The Crimson Hand

"This is the voice of justice!"

Writer: Dan McDaid
Format: Comic Strip
Released: December 2009-April 2010
Printed in: DWM 417-420

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Majenta

Synopsis

Intersol have searched the galaxy high and low for Majenta Pryce. They have finally found her, but what has she done wrong? Will her past threaten to destroy the whole universe and what will be her fate? The Crimson Hand reveals itself...

Verdict

The Crimson Hand was a great story to bid farewell to the Tenth Doctor in the comic strips and to conclude my reading of the graphic novel for which it is the titular story. It has been quite the epic run with the Tenth Doctor and Majenta and things finally came to an end here. After countless efforts of getting to Panacea, Majenta soon discovered just who she was before the events of Thinktwice and it turns out she was extremely evil. She had been a member of the Crimson Hand and this group sought to gain control of the Manus Maleficus which could literally reshape reality. It needed five mortals to control and with Majenta having once been part of the setup, her recent memory fix meant that the Crimson Hand required her once again. They knew early on though that she was not how she had once been and I liked how the Doctor saw the good side of her and actually seemed to be quite proud that she had one. He knew of her evil roots but that didn't change the way he thought of her and that was pretty evident by what he did at the story's conclusion. I thought the cliffhangers were pretty decent throughout this adventure but the one at the end of part three was outstanding. After seeing evidence of Majenta betraying Wesley in the past, it seemed like she had been using the Doctor all along and now was the moment she had betrayed him. But there was more than just betrayal as she had actually used the Manus Maleficus to destroy him and he seemed to literally tear apart. It was superb. I thought part four was intriguing and I was quite surprised by how much page time was devoted to purely Majenta and how she had given her home planet a new Crimson Age of prosperity. The population didn't like it though and she was genuinely hurt by that. She didn't understand. I did enjoy her relationship with Zephyr though and her arrival at the end of part one was a big surprise so that was good. I thought Finn Dargo was a good character and I loved the Doctor's reaction to the computer being called Justice. He found it incredibly funny. I thought the feel of the 2009 era of Doctor Who was well captured on the page and that was evident in the story's ending. Majenta had taken it upon herself to use the Maleficus to eradicate the Crimson Hand from existence and remove their grip on reality. Things would revert back to how they were but the strain would kill her. The Doctor wasn't going to let her die though and seemed to be bending his own rules to save her life. He used the Maleficus to bring her back despite early questioning whether he could be reunited with Rose, save Gallifrey and give Donna her memories back. It was a fitting way for the Doctor and Majenta to part and I thought the heroic nature of the Tenth Doctor's final moments in comic strip form were magnificent. Overall, a fantastic conclusion to both the graphic novel and the Tenth Doctor era of comic strips!

Rating: 8/10

Ghosts of the Northern Line

"Anyone who ever died on the Northern Line - they're all here."

Writer: Dan McDaid
Format: Comic Strip
Released: November-December 2009
Printed in: DWM 414-415

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Majenta

Synopsis

In the London Underground people have been going missing since the nineteenth century. While the Tenth Doctor and Majenta Pryce go to see a play, they find the Underground filled with the ghosts of people from numerous eras...

Verdict

Ghosts of the Northern Line was a decent penultimate story in The Crimson Hand graphic novel! Now, I know that I have skipped over Onomatopoeia but that's because I blogged it some three or four years ago when I came across the issue of Doctor Who Magazine that it appeared in. That was my first experience of Majenta but I actually do remember it quite well because of its unique style so I felt no need to re-read, especially seeing as I need to return the book to the library before moving back home. I thought the story was pretty solid from start to finish but one thing I have noticed in this collection is that there have been numerous stories set on present day Earth. Considering the Doctor is trying to get Majenta to Panacea, I'm not sure why that has been the case. The reference to The Stolen Earth/Journey's End was very good but one thing I did like about the setting was that Majenta seems to be at home now with accepting that the Doctor just isn't going to get her to where she wants to go. The London Underground is obviously a famed setting for Doctor Who and I liked the Northern Line emphasis having travelled along it only a few months ago. The Doctor just stopping the train and getting off at an non-designated stop was great and I liked how Majenta just went and followed him even though you could tell she didn't want to do so. Putting ghosts into a story is always intriguing and I liked how the Doctor quickly picked up on the fact that the people came from different eras and were seemingly those that would be forgotten about or outcast. They were all part of something though and were following the same psychic signal that the Doctor was tracking. The Mnemosyne was a good villain and I quite liked how she had fallen in love with her master but these people were responsible for killing him and now wanted revenge. She tracked down people to kill them and make them part of her but the Doctor was horrified when he was blamed for the death of all those on the train that he escaped. That seemed to trigger something in the mind of the Doctor and once he was reminded that he had stopped caring for life, a neat foreshadowing of The End of Time, he wanted to put a stop to everything. The Mnemosyne was defeated quite easily once Majenta negotiated a turnaround and she promised she would remember all those who had died on the Northern Line. The Doctor wasn't in a good mood though and he had decided it was time to finish his job with Majenta. He seemed to indicate that she was no companion and now they would be going straight to Panacea to finish things. However, it seems that those tracking her had found her now and Earth was surrounded. It seems the graphic novel has quite the epic conclusion coming and I am looking forward to it! Overall, a decent comic strip adventure!

Rating: 7/10

The Deep Hereafter

"What does a hotshot lawyer want with the biggest bomb in the world?"

Writer: Dan McDaid
Format: Comic Strip
Released: August 2009
Printed in: DWM 412

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Majenta

Synopsis

The Tenth Doctor and Majenta Pryce visit a forgotten colony that resembles a gangster-ridden Earth city in the 1930s, only to find themselves investigating the murder of a fish-headed private eye...

Verdict

The Deep Hereafter was quite a disappointing little comic strip sadly. It continued my reading of The Crimson Hand but sadly a run of consistently high ratings came to an abrupt end. It was a real shame because Dan McDaid has been giving us some fantastic stories but things just never really got going here. I thought the change in style was interesting and a brave way to go and I admire that he wanted to freshen things up and prevent repetitiveness but it just didn't quite work for me. The gang theme was pretty good but the delivery was not. I like the idea but the writing of the Doctor was actually really horrible for me which was probably the worst thing about the adventure. It just didn't capture the era of the Tenth Doctor and the characterisation just wasn't there. I didn't get the sense of David Tennant which is different from all the previous comic strips in this collection. Majenta was not bad but I was quite taken aback by her 'good riddance' comment when she and the Doctor discovered Johnny Seaview and saw him die. I liked how the Doctor reacted angrily but that didn't seem to last. That is probably owing to events spiralling out of his control but I can't imagine him actually being okay with comments like that coming from his companion. This comic strip seemed like a bit of a breather with all that's been going on with the Tenth Doctor and Majenta lately and with the rate I'm currently going through the comics (don't let the blog entry date deceive you), it was quite welcomed! A murder mystery story is always a good place to start but I thought some of the names got a bit silly. The sexual tension between the Doctor and Winter Palace was surprising too and his reaction just didn't seem in line with the character of this incarnation which was a shame. The delivery of the gang-setting didn't work anywhere near as good as the likes of Gangland which was disappointing and I thought the conclusion was a little flawed and just a bit of a visual mumble. The threat of the World Bomb was very real and once it was revealed that Hecto Shellac was the culprit, the danger became quite imminent until the Doctor had a sudden change of heart and just decided to set the bomb off anyway. That didn't quite work for my liking and whilst Shellac's reaction to being defeated was great, I wasn't too sure about the Doctor just thinking of England and then it becoming a brand new world. Overall, some good elements but as a whole it wasn't the best of adventures sadly.

Rating: 5/10

The Age of Ice

"Three hundred men, women and children - aged to death in a matter of seconds."

Writer: Dan McDaid
Format: Comic Strip
Released: April-July 2009
Printed in: DWM 408-411

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Majenta

Synopsis

Returning to Earth, the Doctor is reunited with UNIT - and some of his old enemies - the Skith. As a master plan to crack the codes of time travel gets underway, the Doctor, Majenta and UNIT must race against time to stop the Skith Leader from avenging the destruction of his Ownworld by wreaking havoc across the Earth...

Verdict

The Age of Ice was a super comic strip story and probably my favourite of the entire The Crimson Hand graphic novel thus far. It was excellent from start to finish and as well as telling a great story, there was some considerable development in the overall story arc that has been occurring for the travels of the Tenth Doctor and Majenta. Their relationship was strained here and I was quite surprised to see the latter taser the former. But she was doing what she thought was best for her as she had the chance of having some memories restored. The Doctor was hurt by her selfishness though and I thought it was brilliant how he made her aware of exactly how he felt. The inclusion of UNIT was fantastic and I thought the setting of Sydney worked terrifically as well. It's always nice to not have a typical London story and I liked the idea of UNIT tracking the TARDIS and just waiting for it to arrive on Earth. The comments about the team wanting a different incarnation were humorous but I thought the likes of Colonel McKay and Kath Braxton worked very well. They really were very good characters. The return of the Skith was unexpected following their appearance in The First and I really liked how they had altered their agenda. They were no longer concerned with knowledge and being the first to know everything before destroying all they have assimilated. Now they were running from a premonition concerning a certain hand that has been mentioned previously in recent stories. Just what it means is yet to be seen but I like how powerful it seems as it had sent the Skith scurrying. The continuity from the Skith's previous appearance in DWM was sublime and the concept of a Skardis was extraordinary. I absolutely loved that. Their ability to construct time travel technology was flawed though and their efforts at dematerialising caused chronal waves which brought all sorts of things to present day from dinosaurs to the Ice Age itself. The internal battle amongst the Skith with the Leader and the General having disagreements was good and I liked how the former returned to stop the General from achieving his goal of revenge out of jealousy. The UNIT Bestiary was a sublime image and the likes of a Sontaran pod, Cyberman, Mona Lisa paintings and even a War Machine all being contained within really was terrific. Majenta went through a lot in this story with Fanson and he knew a lot about her past but she didn't find out too much, other than that it was him who had wiped her memory. She was appalled at that but the Doctor wasn't ready to give up on the mystery surrounding her yet. I liked that and I look forward to seeing their adventures continue. Overall, a fantastic story!

Rating: 9/10

Mortal Beloved

"I can't find a spooky house in the most inhospitable place in the universe and turn my back on it, can I?"

Writer: Dan McDaid
Format: Comic Strip
Released: March-April 2009
Printed in: DWM 406-407

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Majenta

Synopsis

The Tenth Doctor and Majenta land in the grounds of an old house floating in deep space during the galaxy's biggest and most dangerous storm. There they find some terrible secrets and Majenta's past comes back to haunt her. The only problem is, she doesn't have her memories...

Verdict

Mortal Beloved was a superb little comic strip to continue my reading of The Crimson Hand graphic novel! This collection of adventures really is turning into something special with the consistent high standard and I was impressed with how unique this story was. I like to think it was made out of DWM needing a little budget cut when it came to the colour of the comic strips and whilst I don't know if that was the case (I haven't researched), it's something I think is possible. I thought the setting of a house in the midst of an inhospitable storm that spanned light years was excellent and it really did work out well. Majenta's past was catching up with here and I like the possibilities that her lack of memory brings and that was fully on display here. Wesley Sparks was an intriguing character and once the Doctor fixed the systems, what we got was completely unexpected! We were introduced to a whole group of light forms and with them being knowledgeable holograms, that brought a whole bunch of possibilities. The Doctor's reaction to seeing that one of these holograms was in fact Majenta was fantastic and I have to admit that I was very shocked by seeing her enter the story in monotone! It was fantastic. Owl was a terrific character as he brought a lot of humour into the comic strip which is always something that's welcomed. The Doctor quickly asserting his position as the technician was great and I liked how even after all the Doctor had done for Sparktech, Owl still tried to shoot him at the comic's conclusion because of his orders. His aim was off though which was good for the Doctor. The real and decrepit Wesley looked hideous and the way he wanted to marry Majenta now he was reunited with his past love was horrifying. He was creepy and maniacal but that's everything you want in a villain so he worked very well. Majenta's referencing of Thinktwice and The Stockbridge Child was very good and I like how she seems to be getting used to life with the Doctor now. He did have every intention of upholding his part of the bargain in getting her to Panacea but the TARDIS brought them elsewhere. Was the time machine trying to rejig her memories? Or were the mysterious creatures that are tracking her down up to something? I am very interested by the overlapping story arc that's going on and there seems to be some way to go yet which is exciting. The conclusion was exciting with the Doctor reactivating the stormshield but the emotional ending for Majenta and Wesley was rather sad. She said 'I do' just as his files corrupted. Overall, a brilliant comic strip adventure!

Rating: 9/10

The Stockbridge Child

"The day of the Lokhus is upon us!"

Writer: Dan McDaid
Format: Comic Strip
Released: December 2008-February 2009
Printed in: DWM 403-405

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Majenta

Synopsis

The Doctor returns to the village of Stockbridge in the company of unwilling companion Majenta Pryce. There, he is reunited with a face from the past in the form of Maxwell Edison but dark forces are once again at work in the strange village...

Verdict

The Stockbridge Child was an excellent comic strip adventure to continue my reading of The Crimson Hand graphic novel! The village has quite a reputation amongst the Doctor Who comic strips now and seeing the Tenth Doctor's encounter in the village was a real treat. I'm still a little bit off knowing the full extent of what the Doctor has encountered here as I am yet to read most of the Eighth Doctor's stories from DWM but those events getting referenced here was very good. I liked the little flashbacks to the past encounters Maxwell has had with the Doctor and it was great how there was no time wasted in the pair getting reacquainted despite the change in appearance of the Time Lord. The concept of Khrysalis was very good and I loved how Max stood up for his village and created the Stockbridge Preservation Society. He was proud of his village and wouldn't see it come under any harm. The apparent company didn't seem to be doing much at all though and following some investigation from the Doctor, it was soon revealed that they had been digging rather than building. That explained the lack of visual development and I was quite entertained by He and She. They were Lokhus and they yearned for their son. He wasn't dead but had been dormant since the beginnings of the Earth and the flashbacks explaining his background and the fact he came from the After Universe was terrific. It's a mind-boggling concept but crossing universal barriers sounded quite extreme! The reward they got was instant death which was a bit harsh but the Lokhus wasn't messing around. The way that he could use psyche ability to get the local population to mother him was intriguing and I found it quite funny that he soon got sick of them offering all kinds of food. The Wyrrmen were very good henchmen and I liked that there were quite a few different alien species cropping up. Majenta was fantastic in this comic strip and I love how she really doesn't want to be like the Doctor's past companions. She's here purely for business and isn't all that bothered about doing good and saving people. I get the feeling that will change though and her conversations with Max should be the catalyst for that. Max being taken over was good and I liked how strong he was when he needed to prevent the Lokhus from escaping the Khrysalis. The conclusion was exciting and well paced and I thought it was a bit of a shame that Max didn't take up the Doctor's offer of becoming a companion once again. The mentions of UNIT and Torchwood and Stockbridge needing Max to defend them was a lovely touch though. Overall, a brilliant comic strip adventure!

Rating: 9/10

Thinktwice

"I urge you to ignore the screams."

Writer: Dan McDaid
Format: Comic Strip
Released: September-November 2008
Printed in: DWM 400-402

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Majenta

Synopsis

The Tenth Doctor is posing as a medic on galactic penitentiary Thinktwice. There, crazed scientist Jonah Gripton is feeding the Memeovax with the memories of weak criminals. With a plan to extend this process across the Human Empire, the Doctor plans to put the station out of action.

Verdict

Thinktwice was an excellent comic strip adventure to continue my reading of The Crimson Hand graphic novel! I really got the sense of something big starting and it's clear that a story arc is on the cards following this adventure - and that's something I'm very excited about. I thought it was a good way to reintroduce Majenta following her appearance in Hotel Historia but I was quite intrigued by how she had no memory of meeting the Doctor. She soon remembered that it was him that saw her placed in Thinktwice and humorously whacked him in the face after he pleaded for her not to hit him. He didn't get his wish though. Whilst I think it's a shame that Donna barely got an appearance in the DWM comics, the prospect of a comic strip only companion is one I'm a fan of as it gives the format its own identity and seeing how Majenta fits in with the Doctor at this point of this incarnation will be a really good adventure. They got off to a shaky start here but I'm sure they'll grow to respect each other if they don't already. I thought the cliffhanger to part two was absolutely outstanding and the image of the Doctor and Majenta falling out of the waste banks and into the void of space was superb. The Doctor looked desperate and that was quite an image to see. The resolution was decent and quite comical with the dialogue and I think that's going to be a common theme amongst the pair of new travellers. Gripton was a fantastic villain and just a vile creature which is exactly what you want in an enemy. He totally disregarded life and just waved off the fact that the Memeovax fed on the entire security force. They could easily be replaced so what did it matter? Flatch was another good villain and I liked how he altered his stance on Gripton once the Memeovax went rogue and demanded feeding. He was shot by his boss though and Royce would not be the replacement that the madman would hope for. The Doctor's willingness to take on Knowsall was fantastic and I liked the little snippets of his memories with the likes of Izzy and Destrii showing up. The ease at which he was able to defeat the Knowsall was great and the analogy of pouring the ocean into a cup showed just how much the Doctor has gone through in all his lives and how much there is for him to fear. Zed was a lovely character and I really liked her relationship with Majenta. They worked very well together and it was nice to see them come together at the end. The way she stood up to the Memeovax was brilliant. The scenes in the TARDIS where Majenta basically welcomed herself on board as a companion were magnificent and with the Doctor being forced to take responsibility for his newfound patient, we have a good little pairing on our hands and I'm excited for the rest of the graphic novel. Overall, a fantastic comic strip!

Rating: 9/10

Space Vikings!

"Why is somebody trying to re-create a Norse myth?"

Writer: Jonathan Morris
Format: Comic Strip
Released: August 2009
Printed in: Doctor Who Storybook 2010

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

The Tenth Doctor and his newfound friend Bjorn get caught up in some trouble where a travelling space-opera's computers have got fact and fiction mixed up. With the computer god of Odin recruiting for a final battle, can the Doctor escape?

Verdict

Space Vikings! was a great little story to continue my reading of The Crimson Hand graphic novel. This was a lot of fun and whilst it didn't actually appear in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine, it certainly contributes a lot of quality to what has been an extremely consistent run with the Tenth Doctor since the beginning of The Widow's Curse collection of stories. This is the first time I have read graphic novel collections back to back and whilst I'm not usually a fan of sticking with the same format and Doctor for such a long time, taking advantage of the library resources before moving back home for a month is something I cannot miss! Therefore, the Tenth Doctor comic run looks set to continue for the next week at least. Anyway, onto the story itself and it was actually terrific in that it dealt with the Norse myth of Asgard. I'm a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Thor is actually my favourite character alongside Iron Man so seeing a character called Thorir was quite humorous. I thought it might have been something to do with copyright at first, and it still might be, but then Asgard and Odin getting mentioned was terrific. The prospect of Doctor Who doing a crossover with the MCU is beyond my wildest dreams but this is probably somewhere close to as good as we're going to get. Bjorn filled the companion role pretty well here but I'm not sure that he was needed. I did like how the story started with things obviously having already occurred as the Doctor and Bjorn were well acquainted and were already putting a plan into action. The characterisation of the Tenth Doctor was very good and I liked his reaction to seeing Valhalla very much. His reaction to discovering that Odin was just computer generated was excellent too and he almost seemed to find the whole situation a little comical. Everything could so easily have been avoided and this touring space-opera was now actually finding soldiers for a battle! It was bonkers but fantastic. That's a good combination. The conclusion was quite entertaining and whilst it was a little easy for the Doctor to duck and have Thorir destroy the place and Odin with it, the comment at the end where the Doctor stated the show wasn't over until the fat lady sings, only for a fat lady to look like she was about to sing, was terrific. A very funny way to finish a story that was certainly a lot of fun. Overall, another great story!

Rating: 8/10

The Widow's Curse

"The Sycorax have built remote control corpses - zombies!"

Writer: Rob Davis
Format: Comic Strip
Released: May-August 2008
Printed in: DWM 395-398

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis

The Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble travel to an island that doesn't exist where an old enemy is waiting, but not in the form the Doctor has encountered them before. He soon discovers the extent to which they will practice voodoo and he soon discovers just how desperate they are for revenge...

Verdict

The Widow's Curse was a great story to bring my reading of the graphic novel of the same name to a close. Now, I know there are two more stories within its pages but I have previously blogged both The Immortal Emperor and The Time of my Life so I don't see any need to read them once again. I'm against the clock when it comes to a library loan of The Crimson Hand so I'm getting through things as quickly as possible! This is a story I have been looking forward to for some time and it definitely didn't disappoint. The concept of the female Sycorax coming to Earth to seek answers to their husbands' deaths was excellent and I thought they were quite different too which was good. They were definitely more concerned with the voodoo aspect of things and they seemed a little more unpredictable than the males we saw on television. The fact that they'd come and discovered the Sycorax version of a black box from the Rock that was destroyed during The Christmas Invasion was fantastic and it was quite horrifying to see the message relayed back where they realised that humanity were going to kill them. Once these Sycorax learned of that, humanity would suffer and they wanted to ensure that humanity knew it was they who had murdered the Sycorax in a very good cliffhanger to part two. Speaking of cliffhangers, I thought the one to part three was superb and I adored how the Doctor pleaded with the Sycorax for them to give humanity a second chance. However, after seeing how the Sycorax Leader was slain by the Doctor, and it turns out having landed on Westminster Abbey, his wife was in no mood to spare lives. Humanity had killed her husband and they would pay. No second chances, they were that kind of clan. I thought that was terrific writing. It was good to have the Doctor alongside Donna for a story and whilst this was her DWM debut, it also served as her penultimate story! She was decent but I did think the artwork was a little dodgy and they could have given her a bit more humour. I don't think it helped that she was separated from the Doctor for so long. Her relationship with Norah was good though. I liked Jean and Harry and the Haxan Craw killing the latter so the former could feel her pain was brilliantly horrid. These female Sycorax were certainly evil. Their plan was a little flawed though and the fact that they wanted to fly a disease carrying plane full of zombies who had died and died again to London was interesting but not what you'd expect. I wasn't much of a fan at the way the Doctor caught the plane and I thought it was a bit silly to be honest but the way he exhausted the abilities of the Rock to breaking point was good. I also thought the story came to an abrupt halt which was a shame as there were some lingering questions that needed answering but as a whole, it was a great adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Hotel Historia

"They're offering actual time travel..."

Writer: Dan McDaid
Format: Comic Strip
Released: April 2008
Printed in: DWM 394

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

4039. The Earth has been ravaged by the monstrous Graxnix, but the Tenth Doctor has bigger problems. A Chronal Interface leads him back to the present day; where it soon becomes clear that someone is interfering with time...

Verdict

Hotel Historia was a very decent comic strip adventure to begin my reading of The Crimson Hand graphic novel. Now, I'm not sure why the Doctor Who graphic novels do this but I like to read things in the order they were released and this story was not printed in The Widow's Curse collection which I am currently reading. Luckily, I have the final Tenth Doctor volume on loan from the library so I was still able to ensure that I read things in the order in which they were originally intended to be read. That is rather important to me. That being said, I can completely understand why this story was part of the final collection for the Tenth Doctor as Majenta would go on to play quite an important role. I've only read Onomatopoeia in which she has featured so my experience of her is very limited but I am aware of her so it was quite intriguing to see her in a somewhat villainous role here. I thought she was very good and her relationship with the Doctor was terrific. She even admitted to him that she liked him (not romantically) and there were definitely signs of a friendship and respect between the pair. The moment he walked in on her and mentioned to Tony about them being green was fantastic. I liked the part of the setting being in 4039 and a far future invasion of Earth by the Graxnix was mightily intriguing. The world of two millennia in the future will probably be unrecognisable but we were soon brought back to London in 2008. However, the Graxnix were tracking the Doctor and their proclamation of being able to destroy the city all over again was very good. I was quite intrigued by the fact they had connections with the Time War as they really didn't seem important or intelligent enough for that conflict but the effects it had were certainly visible. The concept of Hotel Historia was great and, despite people apparently not being interested in time travel anymore, the idea of them existing in history but outside of time was superb. I really liked that and I'd love for it to have been extended with more being seen from it. The fact it was used to defeat the Graxnix was excellent though. I thought the characterisation of the Tenth Doctor was brilliant and I was also delighted to see the artwork restored to a great quality following Universal Monsters. It was interesting for the Tenth Doctor to be travelling alone and I do hope Donna joins us soon. Overall, a great comic strip adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Universal Monsters

"The Valley is our home."

Writer: Ian Edginton
Format: Comic Strip
Released: January-March 2008
Printed in: DWM 391-393

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

The Doctor and Martha visit a village, where there are stories of an evil man living in a castle. But is he actually the real villain? Martha soon discovers the truth about the Thane but will she be able to tell the Doctor in time?

Verdict

Universal Monsters was a bit of a mixed bag of a comic strip story to continue my reading of The Widow's Curse graphic novel. The plot was interesting in parts but nowhere near as good as it could have been and I also have to say that I thought the artwork was rather disappointing. It's usually of a high standard in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine but here, it just looked far too child-friendly and I hate to say it but, it just wasn't all that good. It was too blocky and the Doctor looked quite silly and I do think that it definitely had an adverse effect on the reading of the story. I thought the Valley setting was actually quite decent but the plot was trying to do too much without actually stopping to explain precisely what was going on. Now, that's not to say it was completely bad because as my rating reflects, that was definitely not the case. I thought Martha was actually pretty decent and it's a shame that her final comic strip story wasn't of the usually high standard. The characterisation of the Tenth Doctor was actually very good with David Tennant's likeness, in terms of text dialogue, being very well-captured. I thought the Thane was an intriguing character and it was good how he went from being the villain and cliffhanger to part one to actually not being evil at all. His sword fight with the Doctor was entertaining and I liked how Martha was unable to be given the chance from the Doctor to tell him the truth about him. It was completely unexpected and actually quite a twist in the plot for the villagers to actually be the ones that posed a deadly threat. The Doctor wasn't impressed with the Thane at all though as he learned of his doings and how he was using the life of the villagers to replenish his own. That obviously wouldn't sit well with the Time Lord. However, the truth about the Thane and Viktor came out and after joining forces following an ancient war, they were looking after the Khamirae and ensuring that each generation didn't cause trouble amongst the population. I liked that all they knew was the Valley but I thought the threat of the beast wasn't expanded upon enough. Cora and Gideon were very good characters and I liked the latter's reaction to the former being found by the Doctor and Martha but their relationship deserved a little more exploration for me. Overall, a decent story but it had its flaws and the artwork certainly had an effect on the story's reading.

Rating: 6/10

The Pirate Planet

"The whole ground seems to be littered with jewels."

Writer: James Goss
Format: Novel
Released: January 2017
Series: BBC Novelisations 03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I, K9

Synopsis

Aboard the TARDIS: The Doctor, Romana, and K-9 scour the galaxy in search of six seemingly lost pieces of the incredibly powerful Key to Time.

They soon locate a fragment in the outer reaches of the universe on the happy and prosperous planet of Zanak. Once outside, however, they quickly realise they're in the wrong place at exactly the right time.

The planet is entering yet another New Golden Age with enough gems and minerals for every resident. So, obviously, something is very, very wrong.

Verdict

The Pirate Planet was a wonderful novelisation of the televised story of the same name. Now, this was not your normal novelisation and was certainly some way off from being a Target and that's down to its page count alone. At 379 pages, it was a long read but a really great one. Now, I'll admit I don't remember much at all from my only viewing of the TV story six years ago so all of this felt very new but I could tell that there were considerable deviations. The writing style of James Goss was superb and really captured the era of the Fourth Doctor fantastically. Romana, in her first incarnation, is not a companion I have much experience of at all but I thought she was written very well here. She was looking up to the Doctor and wanting to impress him even though she knew she was academically superior. The comments about her wanting to do everything by the book were fantastic. The banter and relationship between her and the Doctor really was excellent throughout. I liked how this book dealt with the task of locating a segment of the Key to Time and with this story focusing on the second segment, the references to The Ribos Operation were neatly placed. It worked very well and I liked the little passage towards the book's conclusion looking at the thoughts of the Guardian. The Doctor's thoughts on the Key to Time itself were good and I liked how he found something so powerful so boring. The characterisation of Tom Baker's fourth incarnation was outstanding and I also thought the writing of K9 was brilliant. The robot dog played a crucial role in the story and it was great to read some of his emotionless thoughts. The passage where he was stuck after exiting the air-car was a joy to read. The Captain made a tremendous villain and his continuous references to seemingly all kinds of gods when exclaiming something and promising something were great. I thought his story was quite a shock though as it turned out he wasn't the bad after all, even if he was a pirate. He was being controlled, quite horrifically, by Queen Xanxia. Her true form being suspended between the Time Dams was intriguing and her attempt at making her projection become corporeal was quite unique. She was burning through planets to power her new body and the Doctor would have none of that. The cliffhanger at the end of part three, which the book was still nicely split into, was sublime and it really did make me want to read the next part straight away. The thoughts of the Doctor as he was falling and the fact that he got bored on his way to the centre of the planet was terrific. Romana now had her time to shine and she did excellently, not that the Doctor would tell her though. Mula and Kimus were lovely characters and I thought the early passages with Pralix and Balaton were quite emotional with them having very different reactions to the proclamation of a New Golden Age of Prosperity. That whole concept really was quite preposterous and the way the Mourners helped reveal that the planet's inhabitants got rich by devouring worlds was very good indeed. Realising that must have brought an incredible amount of guilt. The TARDIS being used to defeat Zanak and send the planet into the Vortex was superb and the tension on the pages when it seemed like the shield-less TARDIS may explode was excellent writing. I also loved how the Fault Locator showed that the Fault Locator was broken for Romana. That was a wonderful moment. Mr Fibuli was a tremendous character and I was quite gutted he didn't survive to the end of the book after so many near escapes. The Polyphase Avatron was an interesting robot and the battle with K9 was good. I thought the conclusion was very good and excellently paced and after a considerable build, there was a rewarding result. Xanxia perished and the Doctor and Romana also managed to save Zanak by filling its core with the surviving remnants of the other planets. There would be no more Golden Age of Prosperity. The whole planet of Calufrax turning out to be the segment of the Key to Time made sense and wasn't too much of a surprise but I liked how the Doctor couldn't quite work it out. I thought the Epilogue with the Doctor and Romana visiting Calufrax before Zanak arrived was a touching way to end what was quite an eventful novelisation! Overall, a stunning read.

Rating: 9/10

Time of the Ood

"Liberator becomes torturer."

Writer: James Peaty
Format: Comic Strip
Released: May 2017
Printed in: The Eleventh Doctor #3.05

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice

Synopsis

Long ago, the Doctor freed every single Ood! So why are there still over a dozen working as slaves on a pleasure spaceship orbiting around a black hole? There's only one way to find out...

Verdict

Time of the Ood was a very good little comic strip and a great continuation of the Eleventh Doctor's third year of adventures. Sadly, my days of collecting Doctor Who Comic's Tales from the TARDIS appear to be over and that's simply down to the three month gap between issues. It's just far too long and I have to turn my attentions to the graphic novels now. It's a shame but it can't be helped. Now, onto the comic strip and it was fantastic to see the Eleventh Doctor get an outing with the Ood. They're a great species to appear and I liked how this followed on from the events of Planet of the Ood. The Doctor's initial shock and horror at seeing the Ood was fantastic and he just seemed gutted because he believed that they had all been saved. The Sapling didn't feature much at all in this story and I was actually quite glad to get a little relaxation from the overall story arc. It spent most of the adventure inside the TARDIS but its link to the Ood was intriguing with the mention of the song. The Doctor was concerned that the Ood-song hadn't called the fifteen Ood home from the Devil's Eye surrounding. There seemed something a little reminiscent of The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit with the Eye holding the Ood back and somewhat blocking the song that would take them home. The Doctor seeing Ood suffering again must have been horrifying but what Jonni was doing was truly awful. Her method of liberating the Ood was to barbarically turn them against their masters. It was classless and just horrendous and the Doctor let his feelings known. He had noticed what she hadn't though and that was that three Ood were in hiding. He didn't even seem to mind when they emerged and killed Jonni. That shows you what he thought of her. The story was quite a simple one but it was fun and great to see the Ood back in a Doctor Who story. The return to the Ood Sphere was terrific and I loved that we got to see the Doctor reunited with Ood Sigma, even if it was somewhat brief. The reference to The End of Time was very good and I do get the sense that this adventure will be something to come back to in the future. Alice's relationship with the Sapling at the end was lovely too. Overall, a very decent story!

Rating: 8/10

Twice Upon a Time

"At my time of life, there is nothing left to fear."

Writer: Paul Cornell
Format: Novel
Released: April 2018
Series: Target 160

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, First Doctor

Synopsis

'Silly old universe. The more I save it, the more it needs saving.'

Still reeling from his encounter with the Cybermen, the First Doctor stumbles through the bitter Antarctic wind, resisting the approaching regeneration with all his strength. But as he fights his way through the snowdrifts, he comes across the familiar shape of a blue police box, and a mysterious figure who introduces himself as the Doctor...

Thrown together at their most vulnerable moments, the two Doctors must discover why the snowflakes are suspended in the sky, why a First World War Captain has been lifted from his time stream moment before his death, and who is the mysterious Glass Woman who knows their true name.

Verdict

Twice Upon a Time was a very good novelisation of the televised episode of the same name. It was neatly fleshed out by Paul Cornell and whilst it still has some issues, it was a very good read. Now, I really don't understand why David Bradley appears on the cover. This is the novelisation and surely we should be thinking of William Hartnell when it comes to the First Doctor that features in this book. That really irks me and I did my best to read it as picturing Hartnell and I thought the author did a good job in staying true to his first incarnation. The sexist comments weren't eradicated which was a real shame and whilst they didn't seem as prominent and obvious as they appeared on television, it is still horrendously bad writing as the First Doctor simply wasn't like that and now so many people who haven't experienced his era will think that is the case. I liked how Cornell used the thoughts of the Twelfth Doctor to cover it up a little bit with him thinking he was just doing it to make him uncomfortable and I also loved the moment that Bill told the First Doctor and the Captain of her experiences with the 'fairer sex'. That was magnificent. I thought it was quite emotional reading what the Doctor felt for Bill and he wanted nothing more than to just travel the universe with her. But she was gone. One thing I did adore about this novel was learning of the life Bill and Heather had together. I like that they decided to grow old on Earth as humans and it was also great to learn what Nardole got up to after sacrificing his future in The Doctor Falls. The plot was done well and whilst there isn't actually too much going on, the dialogue was presented excellently. The Glass Woman was written well and I liked how it was revealed that she had eyes on the Doctors through Bill. The concept of Testimony was good but the explanation seemed a little quick here, or perhaps too late. The Captain was an excellent character and him being stuck in the middle of two Doctors was fantastic. He really was quite out of his depth. The meeting between the Twelfth and First Doctor was superb and I liked the comments about the TARDIS. The numerous references to River Song were unexpected and I loved that it was revealed that the ring that fell off the Doctor's finger during regeneration was actually his wedding ring. The regeneration speech of the Twelfth Doctor was good but I was hoping for a little more from the First Doctor's last moments but it did lead back into The Tenth Planet very well. The way that each Doctor decided they would regenerate, and their conversations about it, was very good and I liked how despite starting off with a somewhat tested relationship, they admired and respected each other by the close. The jokes about Borusa's poetry were terrific. I thought the regeneration scene was presented fantastically and I was not expecting to get so much with the Thirteenth Doctor. It seemed a little extended and for this to be the first prose where the Doctor is referred to as a 'she' was excellent. It did seem weird but we'll soon get used to it. Overall, a very good novelisation!

Rating: 8/10

Death to the Doctor!

"I was defeated by the Doctor."

Writer: Jonathan Morris
Format: Comic Strip
Released:
Printed in: DWM 390

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven, Dodo, Third Doctor, Jo, Brigadier, Fourth Doctor, Romana I, K9, Sixth Doctor, Frobisher, Eighth Doctor, Izzy, Ninth Doctor, Rose, Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

Death to the Doctor. One common agenda for many of the galaxy's most dangerous aliens and monsters. He's defeated them all before during his many lives and now they believe he's back to eliminate them for good...

Verdict

Death to the Doctor! was a fantastic little comic strip adventure! It was a right little gem and just so much fun. The concept of what was basically an intergalactic support group for those that have been defeated by the Doctor is brilliant and I loved that we got to see little flashbacks of each and every alien being defeated by numerous incarnations of the Doctor. It began with the Eighth Doctor and Izzy having defeated Valis, High Arbiter of the Darkness and I thought it was quite humorous how Izzy thought it was so obvious for the Doctor to have substituted the crystal. Talk about making somebody feel bad and just insignificant. Bolog was defeated by the Fourth Doctor, Romana and K9 by a banana which was quite a surprise but great comical value and something you would probably expect from this incarnation of the Doctor. Just how he would manage to send a fleet into orbiting the sun with a piece of fruit was left unexplained but I guess if anybody could do it, then it was the Doctor. Zargath had a more recent experience with the Doctor but foolishly tried to take over Earth by targeting the Powell Estate. Well, the Ninth Doctor and Rose wouldn't have any of that but for him to try and take over the planet when they were defeated by water didn't exactly seem like a logical choice of conquest. I thought it was great that this incarnation of the Doctor got to say his infamous 'fantastic!' catchphrase though. Kraarn having tackled the Sixth Doctor and Frobisher was a humorous flashback and he really wasn't complimentary about this incarnation's clothes! Has that joke been used too much now though? Perhaps. The Mentor was a very funny character and I thought it was only right that he was defeated by the Third Doctor. I thought it was good that he even tried to use the Master's catchphrase and was pretty much exposed as an impostor. Questor having lost out to the First Doctor was excellent and I loved the lo-fi comment. That was really good. The aliens who came together thinking the Doctor was here and all ending up killing each other was quite horrific and unexpected but it just shows the threat the Doctor poses as they seemed petrified by the prospect of his presence. He would arrive later alongside Martha on the final page and knew that something awful had occurred, but little would he know that his past actions were inadvertently the cause. Overall, a wonderful little comic strip story!

Rating: 9/10

Sunscreen

"We're all gonna die here."

Writer: Jonathan Morris
Format: Comic Strip
Released: August 2007
Printed in: Doctor Who Storybook 2008

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

The TARDIS lands in the late 21st century, on the Great Solar Shield which, according to the Tenth Doctor, is the single greatest achievement of the century. It is designed to partially block the sun and to stall the effects of global warming. However, it is attracting some deadly energy parasites...

Verdict

Sunscreen was a decent little comic strip adventure to form part of my reading of The Widow's Curse graphic novel. I think it's quite a little bonus to get this story as it didn't feature in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine and was instead taken from the Doctor Who Storybook 2008, something I am unfortunate to not own (I do have the 2007 and 2009 versions though!). So instead of coming across that release in a charity shop or shopping online, I was able to view its and blog its comic content here which is great. I'm getting back into the Series 3 era now with my reading these past few entries and I have to say I thought the writing of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor here was very good. The characterisation was excellent with his quirky personality easily captured on the page. It was very well done. With that being said though, I didn't think the writing for Martha was overly strong which was a little bit of a shame. She didn't really do much and even when she was the reason for finding the way to defeat the Silhouettes, it was through no genius of her own. It was simply dumb luck so she didn't really look that impressive which was a shame. I thought the setting of the Giant Solar Shield was very good but I was quite surprised to see it come in the 21st century. A solution to global warming was a good explanation for its existence but it did seem like it should be set a little more in the future. Martha's reaction to being on board what she called a cure for global warming was good and I liked how the Doctor even marvelled at its creation. Chaudhuri was good and I was quite surprised how little alarmed he was by the arrival of the Doctor and Martha. I know they didn't get visitors but would he really just welcome them? The fact they were on a suicide mission whilst defending the globe seemed a little harsh, especially when they didn't initially know that was the case when they signed up. The Silhouettes were actually really good and I liked how they were energy parasites in space. They came from the Dark regions of space which intrigues me but for them to be defeated by colour gave me mixed feelings. I didn't like that they were put off Martha by her t-shirt though. The realisation that they were heading away from the Shield but then to Earth was superb but the Doctor defeated them too quickly and easily for it to maintain the desired effect. Overall though, a good little comic strip!

Rating: 7/10

The First

"If you are not the first, you are nothing."

Writer: Dan McDaid
Format: Comic Strip
Released: August-November 2007
Printed in: DWM 386-389

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

A trip to the Antarctic Circle proves eventful for the Doctor and Martha as they find themselves battling to save the human race from the Skith, a race intent on gaining accurate knowledge about all they encounter. The lengths they will go to get this knowledge are quite horrifying....

Verdict

The First was a great comic strip adventure to continue my reading of The Widow's Curse graphic novel! I really liked this was and was quite pleased to see that it was set in 1915 and featured historical figures, even if I hadn't come across them myself in my studies or research. The Antarctic is a fantastic setting as it's probably the most lonesome place on Earth for danger to happen and I thought the Doctor and Martha's arrival was very good. They quickly tricked the expedition into thinking they were from the society, a very vague explanation from the Doctor which was good, but the psychic paper wouldn't work on Shackleton. He was brilliant and I loved his desire to be the first to do anything. He didn't want to step in the footsteps of anybody else so it was quite fitting that someone like him would encounter the Skith. Their desire for knowledge was actually quite unhealthy and whilst they cherished being the first, they were extremely selfish with what they learned and accounted. They would simply then turn a planet to ice which was quite horrifying. I really liked Martha in this story and her relationship with Hurley was terrific. I loved that he took a sneaky picture of her and his diaries serving as a form of narration for part of the story was very good. Things coming full circle with his cherishing of his photo of her was a lovely way to finish the comic strip. I was quite surprised that most of the danger was actually thwarted by the end of part three so I was a little sceptical about what part four would bring. However, it turned out to be pretty eventful with the Doctor giving himself to the Skith-self to find the control annex that would bring events and the danger to a close. It was a noble sacrifice and the way he told Martha that this was their life was brilliant. Him and Shackleton hurtling towards the sun on a melting ship of ice was quite interesting to say the least with the latter quite easily dispatching the Skith Leader. Martha though rescued the day with the TARDIS and sonic screwdriver which was pretty good. Clark returned to normal following a hugely eventful transformation process with the Skith-self and I liked the banter that came with him and other members of the expedition. The Doctor being right that everybody lived was excellent, even if he was saddened by the fact that the Skith took it upon themselves to be evil and choose death. The Doctor saw that they would be the ones who died in quite gruesome circumstances. He wasn't offering second chances. Overall, a great adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Bus Stop!

"This is a bus - all you have to do is sit down and do nothing."

Writer: Rob Davis
Format: Comic Strip
Released: July 2007
Printed in: DWM 385

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

Martha Jones is stuck on Mars in the 27th century whilst the Doctor catches a bus in 20th century London, much to the annoyance of an ordinary passenger. All he wants is to borrow a phone, but will the time assassins take the Mayor's life before all is lost?

Verdict

Bus Stop! was a great little comic strip story to begin my reading of The Widow's Curse graphic novel. Now, I know the collection begins with The Woman Who Sold the World but I managed to read that story three years ago in the DWM Special Edition that contained comic strips from the run of the Tenth Doctor. That isn't the only story printed in this collection that I have read so this will be a little bit of a jumble as I aim to get up to date with everything that's gone on in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine. This story was rather humorous and I wasn't expecting it to have such comic value. I thought the title was a bit iffy beforehand so I was sceptical but it actually turned out really good. The Doctor was on a bus looking like his wacky self and all he wanted was to borrow a phone. The thoughts of the passenger were terrific and I can't say that it's something I haven't experienced in the past with my numerous train journeys. I've only been to London once and thankfully managed to avoid buses but from what I saw, it didn't seem like the greatest way to travel. I quite liked how the reader came to what the Doctor and Martha had been up to during its concluding events and I liked even more than it was pointed out. The characterisation of the Tenth Doctor was fantastic with David Tennant's likeness well-captured on the page. The relationship with Martha was very good too and I loved how she was just left on Mars some six centuries in the future. That was a rather long distance! There was a lot of action which was good and whilst a little background knowledge would definitely have been preferable, there wasn't a lot of confusion which was a big positive. There were time assassins that wanted to kill the Mayor of London and eradicate his descendants from their history but the Doctor was on the case for a decoy. The Mayor soup was a little weird but the continuous thoughts of the passenger were what made the story for me. He was very funny and didn't seem to care at all what was going on. The assassins working out the concept of a bus was also terrific but the Doctor managed to be reverse-engineered back to Mars and the assassins were eradicated. Overall, a humorous and very good little story!

Rating: 8/10

The Clockwise War Part 4

"She wants to destroy everything I love."

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 28th June 2018
Printed in: DWM 527

Featuring: War Doctor, Fey

Synopsis

The Time War. It's early in the conflict and the Doctor has recruited Fey Truscott-Sade to help him overcome its challenges. She gained a reputation as a legend. She was a dark shadow. But even the Doctor couldn't save her from the Morlontoa's unreality wave. Fey was part of the worst day of the Time War, where the Doctor would be Doctor no more...

Verdict

The Clockwise War continued in quite astonishing fashion with this fantastic fourth part! I'm finally getting somewhat back on track with my reading of Doctor Who Magazine and whilst this blog entry is still a little later than I'd like, I have actually started its content! The interview with Wendy Padbury was a delightful little read and it was crazy to think how much Doctor Who has, and still does, change her life. The way she talked about her relationships with Patrick Troughton and Frazier Hines was lovely to read. I thought the new series update that was so boldly on the cover just being the announcement of a new composer was a little underwhelming, just like the TV trailer that was released during the World Cup Final. It was hardly a trailer but Jodie Whittaker looked mesmerising and I can't wait to see her in action as the Thirteenth Doctor. The Out of the TARDIS feature is one I'm a big fan of and I'm very excited to read it with Carole Ann Ford this month. She's always a lot of fun so that should be good. The interview with Sophie Aldred should also be interesting as I'm hoping it mentions a little of what we can expect from her teaming up with the cast of Class for Big Finish. The New Faces feature should once again be excellent as that really has been a highlight of the previous two issues. The Time Team continues to interest me but I still feel like they're doing too much in each issue. Reading their reactions to stories on Gallifrey should be good though. Galaxy Forum was quite humorous this month with the Twitch craze and Ian's famed 'London, 1965!' line from The Chase seems to have become something of a phenomenon which is great. I'm intrigued also by The Man Who Saved the Doctor article and as a whole, this looks set to be another decent issue. Now, to the comic strip and we finally saw DWM tackle the Time War, and it did so in its earliest days where the War Doctor didn't react to being called by his name. Having Fey alongside him was interesting and I thought it was fantastic to get a snippet of what this incarnation of the Doctor may have been like if he didn't have to tackle the Time War. His personality came through and he seemed to resemble the modern Doctors, which I think is fine. The narration of the Twelfth Doctor was superb and you could tell the events with the Loshann and the Morlontoa still hurt him badly. I thought it was excellent how this story showed us that the Doctor didn't always win, especially in the Time War, and that the ones close to him don't always make it out. I liked that the Sisterhood of Karn were working with the Time Lords against the Morlontoa and the Daleks and the idea of pure reason and chaos being used as weapons was mightily intriguing. The way that the Doctor instructed Fey to kill the parodied Loshann children was horrifying but she did it. And it was for nothing. The Doctor failed and only just made it back to the TARDIS with Ohila but Fey went back for a lost child, and became lost herself. The Doctor was helpless and could only watch her warp out of reality. It was devastating and traumatic and the Doctor refused his name. I like how that has a set origin. Overall, a traumatic but excellent continuation of the story!

Evolution

"This is a deliberately engineered monstrosity."

Writer: John Peel
Format: Novel
Released: September 1994
Series: Missing Adventures 02

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane

Synopsis

'Someone is tampering with the fabric of the human cell,' the Doctor said darkly, 'perverting its secrets to his own purposes.'

Sarah Jane wants to meet her fellow journalist Rudyard Kipling, and the Doctor sets the co-ordinates for England, Earth, in the Victorian Age. As usual, the TARDIS materialises in not quite the right place, and the time travellers find themselves pursued across Devon moorland by a huge feral hound.

Children have gone missing; at the local boarding school, the young Rudyard Kipling has set up search parties. Lights have been seen beneath the waters of the bay, and fishermen have been pulled from their boats and mutilated. Graves have been robbed of their corpses. Something is going on, and Arthur Conan Doyle, the ship's doctor from a recently berthed arctic whaler, is determined to investigate.

The Doctor and Doyle join forces to uncover a macabre scheme to interfere with human evolution - and both Sarah Jane and Kipling face a terrifying transmogrification.

Verdict

Evolution was a great novel and another fantastic read. I'm very excited to have gotten this out of my local library as it saves money and when I joined I really didn't expect to find any old novels like this one so it was a real treat. The pairing of the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane is one of the very best and I thought they were excellently written together throughout. Their relationship and the era was easily captured on the page which was a big plus. One thing I was a little taken aback by though was the violent threats from the Doctor. Was he really the kind of man to threaten to break every bone in somebody's body? That didn't seem correct at all for the Fourth Doctor. Anyway, other than that he was characterised very well. The Victorian setting worked very well and aligning the Doctor with Arthur Conan Doyle was a terrific idea. I loved how this adventure ended up serving as Doyle's inspiration for Sherlock Holmes and the attire of the Doctor on the novel's cover would become even more pertinent. Sarah Jane getting to meet Kipling, even if it was far from when and where she wanted to, was excellent too. She was quite shocked by he and his friends and how they were practically gawping at her and wanted very much for her to make them men. The sexual references towards her was quite distressing and I was surprised that it occurred more than once. Sarah Jane stood up for herself on more than one occasion here though and I really liked how she verbally battled Percival Ross before breaking his hand and rib. She showed a different side of her and maybe that had something to do with her recent experiences on Karn during The Brain of Morbius, the story that this book followed chronologically. Alice was a lovely character and I really enjoyed how well she got on with Sarah Jane. She became something of an inspiration to the Victorian which was really nice to read. The concept of genetic mutilation and merging species is an interesting one and I liked how this story produced mermaids without any kind of fantastical element. It was scientific and actually well-explained. There was also the hound that was actually a ten-year-old boy and the passages of his thoughts made the moment he was killed quite heartfelt. It had been human once. Breckinridge was a superb character and the way he hid his intentions from Sarah's initial investigation was great considering how evil and deluded he really was by the book's conclusion. All he wanted from the genetic mutilation was money and was going to enslave the merchildren to build cables to America for technological advancement. He was a man of the future and that was clear. His demise was quite fitting if not brutal. The revelation about the true intentions of Colonel Ross was fantastic and I liked how it wasn't really hinted at throughout the book. Abercrombie was a humorous character too. The plot was well-paced and built to a decent conclusion that was nicely packed with action. Overall, a very good read!

Rating: 8/10

Robo Rampage

"They figured our technology had advanced so much since the original K1 that we'd now be able to control it."

Writer: Robbie Morrison
Format: Comic Strip
Released: May 2016
Printed in: DWC Free Comic Day 2016

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Osgood

Synopsis

Osgood's on the phone - there's a giant robot rampaging through London!

Verdict

Robo Rampage was a fantastic little comic strip story! Even though this was only seven pages, it was an absolute treat! Pairing the Twelfth Doctor with Osgood is magnificent and I love that the pair got to have an exciting story together, even if she didn't quite get to travel through space and time in the TARDIS. The story being a sequel to Robot was something I was not aware of and once I saw what I recognised as the K1 Robot, I was instantly sucked into the story - and that was on page one! Now, I was once again a little sneaky and just sat in Waterstones to read this as part of a graphic novel collection and being a student I think I may take up this money saving, albeit slightly rude, method of reading stories. I have to eat! The destruction that the now K2 Robot was ravaging across London was quite monumental and I liked how Osgood had the Doctor's phone number and was calling him to save the day. There was a great reference to The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion once he did arrive on the scene to save Osgood from imminent destruction. She was grateful to have his phone number and couldn't quite believe that he would answer his call so she was very happy when he did! The little cameo of the Fourth Doctor's encounter with the K1 Robot was fantastic and I really liked how Osgood was keen on that look - I think pretty much everyone is to be honest. She knew all about this having occurred at the time of his third regeneration but now the government had ordered UNIT to tackle the idea of living metal again to exploit its potential. The Doctor's reaction to that was outrage which was exactly as expected so that was good. I do wonder how he continues to persist with the human race when they continuously ignore his rather important instructions. He then just proceeded to park the TARDIS mid-air next to the K2 and engage in a little conversation, where it recognised him, and then just jumped out and allowed himself to be caught in the giant robot's grasp. He quickly managed to disassemble the machine using the sonic screwdriver and humorously did so when he was still in the K2's clutches so had quite a trip. Overall, a lovely and exciting short comic strip!

Rating: 9/10

My Own Private Wolfgang

"I can't even kill myself properly."

Writer: Robert Shearman
Format: Audio
Released: September 2007
Series: Main Range 100b

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Evelyn

Synopsis

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Born in 1756, a veritable wunderkind - playing music for the crowned heads of Europe as an infant, composing by the time he was five years old. But it's tempting to wonder whether his amazing longevity has overshadowed his creative genius - would Mozart's music be better respected, maybe, if he'd died as a young man? Would he be a legend of music, rather than of scientific curiosity, if he'd never lived to compose the film score for the remake of The Italian Job?

Verdict

My Own Private Wolfgang was a decent but flawed story to continue the one-hundredth release from Big Finish's Main Range. I can now clearly see that the theme of this anthology of short stories is themed on the centenary number itself and whilst I thought that worked wonderfully well with the setting in 100 BC, I didn't think it was much good here. I like the idea of doing a Doctor Who story with Mozart but one thing I was very confused by was that the Doctor inexplicably altered the course of history. If one was listening to the release without breaks, it would only have been half an hour earlier that he was preventing Evelyn from doing the very same thing! The character of Mozart is an intriguing one with all he did for music and it's only right that the Doctor would meet him at one point but the conversations about him still being around in Evelyn's time and now celebrating his 100th birthday seemed a little far-fetched and just, well, wrong. I was fascinated by the idea of Mozart trying to kill himself during a performance and I thought the butler's attempt at covering it up was some great comic value. I was even more intrigued by the notion that Mozart had made a bargain with a masked guest that he could live forever as long as he kept composing music annually. Sadly, after that the story went a bit silly for my liking and we learned that the masked figure was actually a clone of Mozart from the far future. It was certainly bonkers and I usually am a fan of a mad script but this bordered too much on silliness for me to thoroughly enjoy it. Now, I'm sounding negative but it really wasn't all bad - it became a little repetitive once more and more past/future versions of Mozart arrived to when he made the bargain to live forever. Evelyn didn't have much to do in this story other than wash dishes which was a shame but I liked how interested she was in meeting another historical figure. The Doctor aiming to prevent Mozart slavery in the future by cutting his Requiem short a dozen pages was intriguing but the abrupt end gag was awful. I really didn't like it and I actually lowered a mark of my rating immediately. Overall, some interesting ideas and a good start, but it faltered as it went on/

Rating: 6/10

100 BC

"Stepping into the pages of history... that's always special to me."

Writer: Jacqueline Rayner
Format: Audio
Released: September 2007
Series: Main Range 100a

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Evelyn

Synopsis

The Doctor and Evelyn arrive in Rome, 101 BC, approximately, October. They meet a young lady of 19, Aurelia. She mentions her husband - Julius Caesar. Evelyn is excited, but her excitement soon turns to confusion. Surely you can't heal a wound in time with just a bit of sticking plaster?

Verdict

100 BC was an excellent start to the one-hundredth release from the Main Range of Big Finish! I'm not sure I like the idea of splitting the release up into one-part stories but I shouldn't really complain given how good this opening adventure was! Jacqueline Rayner is a favourite writer of mine so I was delighted to see that she was back writing audio and she certainly didn't disappoint! She's quirky and bonkers and that definitely translates into her writing. I thought the setting was excellent as I don't think that this period of history gets enough coverage when it comes to Doctor Who. The pairing of the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn were great here and they were certainly challenged too! In quite a big way. Evelyn felt strongly about wanting to change history after it was believed that they had mistakenly prevented Julius Caesar from being conceived. That whole concept is just extraordinary and I loved that the Doctor and Evelyn stumbled in as Aurelia was preparing an entertaining and romantic night. The essence of this story becoming the Doctor wanting to make Aurelia and Caesar Sr engage in sex is quite something and not exactly a common occurrence in Doctor Who. When they arrived nine months later, or so they thought, at the birth of Caesar, their reaction when it turned out to be a daughter was terrific. Julia Caesar was born and Evelyn loved the prospect of history being ruled by women. The Doctor was troubled to not sound sexist but he was adamant that history had to be put on the right track and that meant Julius Caesar being born. Evelyn did all she could to change events though, which I was quite surprised by to be honest with her even feigning illness, but the Doctor also had his sly methods to stop her changing history by pretending he was sending her a message from her future self. Neither quite worked but the whole situation being a mix-up because the Doctor failed to realise that going into the future in BC meant lowering the numbers, rather than adding them, was hilarious. His reaction to that was superb and I loved how there actually turned out to be no danger. Overall, this was a great and humorous story!

Rating: 9/10

Smoke and Mirrors

"It's always the Master..."

Writer: Steve Lyons
Format: Audio
Released: May 2013
Series: Destiny of the Doctor 05

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa, Tegan

Synopsis

The Doctor answers a psionic distress call being sent from England in the 1920s. There, in the enivorns of a fairground, he is reunited with an old friend: Harry Houdini. To Adric and Nyssa the name means very little, but to the Doctor's companion Tegan he is a legend. Escape artist extraordinaire, Houdini's reputation will last for decades.

But how does Harry know so much about Tegan? Is it really just guesswork, as he says? Is Harry right to be concerned about the fairground's fortune teller, who claims to have supernatural skills? Both he and the Doctor suspect an alien influence they know of old.

What neither the Doctor nor his friends realise is that, somewhere in the shadows, a far more sinister and familiar presence is lying in wait for them...

Verdict

Smoke and Mirrors was a terrific audio story and a great continuation of the Destiny of the Doctor series. This was definitely the best adventure of the series so far which was a real treat. The fairground setting worked fantastically and I loved how it was set in the 1920s. Tegan got to see a bit of her planet's past and she also got to meet a quite infamous historical figure in the form of Harry Houdini! Now, the magician is no secret to Doctor Who stories as he has appeared in Theatre of the Mind with the Twelfth Doctor but it also seems like he had interactions with both the First and Third Doctors in his past. The mentions of Ben, Polly and Jo were lovely anecdotes to the past. The Doctor hinting at the existence of the Vashta Nerada when referring to shadows having teeth was fantastic and I really enjoyed the references to The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis and The Visitation. There was a lot of continuity which I always like. Janet Fielding gave a decent performance and I was quite surprised that Lyons chose to set his Fifth Doctor story at a time where there were three companions - that's a difficult task for one actor! She managed it well though, even if her Australian accent continued to creep through in her impressions. The cameo appearance of the Eleventh Doctor was done brilliantly and I wasn't expecting to come so early in the story. The way he spoiled the presence of the Master was pretty funny and perfectly typical of that incarnation. I liked how this story featured the Master in chronological placement after Castrovalva. I love that story and for the companions to think him dead was very good. He wasn't physically present and I loved how that allowed for this story to not contradict dialogue in Time-Flight. The laughter that's so typical of Anthony Ainley's Master was presented very well and I loved the prospect of him using Houdini against the Doctor. The magician perhaps being bitter for not being allowed inside the TARDIS is quite an unexpected but excellent concept but the alliance was not what he thought it was, as he would soon realise. The Master tormenting Nyssa and putting her under his control was great and I loved how Tegan pleaded with her to not do his bidding after all he's done to her. He'd taken her father's body and destroyed her home planet and that was enough for Nyssa to free herself from his grasp. Adric was quite quiet in this audio which was fine but I did like how he and Nyssa didn't understand the entertainment value of a funfair. The action-packed scenes with the tiger and leopard were very good and I thought the conclusion was very lively and just brilliant. Overall, a fantastic audio!

Rating: 9/10