn't let me down yet so I hope that continues. I'm confident that it will. I liked the reference to Revolutions of Terror and I think Gabby mentioning the Cerebravores every time she comes home shows that this story isn't all that far removed from her debut comic. I would say that's a positive as we can still relate to her well. It was good to learn more about Cleo and it was a pretty safe bet that she wasn't working alone as we soon got introduced to Erik who had done some extensive research, involving Torchwood and UNIT's Black Archive, to learn about the age-regression gun. Hanif also seems like an enigmatic character. The rejuvenation of Dorothy was not dissimilar to regeneration and with her having a connection with something in space that was headed for Earth, I look forward to seeing what plays out in the next part! For now, another fantastic part and I do hope the rating in the blog of the final part will be a high one. It's looking good.