The Phantom Piper Part 1

"Far outside the realms we know, through the spirals of eternity, a box is spinning..."

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 16th November 2017
Printed in: DWM 519

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill

Synopsis

The Doctor has promised Bill a visit to meet Alan Turing - famed decoder of Nazi messages during World War Two. However, he didn't say when and Bill is perplexed to arrive on the futuristic Athenia. Chiyoko is present and she senses the return of her Mother, but she won't be happy with what she discovers...

Verdict

The Phantom Piper kicked off in excellent style with this superb opening part of the story! It really was a fantastic way to start a new comic strip but I will get to it in a little while. First, I have the prominent matter of the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine to discuss and I must say it looks set to be a great one! David Bradley dominates the cover bringing the First Doctor back to life and I think it's quite fitting that I will begin reading the issue following the broadcast of the clip for Twice Upon a Time as part of Children in Need. That clip was a wonderful little snippet into the episode and I really can't wait to see a brand new adventure with the First Doctor. It looks set to be a belter! That is also the case for this issue of DWM with David Bradley's interview being the main feature. I can't wait to read his thoughts on portraying the iconic William Hartnell and how he found actually being the Doctor. It's going to be brilliant. The interview with Jared Garfield and Lily Travers is something I am also very excited for because not only is the First Doctor coming back this Christmas, but so are Polly and Ben! Polly is one of my all time favourite companions so for her to be returning, even if it isn't Anneke Wills, is very exciting indeed. I'm intrigued to see how big of a part they will play in the episode but any screen time they get will be a big bonus. I'm also looking forward to the interview with Derek Jacobi and after seeing him on the big screen in Murder on the Orient Express, I can't wait to read what he has to say about playing the War Master in the upcoming audio releases. The 54 First Dates feature looks interesting but the Annual Reports is something I am extremely intrigued by. I cannot wait to read it and after delving into a few of the Classic era Annuals, this feature and preview of the upcoming audio collection looks right up my alley. It looks marvellous I must say. The Blogs of Doom also looks barmy and I am intrigued to see if that will replace Watcha. Anyway, back to the comic strip at hand and it was a delightful opening part. It continued on from Matildus in a very good way and I liked the relationship between the Doctor and Bill. He never quite tells her the full story and I love that. Their arrival on Athenia was intriguing and the return of Chiyoko was something I did not expect to see! The reference to The Child of Time was terrific but her return was unexpected and that's something I love. The Doctor's account of that story was superb and Chiyoko's meeting with Bill was quite humorous. She wanted to be reunited with her Mother, which was of course the TARDIS, and Bill didn't really have any control on where she was being taken. She was seeing just how powerful Chiyoko was and I'm very much looking forward to seeing the Doctor reunited with her, and how she reacts to him having a different body. The whole religious cult surrounding Alan Turing is very interesting and something I think only the comic strip can get away with. However, I am sold and the idea of the flesh and the form and the fact being one is brilliant. I am anticipating that development very much. The cliffhanger was good and Chiyoko was so disturbed by the carving in the TARDIS because it appeared that our resident blue box was in torment. She was screaming and that does seem pretty serious. I expect the Doctor will not be happy once he finds out. Overall though, a fantastic start to the comic strip!