Castaway

"It's nice to have a few weeks away from UNIT."

Writer: Unknown

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 1970

Printed in: TV Comic Annual 1971

Featuring: Third Doctor, Brigadier

Synopsis 

A desert island castaway is using high-pitched sound to make a giant squid attack passing ships. The Doctor and the Brigadier are holidaying on the Brigadier's private yacht when it is attacked by the squid. Taken as prisoners, the Doctor and the Brigadier are imprisoned by the castaway in the cave.

Verdict 

Castaway was not a bad comic strip adventure at all but it did have its poor moments. In saying that, I was pleasantly surprised as even though I massively favour the Classic era Annuals, it can still be quite a struggle to deliver a very good story over just four pages as is the case here. However, this was not a normal Doctor Who Annual which usually have six pages to spare for comic strip stories and was actually the TV Comic Annual. I'd love to own a copy of this but I have no problem making do with the digital copy available on Scribd. It's a fantastic app and has actually contributed to a number of my blog entries on here. Doctor Who Verdict is very grateful! As well as this Third Doctor comic strip adventure, Scribd has been responsible for numerous comic strip stories from the later Doctor Who Annuals with stories like The Time Thief and Dead on Arrival being real highlights of the collected Third Doctor comic stories available on the app. The app has also been responsible for a number of Fourth Doctor Annual comic strip and text stories with a couple springing up on the app as well as a Sixth Doctor Annual also partly getting the blogging treatment on here. I've also been extremely grateful for the app saving me from buying The Cruel Sea graphic novel as they had the DWM Special Edition magazine in which the collected Ninth Doctor comic strip stories were all printed alongside each other. I even ended up reading the Tenth Doctor collection as well! The app really has helped so much with money and availability and for that I am extremely grateful. Without it, there is no way I'd have been able to read this comic strip some forty-five years after its release as I highly doubt the Annual is going to crop up in a charity shop anytime soon, although you never know. I sure hope so because although I have said that the rating I have given means it's not that good, I did enjoy this comic strip. I think it's a real shame that the writer is unknown and I really did try hard and dig deep with research to discover who penned this story but sadly I could not find it. I'm amazed that the writer didn't receive credit in the pages of the story itself but in saying that, the story wasn't even given a name initially! It's only through fandom and reference lists that this story has its name but I must say that it does suit it perfectly. A very good choice I must say. The idea of the Third Doctor and the Brigadier on a yacht together seemed unlikely in my opinion just because they always seemed to be bickering at one another! There have been countless stories in which they haven't gotten along and in some instances there was a hint of it here. It was prominent when the squid attacked the ship with the Doctor uncharacteristically calling for the Brigadier to brandish his rifle and shoot the giant attacker. Simba was an intriguing character although I would have liked a bit more information about how he came to have some sort of power over the sea creatures rather than them just saying that he had gained it. I can understand that there was not a lot of room to play with at just four pages but there needed to be a little bit more explanation for my liking. Simba capturing the Doctor and Brigadier was quite humorous but the Doctor added to that comedic value by pulling out a flute and eventually mastering the tune that Simba controlled the sea creatures with. The Doctor was soon their master and ordered their freeing from the cave. Simba was duly captured and would be dealt with back on shore but for now the Doctor and the Brigadier were safe and could return to their excitement at UNIT. Overall, too short to score a great rating really but some humour and a decent enough story. 

Rating: 7/10