Echoes of the Mogor

"Are you saying that the Mogor are phantoms? Ghosts have been killing the people here?"

Writer: Dan Abnett

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2011

Printed in: Doctor Who Classics: Volume 7

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis 

The Doctor is trying to find his bearings in attempt at fixing the inertial navigator of the TARDIS, but soon comes across a dead body with a strange message...

Verdict 

Echoes of the Mogor was a tremendous little comic strip to bring an end to my reading of the wonderfully released IDW Doctor Who Classics: Volume 7. I'm extremely glad to have purchased the graphic novel which has original DWM comic stories from the Seventh Doctor era on TV but now they were updated and modernised with colour. The novel has had its highs and lows with Ice Warriors, Frobisher's departure and a multi-Doctor story being tarnished by the lack of a companion and some relatively poor one-part stories. But overall, I would definitely say the collection has been a success and after my reading of the terrific Planet of the Dead yesterday, after reading this story at hand I think it's clear that the two best stories were saved for last! I really enjoyed this adventure and with quite a few other characters appearing the lack of a companion for the Doctor wasn't noticeable and doesn't need to be addressed from myself for once. Usually though in a story with as many characters as this one of them tends to become a companion to the Doctor! That wasn't the case here though. I do find it strange how he continuously rambles to himself when travelling and exiting the TARDIS. Obviously it's to our benefit as the reader but when it comes to believability I think that needs to be addressed for future stories that are to come for me with the Seventh Doctor. I'm almost certainly going to purchase the Nemesis of the Daleks graphic novel to see how different the Seventh Doctor comics are and feel on a bigger sized paper and in black and white! I think that will be an exciting contrast. I liked how the Doctor was first accused of murder when the FHD squad arrived on the ship as it certainly didn't look good for him standing over a dead body on an abandoned ship! Dean's reports of being the last man alive of the crew were daunting and made even more so when he was found dead. The Doctor quickly gained a good relationship with the squad though as he typically does and I liked how he'd worked out what was killing the crew. No actual murders were taking place but the Mogor were inadvertently killing people despite not having existed for around six millennia. The crystal having an empathic link was just a marvellous concept and I loved how in small quantity Dean had been able to conceal his message but with the gigantic masses in the mines, the remnants of a long deceased and war-hungry powerful civilisation were living on in the crystal, emitting the images and actions of the once ferocious Mogor. They sparked terror, literally powerful enough to kill, but the Doctor wasn't getting through to the squad when he was trying to make them realise the Mogor were in fact extinct. These were just ancient images - echoes - of the Mogor. If you disbelieved in them, they couldn't harm you. That's exactly how the Doctor eventually extinguished their threat. No murders had taken place, just an unfortunate chain of events resulting in the worst way possible. But at least things were ridded of suspicion. Overall, a superb end to the graphic novel! 

Rating: 9/10