The Bidding War

"The Cyber Empire will have the secrets of the Time War."

Writer: Cavan Scott
Format: Comic Strip
Released: July-August 2017
Printed in: The Ninth Doctor #14-15

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack, Tara

Synopsis

With some knowledge of his past life apparently restored, Jack is determined to put right his misdeeds as a Time Agent - in particular, stopping his past self from erasing the criminal Zloy Volk from the timeline, using an Eradicator gun. But... Zloy Volk is verty much alive. How?! Even worse, in the process of stopping his past self from erasing Volk all over again, Jack was seemingly erased! The Doctor, Rose and Tara are on the scene...

Verdict

The Bidding War was a superb end to the Sin Eaters graphic novel and the ongoing series of the Ninth Doctor! It really has been a terrific run of stories and a real treat to get an extended run of adventures with the Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack! Tara has been a good and interesting addition to the team and I was glad to see that she departed in a brilliant way here. We finally got the Ninth Doctor doing battle with the Cybermen which was wonderful and although he was actually confined for a lot of it, I think it's fitting that each incarnation gets an outing against the infamous metal foes, regardless of format. I loved how this story tied in with the whole series that preceded it but it did so in a subtle way. This has been a fine example of what a comic strip series should be like in my opinion as there was an ongoing story arc but it wasn't the overlapping issue in each issue. That's something that probably isn't the case with the Eleventh Doctor's ongoing series for example. It just worked really well. We saw flashbacks of Weapons of Past Destruction and Doctormania and I loved how Addison had got some help from the Slitheen to make her own Captain Jack costume. I really wasn't expecting that after the cliffhanger finish of Secret Agent Man. The experience sphere was a really great device and I loved how the Doctor kept altering the settings to suit his need. He could be observing or experiencing, and the differing perspectives were hugely beneficial. Rose feeling what the Doctor felt was fantastic. I really liked that. Tara didn't have too much to do in this story but when she did she didn't fail to mention her days at UNIT which was good - I'd love to know more about her interaction with the Cybermen in Halifax! What she did though was crucial to stopping the Cybermen and seeing gold used against them in a modern era story was really nostalgic. I was a big fan of that. Addison wanting to sell the Doctor's memories, particularly those of the Time War, was excellent and the differing buyers were really interesting as their motives were all different. The cameo flashback to the Time War and the War Doctor was superb and I loved the mention of Cardinal Ollistra and the probable appearance of Cinder, tying in nicely with the War Doctor audios and Engines of War. The TARDIS being used to help bring Rose, Tara and Jack together was really good and I liked how there was no animosity towards Jack following his departure. Nomicae being desecrated was quite shocking and I loved Tara's reaction to the Doctor just departing. She was staying because she could help. She was more than companion material! The ambiguous ending was good and I like how there's room for her to return and I also liked the idea of the Doctor looking back on his actions. Overall, a stunning end to the ongoing series!

Rating: 10/10