4-Dimensional Vistas

"I'm lost in infinity..."

Writer: Steve Parkhouse 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: July-December 1983

Printed in: DWM 78-83

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Angus

Synopsis 

The Doctor still feels saddened shock over the death of Fuji, for which he partly feels responsible. But he is soon joined by an American Air Force pilot in the form of Angus. A story of parallel worlds and tides in time soon unfolds, and the Doctor will meet not one but two old foes...

Verdict 

4-Dimensional Vistas was an excellent comic strip adventure and really did continue The Tides of Time graphic novel terrifically well! I get the feeling that despite having one story left to read in the collection that the overlapping story arc is finished after what went on here in an action packed six parts! The story really was eventful and I really liked how it continued pretty much immediately where Lunar Lagoon left off with the Doctor catching up with the American Air Force pilot who shot Fuji at the conclusion of the aforementioned story. To my surprise, that man actually become a new companion for the Fifth Doctor! Angus was very good and I liked how suspecting he was of the Doctor at first but once he entered the TARDIS and saw the Earth from above, and spotted the good ol' US of A, he was certainly ok the same page as our Time Lord hero. I enjoyed how the whole events of this graphic novel were tied into what was going on here. There were good references to Stars Fell on Stockbridge and The Stockbridge Horror which is always an immediate positive in my book as I do love continuity of pretty much any kind in a story. It just adds something special and keeps the overall identity of the show intact. You know it's still very much Doctor Who when other stories get a mention. I've loved it ever since I started watching eight years ago and I'm only going to continue to enjoy them. And in terms of nostalgia in an adventure, the two foes of this comic strip were full of it! Not only did we have the epic return of the Ice Warriors, which delighted me enough, but we also had the return of the Monk! That was certainly unexpected but I must say the moment he was revealed as the Time Meddler the smile on my face was huge! I felt like each part seemed a bit separate and that's probably where the story's one mark lost comes from, but it was full of action and pace. The Doctor realising he was on a parallel version of Earth where World War Two was still present in 1983 was terrific and I loved the moment where he realised, due to what the Ice Warriors and the Monk were up to, he had been going sideways in time for quite a while now. That was obviously causing issues. The Doctor referring to the Monk as a failed Time Lord really was superb but I must admit I was surprised to see a collaboration between him and the Ice Warriors. It was completely unexpected and that was just what made it so good. I rarely get surprised by returns or revelations in Doctor Who due to spoilers or by simply being not up to date or just knowing of other stories, but this was a full surprise and I was truly thrilled. The characterisation of the Fifth Doctor was once again excellent but that was wholly expected with Steve Parkhouse penning his fifth consecutive comic strip as in his previous four he really has captured Peter Davison's likeness with ease. As I've said in countless previous blog entries, it's such a simple thing but it makes a story that much more enjoyable. Angus enjoying the battles with the Ice Warriors was fantastic and I was also just glad to see that the Ice Warriors were fully evil and not on the good guy's side. Good is something they shouldn't ever be and thankfully they were not on this occasion. I quite liked the chase ending with the ravages through the corridors of time between the Doctor and the Monk but the former simply outsmarted the other and landed exactly where the Monk would a millisecond later, which meant his TARDIS and the Ice Warriors were obliterated into nothingness as two things couldn't occupy the same point in space as well as time. Overall, a fantastic return for the Ice Warriors and an unexpected pleasure to see the Monk return!

Rating: 9/10