Old Girl: The Return of Sutekh

"Sutekh. Beware Sutekh!"

Writer: Nick Abadzis
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 25th May 2017
Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 18

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby, Cindy

Synopsis

Has Anubis fallen to the darkness in his family tree? Can Gabby and Cindy staunch the corruption in an entity powerful enough to snuff them out with a thought? If you think you know where this year's finale is going... Think again!

Verdict

Old Girl continued in decent style with The Return of Sutekh. I'm not entirely sure this third part lived up to its title and it was definitely a downgrade in terms of quality from the first two parts but that is not at all saying that it was bad! I still thoroughly enjoyed it and I am rather vexed that I have to wait until August for the fourth part to be released in the UK. I am really quite baffled by this second mini hiatus from Doctor Who Comic but I guess there isn't really anything I can do about. Rereading will get me through the memory gap I guess. I liked how this story mainly focused on Gabby and Dorothy with Primeval mostly involving the Doctor and Cindy so that seemed to be a natural development in the story. The battle for consciousness between Anubis and Sutekh was intriguing and I liked how this part of the returning villain was merely a splinter of his mind. That was a good way to get around his apparent demise but the 'side step' comment referencing the conclusion of Pyramids of Mars was interesting too. When a villain who was thought dead returns, I always appreciate an explanation as to how that may be the case and I am glad that we got one here. Sutekh was clearly bitter at the Doctor for his imprisonment and that was absolutely something he was impatient about. I mean, that doesn't at all surprise me and I hope that we do see the wrath of Sutekh in the concluding two parts as after a build up as long as this one, I really hope that the infamous villain gets a good run out. He belongs in a year end finale due to his iconic status so I hope the story lives up to my expectations. The Doctor and Cindy getting extended time together without Gabby has been good and it really has made Cindy more legitimised as a companion in my opinion. Gabby being the one left behind with Dorothy made sense as she has the experience of being a companion and I liked how she dubbed Anubis with the mind of Sutekh as being Anubekh. That was quite snazzy I must say. The confidence she displays is always something I love about her as a companion and that was in abundance here once again. Even when Sutekh sought her out of hiding, she didn't back down. The Doctor's arrival from Amenthes was interestingly timed and I was quite surprised that he figured Anubis had been impatient with his moving of the Horizon. That of course was not the case and it was actually Sutekh trying to basically re-calibrate himself and become whole again. The inclusion of the King Nocturne was not an expected occurrence in the story but I can't say I didn't welcome it. The one problem I had with this part of the story though was that it seemed to be stalling and waiting around a bit with the scenes involving Sutekh. The pace was quite slow and whilst the information that was provided will probably be useful to the story as a whole, it just needed a bit more action. The cliffhanger was not overly great in my opinion which is a shame considering I have to wait so long for the next part! It seemed a little sudden but it hasn't hurt the story as a whole which is the key thing. I look forward to seeing where things go from here and I do hope we get to see the Doctor and Sutekh meet once again. But for now, an interesting part!