Unnatural Selection

"The Doctor is never alone. I'm going to have to change that."

Writers: Scott & David Tipton

Format: Comic Strip

Released: January 2013

Series: Prisoners of Time 01

Featuring: First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Vicki

Synopsis 

November 23, 1963: A day that changed the world forever. That day saw the broadcast debut of Doctor Who, which was to become the longest-running science-fiction series on television. And now 50 years later, we pay tribute to one of the greatest pop-culture heroes of all time with this special series, which tells an epic adventure featuring all 11 incarnations of the intrepid traveller through time and space known simply as... the Doctor.

Verdict 

Unnatural Selection was an excellent comic strip adventure and a superb way to kick off what is bound to be an absolutely epic Prisoners of Time. I will be blogging each story over the next twelve days so it's going to be intriguing to jump from consecutive Doctors but with all the stories being connected it really does have all the ingredients to be simply sublime. I really can't see it not delivering if this opening story is anything to go by because it was a sequel to The Web Planet! Now I've made it no secret that the story isn't a favourite of mine but I must admit I was delighted to see the returns of the Animus and the Zarbi. I didn't expect to find them on Earth in 1868 though! The name of the adventure is absolutely wonderful as it sees the TARDIS foursome attend a lecture from Thomas Huxley who was of course a biologist supportive of the theories of Charles Darwin. Ian and Barbara seemed to adore the lecture for very different reasons due to their academic interests but Vicki was less than impressed with the ideas put forward which I thought was great. She didn't have much to do in the comic strip but I liked how she was once again affected by the presence of the Animus. The Animus finding home in the London Underground was an intriguing setting and it obviously helped with its destruction. It just seemed the right place for the creature to be - hidden in the gloom and dark beneath a large city. The Zarbi were pretty harmless once the Animus had been obliterated but I thought they worked well in the comic strip format. This was actually my first comic strip to feature the First Doctor so that was something new for me and I thought the characterisation was pretty good but it definitely could have been better. The likeness of Ian, Barbara and Vicki as companions though was captured magnificently. I was really impressed with that. I imagine this story took place not too long after the Doctor's first meeting with the Animus as there were only two televised stories that followed before Ian and Barbara departed as companions in The Chase. It's interesting that they encountered the Animus again so quickly but I would think that a quick turnaround would only be beneficial to the Doctor. Prior to reading, knowing what an occasion this story was kicking off I naturally assumed that the story would feature Susan as companion but my opening quote soon confirmed to me that she wouldn't be appearing. Obviously, if you're going to do a sequel to The Web Planet then she can't appear because she had already left in The Dalek Invasion of Earth but with the ending seeing the Doctor's companions all disappear, having Susan's intelligence as a Time Lord might not be best suited for whatever is to come in the future. The cloaked figure is mightily intriguing because he knows all about the Doctor and his companions. We saw a capture from The Movie and the inclusion of the household gods plaque from The Fires of Pompeii which I thought was magical. Just what this figure has against the Doctor I'm not sure but I do think we will find out in due course! The reference to The Aztecs was brilliant and I liked Barbara's ironic comment about the Doctor wanting to help find the missing students. He was hardly going to do anything other than help though. Ian annihilating the Animus with a train was quite a sight and it just perfectly highlighted the beauty of the comic format because there's an unlimited budget and just about anything can be done. It was a destructive but efficient way to get rid of the Animus once and for all. But the Doctor realised things were not as they seemed and that there was something else at work. The Animus had too much power but now his companions were missing. They disappeared in an instant and it seems the cloaked figure, whoever he may be, is holding good on his promise. Overall, a brilliant start to the umbrella title collection! A sequel, great setting and a wonderful name. 

Rating: 9/10