The Many Lives of Doctor Who

"The TARDIS has had almost as many facelifts as you have!"

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Comic Strip
Released: September 2018
Printed in: The Thirteenth Doctor #0

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Twelfth Doctor, Bill, Eleventh Doctor, Alice, River, Tenth Doctor, Gabby, Cindy, Ninth Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack, War Doctor, Eighth Doctor, Josie, Seventh Doctor, Ace, Sixth Doctor, Peri, Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough, Fourth Doctor, Romana II, Third Doctor,  Sarah Jane, Second Doctor, Polly, Ben, First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara

Synopsis 

When you die, your life flashes before your eyes - and the Doctor's had a lot of lives! The Thirteenth Doctor relives unseen adventures from all her past selves!

Verdict

The Many Lives of Doctor Who was an excellent story! It really is quite a bonus to have this in advance of the Thirteenth Doctor's run in the comic strips and the idea of the Doctor reliving his many lives and literally having his whole life flash before his eyes whilst talking to himself was superb. This could only occur during regeneration and I like the idea of all of these unseen adventures occurring during a split second of Twice Upon a Time. The artwork of the few moments from that television episode was stunning and I thought it was great for most of the adventure. There seemed to be a slight blip for the Fourth Doctor though. It started nicely with The Path of Skulls and I loved how the Doctor was reminiscing on his very first companions and how all of those who followed would remark about the TARDIS interior. The Second Doctor's outing in Card Conundrum was quite humorous and I loved that we got to see Polly and Ben as well as Jamie. The Doctor admitting how much he missed them was a lovely gesture! The Third Doctor's story of Invasion of the Scorpion Men was comical as he remembered defeating the titular enemies with the help of Rasputin in the past. The reference to The War Machines and the appearance of Sarah Jane were both magnificent. I thought Time Lady of Means was a little naff and the artwork was like something out of Doctor Who Adventures which was very strange but I did love how the Doctor clearly remembered Romana with fondness. The Fifth Doctor outing of Ophiucus was sublime and it took him, along with Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough, to Gallifrey and a meeting with the Sliders. The appearance of a modern era Cyberman in the background was delightful. I thought Virtually Indestructible was a fun little story for the Sixth Doctor with a lot of irony. I do wish there was more narration from the Doctor at that point though. Whilst I remember, I should also mention the little snippet of the Thirteenth Doctor herself and the nod to dedicated fans in how we'll call her the Thirteenth Doctor but she really is not. The Seventh Doctor being reunited with the Master in Crossing the Rubicon was fantastic with the Roman setting at the time of Julius Caesar. The Master being outsmarted by the Doctor was a little paradoxical but I enjoyed that it was clearly a story set post-Survival. The Time Ball was a great little story for the Eighth Doctor and I loved that we got to see Josie again. I do hope we get more of her as companion because she is terrific and just hasn't had the time she deserves! The Whole Thing's Bananas was an adequate title for the memory of the War Doctor and I thought it was brilliant that Dorium appeared in a story chronologically before any meeting with the Eleventh Doctor. The use of bananas was comical too! Return of the Volsci brought things nicely into the modern era, but I think the narration took a bit of a backseat from there on in which was a little bit of a shame. The Volsci sounded a really great enemy being all female and I'd like them to get a full story at some point. The Doctor reminding herself that this was when she needed to start being the Doctor again following the Time War was excellent. The Tenth Doctor being ill in Nurse Who? was very good and I liked that Gabby recruited Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first female Doctor, and the irony of that with the Doctor's narration given her incoming female incarnation was superb. Without a Paddle was a humorous little story and I loved that River Song got an appearance. She always works best alongside the Eleventh Doctor and her attempted stealing of the oar was very good. The comical element is always wonderful but the truth being about lace was an unexpected twist. The story's concluding mini-story of Harvest of the Daleks was very good and the idea of Daleks using children for their pathweb was quite horrific. Bill remembering the events of The Pilot where she caught a glance of them was brilliant and I loved that the ship was so ancient that it was actually Kaled. The Thirteenth Doctor's emergence and seeing the final moments of Twice Upon a Time was superb and I loved that we then saw the Thirteenth Doctor in all her glory during The Ghost Monument. Overall, a lovely tale of adventures!

Rating: 9/10

Ghost Stories

"You don't say no when the cosmic comes calling."

Writer: George Mann
Format: Comic Strip
Released: April-July 2017
Series: Ghost Stories #1-8

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis

Together, the Doctor, Lucy, and Grant defeated the nefarious forces of Harmony Shoal. The world saved, and his love for Lucy reciprocated, Grant put away the costume, and the Doctor left Grant and Lucy to their new life together.

But the Doctor is terrible for picking at loose ends...

Verdict

Ghost Stories was a terrific story and a great bonus series of Twelfth Doctor comic strips! This adventure saw the Doctor reunited with Grant and Lucy eight years following the events of The Return of Doctor Mysterio and I am definitely in favour of the superhero returning. The mix of the Doctor and the Ghost is fantastic and I love the differences between the pair despite them both recognisably being superheroes. The Doctor needed Grant now as the universe was in grave danger and I thought the premise of needing all of the gemstones was very good. Of course, one of these in the form of the Hazandra was what gave Grant his superpowers and now the Doctor was going to use it in the TARDIS to locate the others. The first mini-story taking us to an apocalyptic future of New York was very good and the emergence of the Smoke was most unexpected! He was a super-villain and its connections to the Ghost were hugely intriguing. I loved the narration throughout from Lucy and it was really great to read her thoughts and comments as the stories went on. It was very beneficial to the storytelling and for learning what things had been like in her and Grant's relationship in the intermittent years without the Doctor. I'm not quite sure how Jennifer could already be 11 years old, but the details weren't overly important. She had a good little role in the story. The Nixtus III setting for the second gemstone was very good and I loved the cliffhanger where the Ghost's powers had stopped working altogether. The Doctor certainly didn't see that one coming! He recruited Grant for those very powers. It was brilliant that some of the Harmony Shoal returned here and the fear that it invoked in Lucy was tremendous which was brilliant. I thought the story concerning the third gemstone was the best as we saw the Twelfth Doctor do battle with the Sycorax! Kraxnor made for a great leader and I liked how he recalled the events of The Christmas Invasion. The use of blood, this time the Doctor's, to enforce the sacrifice engine into fruition was nice continuity and I liked that the Ghost challenged the leader. Honour dictated that it must be carried out. One little aspect of the story that I didn't like was Lucy overcoming a Sycorax as I thought that made them look a little weak, but her bid to impress her husband was a nice aspect. Jennifer was then aided by her superhero stepdad to retrieve the gemstone and all was secured. Just one thing, the Doctor needed the one within Grant now. He gave it up to save the universe and rid it of dark matter excess but his powers were not gone. The gemstone had still bonded with his DNA and with another visit a week after departing the TARDIS, the Doctor showed Grant that his powers remained if he willed them. Overall, a fantastic little story!

Rating: 8/10

A True Gentleman

"The Doctor can't help you right now. He's fixing my bicycle."

Writer: Jamie Hailstone
Format: Audio
Released: November 2010
Series: Short Trips 1.03

Featuring: Third Doctor

Synopsis

A young boy finds himself part of the adventure when the Doctor helps him fix his bicycle tyre...

Verdict

A True Gentleman was a pretty good little Short Trip audio and despite it not really having any negative qualities, it fell victim to the very nature of the range in which it is a part of. The Short Trips were extremely short during their first stint which, I am aware, sounds quite self-defeating but when compared with the monthly releases we get now, there really isn't a lot of substance to some of the adventures and that can hurt things when it comes to story quality. Now, this was just a lovely little tale of the Doctor helping out a young kid in need and whilst that's nice and exactly what you would expect of him, it didn't make for the most exciting of stories. That being said, I thought Katy Manning did an excellent job as the story's narrator and I was hugely impressed with her impression of Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. It was probably the major highlight of the audio! I think this story was very well written for the Third Doctor and it's hard to imagine a more gentlemanly incarnation than the third. I could actually see pretty much any incarnation of the Doctor stopping to fix a child's bicycle, but I don't think they'd all have been as kind as the Third Doctor was here. He didn't just fix the tyre, but he ensured that it would never get punctured again. I liked how the Doctor had a reputation in the area where he rented out the house and it was so good that the landlord encouraged his son to go off with the Time Lord! How's that for parenting? I really liked the initial encounter between the child and the Ambassador of Cobaltis with the latter utterly distraught that the Doctor was busy fixing the young boy's bike. The Doctor soon appeared though and a lump of lead made the Ambassador very happy as it was a scarce material in its galaxy and was priceless. I do wonder how they reacted when the Doctor suddenly stopped renting the house! Overall, this was just a nice little story of the Doctor doing a good deed.

Rating: 6/10

Fugitive

"The universe is riddled with people who should be dead but who live because of your actions."

Writer: Tony Lee
Format: Comic Strip
Released: September-December 2009
Printed in: Doctor Who Ongoing (2009) #3-6

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

The Doctor is put on trial by the Shadow Proclamation for saving Emily Winter's life in the 1920s and thus breaking the precepts handed down to them by the Time Lords by interfering with a static point in time. But there's dissension in the ranks as Mister Finch returns and is out for revenge. Forming an unlikely alliance, the Doctor looks to thwart the Krillitanes once again...

Verdict

Fugitive was an outstanding comic strip adventure! It was another impressive story from IDW and it has concluded my reading of the second volume of the Tenth Doctor Archives. I am already looking forward to the third and final collection but as my local library doesn't stock a copy, I am not sure when I will get around to reading it. Anyhow, the story followed on nicely from Silver Scream and the Doctor was facing the consequences of his interference in 1920s Hollywood and saving the life of Emily Winter. He was reminded of what occurred last time he did something like this with Charley Pollard which was an excellent reference to the Big Finish audios and now the Shadow Architect was showing no tolerance. The Doctor was put on trial and prosecuted by Mister Finch who made a stunning return, now permanently in human form. The idea of a Krillitane having a position in the Shadow Proclamation seemed a little sketchy but the prospect of them trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm for the Proclamation was most unexpected! The Doctor was soon sentenced to death and he was to be put in prison transport with a Draconian, Sontaran and an Ogran. It was like the start of a good joke, as the Doctor acknowledged, but I loved how he was challenged to the effects of his actions. The Ogrons had failed miserably and were on the verge of economic collapse following the events of Day of the Daleks as their reputation was tarnished following defeat to the Third Doctor. They had been replaced by the Judoon as the most reputable mercenaries for hire and I loved how that was a great clash of two eras of Doctor Who. The Sontarans were now resorting to potential alliances because the actions of the Doctor had led them to a losing position in their battle against the Rutans. Kraden was a superb character as the Draconian and I liked how he was making the Doctor see things from a different perspective. The story was very pacy and full of action which was terrific and I loved how maddening the Doctor made Finch. He of course would see that he was defeated once again and I found some irony in the idea of using the likes of Ogrons and Sontarans to crack the Skasis Paradigm - they weren't the most intelligent of species. The revelation that the Shadow Architect suspected some wrongdoing within the Shadow Proclamation was most unexpected and she entrusted the Doctor, without his knowledge, to root out the problem and solve it. There would be no more un-loyal Judoon and things would be restored. Of course, they proclaimed that they'd rather the Doctor travelled alone, so what did he do? Well, Emily and Matthew look set to become temporary passengers in the TARDIS. Overall, an excellent comic strip!

Rating: 10/10

Silver Scream

"After you fail a Leo Miller audition - it's like you never want to act again."

Writer: Tony Lee
Format: Comic Strip
Released: July-August 2009
Printed in: Doctor Who Ongoing (2009) #1-2

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

Still grieving over the events that led to losing Donna as his companion, the Tenth Doctor is following through on her final wish of visiting a Hollywood movie set. Here, the Doctor befriends the man who will become Charlie Chaplin and uncovers a vicious alien plot, but will he face consequences for interfering in a static point in time?

Verdict 

Silver Scream was a very good comic strip story to kickstart a brand new ongoing series of Tenth Doctor adventures from IDW! Now, I'm still reading the second volume of the Tenth Doctor Archives graphic novel, but it seems like a big shift in direction as we now move away from the very successful standalone stories and into what is already clearly a series of some kind. The setting here of 1920s Hollywood was magnificent and I thought it was wonderful how the Doctor was carrying one of Donna's final wishes before her emotional departure in Journey's End. The Doctor meeting Maplin, who would of course go on to become the famed Charlie Chaplin, was terrific and I thought it was quite humorous how he mentioned the times in Maplin's personal future where he would encounter previous incarnations of the Doctor. It seems such a great combination and whilst they actually didn't have too much time on the page together, what we did get worked really well and I was particularly a fan of the silent movie double pages - that was original and fresh and just perfect for the setting and the story itself. It was a lovely nod to cinematic history and it worked very well in the comic strip format. Leo Miller was an intriguing villain and the importance he placed on the auditions was good. He was working with Maximilian Love who appeared to be feeding on the optimism of individuals. That was a very harsh trait to try and alter and take away and the results were hardly surprising. Victims went from being optimistic about their acting future to not wanting to act at all! This was what happened to Emily who became a lovely character and she, along with Matthew, filled the companion role very well for this adventure. I thought the cliffhanger was sublime with the Doctor tied down to a rail track and a train seen in the reflections of his glasses oncoming, but his new friends managed to save him in the nick of time after they'd followed him to see what Miller was up to. The ending was entertaining and full of action which was good, although I'm still not convinced the Doctor would have been happy with Emily firing the gun, even if it was to his aid and not actually shooting any part of someone. The conclusion was very surprising as, after rejecting Emily and Matthew's request to join him in the Doctor, the familiar face of the Shadow Architect flanked by the Judoon showed up and commanded that the Doctor was put on trial for his interference! I look forward to seeing where things go from here. Overall, a great story!

Rating: 8/10

Black Death White Life

"The only thing that keeps this world healthy is constant war."

Writer: Charlie Kirchoff
Format: Comic Strip
Released: September 2009
Printed in: IDW #3.06

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

After the Doctor and his companion Martha Jones mistakenly land the TARDIS soon after the Great Plague of London, the discovery of a healer draws them into a mystery that could mean the end of the companion's life. Is the Plague still around?

Verdict

Black Death White Life was another decent comic strip from IDW and I am now only one adventure away from completing the second volume of Tenth Doctor Archives. This one saw a slight drop in standard but it was still very much enjoyable and it also saw the return of Martha Jones as companion for the Tenth Doctor. I actually thought she had a slightly poor outing as companion here and she didn't really do much apart from get infected and need curing which was a bit of a shame because she can offer so much more. Sicking with the negatives, I thought some of the artwork was very shaky in this adventure and I was very much confused by one instance of the Doctor's coat quickly alternating to a cream-like colour! It was very random and obviously a quite glaring production error. Thankfully it didn't take away from the story but it was noticeably bad. The drawing of both the Doctor and Martha at the start was also a bit off which was a shame. Anyway, into the story itself and I liked the 1669 setting as it wasn't too far removed from the Doctor and Martha's visit to the Globe Theatre in The Shakespeare Code. With the last record of there Great Plague having been recorded in 1666, the presence of plague doctors here was very intriguing and I thought the artwork for them was superb. Martha managing to explain that they were aliens was good but I do wish we learned a tad more about them before the reveal of them being a Macro-Virus. That name seemed a bit naff, as did the provider of the resolution being an immunoglobulin, but somehow it seemed to work in quite the enjoyable way. The pace of the story was fantastic and I think that's once again where the standalone nature of the IDW stories is working an absolute treat. It flew by! There was some excellent action and I thought the characterisation of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor was pretty good throughout. I really liked the reference to The Visitation and the Doctor's relationship with the Healer. The ease with which he deduced that with just one person having the cure, he must have a relationship with the disease was great and what followed was quite simple but done very well with the speed. The Doctor convinced the Healer to use his abilities and to not fear the Macro-Virus, but to instead eradicate it. With a TARDIS trip to its home planet to help with the process, it was an amicable end, even if war had to prevail. Overall, a decent comic strip!

Rating: 7/10

Room with a Deja View

"Nature abhors a vacuum."

Writer: Rich Johnston

Format: Comic Strip

Released: July 2009

Printed in: IDW #3.05

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

A murder has taken place, committed by a member of a species that lives in the opposite direction to the timeline, who, from its own perspective, has not yet committed the crime in question.

It's locked house murder mystery where the culprit is clear from the beginning, but the process is anything but. The Doctor lands smack bang in the middle of it all.

Verdict

Room with a Deja View was another magnificent comic strip in what is turning out to be a quite brilliant second volume of Tenth Doctor Archives from IDW! The standard is really impressive and I think they are reaping the benefits of only having standalone stories. I do enjoy a comic strip story arc but I think they can get a little complicated at times so this format works well for me. I liked how the Tenth Doctor travelling alone was addressed and him actually thinking that he might need to be alone for a little while was very intriguing. He was in the Dead Zone which was a really interesting concept and I loved that this place - a place so far away from anything and everything - was the source of a distress call. That was more than enough to get the Doctor out of his meditation. I loved the mockery of many formats of Doctor Who storytelling in saying how he would arrive at a place, be charged with the murder (because there usually was one), find the true culprit to free his name and then stop whatever other nonsense or trouble was occurring. However, this time he wasn't arrested as per usual and was instead blasted in the face in case he was carrying the plague. The use of disease in this comic strip was very good and I liked how well it was sold as being deadly and wiping out trillions. Peoples of all kinds had come to the Dead Zone as the Great Refuge and those in charge couldn't quite believe that the Doctor was 100% clean of its infections. Their knowing of Time Lord legends was great and I liked how the Doctor pounced upon that. He soon took charge of the murder investigation and encountered the mysterious Tx. He was a fantastic character and the concept of him living on the opposite timeline and living in reverse was sublime. I loved that and the conversation with the Doctor during his interrogation only making sense whilst reading in reverse was superb. It was a little confusing but I appreciated the complexity and it worked fantastically well. It turned out that he wasn't actually a murderer at all but had allowed the victim to live much longer than he would have without Tx's intervention. He would still be convicted though as he had technically given a full confession and the law must be followed. Tx just had one request of having a final day with his family. The truth of that actually being his reversion to being born in our timeline was excellent. Overall, a brilliant comic strip story! 

Rating: 9/10

Cold-Blooded War

"What does a woman know of the art of war?"

Writer: Richard Starkings (story from Gary Russell)
Format: Comic Strip
Released: August 2009
Series: IDW #3.04

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis

The Tenth Doctor and Donna attempt to broker a peace plan between two very hierarchical and pompous alien races, the Draconians and the Ice Warriors. But their best efforts are derailed by someone who stands to gain from the continued conflict...

Verdict

Cold-Blooded War was an outstanding comic strip adventure! It was definitely the best story I've read from IDW yet that only features one incarnation of the Doctor and I loved how its roots were fuelled with Classic Who. The return of the Galactic Federation was wonderful and the addition of Draconia to its ranks was always going to be problematic given the nature of the Draconians. I loved that there was impending civil war on Draconia because of the ascension of Empress Kwan to the throne. The Draconians did not take too well to the prospect of being ruled by a woman and that was why there was trouble in the Federation, not because of the Draconians in general. I thought Kwan handled her responsibilities and the trouble she had caused very well and I very much approved of her not backing down. She was on the throne now and she would rule. She had been questioned by the fact of calling in the Galactic Federation which was plausible but she held her own very well. The appearance of the Ice Warriors was magnificent and I'm usually not a huge fan when they're not up to some evil scheme, but they actually had a somewhat calming presence here which was unusual. I loved that Donna finally got to meet some actual Martians though! I thought she was sublime as the companion in this adventure and her being a woman certainly helped with the story. She basically prevented civil war with rational thoughts but it was her delivery of her defence of women that was the key addition to preventing bloodshed. Reminding the Draconians that they had a mother and adhered to her authority was fantastic and it was clear early on in the speech that she had already won. I was hugely impressed. The Doctor getting captured posing as the Earth Adjudicator was great and I enjoyed the throwback to Frontier in Space as he tried to impose the fact he was a nobleman of the Draconian Empire. It was of course in vain. He had some help in escaping from Agita, the daughter of the assassin Fusek Kljuco who headed the house that wanted to be ridded of female rule, but the conclusion was shocking and brilliant. Kljuco was followed as he was close to carrying out his assassination on Kwan but he didn't realise his daughter was there and he shot her dead as she protected the Empress. It was an unexpected turn of events but the shock factor was sublime. I was stunned. Overall, a superb comic strip story!

Rating: 10/10

Autopia

"We will be avenged."

Writer: John Ostrander
Format: Comic Strip
Released: June 2009
Printed in: IDW #3.03

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis

The Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble arrive on the automated utopian planet of Autopia - a planet where robots do all of the manual labour. But things aren't quite what they seem when the Doctor meets Ixtalia, the wondrous and mysterious leader...

Verdict

Autopia was another decent comic strip adventure to continue my reading of the second volume of the Tenth Doctor Archives from IDW! It's a really weird little collection in that Martha is on the cover but she's only featured in the first of the three stories thus far. These standalone stories are jumping around the era of the Tenth Doctor which I'm absolutely fine with and I liked that we got a story with Donna as the companion. I'm very intrigued to see if she will remain for the rest of the stories in the graphic novel. But for this one, I thought Donna was pretty decent and I really liked her relationship with the Doctor, it was very reminiscent of what we saw on screen. The story did a pretty good job at capturing the era of Series 4 and I particularly liked that the Doctor wasn't quite letting on everything he knew about Autopia. Thankfully, Donna was asking all of the right questions and the Doctor did basically give all of the answers. It was certainly helpful to the storytelling. The setting of Autopia was decent but I have to admit, I was slightly disappointed that it had nothing to do with Autons! That was my expectation going in but it was actually just an automated utopia. That concept was really intriguing and worked quite well and I liked how things developed once the Doctor and Donna encountered Ixtalia. She was quite the ruthless leader and her thoughts towards the Automatrons were very heartless. The Doctor was fantastic in exploiting the programming of the Automatrons and when the one Donna dubbed as Sam was ordered to kill them, in a horrific method involving the sun, the Doctor plead to him for their lives and used language wonderfully well. He showed Sam that he had a choice and wouldn't be going against his programming too much. After hours of fiddling, the Doctor actually managed to make Sam a sentient robot, but it turned out he wasn't the first. Ixtalia had been killing off those that were developing sentience ever since the mission the Doctor was curious about had arrived but what followed seemed a little strange as the conclusion. Donna put forward a suggestion that was nothing more than common sense now that all of the robots were sentient and it seemingly ended a revolution and led to peaceful harmony, very quickly and very strangely. Overall, it was still a decent comic strip!

Rating: 7/10

The Time Machination

"Who wants to go junkyard hunting?"

Writer: Tony Lee
Format: Comic Strip
Released: May 2009
Printed in: IDW #3.02

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

London, 1889 and a time-stranded Doctor needs the help of an old friend to fix the TARDIS... but is beset by pursuers sent by Queen Victoria herself! How is this connected to a previous tale of the Sixth Doctor - and a Fourth Doctor adventure that hasn't happened yet? And what will happen if the Doctor is captured by the Torchwood Institute?

Verdict

The Time Machination was a great comic strip adventure to continue my reading of the IDW collection of Tenth Doctor Archives! This was a really enjoyable story and I liked that the Tenth Doctor was travelling alone as when this comic adventure was released, that is exactly what was happening in the world of Doctor Who. The 1889 setting was magnificent and I was really impressed with the numerous connections with and references to past Doctor Who stories. The return of H.G. Well was terrific and I liked the obvious reference to and little flashback of Timelash that came with that. His relationship with the Doctor was really good and I loved the irony of the Doctor meeting someone with the moniker of John Smith. He immediately questioned what he was hiding and the reaction to that was excellent. I thought the characterisation of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor was really good throughout which always makes for a better comic strip. The appearance of the Torchwood Institute soon after the events of Tooth and Claw but long before the incarnation that Captain Jack would head was wonderful and I can't quite believe I haven't come across it before. It was a tremendous idea and one that worked very well. The way the Doctor tricked Smith into revealing his knowledge of Torchwood was very clever and the reveal that he was also a time traveller was a little unexpected. His purpose being there was a huge surprise but I was really shocked by his desire to save Magnus Greel. The Doctor proudly recalling the events of The Talons of Weng-Chiang, which were yet to come, was brilliant and I loved how the TARDIS being stuck was just a cover story. He knew all about Smith's plan and had allowed him to think that he had the Doctor cornered, but that was never the case. The Doctor was always in control and one step ahead of the game. The only thing I had a slight qualm with was the Doctor dismissing some elements of the explanation to Smith and whilst they were a little confusing with the paradoxes, I thought that was a bit of a shortchange to the reader. Other than that though, it was a very entertaining comic strip and I loved how at the conclusion, Wells was viewing the arrival of the Fourth Doctor and Leela on their way to meet Magnus Greel. Overall, a terrific little tale!

Rating: 8/10

Genesis of the Daleks

"Destroy Davros and you destroy the Daleks."

Writer: Terry Nation
Format: TV
Broadcast: 8th March - 12th April 1975
Season: 12.04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry

Synopsis

The Doctor's own people - the Time Lords - have foreseen a time in which the Daleks dominate all other lifeforms in the universe. So disturbing is this possibility, that they break their own Laws of Time in an attempt to change the future. And who better to send on this quest than their own renegade himself - the Doctor.

Unwittingly transporter into the fields and trenches of a battle-exhausted Skaro, the Doctor must face his most dangerous mission ever - to prevent the Daleks from ever being created...

Verdict

Genesis of the Daleks was an excellent serial and there's no surprise that it occupies the esteemed position in Doctor Who history that it does. Now, it's not quite perfect but I think it warrants its reputation and I thought I should finally get around to blogging this adventure after my listening of the I, Davros audio series recently. I think it was of huge benefit to listen to that series before my re-watching here and I loved putting firm visuals to what was heard in that series. I think part one is the best of all six and it's just the perfect setup for what was to come. The Doctor being out on the mission by the Time Lords instantly sold just how deadly the Daleks were, as if that was required, but I was quite surprised with how willing the Doctor was to carry out that mission. The first moments for the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry on Skaro were fantastic and I loved how ravaged and war-torn it was. Getting acquainted with the war between the Kaleds and the Thals was terrific and I loved the Doctor's reaction to hearing the name of the former species. He'd met the latter before but they weren't quite like this. The Doctor meeting and learning about Davros for the first time was a superb moment and I also loved how primitive Davros was. It was clear that he was still in the early days of his vast knowledge and he even admitted how the Doctor was his better when it came to knowing about time and space. Davros wanting to know about all of the Dalek defeats was excellent and I loved how excited he was at receiving this foreknowledge. Nyder was a sublime character and his devotion and loyalty to Davros was an absolute delight to see. The way he lured out the names of all those with doubts towards Davros and the Dalek project was evil brilliance. With the prospect of the Elite putting a stop to the Daleks' creation, Davros went to the Thals and gave them the means of destroying the Kaled protective dome and wiped out the majority of his own species. The Daleks had to prevail. It was an extraordinary depth to reach but it further highlighted how much of a maniac Davros was. The likeness to Nazi Germany and Hitler with the bunker and the dislike for the unlike was incredible and something I wasn't aware of on my first couple of viewings before I learned about that era in history. The ending with the Daleks overpowering their creator and increasing their own production was fantastic and thus the Daleks were born. It was brilliant. The moment at the start of part six where the Doctor contemplates wiping out the entire Dalek mutants was phenomenal and I loved how he couldn't even bring himself to destroying his greatest enemies. Overall, a superb serial!

Rating: 9/10

The Haunting of Thomas Brewster

"They invade the past in order to shape the future."

Writer: Jonathan Morris
Format: Audio
Released: April 2008
Series: Main Range 107

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa

Synopsis

Thomas Brewster is haunted by the ghost of his drowned mother. But she is not the only apparition to disturb his dreams. Every few years, he is visited by a mysterious blue box...

Helped by his new assistant, the young Scottish scientist Robert McIntosh, the Fifth Doctor struggles to unravel the twisted knot of temporal implausibilities which hind the TARDIS to Thomas Brewster. Meanwhile, lost in the stews of Victorian London, Nyssa must face a host of special creatures, gathering in the fog.

Verdict

The Haunting of Thomas Brewster was a fantastic audio adventure and got the quality of the Main Range series back on track. Jonathan Morris provided us with a very unique and intriguing tale and I liked how distinct this felt in the range. It really was unique and that's quite rare to come by in Doctor Who with the sheer quantity of stories available. The first part barely even featured the Doctor and Nyssa and it worked well as the context for who exactly Thomas Brewster was came with ease. It was very important to know that his first memory was of his mother's funeral and that must be something he has struggled to live with since he can remember. He wasn't met with much pity as a child and his experience in the workhouse would certainly have shaped the character he came by the time he met the Doctor and Nyssa. I thought this pairing were excellent together and I loved how Nyssa's intelligence was utilised as she so easily understood everything that was happening with the paradoxes. It's difficult to imagine Tegan or Peri, for example, reacting in quite the same way. She had a really strong outing. Brewster himself was a very decent character and he warranted the amount of narration that he provided. I was really glad that it didn't stay as heavy as it did in part one and I think that was actually crucial to my enjoyment of the story. It was given to us in just the perfect quantities. The threat of the mysterious and enigmatic beings within the fog and mist was very good and I loved the prospect of them coming from a possible future, invading the past, and doing everything they could to ensure that their possible future became the one that prevailed. It was a hugely paradoxical concept but I'm a massive fan of the timey-wimey so this worked well for me. The use of the TARDIS was also of particular interest, especially when the Doctor materialised inside an earlier version of his own one! That was unprecedented. The humour when he realised that Nyssa's key had been stolen by Brewster, only for him to casually reveal he had a spare was a lovely moment too. Brewster stopping his past self from believing his 'mother' was good and I liked how it was he who severed the link before it even began. Brewster meeting his mum on the bridge before she committed suicide was an emotional aspect of the story but the thing that shocked me most was the ending! Brewster ended up stealing a version of the TARDIS once again! I certainly didn't see that coming and I'm very excited to know where things go from here. Overall, a brilliant audio!

Rating: 9/10

United

"The whole of Great Britain is under siege from prehistoric monsters."

Writer: Matt Fitton
Format: Audio
Released: May 2017
Series: UNIT: Assembled 04

Featuring: Kate, Osgood, Josh, Sam, Jo, Benton, Yates

Synopsis

The Silurians hold Great Britain under siege. Grand Marshall Jastrok rules the seas and the skies with reptile forces. On the ground, Commander Kalana crushes all ape resistance.

With Kate Stewart trapped, defence of the realm falls to UNIT's old guard. Jo Jones, Mike Yates and John Benton are ready to do their duty and stand united.

Verdict

United was a great conclusion to what has been a very good and extremely consistent Assembled anthology of stories to serve as the fourth series of the modern-day UNIT's adventures! It saw everybody that we've enjoyed listening to in the three previous stories join together, and that goes for both hero and villain. I liked the immediate continuation from Retrieval and the idea of dinosaurs roaming the country was excellent. I loved the reference to Invasion of the Dinosaurs from Yates and given what went on in that story, I don't think anybody else could have brought it up with such casualness. I really liked it. The trio of Yates, Benton and Jo being reunited after all this time was wonderful and it was clear that they had changed with age, but there were still nice little nods to the past they shared together. The continued mentions of the Doctor were very good and I loved how everything Jo was doing was in a way that he would approve and be proud of. That really was lovely to hear. Whilst doing so, she was keen to put forward her environmental attitudes and I also liked how similar that was to Osgood explaining to Benton the little things had changed since his time at UNIT. The very fact that some of the soldiers were now women went under the radar for our old sergeant. With Kate stranded, the Classic trio having to take command was lovely and the readiness with which they accepted responsibility was just wonderful. They were more than up for the mission! Jastrok proved a great villain once again and I enjoyed how active he was in this adventure compared with the previous two. His entering of Westminster was superb. He wanted to initiate humanity's surrender but as time went on, Kate came to him with the terms of Silurian surrender. Kate having to think of something new because of Jastrok's control over Burmaster was fantastic and I loved how UNIT ended up using weather-controller technology. The Silurians couldn't handle the cold and it got far too close to freezing for them. The ruthlessness with which Kate ordered that Jastrok and Kalana be detained was brilliant and showed just how damage the Silurians had caused to mankind. The casualties were high and whilst they would be dealt with by the good of their own species, being contained beneath a nuclear warhead and the Black Archive was quite a perilous position to be in. The Silurians may not have got their planet back, but they had made a big impact. Overall, a great conclusion to a terrific little boxset!

Rating: 8/10

Retrieval

"Please don't let me have to kill dinosaurs."

Writer: Guy Adams 

Format: Audio

Released: May 2017

Series: UNIT: Assembled 03

Featuring: Kate, Osgood

Synopsis

As Earth's primeval rulers reclaim their birthright, UNIT must stand against them. And Kate Stewart and Osgood must venture into a Mediterranean stronghold to retrieve a means to fight back.

But a Silurian warrior is on their trail. Once she has the humans' scent, Commander Tryska will never give up the hunt.

Verdict

Retrieval was a very good continuation of the Assembled anthology of UNIT adventures. This fourth series really has been consistent and I quite liked how this story just focused on the modern team with Kate and Osgood deservedly taking the centre of attention. They were wonderful together as a pair and the cave setting worked really well. I thought the humour between the pair was fantastic and I loved how Osgood knew she was one of UNIT's greatest scientific minds that Kate was referring to when deciding who would go on the retrieval mission, but she didn't know that her superior also meant herself. Osgood meddling with different Silurian technology was a lot of fun and I really liked how what she thought might be a life scanner actually turned out to be something that attracted reptiles. Not quite what she had in mind. The continuation of Jastrok pulling the strings from afar was excellent and I am looking forward to him hopefully taking the centre of attention in the series finale. It is bound to be explosive! Commander Tryska was a brilliant enemy in this story and the speed with which she poisoned Kate and sent Osgood running with a psychic imprint was fantastic. She was very impressive. Osgood dealing with the psychological threat to her mind was really intriguing with her inner self almost talking her actual self into calming down. She had to imagine Sam naked but she was okay once he arrived in full uniform. Josh played a good role in the story too, especially when he violently got the better of Tryska. Her devotion to the Silurian cause was impressive, even more so when she let herself plummet into the depths of the cave than be saved by a 'primitive ape.' Her distain for humanity was a brilliant theme throughout and the chase and battle of wits between her and UNIT for the weaponry was very good. The appearance of dinosaurs was an unexpected bonus in the audio and Kate's reaction to it really was brilliantly comical. She didn't want to have to kill the amazing creatures! The ending was quite surprising with Tryska being washed up on the shores but a new female Silurian figure in the form of Kalana would pick up the reigns and try to bring the Silurians back onto the surface as rulers. I look forward to what is bound to be a fantastic finale! But for now, this was a very good story.

Rating: 8/10

Tidal Wave

"So much for a peaceful resolution..."

Writer: Matt Fitton

Format: Audio

Released: May 2017

Series: UNIT: Assembled 02

Featuring: Kate, Osgood, Jo

Synopsis

When an experimental tidal power generator needs its eco-friendly credentials checked, Kate Stewart calls in an expert.

Soon, Jo Jones is bound for 'Project Charybdis' in the South Atlantic, along with an awestruck Osgood. But out at sea, a treacherous plan is set in motion to awake an ancient race.

Beneath the seabed an army is sleeping - an army of Sea Devils!

Verdict

Tidal Wave was a great continuation of the Assembled fourth series of UNIT adventures! This story saw Kate and Osgood unite with Classic companion Jo and it was absolutely delightful. I loved hearing her alongside both Kate and Osgood and it was brilliant how she shared a brilliantly different relationship with each. She obviously had a connection to Kate through the Brigadier and she was so apologetic when she failed to realise that Kate was his daughter. The way she initially acted towards Osgood was actually a little surprising as she wasn't too excited by Osgood's excitement at recalling the events of Day of the Daleks, The Three Doctors and The Green Death. But she soon realised that she was once the excitable and ebullient person that Osgood was now and she no longer dismissed her. They got on very nicely once they were locked in a room on the Charybdis by the passed Burmaster. I was really impressed with the continuation of this adventure from Call to Arms whilst also being distinctly different. It didn't quite feel like an immediate follow on and that was very refreshing. Burmaster made a very good villain as the puppet master for Jastrok who continued to be an excellent enemy from afar. The way he ensured that his plan was carried out was marvellous and the ruthlessness with which he saw that Laura died was just evil. His plan to attack the Sea Devils was very intriguing and I initially thought he was hoping to provoke a war and put the attack's blame on humanity. However, the Sea Devil base that he attacked was a weapon storage centre and he wanted what was within. Krellix, the Sea Devil doctor, knew him which showed just how far his reputation stretched. The doctor though shared a lovely relationship with Jo after she was able to go down and negotiate and her attempts to follow through on the Doctor's wish for peace from The Sea Devils was fantastic. I really enjoyed Jo's comments about the Doctor and she distinctly missed the Third Doctor. The reference to Death of the Doctor was wonderful and I liked hearing her difficulty with accepting differing incarnations as being the same man. The story's conclusion was very good and I loved how quickly Jo gained the trust of Krellix as she persuaded him to get the Sea Devils to go back into hibernation. She would tell UNIT that they were destroyed though to leave them in safety which was a lovely touch. Her role as an environmental activist was realised wonderfully well and I love the prospect of her joining up with Benton and Yates after so long apart. I look forward to Jastrok's plan continuing and things are far from finished here. Overall, another very good audio adventure!

The Three Doctors, The Green Death, Day of the Daleks, Death of the Doctor, The Sea Devils

Rating: 8/10

Call to Arms

"A Silurian never gives up the hunt."

Writer: Matt Fitton

Format: Audio

Released: May 2017

Series: UNIT: Assembled 01

Featuring: Kate, Osgood, Benton, Yates 

Synopsis

Mike Yates braves a stormy night in the Lakes to help celebrate a milestone for John Benton. An evening of fond reminiscences of old glories and friends awaits. But a long-buried past is about to catch up with them.

Meanwhile, on the rain-lashed moors, what begins as a routine mission for modern-day UNIT quickly becomes a fight for survival.

Verdict

Call to Arms was a lovely start to the Assembled anthology and fourth series of the modern-day UNIT adventures! It's a delightful idea to unite the teams of both the Classic and modern era and I think this was a sensible start as we just got a few of the main characters together, rather than an immediate cluster of everyone. The focus of Benton retiring and going off around the world with his wife was nice and I loved how he still maintained his obedience when Mike Yates showed up to share in the celebrations at Benton's pub. That setting was really great and I enjoyed the recollections of the days of old at UNIT during the 1970s and '80s. Anne and Terry added some nice depth to the history of UNIT and seeing how passionate the latter was regarding his feelings for the former was an unexpected turn of events. The arrival of the Silurians and the modern UNIT team was excellent and the prospect of a chase was very exciting. That's essentially what the whole adventure was about and I think it worked really well. I really liked Jastrok as a central villain figure for the Silurians and I'm sure I am going to enjoy him more as the series goes on. He filled the role of Grand Marshall brilliantly and his distain towards other parties of Silurians and their triad politics was really intriguing. The way he was so obviously in charge was impressive and it was clear that he garnered respect from the warriors who served him. I was a little surprised by his actions at the end in sacrificing a sleeping clan of Silurians to make UNIT think that their enemy had been wiped out but they would be regrouping and would strike in the near future. Jastrok's plan was in full fruition with his control over Burmaster. Osgood was terrific throughout and I loved how she was likened to the Doctor. I'm sure if there were visuals she would have been blushing. Her reminiscing of Classic adventures was fantastic and when Josh arrived, the idea of comparing Auton stories was fantastic. The reference to Doctor Who and the Silurians was excellent and I liked how that sparked some lovely memories of the Brigadier. How wonderful it would have been for him to appear here. The way Osgood utilised her information to use fire against the Silurians was very good for the explosion, but of course the Silurians were one step ahead. The prospect of Benton and Yates going to the Tower of London and seeing modern UNIT was wonderful and I look forward to the next audio! Overall, a great start!

The Silurians

Rating: 8/10

The Whispering Gallery

"No one ever smiles or laughs or cries here."

Writers: Leah Moore & John Reppion
Format: Comic Strip
Released: February 2009
Printed in: IDW #3.01

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis 

The TARDIS has landed in a maze-like gallery filled with thousands of talking pictures, and the Doctor and Martha discovery they have come across a planet where showing emotion has been outlawed. The inhabitants have good reason for their suppression, but it wouldn't be like the Doctor to leave them in fear of truly living.

Verdict

The Whispering Gallery was an excellent start to the second volume graphic novel of IDW's collected Tenth Doctor comic strip adventures! I was hugely impressed with this adventure and whilst I find it a little confusing that Martha featured in a story released in 2009, I absolutely loved it. I thought the characterisation of the Tenth Doctor was outstanding throughout with the likeness of David Tennant wonderfully captured on the page. I really liked the TARDIS scene at the opening concerning milk and the Doctor not really listening to what Martha was saying. She was great in this story too and even though some of her artwork was a bit off at times, it didn't take away from the quality of the story. I thought the setting of the whispering gallery itself was excellent and the whole concept was quite shocking! It really evoked some emotion in me and the idea of the portraits containing a final thought of a deceased was incredible. It really got me thinking about what I may say if I could have just a little bit of me to live on after I die. The theme of non-emotion was brilliant and the emergence of the Morkon, an Empathivore, was all because of the Doctor which was something I loved. The reveal from the Doctor that he had previously travelled with a Grattite by the name of Grayla was quite a surprise, especially when a flashback showed that he did so when in his current incarnation so it must have been quite soon before Martha's arrival. He only gave her a lift but he opened up her eyes to all sorts of things and after years and generations of repressing emotions to protect themselves from the Morkon, the Grattites were now doomed because Grayla was changed. She had hope and emotion and the Empathivore was awoken to feast. The Doctor realising the similarities with the situation he had left Martha in inside the gallery was terrific and he was quick to go and fix things. Martha putting a deceased couple side by side so they could hear the other's dying thoughts was a lovely touch and whilst the ending was a little predictable with the Doctor giving himself up for the Morkon to overfeed and destroy itself, it was still very impactful. I really liked it and there wasn't too much that I disliked about this comic strip. Overall, a fantastic comic strip!

Rating: 9/10

I Am The Master

"People think it must be fun to be the Master."

Writer: Geoffrey Beavers
Format: Audio
Released: October 2018
Series: Short Trips 8.10

Featuring: The Master

Synopsis

There is a message for you. It comes from a long way, from a dying world. No, not a dying world. A killed world. And the message is from the killer.

Please attend carefully. The message that follows is vital to your future...

However much longer that may be.

Verdict

I Am The Master was sadly a bit of an average Short Trip audio. I had been looking forward to this one for some time and it's not often that I purchase from this range but I was enticed by the idea of the Master telling his own story but it actually ended up just being rather bland. Geoffrey Beavers gave a decent performance as the emaciated incarnation of the Master that existed chronologically between The Deadly Assassin and The Keeper of Traken but I'm not sure that I was actually a fan of the writing itself. The narration was a bit naff in parts and I don't think directly addressing the listener was a good way to go about things. It is obvious to us that we are not the 'one' going to be chosen to go and greet the Doctor and that part of the story actually felt like a Decide Your Destiny book come to audio. I wasn't a fan. I thought the Master asking the listener if they were still listening got a little tiresome and I found myself laughing a little towards its conclusion where the Master firmly stated that we would listen to the adventure again because he was the Master and we will obey him. I am a huge fan of that line and I always love when it gets mentioned, but here I can safely say that I shan't be listening to this one again. I just can't believe how disappointed I was with it! The introduction about this incarnation of the Master seemed a little unnecessary and I don't think a mix of a story and biography worked well. It should have been one or the other. The actual story we got of how the Master settled into a society and slowly took over by becoming Vice-President needed more depth but I did like the idea of him ruling an empire. What I didn't like was the mentions of the Doctor and how if he arrived, the Master's plans were thrown out of the window. Now, we all know that's usually what happens but the Master shouldn't expect defeat every time he encounters his arch enemy! I really hated that. The Master should have confidence and show bravado despite his emaciated form and he should believe that the Doctor is no match for him. The foreshadowings of The End of Time and the female Doctor were nice inclusions but I just didn't like much of the story itself. It was a somewhat intriguing insight into the mind of the Master, and particularly his search for a new body, but it was lacking severely in the action and engagement of the listener. Overall, sadly this was an average tale.

Rating: 5/10

The Power of the Daleks

"Life depends on change and renewal."

Writer: David Whitaker
Format: TV (Animation)
Broadcast: 5th November - 10th December 1966
Season: 4.03

Featuring: Second Doctor, Polly, Ben

Synopsis

Following his first ever regeneration, the Doctor, along with his companions Polly and Ben, does battle with an old foe on the mysterious planet Vulcan. How will Polly and Ben cope with a new Doctor? How will the Doctor take to his new body? And how will they overcome the power of the Daleks?

Verdict

The Power of the Daleks was an excellent serial that was wonderfully recreated through animation! It's really quite brilliant that we get to visualise this story like never before and it was the perfect choice for the first full-length animation as it is such a vital story in the history of Doctor Who. It introduces Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor in a fantastic way and I loved how ambiguous the whole concept of the renewal was. It was quickly shaken off as just being a feature of the TARDIS and why would anybody question that? I thought that was really nice. The opening scene in the TARDIS with Polly and Ben just basically watching the Doctor adapt to his new body was sublime and one of the best scenes ever in Doctor Who in my opinion. I'd love to have been a viewer watching this for the first time without knowing the concept of regeneration. Polly firmly believing that this new man was still the Doctor was nice and I loved the contrast of Ben thinking he was some sort of imposter. The Doctor talking about his previous incarnation in the third person was absolutely delightful. I was really impressed with the pace of the adventure and the slow rebuilding of the Daleks to full power was superb. I really liked how the Daleks tricked their 'masters' into providing them with the materials required to reproduce more Daleks but the prospect of them being servants was just unbelievable. We knew it wouldn't last but to see them willingly give up their exterminators was incredible. It was also rather scary as it showed how confident they were in succeeding. The guest cast in this story were really good with Valmar, Janley and Bragen particularly standing out. The latter assuming command at the expense of the Governor was quite the coup and his inability to believe that his power over the Daleks would end was something that would become typical. Lesterson experimenting on and reviving the Daleks was terrific and I liked how his intentions were purely scientific so he continued despite the Doctor's warning. The Vulcan setting was really good and I liked the divide that came with the rebels. The story being about literal Dalek power was brilliant and I loved how as the adventure went on, they gained more and more of it. Of course, the Doctor would see that they were overfed and it led to a quite spectacular end scene with the Daleks pretty much obliterated. Prior to that though, the culling of a lot of the cast was an incredibly powerful scene and it perfectly showed you just how evil and ruthless the Daleks were. The animation itself was a bit shaky but a project of this magnitude must be incredibly difficult and I'm just so grateful that it occurred in the first place. I thought Ben's acceptance of the Doctor's identity could have been a little more cohesive and there needed to be some clarity in certain areas of the story concerning the rebels, but as a whole this was a truly great adventure!

Rating: 9/10

Herald of Madness Part 1

"We're in the Renaissance!"

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 7th February 2019
Printed in: DWM 535

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

Bohemia, 1601. The TARDIS lands in Kokorin Forest and the Doctor and her friends are met by the presence of Tycho Brahe and his student Johannes Kepler. They're on their way to a gathering hosted by  Baroness Dagmar Ruskovitch, but there's more to her than meets the eye...

Verdict

Herald of Madness started in very decent fashion with this opening part! More of the comic strip shortly, but first I'll look ahead to the magazine itself and if the cover alone is anything to go by, it looks set to be a fantastic issue. The focus on Season 18 with the release of the new collection DVD upcoming seems a great idea and whilst I won't be looking to purchase it, it is a season I am fond of as its penultimate story was my very first foray into the Classic era and it remains one of my all time favourite stories. I look forward to any coverage The Keeper of Traken gets in this issue. The interview with Christopher H. Bidmead should be superb and it'll be really interesting to read his thoughts on particularly the last two stories of this season. Wayne Yip getting interviewed will also be good as will anything else that comes following the airing of Resolution. I have no doubts that this episode will have split opinion so I really look forward to reading the thoughts of the readership. My focus of interest will largely be centred on the Dalek design. The final Public Image for quite some time should be good and I look forward to finding out just how well the New Year's Day Special did in its unusual slot. Will we back on at Christmas next year? The Day of the Dish feature after a very quick glimpse looks set to be magnificent as it focuses on the Fourth Doctor's regeneration in Logopolis and the new season release seems to have updated the look of it. I'm not sure if I'm a huge fan of restoration or improvement works as I'm a sucker for nostalgia and I quite like my Classic Who untainted. Anyway, onto the comic strip now and I thought it was a very good start! We're well into the Thirteenth Doctor's run in the pages of DWM now and it's nice to know that things won't get interrupted when she returns on screen next year. The setting was excellent and I absolutely loved the Doctor's reaction to being amidst the Renaissance. This was why she loved the human race - for eras like this. She couldn't be happier about it and that was lovely to see. Brahe was a good character but the top guest character was definitely Kepler! He would go on to become quite revered and change the way humanity viewed the stars so seeing him here as an understudy was really good and intriguing. The Doctor being more pleased to see him than his teacher was a funny moment. The companions didn't have much to do in this part which was fine for a first part but I did like how Graham was getting along with Brahe without actually doing much. I thought the Baroness was an interesting character and I really loved the little confrontation between her and the Doctor. The latter knew that something dodgy was going on as this gathering hadn't gone down in history and she and Ryan soon found themselves where they shouldn't be with mysterious rituals occurring. Overall, a very good start!

Alit in Underland

"Why are you so chipper?"

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: February 2018
Printed in: The Missy Chronicles

Featuring: Missy, The Master

Synopsis

While the Doctor recovers on floor 507 of the Mondas Colony Ship, Missy and the Master hunt for their own way out - with a stowaway in tow.

Verdict

Alit in Underland was a very good conclusion to The Missy Chronicles! It really has been a fantastic collection of stories and I've really loved the range of stories with the entirety of Missy's timeline being incorporated into the collection which was a huge bonus. Here, we were taken right at the end with a story inserted right between World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls and I thought it was delightful to see that Missy was making a conscious effort to actually try and impress the Doctor with her actions. The Master's reaction to the revelation that she had watched Frozen with her arch nemesis was superb but Missy's response of 'let it go' was pure genius. The pairing of Missy and John Simm's incarnation of the Master was a dream and I liked that this short story gave us more as I was never happy with the amount of airtime we got of the pairing on television following an incredible cliffhanger. There was some intriguing tension and animosity between each incarnation and I loved some of the names that got mentioned by Missy as she remembered some of the women that the Master had used for his schemes in the past. The mentions of Kassia and Chantho in particular made me very happy. Alit made for a great stowaway and the contrast in reactions and thoughts towards her by each incarnation of the Master/Missy was terrific. The Master wanted her to be used as a distraction for the Cybermen towards the story's end whilst Missy was a little more humane and helped her hide. Her thoughts of the Cybermen, before they became recognisable as we know them, being scarecrows was excellent. I also really enjoyed that the Cybermen in this adventure were reminiscent of those we saw in the 1980s - especially when a Cyber Leader appeared and the Cyber-Planner was mentioned. Missy, too, was quite interested in that being present but she was more concerned with the Cybermats. Her description of them was more than decent. The Mondas Colony Ship setting was utilised pretty well and I loved Alit's reaction to seeing what was beneath her world. The little mention of Nardole was lovely and I thought she was just a very good character, especially when she let on that she was duller than she actually was. Missy and the Master reminiscing on children's programmes was lovely and I really enjoyed their relationship throughout. Say something nice... this was a delightful end to Missy's own collection of stories!

Rating: 8/10

Girl Power!

"My general advice would be to kill all men."

Writer: Jacqueline Rayner
Format: Short Story
Released: February 2018
Printed in: The Missy Chronicles

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Nardole, Missy

Synopsis

The world would be a better place with women in charge, and Missy goes online with the past to prove it...

Verdict

Girl Power! was a phenomenal short story to continue my reading of The Missy Chronicles! I was always confident that Jacqueline Rayner would deliver as she is a favoured writer of mine and I was not let down. The format of the story being told purely through communication online was simply delightful and refreshing and just downright brilliant. It was so easy to read and just so unique which was a big bonus. I loved how it allowed for a lot more humour and the messages between Nardole and the Doctor regarding Missy's requests of orders for the Vault was magnificent. Nardole was getting more and more worried with each request but the Doctor simply approved her requests. Even when he knew she was up to something, he wanted to see what. His curiosity really did get the best of him. I really liked the Series 10 setting and the idea of Missy contacting women throughout history because of how badly they were treated was terrific. She got the likes of Boudica, Joan of Arc and Agatha Christie in an online group and it was all to kill men. Quite often through the form of stabbing. Missy was quite intent on that method. I really loved how different Missy is as a woman but she is still completely recognisable as the Master which is crucial to the character. When she was conversing with the Doctor, the reminiscing of the past was simply delightful. The way the likes of The King's Demons were ridiculed because of the Master's disguise was superb and I just loved how Missy yearned for the Doctor's reaction when the disguise was no more and her/his presence was revealed. The Doctor believing that with all of the Tudor women present, she was hoping to thwart the Stuart regime from coming of age and that would have prevented St. Luke's University, the location of the Vault, from being built and may aid her escape. She, of course, did voluntarily place herself in the Vault and she was genuinely trying to do good. She didn't quite grasp the non-interference with history part, but the Doctor seemed so happy and proud that her intentions were good as she wanted to stop the oppression of women. I mean, that did involve keeping men as toys but hey, she's new to all this. The history of the Master getting explored and getting a distinct number for Missy's incarnation (that's 19 for all of you keeping track) was an unexpected bonus. After her attempt at MADAM being formed failed due to the Doctor revealing the sexism of many English phrases, she now turned to rats to rise up. How wonderfully bonkers. Overall, easily the best story of the collection!

Rating: 10/10

Frontios

"Death is a daily occurrence on this planet."

Writer: Christopher H. Bidmead
Format: TV
Broadcast: 26th January - 3rd February 1984
Season: 21.03

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis 

An irresistible fore draws the TARDIS to the barren surface of Fronts, where in the far future the last surviving humans cower amongst the ruins of their wrecked spacecraft. Under constant threat from lethal meteorite bombardments, few of the doomed colony members realise that the ground of Frontios itself opens up and devours the unwary. Not permitted to assist, the Doctor's attempt to leave is thwarted when the unimaginable occurs: the TARDIS is utterly destroyed.

All the while, burrowing undetected below the planet's crust, sickening alien parasites prepare a gruesome and final fate for all humanity...

Verdict

Frontios was a bit of an average television tale and it was sadly nowhere near as good as I remembered it being on my first and only previous viewing some seven years ago. It just seems to be confined to a setting that is too small when it really ought not to be and I think the reveal of the Tractators and their presence came a little too late. I was absolutely fine with them not meeting the characters until around halfway through the story but I think we should have seen just one scene with a little plan of them up to no good. I feel that would have been hugely beneficial. On a positive side however, and there were many to this story, I really enjoyed Peter Davison's performance as the Fifth Doctor and I particularly loved how he was secretly planning to isolate the Gravis and claimed Tegan to be a purchase of his in order to convince him of his intentions. I really liked the idea of the colonists being one of the very last remnants of mankind and the Doctor's unwillingness to land there due it being beyond the usual Time Lord scope was great. I thought that should have been played on more when they actually crash-landed there. The cliffhanger to part one was superb with the TARDIS becoming rubble and nothing other than a hat stand remaining. Just how would the Doctor and co get by at the end of the universe with no means of escape? The first two parts were particularly slow in my opinion and I don't think there would have been any issue at all with merging them into one. It would have added some much needed excitement. I wasn't a huge fan of Tegan in this story as she didn't really offer much at all and I'm not a fan of Turlough but I did like how he had an ancestral memory of the Tractators. I thought it was a little easy though that as the story went on, he could just gradually remember more about them that could bring about their downfall. I thought part four was easily the best of the story and I loved seeing bits of the TARDIS scattered and conjoined with the earth of Frontios. It was quite an image but again, the way the Gravis was isolated and defeated could have been a little more difficult which would have had more of an impact in my opinion. We did have some decent characters in the form of Range, Brazen and particularly Norna but I think the limits of the setting were a big hinderance to my enjoyment. Overall, there were still some very good elements but it was lacking in quite a few places.

Rating: 6/10

Tulpa

"The ones who could sculpt dreams."

Writer: James Peaty
Format: Comic Strip
Released:
Printed in: The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor #3

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill

Synopsis

The Twelfth Doctor and Bill are summoned to London by Kate Stewart and arrive to find Piccadilly Circus transformed into an empty wasteland. The only population seems to be something reminiscing pterodactyls. Just what has gone wrong?

Verdict

Tulpa was a very good conclusion to this mini-series of The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor! There's still the overlapping story as a whole that I've got to get to but despite their quality and being enjoyable, these comic strip adventures didn't really feel like we were on the road to the Thirteenth Doctor's arrival at all which was quite weird. They were just three one-off stories and that's absolutely fine with me! I thought this was the best of the bunch and the artwork was much improved from the previous two stories. I thought the writing of the Twelfth Doctor and Bill was excellent and I really enjoyed how their relationship was portrayed on the page. It definitely felt like it fitted in with the era of Series 10 and that is always a big bonus for me. Bill getting to meet UNIT and Kate Stewart again following The Lost Dimension was very good and I really enjoyed how Kate sent the Doctor a message through his psychic paper. Their arrival to London was quite unexpected and the idea of the city being the centre for a shift between phases of reality was brilliant. That's a recycled story element but it is one I do really enjoy and find quite fascinating. The unnamed man who was clearly missing or seeking a woman called Karen was another intriguing element of the story and the way he found her through the mysterious book was good. The truth behind Karen and how she was actually the memory of the Kar-yn was terrific! I loved their history and with them being the subject of stories on Gallifrey, it gave them a significant reputation and status in the universe. Their ability to sculpt dream was a brilliant concept and how they hid their own memory in a pot luck message across the stars was quite extraordinary. They found their host in the form of this man and his lack of imagination bringing them into the world was very good. The only slight issue I had with this story was the speed of the conclusion. It just seemed a tad rapid but I can fully appreciate the difficulties that come with there only being one part to work with. The story had considerable depth which was a big plus! The Kar-yn were bringing the memory of dying world back from the ashes and that meant Earth was being ravaged by death. The man stopped believing and searching for his Karen at Bill and the Doctor's hasty request and that meant the Kar-yn were returned to memories. Overall, a very decent comic strip!

Rating: 8/10

The Steampunk Conundrum

"19th century San Francisco. With robots!"

Writer: James Peaty
Format: Comic Strip
Released: August 2018
Printed in: The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor #2

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice

Synopsis

The Eleventh Doctor and Alice visit 19th century San Francisco, but there's one problem - it's full of robots! Do they come in peace? Or does their displacement in time signal something sinister? Or might they not be as threatening as they appear?

Verdict

The Steampunk Conundrum was a very good comic strip story to continue along The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor series! It was a much improved adventure following on from The Ghost Ship and I was very impressed with the writing of the Eleventh Doctor and Alice. Matt Smith's likeness was terrifically captured on the page and I think this one of the best examples of his characterisation from any Titan Comics story yet. It was honestly that good. His relationship with Alice was enjoyable and I really liked that it was just the two of them travelling alone. That is something I've wanted ever since their first year of stories started but the likes of Jones, Arc, Abslom Daak and the Sapling all got in the way so this was a great relief for me personally. I thought the 19th century setting was excellent and I really liked that San Francisco was the location. It is not the place you'd usually think of when it comes to a historical setting so going somewhere that hasn't really got a major historical event was refreshing. The Doctor and Alice fitting into their environment was delightful and I loved how similar her uncomfortable dress was to a Dalek. I was a little confused by that reference until the panel panned out and it was really uncanny! Even the shape was scarily similar. The pneumatic men were really intriguing and just seeing them strolling around San Francisco was quite incredible - some were even walking dogs! That didn't quite seem in line with the setting but I did enjoy Alice's reaction to them. The Doctor wanting to find the inevitable trouble they'd run into was good and it was good that the coordinates came from the psychic paper. Schwartz, or Brady, made for a good villain and the use of perception filters in the adventure was really good. The Doctor instructing Alice as to how she could see the truth was really great. The plan of infiltrating the USA before it became a global superpower was fantastic and it was more of a staggered and gradual invasion. It's been done before but never for America so I quite liked that. The ending was very good with the pneumatic men recognising that their cover might be blown by Schwartz himself so they ended up destroying themselves to protect their identity and became junk at the bottom of the sea. Overall, a fantastic little story!

Rating: 8/10