The Witch's Familiar

"Nobody hates like a Dalek."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 26th September 2015

Series: 9.02

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

Trapped in a terrifying Dalek City, the Doctor is without his sonic, without the TARDIS, and all on his own. Can the Doctor resist his greatest temptation and show his greatest enemy compassion?

Verdict 

The Witch's Familiar was an outstanding continuation and conclusion of the story already started in The Magician's Apprentice. Just like in Series 6, Moffat has kicked off the season with a story more than worthy of the finale but with nearly the entire series set to be two parters this year, I can't wait to see what he's got in store for the finale to top the opener. This episode really was full of surprises and I'm just going to jump straight in and talk about the incredible moment that was Davros opening his eyes. Yes, plural. This really is the closest thing we're going to get to a Davros origin story and that moment really was phenomenal. I do imagine though that in the next DWM Galaxy Forum there will be scathing criticism. However I was a big fan and I just loved how Davros was putting on one hell of a show to convince the Doctor to help him. Before that, the Doctor had just about had enough of Davros and went as far as chucking him out of his infamous chair! For the first time ever, I believe in any format, we saw what Davros was like beneath the chair. A simple cyborg who must have been ridiculously robotised to ensure survival this long. Has anyone survived dying more times than Davros? Well, the Master could give him a run for his money actually. Speaking of which, Missy was magnificent once again and Michelle Gomez really is just wonderful. She's so good. Missy's relationship with Clara was once again excellent and I loved how she had Clara hanging upside down in case she got hungry. Clara might have thought she was joking but I'm not so sure! They actually ended up working as a team which provided some good humour. I liked how we got an explanation for Missy surviving death in Death in Heaven thanks to an intriguing flashback in which we caught a glimpse of the First and Fourth Doctors. That was an unexpected pleasure. I liked how we got an insight into the explanation of Dalek terminology and actually how they function. We actually got given an explanation for why the Daleks repeat extermimate but don't actually fire! Bravo Moffat. Very clever. Missy messing with the Daleks was superb and I really enjoyed the reference to Frontier in Space. I was still a little baffled by the motives of Missy in this story, especially after the Doctor instructed his confession dial to be sent to her. Could she really care for the Doctor after all this time? I have my doubts. The moment she tried to get the Doctor to destroy the Dalek that housed Clara was excellent as the evilness shone through once more which I loved. The Doctor saw through that though, as you would hope. The further exploration of the cliffhanger from last week was brilliant and what an image it was of the Doctor and Davros as a child walking hand in hand. Who'd have believed that! The Doctor using some regeneration energy to apparently heal Davros enough so that he could see the sunshine was quite a shock. For a moment I was genuinely converted into believing that Davros was genuinely glad to hear of Gallifrey's survival. How foolish of me. Once that smile returned to Davros's face I was very glad! What a nastily evil scheme! Magnificent. But the Doctor, as always, was one step ahead. He'd anticipated that Davros was just luring him in and the moment the creator of the Daleks realised that he'd lost again was sublime. It was superb to see a many generations of Daleks, some talking for the first time, and in quite a contrast from The Stolen Earth/Journey's End they were working very closely with their creator. The concept of a Time Lord-Dalek hybrid is quite a disturbing thought and one I'm sure will be returned to. I at least hope it is. I was glad for an explanation as to how Skaro was still standing after the events of Remembrance of the Daleks and the pondering over why the Doctor really ran from Gallifrey is something I've never given a second thought to. I like it very much though! Overall though, a simply sensational double episode that was full of some sensational shocks and surprises. What an opening!

Rating: 10/10

Onomatopoeia

"I have ended the pall... the silence... of a hundred thousand years..."

Writer: Dan McDaid

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2009

Printed in: DWM 413

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Majenta

Synopsis 

The Doctor takes Majenta to Graveworld 909, where they find that the natives, who are rat-like humanoids, cannot speak. They soon discover that they cannot speak either - will they be able to rescue this world from silence?

Verdict 

Onomatopoeia was a superb little comic strip adventure! I was very intrigued just by looking at the name and with a bit of knowledge forecast from my English lessons back in comprehensive school, I remembered the definition. Once I'd remembered, what came in the story was stunning. Some people might not grasp the concept but to me it was absolutely wonderful. To be honest, it was genius! I think the only reason that the story didn't get full marks was because it didn't go all the way throughout with no speech. I'd really have loved it had that been the case. It's been a while since I've done a Tenth Doctor comic strip from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine so this was a nice break from the currently sublime Doctor Who Comic. In fact, I don't actually own a graphic novel of the Tenth Doctor's so his adventures in DWM are actually quite unknown to me. I'm aware that he's fought the likes Sontarans and Sycorax but that's about it to be honest. This was my first experience of Majenta as companion and although it probably wasn't the best place to start with the lack of speech, I really enjoyed her. I know literally nothing at all about her character but I must say that I like the idea of the Doctor travelling with an alien. He obviously did so quite considerably during his fifth incarnation with the likes of Nyssa and Turlough but here she's visually alien but also humanoid which I think is the perfect mix of alien companion. In DWC, we've had ARC travelling about with the Eleventh Doctor but I think that's more to do with the story of SERVEYOUinc whereas here she really is just a companion. It's really difficult to find things to write about when there's barely any speech but as I would expect there was a lot of great action scenes. Even in a comic strip story, action is definitely important when it comes to pace and excitement in a story. I really liked how the Groundskeeper broke the spell of not talking in the way he did, even if I wanted no speech throughout the entire story. That would have made it ridiculously unique! It was interesting reading this story from the pages of DWM 413 itself in which houses 'The Big 200' ranking poll. The Caves of Androzani sat top of the list and I can't argue with that choice though I thought Love and Monsters was placed stupendously high. How it was ranked above the likes of Underworld and Timelash I'm not quite sure. The Twin Dilemma is always ranked bottom which is a huge shame as I think it's actually underrated. DWM has changed quite a bit since 2009, for the better, though this did have a nostalgic feel. The comic strip layout seems to be improved I must say. Overall though, despite the lack of speech making this quite difficult to blog about, a wonderfully superb comic strip.

Rating: 9/10

The Other Doctor

"No more monsters. No more stories. The Doctor. Cancelled."

Writer: Rob Williams

Format: Comic Strip

Released: March 2015

Printed in: DW11 #10

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice, Jones, ARC

Synopsis 

The Doctor came to the planetary headquarters of SERVEYOUinc armed with enough shares to take ownership of the company. Which he did. But then the Talent Scout gave him what he wants. Now the Doctor rules over the SERVEYOUinc planet from skyscraper-sized TARDIS, and everyone here is happy. Or at least pacified. Or at least not dead... yet. 

The Doctor's former companions - Alice, Jones and ARC - are on the run, pursued by SERVEYOUinc forces, with only a back-up hologram of the Doctor's true personality for assistance. Can they bring the Doctor back to himself?

Verdict 

The Other Doctor was an excellent conclusion to the story already started in The Rise and Fall. With the new winter direction of Doctor Who Comic, in which it appears that they will not be printing the second half of this fantastic story, I was forced into my own hands to find the second part and to ensure the story gets finished for my perspective! I can deal with DWC skipping ahead a few adventures but not completing a story in their pages is not on in my opinion! Thankfully I was able to find the tenth issue of the Eleventh Doctor comic strips, in the format that was released in the USA, on the wonderful website that is Scribd. It's served me well in the past with numerous Ninth Doctor comic strips and quite a few Doctor Who Annuals from over the years. It seems I struck lucky because as of writing neither the Tenth or Twelfth Doctor run available goes as far as the tenth issue. But anyway, into the story itself and I thought it was superb. Just from the name I expected great things! After the superb cliffhanger at the end of the last story, the Doctor really had given in to the Talent Scout at SERVEYOUinc. They'd prophesied over the last ten issues that the Doctor would eventually join them and after acquiring the 51% needed to become the majority shareholder in the company, he had bowed down. He'd accepted what he wanted. The unthinkable had happened and as my quote shows, things had gone disastrously wrong. But the Doctor had anticipated that he may bow down to the pressure of SERVEYOUinc and had created a second conscience of sorts in the form of the digital watch. I liked the reference to Human Nature/The Family of Blood with the fob watch mention but it appears that even Time Lord technology had taken up a bit of an upgrade since that Tenth Doctor adventure. I really liked the reference to After Life and even since rereading in DWC, that story seems like a life time ago! So much has changed since then and out of the three Doctors that appear in the comic, the Eleventh Doctor segment must be the most topsy turvy. Originally I thought it was just going to be the Doctor and Alice travelling together set between Series 5 and Series 6 but then Jones was added as companion early on and with a running theme of the SERVEYOUinc corporation, ARC later become companion as well. The whole adventure seemed quite represented in this story. We had a holographic Doctor consciousness who was capable of having a conversation without a problem. And the real Doctor was now a bad guy running the company that Alice had grown to despise after what they did with her mother. I've been quite critical of Alice and Jones in the past but in this story I thought they were magnificent. Both of them. Alice took on the role of the Doctor in more ways than one and I adored the confidence he had in her when admitting that his second plan was whatever she would think to come up with. I really liked that. Jones thinking he was Xavi the superhero was great too and certainly in line with his character and maturity. He'd be right at home! The idea of having the children as the saviours was absolutely lovely and the Doctor's reaction to that was brilliant. The way his reversion back to his normal self was played out was very good though my only qualm with the story as a whole was that we didn't quite see how the Doctor changed from good to bad almost instantly. Something to do with the Time Lord manifestation of the Talent Scout? I'm really not sure. But overall, when putting both parts together, this really is an excellent comic strip adventure. 

Rating: 8/10

The Time Snatch

"One moment the desert was an empty waste, shimmering heat, and the next it was a screaming dustbowl."

Writer: Glenn Rix

Format: Short Story

Released: September 1976

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 1977

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah

Synopsis 

UNIT, along with the Doctor and Sarah Jane, travel to an American desert in search of Crystal Z. The Doctor discovers the crystal could cause a lot of trouble for Earth and must find it before all hell breaks loose...

Verdict 

The Time Snatch was an interesting story but overall it wasn't as great as it could have been. The idea was very good but sadly the execution was not. I do think that the basis for this story could easily be developed into a full feature-length story, whether that be on TV, audio or even a comic strip. Even though text stories in Doctor Who Annuals are considerably longer than the comic strips, for this idea the length was still restrictive. I was surprised that this story didn't at least get a rating of one mark higher than i awarded because I have enjoyed this Annual very much so far. The comic strips and text stories that I have previously blogged, spread sporadically over the last 550+ entries, haven't been disappointing so I was surprised with the drop in standard. The artwork could certainly be improved which seems to be a running theme in both Classic and revival era Doctor Who Annuals. What was supposed to be Sarah actually looked more like future companion Romana I! I'm not quite sure how that was managed. To me, the Annuals are important so more work should go into them than what actually does. I'm anticipating the 2016 Annual very much after reading in Doctor Who Magazine that it is the guys behind that wonderful monthly release that have worked on the release. I would argue that we haven't had a good one since the David Tennant era to be honest which makes me all the more envious of the Classic Annuals. I must thank the superb Scribd app for having this great piece in their huge library of collections. Finding a Classic Annual nowadays is extremely rare and although I've had some incredible finds, across all my bargain hunting travels I've only ever picked up the 1980 Annual. It's a prized possession of mine but is sadly somewhere in my attic, along with a mass of other Doctor Who stuff, as I prepare for moving out to university on Sunday! The blogs will stop everyday, there's no doubt about that, but I'm hopeful that I can squeeze in things here and there. This story never really got going despite hints that it would which was a shame. Sarah's characterisation was marvellous and I adored her reaction to the Doctor trying to wonder off without her - she was having none of that! The characterisation of the Fourth Doctor himself could have been better though in my opinion with Tom Baker not quite captured as I would have liked. I liked the idea of taking this TARDIS pairing back to UNIT as I don't think it was visited enough after Terror of the Zygons, which I recently watched. They should definitely have visited more often in my opinion, as much as the Third Doctor did following the lifting of his exile in The Three Doctors. The concept of the Crystal Z was good but I was surprised by how late in the story that actually played a part. The fact the crystal was just left for the Doctor and Sarah to use and reverse the journey was really pour. Dr Bhoul though was quite a good character which was nice to see. Overall though, too much back background which you just can't afford to do in a story as restrictive in length as this. Some positives for sure, but it could have been a lot better which was a shame. 

Rating: 6/10

Tooth and Claw

"The dead stay silent. And we must wait..."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 22nd April 2006

Series: 2.02

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Rose have to protect Queen Victoria, but can anything stop the Empire of the Wolf? Things aren't as they seem in Scotland. Who is Father Angelo and what is his plan for the British throne?

Verdict 

Tooth and Claw was a very good episode of Doctor Who and one that I think is certainly underrated amongst fans. It's often forgotten which I don't think is fair because it's actually a very significant story! This of course lays the foundations for the incredible spinoff series of Torchwood with the Institute established in the closing scene and this story would later go on to receive numerous mentions later in this second series and in many Torchwood stories. It is of course a pseudo historical and the setting of 1879 is one I was very pleased with. It's only a few days now until I move out to Bath to start my degree in university so it was great to see Queen Victoria portrayed on screen! It even gave an ambiguous reasoning for her having the 'Royal disease' which I just think is marvellous. She was represented well on screen for the time period and I loved how the Doctor was actually intending to take Rose to 1979 to see a band that I'm not a huge fan of at all. Despite his bonkers singing, the early days of David Tennant's incarnation are great for the character. Quirky and easily recognisable of the man the public would go on to love and adore. His delight at discovering the TARDIS had arrived in Scotland was fantastic and I imagine his Twelfth Doctor future self would have reacted in a similar way. The chemistry between the Tenth Doctor and Rose is similar to that of the Fourth Doctor and Romana II in my opinion in that they just seem to love each other's company. The humour was there wonderfully in this episode. Rose attempting to get Victoria to say her recognisable catchphrase of "we are not amused' was a highlight from the story and it really was lovely. She had a small gamble with the Doctor and after a few futile attempts, she finally said it much to the thrill and delight of Rose. Father Angelo was a very enigmatic character I must say. He was a brilliant villainous enemy and looked excellently evil. I'm surprised he didn't feature more prominently in the antagonist role but when he was there the eeriness was striking. I loved the idea of the full moon and Werewolf theme and their attempts to get access to the throne of Britain was pretty frightening! A werewolf on the throne would be interesting to say the least but of course after The King's Demons it wouldn't be the first alien to sit on the throne. Aliens attempting to takeover the monarchy is a fantastic idea and I'm actually surprised it hasn't been used before. The reference to The Parting of the Ways was very clever by including the Bad Wolf element and I also adored the Doctor mentioning his companion from long ago in Jamie. He never forgets those who were close to him which I think is lovely. David Tennant being able to use his natural Scottish tongue was excellent and I liked how Victoria actually mentioned the Doctor's changing accent. The Werewolf was portrayed very efficiently through CGI though I must admit I thought it could have been done better. It wasn't bad and I know it was 9 years ago now but technology wasn't that far behind! The plot was decently paced and there was some good action but I think it could have been a bit more exciting in some parts, particularly in the middle. The trap within a trap element was beautiful though and I liked how Victoria's late husband amazingly played a part in the resolution with the diamond shaving. Overall though, a very good episode that shouldn't be forgotten like it is! There's a whole lot of good and it's hugely significant! The banishing of the Doctor and Rose at the end was a shock I must say but I did like how it paved the way for Victoria to establish the creation of Torchwood. Excellent episode! 

Rating: 8/10

Scream of the Silent

"He was the Doctor, curious, questioning and too stubborn to cease to exist."

Writer: John Freeman

Format: Short Story

Released: November 1988

Printed in: DWM 25th Anniversary Special

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis 

On the rare occasion that the Seventh Doctor is travelling alone, he meets with an eager female scientist by the name of Kalare. Together they're tasked with decoding the mystery behind the Barrier...

Verdict 

Scream of the Silent was a fantastic little short text story to bring a close to my reading of The Good Soldier graphic novel! It's definitely been a great collection of comic strip stories from the early '90s (and late '80s in regards to short stories like this one). We've had two hugely successful stories in The Mark of Mandragora and A Glitch in Time which both received full marks so I obviously thoroughly enjoyed those! The title story itself was superb but as I've mentioned before I'm a little disappointed with the cover artwork, despite its brilliance, as it is definitely a bit misleading in my opinion. Party Animals and The Chameleon Factor were very decent stories as well and overall, the comic strips from the pages of normal DWM were very good. Well, the graphic novel chronologically didn't start off at a standard that would follow in the text story of Teenage Kicks but it wasn't bad at all so I can't complain really. I'm glad that to beef up the collection a bit the great guys at Panini and DWM decided to throw in Seaside Rendezvous from the Summer Special magazine and also this nice little bonus of a short story! The time echo image that we see (as is above) is wonderful with the Seventh Doctor looking into the mirror and seeing the reflection of his first self. It leads me to wonder though, why do we always see the First Doctor as an old man? Obviously he was young once. We saw him as a child in Listen and we saw that he was old when he stole the TARDIS in The Name of the Doctor, but I would like one day for us to see a man we might not recognise and then for the Doctor to say that was him prior to any regenerations. That'd be a great moment! But anyway back to the story at hand and I thought it was told very well indeed. 5 pages for a text story might not seem like a not but in reality it actually is more than you think! It took me a lot longer to read than I imagined it would, not that it was a problem at all. I can't believe I'm going to say this but despite the good rating, I think the story was missing Ace a bit. I'm not sure how fans would have reacted in 1988 to the Seventh Doctor travelling alone after the events of Dragonfire, but it works for me now knowing where it can easily be placed in the line of continuity. Kalare was a lovely character and I loved how she got along with the Doctor very nicely. She obviously was doing something right (being a scientist probably helped) as it appeared that at the end the Doctor was actually quite keen to show her the wonders of the universe in the TARDIS. The Shurans served as interesting enemies and I liked how they surrounded the Doctor and Kalare before they went through the mysterious Barrier. The Doctor working out the language of the Tyans was actually a blueprint of sorts for the Barrier itself was excellent. The time passing on the outside ridiculously quicker than for the Doctor and Kalare was intriguing and I liked the surprise when they got back with Panduraskar. The climax was decent and I really liked the style with the little preludes at the end of the paragraphs. Overall, a very good story to finish my reading of the graphic novel. I'm gonna have to buy a new one now though as I like having one available, and Nemesis of the Daleks could well be on the agenda. But for now, this was excellent.  

Rating: 8/10

Spirits of the Jungle Part 3

"Doctor, your persistence is almost endearing..."

Writer: Jonathan Morris 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 17th September 2015

Printed in: DWM 491

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

With Clara seemingly weaponised and the crew who the Doctor enlisted the help of left helpless, can the Time Lord truly defeat the Hadux Ura?

Verdict 

Spirits of the Jungle concluded brilliantly with this third and final instalment of the comic strip adventure in the latest Doctor Who Magazine. I'll get back to the comic strip itself shortly but as is now usual I like to discuss the magazine itself. This month is a 100 page bumper issue at a steep £5.99 but I just can't miss out on the new episodes previews and the conclusion of a comic strip story now, can I? I'm really looking forward to the preview of The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Forever as it seems that Moffat is heading back to the sixth series and starting off with what could be easily mistaken as a series finale! We've got Missy and a whole bunch of Daleks from throughout Who history in the opening story so I really can't wait for the series to get started now. Don't let the date of the blog entry fool you - at the time of writing I haven't yet seen the brand new episode so the preview will be just as eagerly read. I'm glad to see that the previously unnamed episodes 3 and 4 have finally had their titles revealed as the intriguing Under the Lake/Before the Flood. The story is in safe hands for sure and I'm looking forward to reading what this one is all about. I have no idea what to expect so I'll be eagerly anticipating this one whilst at university. I'm usually not a fan of the Fact of Fiction feature but when the segment is focusing on my all time favourite story in The War Games, I might have to make an exception. The 100 impossible facts seems to be something brand new which should be good! DWM Review is always good and I've already read the write up on Royal Blood which I'm glad was positive as I really enjoyed the novel. I'll see to the other two shortly. I'm not too familiar with the two interviewees in this issue but that will give me an open mind when reading. They should definitely give me an added insight into how the series is made. I'm not too keen on a feature on Lego Doctor Who appearing these pages. Surely it would be better fitted in DWA? Relative Dimensions is always a wonderful read and I can't wait to see what the wonderfully barmy Jacqueline Rayner will be talking about this month! She really is whacky. Steven Moffat's answering column was good this month and I'm looking forward to Galaxy Forum this time around after the flooding of Colin Baker letters after his recent interview. It looks set to be a great magazine! Now, back to the comic strip and after the shocking cliffhanger of Clara being weaponised, I'm still not sure whether I like the resolution or not. I can't decide whether it's clever or lazy to have Clara as actually being a jungle avatar. What would be her purpose otherwise than a cheap save? Hmm, I still need to ponder that. I bloody hope this is the last we see if anything resembling Danny Pink. He died in Dark Water - can't we just leave it at that? We saw him beyond the grave in Death in Heaven, returning in Clara's dream in Last Christmas and now he was in avatar form here. Aghh! Go away! I mean, it's nice Clara got to kiss her deceased boyfriend one last farewell but please oh please let it be the final goodbye. I liked how this part was all about double bluffs and u-turns. The Hadax Ura certainly seemed too easily defeated and I loved how its real intention was to escape. I can't say I saw that coming. The characterisation of Clara was actually very good and it seems to be improving all over the board lately with the new novels and also DWC! I'm a happy bunny when characterisation is nailed but ironically for the first time I didn't think the Twelfth Doctor's was quite right. I've been quite critical of Jonathan Morris in previous blogs, notably my reading of The Child of Time graphic novel but I have to say he impressed me with this story. It wasn't his best ever but it was consistent, solid and very good. I can't ask for much more than that. 

Rating: 8/10

The Magician's Apprentice

"Davros knows. Davros remembers."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 19th September 2015

Series: 9.01

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

When the skies of Earth are frozen by a mysterious alien force, Clara needs her friend. But where is the Doctor, and what is he hiding from? As past deeds come back to haunt him, old enemies will come face-to-face, and for the Doctor and Clara survival seems impossible... 

Verdict 

The Magician's Apprentice was a simply phenomenal series opener! I was left in shock more than once and I must say that Steven Moffat has treated us all wonderfully with this episode! How audacious was he to throw in Davros as a child before his disfigurement before the opening titles even hit! That moment was worthy of a series finale cliffhanger but he used it to kick off the series with an incredible bang. Just the thought of a Davros origin story is wonderful but now we're getting it! How they managed to keep the surprise return of Davros secret I'm not sure but I'm incredibly glad they did because that moment was simply divine. The continuity from The Stolen Earth/Journey's End was very good in regards to the appearance though I do hope that in the second part we get an explanation as to how he survived. Speaking of survival, the return of Missy was marvellous. Michelle Gomez is absolutely magnificent! I do adore her and I hope the Master stays female for as long as she's willing to play the part. She's so raunchy, bonkers and evil - it's great! The way she revealed her return was excellent with her catchy song playing once again. The reference to Death in Heaven was good and I loved how heartless she was in talking about Danny's death. She'd also made the planes stop which was a bit random. A simple time stop as she dubbed it. It was lovely to see Jenna Coleman once again as Clara and I'm so glad that she stayed on for another series, which of course will now be her last. I'll be sad to see her go but she'll have done three series by the end of this one so I can't complain with that for a run! The story of the Doctor in this episode was very intriguing especially after the prologue and The Doctor's Meditation. For whatever reason, in the first incarnation of his new regeneration cycle, the Doctor had accepted that tomorrow would be his last day. Colony Sarff hunting across time and space to deliver a message to the Doctor from Davros was very interesting. The man was quite awful to look at and his true snake format was quite disturbing but now, after all these years and on his deathbed, Davros knew and Davros remembered. He'd kept the sonic screwdriver all this time from when he was just a child on the battlefront. The hand mines were good and I think they'll have some part to play in the reasoning for Davros having one eye but where we would assume his eyes should be are still visible. The Doctor's reaction to having been brought to Skaro was superb and I loved how Missy realised that the ship was not in space at all. I really loved Clara and Missy's relationship in this story. The former stood up to the latter which was lovely but they somehow seemed to get along. Clara genuinely seemed gutted when she realised that the friend the Doctor had sent his confession dial to wasn't her but the woman who constantly tries to kill him. It was a brilliant stance to think from Missy's perspective when she said that the Doctor's always trying to kill her! Was it really as simple as being their texting though? I feel there's something more to that friendship. Missy's reaction to the Doctor saying Davros was his arch enemy was beautiful. A really great moment. The return of the Dalek puppets in the shape of Bors was very good and despite their criticism since debuting in Asylum of the Daleks, I really like the concept. I loved the way Kate was looking for the Doctor and the references to The Masque of Mandragora and the trio of Atlantis stories were bliss. The appearances of many alien species was fantastic with the Sycorax, Hath, Ood and even a Blowfish seen! The return to the Shadow Proclamation was outstanding and I loved how it didn't seem to have altered much at all since The Stolen Earth. The moment the 1960s Dalek emerged on Skaro was a magnificent throwback to The Daleks and it was marvellous to see numerous designs from over the years. I'm sure they'll be more prominent in the next episode. The use of the dialogue from Genesis of the Daleks was simply sensational from Moffat. It's beyond genius and poses the Twelfth Doctor a very difficult question that lead into the cliffhanger. Could he really kill Davros as a child? He just watched the Daleks extermimate Missy and Clara. So would he do it? I can't wait to find out! This was simply sublime. Bring on The Witch's Familiar, which is of course where the rating will feature. 

Big Bang Generation

"A future you is in so much trouble that the only solution is to go back in time to ask for help from you..."

Writer: Gary Russell 

Format: Novel

Released: 10th September 2015

Series: NSA 56

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bernice

Synopsis 

"I'm an archaeologist, but probably not the one you were expecting."

Christmas 2015, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 

Imagine everyone's surprise when a time portal opens up in Sydney Cove. Imagine their shock as a massive pyramid now sits beside the Harbour Bridge, glowing with energy. Imagine their fear as Cyrrus 'the mobster' Globb, Professor Horace Jaanson and alien assassin Kik arrive. Finally imagine everyone's dismay when a bunch of con artists turn up to spring their greatest grift yet. 

This gang consists of Legs, Dog Boy, Shortie, Da Trowel, and their leader, Doc, who is busy making sure the universe isn't destroyed. 

And when someone accidentally reawakens the Ancients of the Universe - which, Doc reckons, wasn't the wisest or best-judged of actions - things get a whole lot more complicated...

Verdict 

Big Bang Generation was a fantastic novel and continued along the Glamour Chronicles trilogy of stories very nicely. I thought it was quite strange that the story didn't reference Royal Blood but by having a different TARDIS pairing there was no need for a reference really. In doing that, it meant that it didn't matter which of the two novels you read first. My only quarrel with the design of this novel is that it explicitly states that the novel features Clara when that is not the case! I know Gary Russell wanted to cover up the surprise return of a past character but just simply say that it features the Twelfth Doctor alone. As was explained here, Clara's absence could easily be accounted for. It's not like she's a permanent traveller, much to my frustration. I loved how he tried to feed us the bait of having River Song as a decoy to the true reveal of the archaeologist who would accompany the Doctor in this adventure. The reveal that Bernice Summerfield had returned was absolutely wonderful and wholly unexpected which made it that much better. A Classic era companion who has never appeared on television was having a full length story with the current Doctor! I think it's just magnificent. Not only did we get Bernice but we had her family tagging along as well. Peter was a superb character and his relationship with Kik the Assassin certainly was interesting. Why was she so interested in him when it appeared all she wanted to do was kill him. Well, it's in her name isn't it? Ruth and Jack were all loved up which was nice to see and I liked the latter's emotional plea of moving away from all the adventuring and just settling down and getting married and having kids. That's the dream isn't it once you've found the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with! Now, I'm extremely unfamiliar with the character of Bernice Summerfield and knew nothing of her three assailants who accompanied her here. I really do need to get delving into the Bernice audios and novels but time is of the essence. For those fans who were around in the wilderness years and also bought the Bernice audios, I imagine this novel would serve as a real gift to them. There's nothing quite like a mix of new and old, especially when that old is actually rather current in terms of audios. I think Lisa Bowerman is great and with her reading the audiobook I am tempted to purchase this story in that format. I thought she was brilliant in Silver Lining, The Shadow of the Scourge and The Dark Flame. That's it. That's as far as my Bernice knowledge goes in full. But to have her alongside the Twelfth Doctor was just brilliant. From what I know, I felt the companion's characterisation was magnificent and I was also quite impressed with the way Gary Russell captured the mannerisms of Peter Capaldi's Doctor. He did so very well. The plot was eventful to say the lease with settings ranging from the gloomy Legion to the futuristic yet historic Aztec Moon to 1934 Australia and then 2015 New South Wales. When travelling across all different time zones and places, especially in a novel, it can get confusing but thankfully that wasn't the case here. The explanation of why the Big Bang may never have happened might have been a tad exaggerated but I loved that being a threat - it couldn't get much bigger than that! I absolutely adored the moment where the Doctor had a flashback of some of his most recent companions appearing before his eyes. I liked the numerous audio companions getting a mention. Susan holding a big place, still, in the Doctor's thoughts. Reading her say that her grandfather had come back after all was stunning. I really liked the reference to Midnight and the Doctor having to explain to Bernice about the Time War seemed incredibly tough. The emotion written into the words when the Doctor recalled his actions in The Day of the Doctor was simply incredible. I loved how the Doctor, despite not being a hugger in this incarnation, returned the embrace to Bernice. That was a really lovely moment. The idea of the Ancients of the Universe was fantastic and I loved the Doctor's talk with them once the Universe literally ceased to exist. Things were of course expertly put right. The mystery of the Glamour remained, and I can't wait to see what is made of it in Deep Time. But for now this was a superb novel! 

Rating: 9/10

Terror of the Zygons

"You can't rule a world in hiding."

Writer: Robert Banks Stewart

Format: TV

Broadcast: 30th August - 20th September 1975

Season: 13.01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah, Harry, Brigadier

Synopsis 

The TARDIS crew are back on Earth to fight a creature that everybody has heard of, but nobody is ever able to prove if it actually exists - the Loch Ness monster. 

Arriving in Scotland after a summons from the Brigadier, the Doctor and his companions Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan soon discover that not only is the monster very real but some of the locals are behaving strangely. 

Verdict 

Terror of the Zygons is a very good story but despite my highly awarded rating and the fact I do think it's great, I would argue it is one of the most overrated stories in Doctor Who history. There are many better stories even in this season alone but for some reason this is regarded as being in the higher standards of Classic stories. Don't get me wrong it's good, but it's not up there with the likes of The Daleks' Master Plan, The War Games or The Keeper of Traken. This was a special watch for me as it was very possibly the last blogged story that I have watched with my cousin for quite some time. This was my last night for him before I move to Bath to attend university. After giving him a choice of stories to pick from I was quite pleasantly surprised that he picked this over Survival due to his liking of the Seventh Doctor. But after he's seen all the latest previews of the new series he was eager to watch a Zygon story and what better than their first? He seemed to really like them which was good and in particular I think he liked the fact of not knowing for sure who somebody was given that they had shape-shifting abilities. The idea of the Zygons is certainly a very good one but I feel that they were better executed in Sting of the Zygons and The Day of the Doctor. I'm probably sounding like I despised this story but that is far from the truth! There was a whole lot of good. I thought the cliffhangers were pretty strong and I like how much the production team were trying with the imagery of the Skarasen. For a story that is now 40 years old, they did a stellar job. The idea of doing Doctor Who's take on the Loch Ness monster is just about as audacious as they come, but I love it. Why can't we do mythical stories? It had been done in The Underwater Menace and The Time Monster so I'm glad that mythology got revisited. I absolutely despise religion but I'm very intrigued by mythology so I like it when that subject spills over into Doctor Who. The plot advanced very well and I liked how this quickly followed on from Revenge of the Cybermen in having the TARDIS trio answering the call of the Brigadier. It's lovely that the Brigadier and UNIT aren't being forgotten after the legacy they left during the Third Doctor's exile to Earth. They should have featured more prominently after this story in my opinion. Sgt Benton is always good in a story though I felt he was a bit quiet here. The guest cast were all very good and I really did like the Duke of Forgill. There was a lot of mystery there but even when the revelation of the Zygon's shape-shifting ability was known, I still didn't suspect he was a member of the scavenging species. Munro served as an eery beginning to the story with him emerging from the sea after escaping and surviving the destruction of the oil rig. Caber was an interesting character also and his association with the Zygons was more obvious than the Duke's. The way he brought Sarah the steps in the library somehow made him freaky! You would think it to be such a simple activity. Angus was a magnificent character and I really loved the strength of his Scottish accent. I was quite gutted that we didn't get a young female with a Scottish accent as I do love it on a woman I must say! Sarah's brief attempt was nice. Sister Lamont was obviously not what she seemed and you could tell with her looking after of Harry that she wasn't all she seemed. The Zygons were good but I think the opening quote I have used for this story sums up my thoughts on this story incredibly accurately. The Zygons just hide for the majority of the story! Had they emerged triumphantly I think I'd like this story even more. I'm excited for the ninth series story that they feature in due to the name. Invasion of the Zygons better be what it says on the tin! Broton served as a good leader but I thought him standing tall at the end shouldn't have been the way to finish. The ship exploding would have been my personal preference. But overall, it was an excellent story. We said goodbye to Harry, hello again to the Brigadier and co and the birth of the Zygons. 

Rating: 8/10

Seaside Rendezvous

"So the sand is alive?"

Writer: Paul Cornell

Format: Comic Strip

Released: July 1991

Printed in: DWM Summer Special 1991

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis 

Whilst the Seventh Doctor and Ace are holidaying in Blackpool, a familiar face from the Time Lord's past has made its presence felt. It's very hungry, and intends on feasting on the inhabitants of the beach...

Verdict 

Seaside Rendezvous was a very interesting, and extremely quick, special comic strip adventure. You couldn't ask for someone better than Paul Cornell to pen a short story which it was at a mere five pages but to be fair to him he did a good job and definitely the best he could with what he had to play with. This story saw me complete all the comic strip stories in what has been a highly successful a The Good Soldier graphic novel. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and although I think the cover is a bit questionable in regards to the title story, the stories have been a joy to read. I really did love The Mark of Mandragora which I would probably say was my favourite from the collection overall. Earlier on in the graphic novel the brilliant Cornell penned A Glitch in Time over a similarly short format which was just incredible. Sadly he didn't quite live up to his earlier work but I like that he was trying. He brought back what could be considered an unfamiliar enemy in the Ogri which we of course saw in The Stones of Blood. The reference to that story was great though I am surprised with the choice of enemy to be brought back. The Seventh Doctor definitely seems to be dealing with the aftermath of his actions from his fourth incarnation lately with the Ogri here following in the footsteps of the Mandragora Helix. I wonder what other past villains and enemies will be returning in the next (chronologically) graphic novel of Nemesis of the Daleks. I'm confident that'll be a good one for sure. This graphic novel wasn't quite as good as my relatively recent reading of Voyager but I definitely wasn't left disappointed. The characterisation of both Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred's companion Ace were very good here, as they have been for pretty much the entire graphic novel, perhaps excluding Teenage Kicks. I thought it was intriguing that the Doctor made a mention of expecting someone and maybe all the way back in The Stones of Blood he had realised that the job wasn't quite finished. Perhaps he was just too preoccupied with defeating the Black Guardian and getting possession of the Key to Time. Ace standing up to the Ogri was good and surprisingly in the last couple of comic strip stories I've actually rather enjoyed her. I don't expect it to continue though! I wouldn't object if it did though, in fact I'd welcome it. As my opening quote suggests, there was a very frightening possibility! The idea of the sand coming alive is typically Doctor Who but sadly with the short format length it was not expanded on as well as it could have been. At least the idea is there to possibly be developed on in a longer story in the future. Perhaps it has been and I just haven't read/listened to it yet. The prelude in the Irish Sea during 1826 was an intriguing way to start a story as short as this but that's why I like Paul Cornell's style. I also liked the Blackpool setting and I wonder if this fits in anywhere with The Nightmare Fair. I would most probably say not but in Doctor Who you can never be sure. Overall, it was very short but for what it was Cornell did his best. A decent job but it's difficult with such a short page length. 

Rating: 7/10

The Weeping Angels of Mons Part 4

"Venture into darkness with creatures who are at their most dangerous when you can't see them..."

Writer: Robbie Morrison 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 10th September 2015

Printed in: DWC #8

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

Stranded in a derelict warzone, under fire from artillery bombardments, the Doctor is beginning to question humanity. With the TARDIS missing and the Weeping Angels closing in, will the Doctor and Gabby ever escape the WWI trenches?

Verdict 

The Weeping Angels of Mons concluded in phenomenal fashion with this fourth and final part. It really was magnificent and as a whole it's definitely the best adventure from the pages of Doctor Who Comic yet, trumping Space in Dimension Relative and Time which previously held the honour and up until today was the only story to hold a perfect rating. I'm so glad that's all change and to be honest I could tell from the first part a couple of months ago that this was going to be superb. I think it's brilliant that we had such a recognisable villain returning for a new adventure with the Tenth Doctor but not only that, we had them in World War One! The setting as a whole was just magnificent and suited perfectly with my love of History. It's not long at all now until I start studying my degree in History so I'd obviously love the setting! Gabby was just stunning in the story overall and I really liked her diary writing to Cindy back home. It seemed she'd gone and fallen in love with a WWI soldier from Scotland but sadly for her, he just couldn't leave his family during the war. He'd have felt like he was running away which he was always taught not to do. He understandably took a shining to Gabby who has been presented as being absolutely beautiful. Is it possible to be attracted to a comic strip character? She looked incredible in that army uniform! Jamie was a lucky lad. I thought the resolution was clever and I liked how the Doctor only told Gabby half of the plan. Thankfully for her, Jamie knew the other half and executed it magnificently. They'd lured the Weeping Angels down into the tunnels where the Doctor was also tracking the TARDIS, and despite the Angels attempting to cave everybody in, they'd walked into their own graveyard. Beneath the surface and in the tunnels lay an incredible abundance of explosives. As seen in the previous part, one grenade might not destroy a single Angel but literally thousands would definitely wipe out the lonely assassins. The emotional way in which Gabby and Jamie set off the explosives was wonderful. As they both pressed the lever that would ignite the explosives, whilst they too were trapped and would go with it, they finally embraced in their long awaited kiss. Before all seemed lost, the TARDIS arrived in the nick of time after some winking ingenuity by the Doctor saw him safely inside. It materialised around the kissing pair and saved from the explosion with barely a second to spare. Chaplain had made an almighty sacrifice but interestingly it seemed that the only life the Doctor was massively interested in during this story was Gabby's. He'd gone through a lot of suffering lately and he wouldn't see another of his travelling friends perish. He just couldn't. The emotional characterisation of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor was brilliant in this part which was good to see. The final scenes were reminiscent of the closure of The Family of Blood with this time the Doctor and Gabby checking up on Jamie. It was lovely way to end on what was quite a sad journey in parts. Jamie was thrilled to see the pair not having aged, but I loved the ambiguity and possible lead in to Blink in having the hand of an Angel reaching out of the ground. Are they ever really defeated? It appeared at least during World War One that they were. A simply phenomenal comic strip adventure! The best yet from DWC. 

Rating: 10/10 

The Weeping Angels of Mons Part 3

"You don't scare me, 'cause right now you don't even exist. You're a stone cold statue."

Writer: Robbie Morrison 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 10th September 2015

Printed in: DWC #8

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

On the battlefields of WWI, the soldiers believed mysterious moving statues were saving them from the horrors of the war, but the Doctor knows the truth is far worse. Having recovered his sonic screwdriver and won the trust of Captain Fairbairn and his troops, the Doctor just now lead the survivors to safety...

Verdict 

The Weeping Angels of Mons continued in sublime style with this terrific third part of the story. It's not long until I'll get to finish the comic strip adventure as part four begins on the very next page of the magazine! It's another bumper issue of Doctor Who Comic with the Tenth Doctor getting the double bill on this occasion but I sure do hope that we get to see The Rise and Fall story's second (and however many after) part. I'm sadly not convinced that will happen so I may have to email the magazine regarding the status of that story. Anyway, back to the story at hand and after two brilliant parts the third followed in the same standard and this looks set to be the best comic strip yet from the pages of this magazine. After the excellent cliffhanger of part two, I just adored how Gabby stood up to the Weeping Angel. Whilst she was looking at it couldn't hurt it and as my quote shows, it technically didn't exist. But despite her staring contest experience with her younger brother, she couldn't not blink forever. She was holding out but eventually gave in and almost accepted death... just as Jamie came to save her. The relationship between those two has been lovely and they've really hit it off. Gabby is just an outstanding companion and I really do love her! Of all the companions created off television I think she has to be my favourite now partly because she's current. Yes, this is obviously part of the Tenth Doctor era but there's nothing like collecting things as they're released. I do love Izzy with the Eighth Doctor also in the comics and Charley in the audios, but there's something about Gabby. She's drawn so beautifully and the relationship she has with the Doctor is magnificent. The reference to Revolutions of Terror was very good and I was quite surprised by the Doctor's outburst when he realised how close Gabby was to dying. After all the pain he'd gone through with Donna, he didn't want anything similar. He'd promised her one trip but that had come and gone in The Arts in Space but I'm sure Gabby won't go home so easily. She's absolutely loved travelling with the Doctor in their short time together and she'll be eager to see that it continues! She'll sweet talk her way into staying in the TARDIS I'm sure. I've really loved the Weeping Angels in this story and with the realisation that they were starving, they seemed more dangerous and evil than ever. World War One appeared to be the perfect hunting ground for them but ironically it was anything but. With all the death that surrounds the War the life they usually harvest from would be severely limited. There was barely enough energy to keep them going. The Angels were starving and hunting in packs which I thought was marvellous. I really enjoyed the historical references to the Napoleonic Wars and the Zulu War when Fairbarn carried out his captain's duty and sacrificed his life to allow the others to escape. The triumphant arrival of Shuggy, just a day after he'd left, was superb. There was a slight change though as he'd aged some fifty-odd years! His story of being zapped back to the past and meeting the girl of his dreams was very good. I thought the cliffhanger leading into the fourth and final part was very good. As it seemed that the TARDIS was destroyed in part one, the translation circuits were still working so the TARDIS had survived! However, it was going to be in a fate worse than destroyed - it was moving, and in the hands of the Weeping Angels. It's been outstanding so far and I can't wait to read the concluding part! That's where the rating will come and I'm very confident it will be a good one. 

Spearhead from Space

"They're all part of one entity... a collective intelligence." 

Writer: Robert Holmes 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 3rd - 24th January 1970

Season: 7.01

Featuring: Third Doctor, Liz, Brigadier

Synopsis 

Exiled to Earth in the late 20th century by his own - the Time Lords - the newly regenerated Doctor arrives in Oxley Woods alongside a shower of mysterious meteorites. Investigating these unusual occurrences is the newly-formed United Nations Intelligence Taskforce - UNIT for short. Lead by Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, UNIT are soon called into action when people and meteorites start going missing. Most puzzling of all is the attempted kidnap of a strange hospital patient - a man with two hearts, who insists that he recognises the Brigadier...

The new Doctor soon joins forces with his old friend, UNIT, and the recently recruited Dr Liz Shaw, but time is running out...

Irregular things are happening at a nearby plastics factory, while faceless creatures lurk in the woods. The Nestened have arrived, and want to conquer the Earth...  

Verdict 

Spearhead from Space was an excellent debut story for Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor! This was significant for me for two reasons as other than Deep Breath on broadcast and The Power of the Daleks during my black and white era run, this was my first time blogging a television story following a regeneration. It's always interesting to see how a new incarnation of the Doctor gets off at the beginning but doing it standalone means you're probably judging the story itself more than anything which I think is an important perspective to have. The story was also significant because it was another watch with my young cousin whose knowledge of Doctor Who has increased ridiculously in the two weeks or so since we watched The Movie together. He's watched quite a few Classics on the Horror channel and he's been following the fourth and fifth series' of new who on Watch. He's been driving my aunty mad apparently with all the Who he's been watching which is good news to me. This though was his first Third Doctor story and I think it's always good to debut a new Doctor for him with a familiar villain. He's watched Rose and really liked it so I thought I'd give him the Autons! He easily loved the humour that came with the Doctor following his imposed regeneration in The War Games, a story that was nicely referenced. He loved his eagerness for shoes and he thought it was hilarious that the Doctor was taking a shower! I won't bother asking why the Time Lords decided the newly regenerated Doctor should have a tattoo but I'm not one to argue. It was great to see the Brigadier back and with series taking a new direction in having the Doctor exiled to Earth we'll be seeing a lot more of the now familiar character. The references to The Web of Fear and The Invasion were lovely and it's fabulous to see that the Brigadier held a lot of respect and regard for the Doctor in his help in dealing with the Yeti and the Cybermen. He even eventually accepted that the Doctor could change his face! The dialogue was superb in regards to that with it of course not being dubbed regeneration until Planet of the Spiders. Thankfully there was no contradiction there. This story is significant for being the first Doctor Who story on television in colour and although I love the nostalgic feel of the black and white era, Doctor Who just needs to be colourful. The idea of the Autons is brilliant and what could be scarier than shop window dummies and plastic toys and displays coming to life? Their arms (weaponry not the body part) being hidden in the hands of the Autons was fantastic. I really liked the story of Sam and his wife, who provided some great comedic moments, and it gave another decent perspective on an alien invasion. The supposed meteorites actually being part of a giant mind was brilliant and the Nestene Consciousness certainly was up to no good! The cliffhanger to part one was outstanding with the Doctor actually getting shot! I was disappointed with the follow up though to be honest as it was almost ignored which was a shock. Ransome was a good character and I liked his part in the second part cliffhanger. Channing was a brilliant villain and his association with the Autons was questionable but he of course was controlling Hibbert. He'd never have agreed to the new policy at the plastics factory otherwise! The Doctor made him realise this of course. The debut of Liz Shaw as companion was just wonderful and Caroline John has to be one of the most underrated companions in the show's 52 year history. She looks absolutely stunning and I think her having considerable scientific knowledge is sublime because immediately she gets on well with the Doctor. Her thoughts on the extra-terrestrial sure do alter during the course of the story. It's also very good to see how the Doctor develops over the story and it's kind of split two parts each way. It's all post regenerative trauma in the first half but once his new clothes are acquired he's back to all business which is lovely. He devises the perfect weapon against the Nestenes by having just the frequency that can kill them and uses it to full effect! After quite the battle and some repair from Liz, the Nestene was killed and that meant the Autons had no controller and were rendered useless, ensuring the safety of the population. Overall, a brilliant start to the season! We've got a terrific new Doctor, a magnificent companion and just a marvellous first story in colour. Doctor Who has entered the 1970s in high standards. 

Rating: 9/10

The Rise and Fall

"I've spent a thousand years living in a box and stealing most of my clothes. I've saved up."

Writer: Al Ewing 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 10th September 2015

Printed in: DWC #8

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice, Jones, ARC

Synopsis 

Alice believed her mother had returned from the dead, only for it to be revealed as a trick by SERVEYOUinc's deplorable Talent Scout. Accidentally volunteering herself as the Infinite Astronaut, Alice was forced to embark on a dangerous dimension-crossing mission to discover the Creator's true identity. While their quest ended an interstellar war, Alice's inability to feel the cosmic wonder she witnessed had left her empty. Now, the Doctor has had enough. No one hurts his friends and gets away without at least a stern telling-off. It's time to lodge a complaint - at SERVEYOUinc Headquaters! 

Verdict 

The Rise and Fall was an excellent opening part to what certainly appears to be the start of a multi-part story. Sadly, it appears that they've frustratingly gone with the two separately named parts for a multi-part story which I think is fine for the TV series but it just shouldn't happen in the comic strips, especially where the Twelfth and Tenth Doctor stories in the same magazine don't follow suit! Anyway, the story was superb and followed on very nicely from The Eternal Dogfight/The Infinite Astronaut, which was nearly referenced also. After the horrible events of that story for Alice, where the Talent Scout embodied her late mother whom she's been mourning with difficulty, the Doctor had just about had enough with SERVEYOUinc, and who could blame him? They've featured in just about every Eleventh Doctor comic strip in DWC and this is where it seems I'm going to have an issue with the magazine as in the next issue they're seemingly jumping ahead which is rather disappointing, especially when they're only going to print the first half of one story! They can't just leave it hanging. That really annoys me, although the stories that are set to come look incredible I must say. I liked the Eleventh Doctor in this story very much and although the characterisation could definitely have been better, I thought there were a lot of traits of Matt Smith's Doctor which was very good. It reminded me a little bit of A Good Man Goes to War in the anger being ventilated. Obviously this story is set prior to that but the resemblances can definitely be drawn. Alice had been made to feel really down by the Talent Scout and the Doctor just wouldn't accept that on top of everything else SERVEYOUinc had put the TARDIS team through. I enjoyed the reference to Space in Dimension Relative and Time and I was also intrigued by the mention of Vortis which was a nice throwback to The Web Planet. The prologue being continued on all the way back from The Friendly Place was fantastic and I really did love that continuity. I wasn't a fan of Jones at all once again as well, he just doesn't do anything! All he does is annoy Alice by creating song lyrics instantly for their current situation, no matter what that might be! It does get annoying and his look has changed so much since What He Wants... it's actually ridiculous. The overall TARDIS team is fluctuating in my thoughts in this segment of the comic but thankfully the story quality has been mostly superb. Alice dealing with the death of her mother was much better handled in this story and it doesn't feel like such a burden in the way it's been handled this time around. The SERVEYOUinc headquarters looked pretty impressive I must say but the Doctor didn't seem too impressed, and rightly so. The plot was decent and I really liked the cliffhanger leading into the final part. After endless phone calls and what I imagine would also be quite a lot of ingenuity, the Doctor had somehow managed to become the majority shareholder at SERVEYOUinc. I imagine he was rather pleased with himself in pulling that coup off! The way he announced it was magnificent. ARC was quite humorous in this story just basically cowering as a ball. It's been hinted recently that 'he was coming'. And indeed as things would have it, he did arrive in mightily intriguing circumstances. All had changed at SERVEYOUinc. The chairmen was dead. The majority shareholder was now the Doctor. But the Doctor was all change. His companions were worried and the Doctor now seemed evil. Was he now a fully fledged member of SERVEYOUinc? I have no idea when I'll find out due to the DWC revamp, but I'll get there eventually and whenever I do that's where the final rating will appear. 

Royal Blood

"There's no honour in self-sacrifice, and no honour in sacrificing others with you, throwing away lives in a battle that can't be won..."

Writer: Una McCormick 

Format: Novel

Released: 10th September 2015

Series: NSA 55

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara 

Synopsis 

"The Grail is a story, a myth! It didn't exist on your world! It can't exist here!"

The city-state of Varuz is falling. The capital is crumbling, and its enemies are poised to invade. Duke Aurelian is preparing to gamble everything on one last battle. So when a holy man, the Doctor, comes to Varuz from beyond the mountains, Aurelian asks for his blessing in the war. 

But all is not what it seems. The city-guard have lasers for swords, and the halls are lit by electric candlelight. Aurelian's wife and his trusted knight seem to be plotting to overthrow their Duke, and Clara finds herself drawn into their intrigue...

Will the Doctor stop Aurelian from going to war? Will Clara's involvement in the plot be discovered? Why is the enemy's ambassador so nervous? And who are the ancient and weary knights claiming to be on a quest for the Holy Grail...?

Verdict 

Royal Blood was an excellent novel to kick off the brand new Glamour Chronicles trilogy of adventures with the Twelfth Doctor and Clara! The brand new books have come out at just about the perfect time to wet the appetite for the new series starting next week. I like the idea of having the three novels connected by the mysterious Glamour and it gives an order in which to read the novels. I thought this novel was magnificent from start to finish and I was hooked pretty much all the way through on my usual train journey up to mid-Wales. I finished it within a day with ease which is always a good sign! This was my first experience of an Una McCormick novel and I was really impressed with her style. I really liked her storytelling method and her pace was pretty good to be fair. She really impressed me with her characterisation of the Twelfth Doctor and Clara. She really did capture the likeness of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman very well which was a pleasure to read. Clara seems to be a difficult character to characterise but I'm not really sure why. Jenna is so good but thankfully it seems the female writer (of such there should be a whole lot more) captured her likeness to a tee. I thought the plot was very interesting with quite a lot going on whilst everything was interconnected. There were a lot of good relationships formed with the guest characters and I loved Una's style of partial narration from Bernhardt at a place after the events of this story has unfolded. That was unique for me in a Doctor Who novel and it was so much better than full on narration as was seen in The Blood Cell. I thought Bernhardt was a good character and his story with Guena was superb. She was the Duchess of Varuz but he loved her. Thankfully for him, the feeling was mutual. I found it even more intrigue that the Duke himself knew about that and didn't actually seem too bothered by it! The history of Varuz seemed a lot richer than at present with technology seemingly getting downgraded over the years. The people of Varuz used to walk amongst the stars but now their lands were sickened and the only advanced technology and had been scavenged from their ancestors. You could be forgiven for thinking the cover of this book was actually for a novelisation of Robot of Sherwood, but the story wasn't really much the same. I mean there were similarities in the fact that myths were seemingly true, but other than that it just seemed that Clara was wearing something similar. Even without seeing her, just based on the description of her appearance it was obvious Clara looked delightfully stunning! The relationship between the Doctor and Clara was captured perfectly and I like how this definitely had a post Last Christmas feel. The way the Doctor seems to ignore his companions is brilliant and I loved how once again wasn't on board about the whole idea of hugging. I must say though, there should be a vacancy at BBC Books for proofreading these novels because there were quite a few mistakes which isn't nice to see in a published novel. I'd be more than happy to do it free of charge! Surely somebody should be checking things over before the final draft is sent for publication though. The story of Emfil was a very good one and I liked how Clara was toying with him. I like that she knows how attractive she is and she definitely should use it to her advantage! The scene where she went to his room was fantastic. But once the pair was banished and the truth about him was revealed, and despite the fact he stole her pendant, they ended up getting along nicely. I have a lot of respect for the fact that he was a collector and like him I would never think of selling any part of my collection of Who stuff likewise he with his hobby interest of basically cool things and how they work. The way he'd ended up being the ambassador was fantastic. The arrival of Lancelot and his Knights in search of the Holy Grail was quite a shock I must say! Here we were on another planet and we had stories from the time of King Arthur arriving! The Doctor wasn't too pleased and immediately quashed any assumption that the myth was actually true. However, a far greater myth was the true subject of the search. Only the difference with this one was that it did exist. The concept of the Glamour was very interesting and I like how it changes depending on who's looking at it. It was subject to the eye of the beholder and even if you acquired you couldn't be sure you had it in your possession, as was demonstrated beautifully near the end of the novel. It really was quite the enigma. The revelation that Lancelot himself was the Glamour certainly answered questions regarding how a myth could come to be in Varuz, but why were the Knights who followed him looking for the Glamour when they were following it. They didn't know they had and I guess that was the mystery. I really am looking forward to seeing the Glamour furthered in the next two novels of Deep Time and Big Bang Generation. I like how the story didn't solely focus on that and the issue of war was much the focal point. Mikhail was a good character and I liked how he almost seemed to be on both sides! He was a traitor in siding with Conrad and taking the city, but at least he get Guena get away. He sympathised at least. The death of the Duke wasn't expected but that was to be the price of war. The Doctor had worked out that the use of technology was making the lands sicker and sicker but Conrad would see to those being destroyed. Overall, this was a great novel full of lots of twists and revelations. The stones have certainly been planted for the next two stories in regards to the Glamour and I can't wait to see things unfold. A very good start to the brand new trilogy! 

Rating: 9/10

The Fractures Part 3

"Opposing us breaks laws that cannot be broken, laws beyond courts, laws that shape and form the multiverse..."

Writer: Robbie Morrison 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 10th September 2015

Printed in: DWC #8

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara, Kate

Synopsis 

In our world, UNIT scientist Paul Foster was killed in a car crash - in his, his wife and daughters perished, and only he survived. This alternate Paul Foster has crossed through the Void to reunite with his family in our reality. But he doesn't belong here, and menacing group of body-hopping interdimensional entities known as the Fractures are hunting Foster to stop reality from rupturing! Now the Fractures have infiltrated UNIT headquarters, and Chief Scientific Officer Kate Lethbridge-Stewart knows there's only one person who can help them - the Doctor. But he and Clara have problems of their own! 

Verdict 

The Fractures concluded in excellent style with this third and final part to the story! It's come around very quickly but today is of course release day for Doctor Who Comic which has been just wonderful over the last 8 issues but judging from the preview of the next issue at the back of this one, it sadly seems that we're going to skip three or four adventures with each Doctor which to be honest I'm gutted about! It's not all doom thankfully as I saw the first batch of graphic novels for this series in Waterstones today so hopefully the next batch will complete the gaps. It's a strange choice from DWC in my opinion but providing I can find a supplier in Bath I will still definitely continue to purchase the magazine which I thoroughly enjoy. I must say that the artwork of the Twelfth Doctor series has been nothing short of remarkable. The likeness of both Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman is like nothing I've seen before in comics from any provider. It really does add to the story when the artwork is as impressive as this. As usual when it comes to a comic strip that is split over issues, I reread the previous part and the story as a whole really has been great. It's almost like a loose sequel to Army of Ghosts/Doomsday which I think is just wonderful! I loved how heavily Kate featured in this story and there's no doubt that she's following in her father's footsteps by getting a featuring place on this blog. She should be proud! The idea of the Rassilon Cube was intriguing and at first I thought it was going to be another throwback to The War Games but this was a different cube. It was a kind of prison, one that had kept even the Doctor trapped for six months sometime in his past! Clara driving a bus was pretty comedic and I loved the similarity to The Runaway Bride in having the Doctor park up alongside and companions jumping across. The Fractures were a great enemy but technically I would argue that they were not. They were just doing what they had always done! Paul Foster was in the wrong universe. He'd died in this one so he shouldn't be here but there he was. I'm not sure where they stand on Rose being in a parallel universe with a human version of the Tenth Doctor but hey, I'm not one to play semantics. I like the idea of UNIT playing an increasing role in the Twelfth Doctor era and I think it should definitely continue. Obviously I don't want the Doctor in exile like much of the Third Doctor era, but more frequent visits and encounters would be beneficial in my opinion. The Doctor seems to have learned from The Visitation after all this time by now having a spare sonic screwdriver for Clara to use to disrupt the Fractures. The Doctor's way of dealing with them and returning their victims who they used as a host back in their rightful place. The characterisation of the Twelfth Doctor was sublime once again and I don't think anybody has failed with him yet! That's surely a testament to Peter Capaldi. But for arguably the first time, DWC has now nailed Jenna Coleman's characterisation for Clara! DWM hasn't been the best for her, but here it was absolutely perfect which was lovely to read. The emotional story of the Foster family has been hard to see over the past three issues and the embrace between Paul and Hannah was nice to see - even if it wasn't for their children! The Doctor taking the risk of leaving Paul on this side of the reality gate was interesting. It seems more is going to come with the Fractures due to the actions here. Overall though, an excellent conclusion to what has been a great story! 

Rating: 9/10

A Glitch in Time

"It's a point in time when something odd happened."

Writer: John Freeman

Format: Comic Strip

Released: October 1991

Printed in: DWM 179

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis

The Seventh Doctor and Ace arrive at a nexus point in time filled with mystery. The Doctor is immensely curious about its origin but he's soon to find out that the pair aren't the only visitors to the Cretaceous period... 

Verdict 

A Glitch in Time was a fascinating and fantastic comic strip adventure! It's bringing my reading of The Good Soldier closer to an end but that's not a problem as the collection has been superb. I've got just the one comic strip story left but I also have what looks to be a magnificent text story to get through yet. But back to the story at hand and not for the first time in this collection a one part story has really caught my eye in being superb! Why can't the recent Doctor Who Annuals follow suit and take inspiration from these? It really isn't difficult to put on a good story in 6 pages. If you've got good characterisation, decent artwork and a pacy story you are fine. If you're writing for Doctor Who then that really shouldn't be a problem. Those who produce the Annuals just seem lazy or rushed to me which, when reading stories like this, really irks me! The characterisation of the Seventh Doctor was once again magnificent as it has been throughout this collection of stories. They really have Sylvester McCoy nailed down perfectly! I always enjoy it when the Doctor gets into one of his curiosity modes. If there's something that needs to be known, and he doesn't know it, he will do just about anything to find out! We saw that from the character straight away in The Daleks. I just love it when he gets curious, that's the one consistent thing through all of the incarnations I would think. I actually rather enjoyed Ace in this story, though I can't believe I'm saying it! I loved her immediate response to getting insulted from the visitors from the future and she just instantly owned him. (That's Welsh slang for winning the argument by the way). She was interested by the Doctor's actions as was I, why was this nexus point so intriguing? Over the course of the following pages we got our answer. A bunch of humans from the future had come to the Cretaceous period to do some dinosaur hunting! Of all the things to use time travel for, that shouldn't be on anybody's list! It should be as the Doctor so delightfully displays, for visiting and sightseeing. The Doctor being disgusted, and rightfully so, at the shootings of the dinosaurs was good to see. He could see the danger immediately and the knock on effect it could have would potentially be massive! Their ancestors could be prevented or rather humorously as we saw, somewhat altered! Dinosaurs from the future were coming ape-hunting instead! Haha! The Doctor wasn't too worried by the killings though as he'd worked out that all would actually be okay. He knew what this mysterious nexus point was now and why nobody had visited it. Time, on this rare occasion but like it always does in such circumstances, was going to correct itself. The human time travellers would be sent back to the future unharmed and the dinosaurs wouldn't evolve into the masters of Earth. I'm not sure Earthshock ties into this story, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed! Short, but a fine example of how to do a comic strip adventure with little room to play with. 

Rating: 8/10