Character Assassin

"You are all pseudonomic entities, existing in a realm of total fiction. I see only words on a page, clothed in the illusion of reality."

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: December 2001

Printed in: DWM 311

Featuring: The Master

Synopsis 

The Master arrives in the Land of Fiction and is looking for the chairman of a rather pulpous group of gentlemanly individuals. The person he's after? Professer Moriarty.  

Verdict 

Character Assassin was an excellent 'special' comic strip! I love the idea of a story featuring just the Master and as Scott Gray brilliantly explains in the commentary on this adventure, having a story without the Doctor just shows you how big the Whoniverse really is. Anything can happen and that's exactly shown here! Despite this story featuring at the back of my Oblivion graphic novel and dubbed as a bonus strip, I read it after The Way of All Flesh because it was released in the Doctor Who Magazine that followed the conclusion of that story. I'll go in the order that they were released rather than what they appear in the graphic novel. I did exactly the same with Keepsake in my pretty recent readings of Doctor Who Classics: Volume 7. I'm not sure why they're printed a little out of sync with the DWM ordering but it doesn't really make a difference. My thinking would be that because the story doesn't feature the Doctor and Izzy then it doesn't offer anything leading up to Oblivion which will act as the finale of this graphic novel. If it had been printed in the order of DWM release I can't see what harm it would have caused as the only reference to the word 'oblivion' being acknowledged came in Ophidius. But anyway, enough of my qualms about the layout of the graphic novel and let's get into the story at hand, even if it is a short one but that's what comes with a 'special' comic strip. The Crystal Throne would seem to be a recent exception however as it bridged the gap between the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors over two splendid issues. I loved the fact that the Master was narrating his own story! It tied in wonderfully with the Land of Fiction setting and was quite ironic too. The Master arriving at his destination was great with the infamous hypnosis getting him side his desired house. He met many people, from what I gathered were other comic strip universes and none of which I recognised, and he wanted to become part of the little club they had going on. Whoever the members were, the Master seemed like he'd fit in. I'm intrigued to know how access to the Land of Fiction is gained as it certainly didn't appear that the Master stumbled upon exiting the universe as the Doctor did at the end of The Dominators and beginning of The Mind Robber. I was slightly surprised that even without the Doctor the latter story was not referenced. As you see in the picture above, the Master being summoned amongst an audience was brilliant but I loved how he was after the chairman of the whole fictional facade. A certain Professor Moriarty. Now, I'm not a Sherlock Holmes fan but I know who the aforementioned person is, mainly because of his comparisons to the Master! And it's that comparison that inspired this story as writer Scott Gray thought the famous Sherlock villain was pretty rubbish and nothing compared to the Master. I've never seen Sherlock but I'll agree with him. You just can't beat the Master! And he achieved just what the author was hoping for as he metaphorically kicked Moriarty's ass! But then he pondered, would he be satisfied just ruling a fictitious land? It would appear not as he declined the invitation to become chairmen of the club. It was an intriguing comic strip, they always seem to be with an absence of the Doctor! The use of the tissue compression eliminator was splendid and I loved how the incarnation of the Master was Roger Delgado's. A triumphant return in a great comic strip! 

Rating: 8/10