The Weeping Angels of Mons Part 1

"This must have been a beautiful country before the war, but all it is now - to me at least - is a wasteland of mud and blood, haunted by the ghosts of the fallen."

Writer: Robbie Morrison

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 16th July 2015

Printed in: DWC #6

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

The Doctor offered Gabby a one-off time-travelling trip aboard the TARDIS. They arrived in an alien art gallery where Gabby was thrown straight into the heart of adventure, with no shortage of the life-threatening danger that seems to follow the Doctor no matter where (or when) he is. Proving herself to be a bright and brave companion, the Doctor has invited her to join him in exploring the universe. Now they're off to the past for a haunting hands-on history lesson...

Verdict 

The Weeping Angels of Mons looks set to be an incredibly epic adventure if this astounding first part is anything to go by! This was sublime from start to finish I must say. It has all the ingredients to be an all time favourite story of mine - there's no doubting that! A fantastic TARDIS pairing in the Tenth Doctor and Gabby who together can have just about anything happen as they never appeared on television together so there's a huge gap for adventure there. There's also the wonderful historical element of Gabby's first venture to the past having her land smack bang in the middle of the western front during World War One. And then if all that wasn't enough, we've got the comic strip debut of the Weeping Angels! They're back to battle the Tenth Doctor once again after first taking him on in the acclaimed Blink. It's testament to the villains themselves that despite an inability to speak, and a Doctor-lite episode, that ranks as one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time. I knew beforehand, and obviously from the title, that the Weeping Angels would be featuring in this story and it filled me with anticipation to say how they'd cope in a brand new format. Of course, they'll also be making their debut in audio next year battling the Fifth Doctor but for now, I thought they worked excellently in comic strip. I think if they're appearances are kept limited, they'll be more effective. The threat of them looming will be more than enough. What they did do in this story was frightening though I must say! You've got to feel for the British, well in this case particularly the Scottish, who not only had Germans to take on but also the Weeping Angels! It hardly seems fair. I absolutely loved Gabby in this story and I can already tell that I'm just going to love her as companion. The Tenth Doctor seems absolutely perfect for her and the pair are going to get along majestically. She's loving seeing the past but now with this her third alien encounter, I can already see a much more mature companion than what we saw in Revolutions of Terror. I love how the TARDIS has been apparently blown up! That'll leave the Doctor with some thinking to do. Gabby referencing The Arts in Space was a simple but effective reference and no matter how soon after, I do love a past story reference. The reference to the Battle of the Somme more than filled my historical appetite and I also liked the flashback to the Christmas Day truce. The Doctor trying to cover up that he had two hearts was definitely a clever thing to do I would think given that they were accused of being spies and this was World War One. Gabby definitely seemed a lot more confident here as she dragged the Doctor to safety. Jamie and Harry's encounter with a Weeping Angel was terrific but I must say the cliffhanger was quite a shock! We had a soldier who had attempted to stitch his eyes open to ensure the Angels could not move. The words of the Doctor to Sally Sparrow almost seemed echoed through the soldier. And it also seems we'll get some continuation from The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone in that the image of an Angel becomes an Angel. There's going to be danger. There's almost certainly going to be death. Gabby is about to meet possibly the most dangerous monster she'll ever face whilst travelling in the TARDIS! This first part was excellent, and it looks like this story is going to be absolutely superb.