The Warmonger Part 4

"We end a war."

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 10th January 2019
Printed in: DWM 534

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

Berakka Dogbolter has the Doctor at her mercy. Ryan and Graham are locked in a dressing room whilst Yaz is still stuck on the surface of the war-torn planet of Gatan. What will be the fate of the Freedom Thoughtcasting Network? Will the war between Kraytos and Tumat ever end?

Verdict

The Warmonger concluded in pretty decent style and as a whole was a more than decent start to the Thirteenth Doctor's comic strip run! Now, onto the issue of Doctor Who Magazine itself and it looks set to be another good one. Tom Baker adorns the cover so I know for sure that at least one interview will be worth reading in this month's edition - and he should be brilliant also being the Out of the TARDIS feature. He really is a fantastic chap and I always enjoy reading what he has to say. I'm also intrigued to read the preview and his thoughts of his upcoming novel Scratchman. I've already got it reserved from the library so as soon as they have it in I will be loaning it! I'm really fascinated to see how the great man will write a story featuring himself as the Doctor. I'm looking forward to reading James Goss's thoughts about the writing process with Tom Baker as he is a favoured author of mine and I'm also excited to read the interview with Shaun Dooley as he played a pretty interesting character in The Ghost Monument. I'm particularly looking forward to Galaxy Forum again this month as it will have all the thoughts on the last three episodes of the series and I will also be looking forward to reading DWM's own reviews on the episodes. Now, back to the comic strip itself and despite the story being a great one overall, I actually thought this part was the weakest of the four. It just seemed a bit rushed which was a shame and I think it could definitely have benefitted by being one part longer. I would've liked the Doctor finding Yaz to have actually occurred in the artwork rather than them just being reunited after a bit of a jump. I have to admit, Ryan and Graham adorning the suits of Kraytos and Tumat was hilarious and a great resolution to the cliffhanger of the last issue. Tondi was terrific once again and she provided an incredibly heartfelt update on the truth of the battle between the two gigantic soldiers. I thought the way the Doctor dealt with them being unaware of their surroundings and not quite of this universe was decent, but again just a tad rushed, and I really wasn't expecting them to amalgamate into one person! Hearing the Chimera's emotional dealing with all the thoughts and memories lost and the fact that people had died because of its battles was heartbreaking. I was quite surprised that the Doctor let Dogbolter stay around and I could have done without the little moment where she addressed the audience, but I thought the characterisation of Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor was excellent throughout. Overall, still a pretty good conclusion to a great story!

Rating: 8/10