Mars

"You can't outrun a storm."

Writer: Trevor Baxendale
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2005
Printed in: Short Trips: The Solar System 04

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven, Vicki

Synopsis

Steven Taylor is about to die on Mars. The First Doctor and Vicki are on Phobos Station, trying to locate him on the planet's surface. When the TARDIS detected a distress signal, Steven took a ship to rescue the pilot, Hazam, but the two crashed and a deadly storm approaches...

Verdict

Mars was a great little story and a vast improvement of The Solar System edition of the Short Trips books. This was certainly a lot better than the previous adventure of Earth and I really liked the return to a traditional form of storytelling. The First Doctor, Steven and Vicki are a great little trio so getting a bonus story with them here was really delightful. Things started straight in the action and that really hooked me from the get go which was a big positive. Steven was an immense danger and I really liked that he had sacrificed himself selflessly in oder to answer the distress call and try and save Hazam. The Jarnian was hardly thankful for Steven's effort and the inner thoughts of the companion were really intriguing and also quite saddening to read. He had risked his life and was doing his utmost to save Hazam, but he just didn't care and seemed to accept that death was imminent. I mean, it was a little understandable given their predicament of limited oxygen, lack of shelter and no shelter anywhere in sight. Steven's monumental efforts to physically move the despondent Hazam to safety despite his oxygen running out made him incredibly likeable, as if that was not the case already! It just added to his qualities as companion which was fantastic to see. The Doctor being something resembling the old and decrepit man that his appearance let on was good and I liked how he seemed to accept that Steven's fate was sealed. Almost. Just when there was a hint of Steven being alive, he instantly turned back into the fun and ebullient man we all love. Vicki didn't have a great deal to do in this adventure but she really shone in refusing to give up hope on Steven being alive. I loved that as it showed just how much he meant to her. The Doctor's admiration for both of his companions was on full display here and I loved it when he proudly proclaimed that he thought of Steven like he was his son. That was quite the compliment! Grys was another good character as Hazam's mother and her refusal to accept death whilst there was a chance her son was alive was very good to read. The story was really impressive in how tense it was with a really atmospheric feel of being on the edge of your seat. It was done very well, especially for a short story where the word count is limited. The Doctor finally convincing Tugwell to allow him to pilot a ship through the storm after all forms of radio communication proved fruitless was fantastic and I loved that he ended up coming on the rescue mission himself. Steven believing he was hallucinating once his oxygen ran out and he could see the Doctor and co coming to save him was a thrilling moment as he must have been on the brink, but his life was saved. The story ending with Hazam, thought dead, also being alive and thanking Steven for saving his life was a lovely touch. A really fitting end to what was a great little story!

Rating: 8/10

Earth

"Evolution in effect."

Writer: Jim Mortimore
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2005
Printed in: Short Trips: The Solar System 03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor

Synopsis

The Fourth Doctor has ended up on Earth with Jake, a young man from 1939, 50 million years into his future. The only species left on Earth are two species of large robot ants and a cattle-like species that the Doctor claims are humanity's descendants...

Verdict

Earth was not the greatest short story in the world, it has to be said. I was bitterly disappointed with this one unfortunately and after a good start to The Solar System edition of this Short Trips volume, the longest story in the collection will surely be the worst. I'll be stunned if anything is as bad as this and I really was quite generous with my rating! I really thought Jake was just an awful character and having him as the basis of the first person mode of storytelling was an awful choice. I just knew from the first page or two that I wasn't going to enjoy this. I'm not usually a fan of the first person at all but there have been exceptions such as my recent reading of Scratchman, but my return to the Fourth Doctor was far from a similar standard. It felt quite rushed and there wasn't much clarity and elaboration on what was actually happening. There was such a big jump from 1939 and 50 million years into the future and whilst I did like that this was not a traditional story for the Earth setting, it just didn't work for me. It had nothing to do with the unfamiliar setting, it just wasn't good. The concept of Earth 50 million years into the future is a very good one and I like the idea of things being totally different to what we know of our planet today. Instead of humanity remaining the dominant species, Earth was now the battleground for the last remaining species of robotic ants. The battle between the Black and Red ants needed to be made more of in my opinion but that is where the first person became a limitation. We just got to experience Jake's reaction of everything that was happening and I just wasn't interested to be honest. If it was the Doctor doing the narrating then that would have been different, but he was just reduced to being a clearly far superiorly intelligent person who was annoying always referred to as the Zoot. I didn't understand that and the more it occurred the more it aggravated me. I won't lie, even at just 40 pages this was a struggle to read. Right, so my rating is obviously not completely disastrous so I will mention some positives! Hurrah! I did like the setting and as I said, the battle between the ants was good but needed more. The moment where the Doctor revealed that the meadow contained what was left of humanity was a grotesque moment but one that I thought was excellent. I'd have liked some more development on that but the fear that Jake would end up like that was good. I thought the ending was action packed but as a whole was still lacking. The one good thing with Jake was when he saw the Empire State Building being something different to the dominating aspect of the landscape he is so used to. I really liked that moment. Overall though, this one was just lacking a lot and that was a big shame. The characterisation of the Fourth Doctor was also really bad too! Ugh.

Rating: 5/10

Escape into Alcatraz

"Don't want to miss the alien invasion and the prison riot!"

Writer: Tony Lee

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2012

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2012 (Comic)

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

It's 1962 and the Doctor is locked in Alcatraz Prison. There's no telling why, but he has a plan and it involves his old chum Mako. He hasn't seen him since a good few faces ago, but together they orchestrate an escape from the inescapable confinement with the Doctor bending some rules of time...

Verdict

Escape into Alcatraz was another average comic strip story from the comic strip version of the 2012 Doctor Who Annual. It seems that the second volume of IDW's Eleventh Doctor Archives is becoming something resembling inconsistent and with Tony Lee back penning a story, I can't say I'm too surprised! This once again had a feeling of being aimed at a younger audience and that's just something I cannot quite wrap my head around. It really doesn't make sense to me. Surely an Annual would just be a celebration of the monthly series that is produced and would follow in very similar circumstances? I just don't understand why this deviated so much from the ongoing series. Anyhow, another thing that annoyed me with this adventure was the lack of Amy and Rory and it seems to be something that is becoming commonplace in the Doctor Who Annuals from IDW. Surely consistency would be the way to go with the TARDIS team? Or at least an explanation of where the companions are when they were so clearly involved in the overall story due to their 'Amy 4 Rory' being used as the X that marked the spot on where in the cell to facilitate the escape. Something else that annoys me with Doctor Who stories, and it certainly wasn't limited to this one, was when the Doctor meets an old friend or acquaintance that actually has never appeared in a previous story. There have been very few occasions where I felt that has worked and it's just something I don't get. It occurred here with Mako and I just don't understand the value it has. The Doctor almost certainly has a new face but the catch up part of the dialogue is completely wasted because we don't actually know the character so we don't really care. Things would be much better if there was a returning character! Right, slight rants over. This one wasn't bad at all to be honest and the concept of the Doctor having to escape from Alcatraz is excellent and was actually portrayed decently well. I loved that he just sauntered up to the leader without a thought in the world and had gone a long way to saving his friend here. I'm not quite sure how he so easily broke the Laws of Time by going back and saving the life of Mako, who he saw had died in the riot in the next week's newspaper. That was quite uncharacteristic, but I did enjoy his meddling with the blueprints to get things exactly where he wanted them in order to escape. The involvement of Malone could have had more of an impact and I do think this story suffered a little from a short page count. It was though full of action and while the actual depiction of the riot was a little childish, I liked how the Doctor called those who were after Mako to the TARDIS after escape just for them to run away because the Doctor threatened to go around following them for eternity. Overall, an average story that had its moments but just wasn't quite what I wanted.

Rating: 6/10

Time Fraud

"Why are you pretending to be Time Lords?"

Writer: Richard Dinnick

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2012

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2012 (Comic)

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

The TARDIS is drawn to a time-lost chrononaut, which leads to the discovery of surviving Time Lords. How has the Doctor not realised that he isn't the only survivor of the Time War? Or are these merely fraudsters? Time will tell...

Verdict

Time Fraud was an excellent comic strip adventure and a wonderful way to continue reading the comic strip edition of the 2012 Doctor Who Annual segments in the second volume of IDW's Eleventh Doctor Archives! This really was superb and there was a lot going on for me that just worked to a peach. I thought the inclusion of the Ra'ra'vis was a huge coincidence given that I have only recently read Jorus and the Voganauts so I was really surprised to find that they actually appeared before their outing in the Myths & Legends book. I certainly didn't see it coming so that really did thrill me! The characterisation of the Eleventh Doctor was sublime with Matt Smith's likeness well captured along with his relationship with Amy and Rory. That has been a shining light of highlights from IDW thus far and I long for it to continue. The plot of this one was terrific and the idea of the Doctor tackling time fraud was one I really enjoyed. His reaction when he was informed that Gallifreyan help was present was fantastic and he immediately dismissed the possibility. As he had made very clear, he was the very last of the Time Lords. The Ra'ra'vis calling upon them for help with their time experiments and solstice was good but what was even better was the fact that it was Time Lord impersonators who answered the call! The very idea! When I think of it, I'm quite surprised that it hasn't been done before but I'm delighted that it finally occurred here. I was a big fan. Seeing the Eleventh Doctor with the Castellan outfitted enemies was a real treat and I had some seriously nostalgic feelings when he momentarily emerged from the TARDIS wearing the famed Time Lord collar. That really was marvellous and a lovely clash of eras. The Gizou being the ones impersonating the Time Lords was very good and I thought the Doctor's reaction to them was very good indeed. He didn't seem surprised but he was quick to sympathise with Nimu. She was lovely and was just doing everything she could to save her people. The Doctor could understand that which was fantastic and exactly what you would expect. The real enemy turned out to be Scott Thrower and as he wasn't a real Time Lord and therefore unable to regenerate, he wanted to use the power of the double solstice to rejuvenate his youth. It wasn't too much of a surprise but when it came to the Doctor giving him what he wanted, it was in an extraordinary form. He reverted back to a child but used his vortex manipulator as he was a time agent, and ended up in Scotland in 1965. Speechless and unable to talk, he would be a child that we would see Captain Jack sacrifice to the 456 in Children of Earth. The shadow appearance of Jack was fantastic and a sublime end to what was a brilliant comic strip!

Rating: 9/10

In-Fez-Station

"Look at those fezzes glow."

Writer: Len Wein

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2012

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2012 (Comic)

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

The Eleventh Doctor has taken Amy and Rory to Morocco, for no reason in particular. None at all. Well, maybe. There might be something going on with a familiar piece of headwater that he likes to constantly remind his companions are cool. But he'll be reunited with an old enemy using them for their own good...

Verdict

In-Fez-Station was, despite being quite brilliantly titled, a somewhat average continuation of the second volume of IDW's Eleventh Doctor Archives. I felt like this one was targeted towards a more youthful audience and even though it appeared in the comic strip version of the Doctor Who Annual, I really was surprised to see how much the writing deviated from the regular monthly series. The one thing that really annoyed me was the Doctor's dialogue containing plot development that really should have been just included in narration. It didn't make much sense to me that the Doctor was saying some of the things he was and that really had an adverse effect on the characterisation in my opinion and that was a big shame. Things weren't quite the same for Amy and Rory either as they kept referencing indicators of following the plot rather than just letting things advance naturally. One big positive for this comic strip was the unexpected return of the Slitheen and I really should have realised they were imminent when there was the first fart from the man claiming to be suffering from a dodgy kabob. There was only one outcome really wasn't there! The image of the Slitheen all crowding around the Eleventh Doctor was terrific and I really liked that he got to do battle with an old enemy once again. That's something IDW have not been shy on and I have really enjoyed the numerous returns that have occurred. Their plan to wipe out humanity was actually unique and rather good as they were going to use sonic technology to have the human race's best singers sing so high and on such a note that it would resonate with the human body's atomic makeup and turn them into sludge. When the Doctor heard of the plan, he was incredibly calm and didn't seem perplexed in the slightest. I liked that he had a plan immediately but I do question how he was able to use his sonic screwdriver so quickly considering the fact he was tied up and at the mercy of the Slitheen. Something didn't quite add up and that was a shame to me as I felt the story had a lot more potential. Amy and Rory wearing the fez came with humour and their reactions to being taken over was quite comical which was good. The Doctor didn't even need to tell them, they just immediately knew that they'd missed out on everything. That was a slight shame as I'd have loved to see their reactions to the Slitheen emerging from human skin. The Doctor changing the sonic waves to attack a Slitheen's atomic structure was clever but I remain unconvinced how he could operate his device. Also, if the Slitheen knew of the Doctor and the way he's interfered in their plans before, then surely they'd realise he uses sonic technology so they'd be carrying out a huge risk? Overall, a good idea but not quite a great delivery of the story.

Rating: 6/10

The Doctor and the Nurse

"They believe the past and future don't exist."

Writer: Brandon Seifert
Format: Comic Strip
Released: December 2012 - January 2013
Printed in: DW12 #3-4

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

The stress from their past few adventures have the Doctor and Rory at each other's throats, and Amy has had just about enough. So she sends them on a boy's night out, much to their chagrin, but with a TARDIS at their disposal...

Verdict

The Doctor and the Nurse was a very good comic strip adventure and quite a unique way to continue my reading of the Eleventh Doctor Archives Volume 2 from IDW! Even though Amy featured relatively largely in this adventure, it was very much one for solely the Eleventh Doctor and Rory and that is quite an intriguing approach. The stresses of recent outings in the TARDIS catching up with them was very good and something you would definitely expect given how close they come to death and everything they have to go through. Seeing these real life effects on the TARDIS team was brilliant and something that more could definitely be made of in the future. Amy getting angered by the bickering between her boys was very humorous and I love the authority she possesses within the TARDIS. She really is in charge and I think that is a great dynamic. When she made sure that Rory and the Doctor went off and had some bonding time, much to their annoyance, the fact that they ended up losing her by leaving her in 1814 during the Great Beer Flood and failing to return was terrific. It really was very humorous and the constant time hopping searching for Amy was having its effects on the TARDIS. A stop to Cardiff was required and a welcomed return of the Rift! I'm a huge Torchwood fan so I really liked that occurring in the Eleventh Doctor era as we never really got it on television. I thought the characterisation of Matt Smith's incarnation was once again terrific and has probably been the thing I've been most impressed with from IDW in my reading of their comic strips thus far. It really does make a difference to how I read a story so I'm delighted to see it continue once again here. Amy's sub-story of the Great Beer Flood was very good and I was glad to see her have some historical knowledge in realising that she was in a pre-Victorian era. The Doctor and Rory failing to bond because they were clashing over whether they should save Amy or do the right thing in preventing the gorilla from taking over miniaturised New York was very good. They both clearly cared for things and that was nice to see. One thing that did irk me a little in this comic strip was the use of the Cybermen. They barely appeared and I really don't think they deserve to just be thrown about without really having an effect on the story. It occurred in A Good Man Goes to War and I didn't much like it then either. The Siblinghood were the main opposition in this story and I thought the concept behind them was magnificent. The idea of them being presentist was just wonderful as they obviously wouldn't take too kindly to the Doctor! I really liked the reference and similarities this story had to The Girl Who Waited but I thought it was a shame that things ended so abruptly. Am I to assume that the saber-tooth is still roaming around the TARDIS? Overall though, this remained a really fantastic story.

Rating: 8/10

The Hypothetical Gentleman

"The Great Exhibition awaits!"

Writer: Andy Diggle
Format: Comic Strip
Released: October 2012
Printed in: DW12 #1-2

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

A shadow being has emerged from a machine used to view alternate realities, and is stealing time from those he touches in order to become "real." Can the Doctor save the Hypothetical Gentleman's latest victim?

Verdict

The Hypothetical Gentleman was another very good comic strip adventure in my reading of the second volume of IDW's Eleventh Doctor Archives! There was no returning enemy this time around but it was another great story. I thought the predominant setting of the Great Exhibition, or rather the day before its official opening, was terrific and I was glad that the Doctor mentioned his previous visits that have occurred across the formats and had to ensure that he would not bump into any of his past selves. I'm a sucker for a multi-Doctor story though so I'd have loved for that to be the case! However, it didn't come to be but we had the Eleventh Doctor on top form so that was good to read. I thought the characterisation of Matt Smith's incarnation was once again brilliant and I definitely feel that IDW has done a better job in that regard than their successors at Titan Comics achieved. I do understand that the inclusions of Amy and Rory may have something to do with that though as they have also been written excellently. Their desire to have some alone time was welcomed as that would obviously be quite high on their priorities but I imagine things become difficult with the Doctor around. The way he poked into their moment was hilarious and exactly what I'd imagine would happen on television so that was a positive. The visit to 1936 and the mini story with Kriemhilde Steiner was an exciting start to the comic strip and I was very intrigued by another Nazi mention. Is this a foreshadowing of things to come? I do hope so but I guess only time will tell. I am optimistic though as this seems too much of a coincidence given the track records of comic strips. And as the Doctor knows, there's no such thing as a coincidence. His continued denial of the existence of ghosts was very good and in character and I loved how he checked if the Mummy that we saw in Pyramids of Mars was deactivated when seeing it as part of the Great Exhibition. The concept of the Hypothetical Gentleman was fantastic and one I think could have been developed even further. Like the Doctor, not knowing is something I quite despite so I was a little annoyed that we didn't actually get to know who it actually was because of Amy's understandable interference to save her boys. With the little reappearance in the TARDIS at the end though, I doubt this arc is anywhere near being just a one story thing. That's very exciting and I do hope I am right. Its taking the life of those in reality to try and manifest itself from being pure hypothesis was really good and something quite disturbing. It made for a very good enemy. The Fairfaxes were good characters too and the Doctor realising that Emily was in fact a telepath rather than a spiritual guru was good. The ending was full of mixed emotion as the Doctor wouldn't have his curiosity satisfied but his life, along with Rory's, was saved thanks to Amy smashing the window gateway to the other dimension. Overall, a very good story!

Rating: 8/10

As Time Goes By

"The Silurians are going to cause a massive earthquake that somehow wipes out all of mankind."

Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Format: Comic Strip
Released: January-April 2012
Printed in: DW11 #13-16

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

1941. Casablanca. Murder. Sound familiar? It does as well to the Doctor, Amy and Rory, who revel in being in the setting for the classic film. That is until they discover a world-domination plot hatched not by Hitler, but the Silurians!

Verdict

As Time Goes By was a very good comic strip story to begin my reading of the second volume of the Eleventh Doctor Archives from IDW! I was very impressed with this beginning and I was delighted to see that the Silurians returned to do battle with the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory. Well, I say they returned but it was quite a different batch to those we saw in The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood as that one was set in South Wales in 2020 where this one had a hugely exciting setting of Casablanca in 1941. The Nazis did make an appearance but their lack of a role in the adventure was something I did hope was extended. I was very much a fan of what did occur but being the History buff that I am, with an incredibly keen interest in Nazi History, the prospect of the Doctor doing battle with the Nazis was very exciting. I hadn't read the synopsis before reading so the Silurians made quite a compromise though! I was very glad to see them return and I liked that Amy and Rory were also familiar with them. I thought the relationship between the TARDIS trio in this comic strip was superb throughout and there was definitely that feeling of Series 6 present with them all having travelled together for quite some time now. They're all obviously affectionate about each other and the humour concerning the Doctor calling them the Ponds rather than the much more difficult Williamses was wonderful. I also thought the comic value in the Doctor hunting for a new fez was brilliant. Tony Lee had been a good, if somewhat inconsistent writer, for IDW's Doctor Who range but I am glad to see that we got a fresh writer here. It definitely had a different kind of feel and that was certainly a positive in my eyes. The plot twist he managed to provide with the Captain actually being a Silurian was excellent, but even better was the fact that he didn't want to kill mankind! I really didn't see either coming but the confidence of the Doctor knowing the truth before it was revealed was terrific. I thought the characterisation of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor, and Amy and Rory to be frank, was brilliant and that always makes for a much better read. It's just so easy and feels accessible. The Silurian plan of using the air and precipitation to cause an earthquake that would wipe out humanity was very good and I really liked the shaking of an ant's nest analogy. That was neat and helpful for understanding things. One thing that did surprise me in this story was the lack of compassion the Doctor had for the Silurians. Now, I understand that the Silurians were up to something dastardly but he didn't seem to sympathise with them over their planet being overrun by humanity. It wasn't the Silurians' planet anymore. He iterated that on a number of occasion which was really intriguing. The conclusion perhaps needed slightly more clarity when it came to how the Doctor used the TARDIS to prevent all of the Silurians from drowning, but it was very exciting. Overall, a great comic strip!

Rating: 8/10

The Vardon Horse

"I would rather flee or hide than unleash our destructive capability on any race."

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: June 2017
Printed in: Myths & Legends 06

Featuring: First Doctor

Synopsis

The First Doctor is mistakenly thought to be the Silver Soothsayer when he arrives on board a ship amidst terrible conflict. The situation isn't too dissimilar to a recent adventure of his, and he sees a similar solution to ensuring that the Vardons and Kosnak don't get what they went of the Xeraphins

Verdict

The Vardon Horse was an above average continuation of the Myths & Legends short story collection, but there was definitely some improvement to be made. I did actually really like the basis for this story and it was certainly a myth I actually knew about this time – it's not too difficult to ascertain which one it is judging from its title – but I didn't think it was utilised all that well. I mean, we've already seen it occur in Doctor Who with The Myth Makers which did so in brilliant fashion and I just don't think the concept worked in space, especially in a three-way battle. The implications this story had for Time-Flight were good and I appreciate the effort that writer Richard Dinnick went to in trying to thread some small details out and giving the war between the Vardon and Kosnak (sp.) its own story. It's certainly an audacious one! It wasn't quite up to scratch in my opinion but I think a lot of that is down to trying to squeeze everything into what is such a small format. At just twenty-two pages long, there is only so much you can do and it was very much still an entertaining read. I thought the diary format worked well despite the days and months being unfamiliar and therefore a little difficult to follow. The writer being Odyson was good and I liked his style and the description that came with the style of storytelling was very much appreciated. I wasn't a big fan of the Doctor not being referred to by name and I would have loved some explanation as to how he came to be travelling alone, but I guess the writer was very clever there because it didn't have to be explained when we were just reading diary entries. The characterisation of the First Doctor was actually terrific and I really liked the referenced to the aforementioned story where he encountered the use of the Trojan Horse. However, that just further reiterated in my mind the repetitiveness of this story and whilst I'm all for basing stories upon real-life myths, this was one that had already been done so I wasn't as into it which was a big shame. I thought there needed to be a bit more elaboration concerning the actual war and not just relying on our memories of the aforementioned Fifth Doctor story as we didn't get much of that from a perspective that was being targeted. Their amalgamation into one being was intriguing and really great concept but I remain unconvinced that so many would have gone along with it so quickly. I did though like how the Doctor's perceived status as the Silver Soothsayer gave him some authority. Zarak turning out to take advantage of the situation was a very good and unexpected ending with him carrying out a coup, planning things to ensure that it looked like Furis was the one in the wrong and had ordered the murders. That was a really great twist and saved this one from being a disaster. I was very pleased that things ended with high quality but as a whole, this one was still lacking a little.

Rating: 6/10

A New Beginning

"What's the point of knocking around the universe if there's nothing new to see?"

Writer: Jody Houser
Format: Comic Strip
Released: October 2018 - February 2019
Printed in: The Thirteenth Doctor #1-4

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis 

The first collection of the Thirteenth Doctor's comic book series sees the newest incarnation of the Doctor, along with her new companions – Graham, Yaz and Ryan – trail-blazing through time tackling vile villains, avoiding an intergalactic alien civil war, uncovering the truth behind a secret human time travel experiment, and doing battle with an alien hoarder obsessed with amassing the greatest treasure in the history of the universe!

With this new Doctor in charge, one thing's for certain: there's never a dull moment or a second to spare, even if you are a Time Lord!

Verdict

A New Beginning was a decent start to the Thirteenth Doctor's life in the pages of Titan Comics! I have to say that I thought the artwork was sublime from start to finish and certainly trumped any of the Thirteenth Doctor comics from Doctor Who Magazine thus far. It really was glorious and just full of colour which is exactly what you want from a comic strip. In saying that, the writing probably wasn't quite as good as things have been in DWM but this was still a good start. The characterisation of Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor was a real highlight and was pretty much perfect throughout. It wasn't even just the dialogue, it was the way she was drawn with her mannerisms and demeanour. I thought that was very impressive to happen in a comic strip with those kind of details often going overlooked. The companions were less impressive in this one as there just didn't seem to be enough for all of them to do. Ryan particularly fell victim of this and whilst he's my least favourite of the three, he just seemed to be quite useless and merely there to offer condolences or comments of appreciation. He didn't offer much to the plot at all which was a shame. I liked the idea of humans experimenting with time and it going wrong with the Hoarder quick to take advantage and use Perkins and Schulz for his own gains. I thought things were a little wobbly when it came to when certain events in the story were taking place with a lot of jumping occurring that wasn't always obvious. There needed to be a couple more captions for my liking but it wasn't a big issue. I did think the Hoarder was a good villain but I do wish he got to spend more time with the Doctor as I thought things were begging for a good confrontation! It didn't really occur sadly and the Doctor's arrival just meant that the Hoarder was doomed and defeated. Even the ending was a little iffy as we didn't actually see the throw of the vortex manipulator that sent him into meltdown. I thought the following on from The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor miniseries could have been better referenced but the fact that there was a link was a positive in my eyes. Yaz getting to try and enact some authority to the Grand Army of Just was humorous, but they didn't stick around long enough for my liking. Whilst being good, this comic strip was slightly frustrating in places as I felt it was so close to being a great deal better. There just needed to be some more elaboration to make things work better. It was a little clumpy and with some threading out it would have turned out to be excellent. The past between Schulz and Perkins was explored nicely when clear but one thing I couldn't quite buy into was how easily the Doctor and co found her. It was sheer luck. The use of bringing the TARDIS to them was also slightly overdone, even if it resulted in a humorous comment from the Doctor. Overall, a good story that could have been great! Some wonderful comments from the Doctor about why she loved having new companions kept this one strong.

Rating: 7/10

Jorus and the Voganauts

"Who could exert that kind of power and yet need assistance?"

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: June 2017
Printed in: Myths & Legends 05

Featuring: Rassilon

Synopsis

Stuck aboard a Ra'ra'vis ship, Rassilon is helpless in aiding their desire to travel in time. He is forced to concoct numerous experiments with what, to him, is extremely primitive technology. He gets on with those holding him captive, but he's up to something far more purposeful than offering the Ra'ra'vis time travel. He needs an escape route...

Verdict

Jorus and the Voganauts was another very decent short story in what is turning out to be a rather impressively consistent Myths & Legends collection! I really am enjoying this set of adventures and they're now shaping up to be quite different with the return of the Doctor to a story nowhere in sight! This time around we saw Rassilon take the lead role and it was very good to get an insight into such an instrumental figure in Time Lord history, especially at a time when they were raging war against the Vampires. I do perhaps wish there was some more elaboration on the war between the Time Lords and Vampires but I guess a short story is probably not the right place for that as I am sure a great deal more could be told than what would have been available in the space of this story. Like is becoming the case with many of the stories from this collection, I had no idea about the myth or legend that this adventure was based upon but what we got was actually a relatively simple plot. Rassilon was held captive and was using the means he had at his disposal to try and carry out a distress call. He was at the mercy of the Ra'ra'vis, an intriguing race that I am sure could offer more potential should they ever return in the future, and they were so longing for time travel. They had captured Rassilon by chance so their luck was in but he wasn't quite adhering to their wishes. You could hardly blame him for trying to escape, right? Rassilon drawing the Vogan ship to his proximity was great and I really liked that they got another outing in a Doctor Who story, albeit set some time before Revenge of the Cybermen. Their determination to brake through the asteroid barrier and save the alien captive they knew was there, despite knowing who he was, was commendable and quite impressive. Once Meda knew that they were coming, that was that. They accepted defeat and would have to wait for time travel despite their best wishes. The way this story set up what we saw in the aforementioned Cyberman story from Season 12 was terrific with Rassilon thanking Jorus and the Vogans for their help by providing them with the technology they would need in the wars to come and by giving them the Time Lord seal in a ceremonial way. This would explain why it was visible on Voga when the Cybermen came to invade the golden planet. It was a very nice way to tie things in with history and even thought the stories were obviously set far apart, the links provided here are great. I thought Rassion was a good character throughout and whilst the illustrations did not really offer much, it was nice to get some visuals of him at this period in Time Lord history. I thought the plot was entertaining and the battle was full of action, even if it was a little short. Overall, a very positive read!

Rating: 8/10

Scratchman

"You need to understand fear."

Writers: Tom Baker & James Goss
Format: Novel
Released: January 2019
Series: BBC Books Specials 06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry

Synopsis

"We're not really here for a picnic, are we, Doctor?" asked Sarah.
"No," I agreed. "Something's brought the TARDIS here."
"Something good? Something evil?" She paused, and sighed.
"It's going to be something evil, isn't it?"

The Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane Smith arrive in a quiet Scottish village, but their holiday is cut short by the appearance of strange creatures – living scarecrows who terrify the local population. The scarecrows are the work of the sinister Scratchman, a cosmic force that enslaves planets and turns them into nightmare worlds – and he has set a series of traps for the Doctor, to get inside the Time Lord's head.

What is the Doctor most afraid of? If Scratchman can learn that, then no force in creation can stop him. The fate of the universe hangs in the balance. And the Doctor's worst nightmares are coming out to play...

Verdict

Scratchman was an excellent novel and a real treat to celebrate finishing my second semester of my Masters! Hurrah, the end is certainly in sight now as I have the summer to do my dissertation and barring some holidays away to Edinburgh and Budapest, the blogging should increase a great deal now and it's something I'm very excited about. I'm not usually a fan of stories in the first person, but when Tom Baker is the author I couldn't help but enjoy it! Having a novel from the perspective of the Doctor was terrific and one thing that really shone through was his love and admiration of his companions. That was just marvellous and it was lovely to read. The plot was sublime and I really liked the split between books with the first concerning the quiet Scottish village and the swarming of Scarecrows. They have obviously been used before in Human Nature/The Family of Blood but as this is based on a movie idea from the 70s, I guess this technically pre-dates that. The horror style of this book was tremendous and I loved how scary the Scarecrows were able to be made. I was very impressed. The village siege was fantastic and the church being the base of defence was very good. Mrs Tulloch was a humorous character due to her self-centred nature but my favourite character of the villagers was certainly Sophonisba. Her return in the Land of the Dead was an emotional moment when the Doctor confirmed that she and the rest of the village population were dead. The Doctor fighting with himself that he was not responsible for their deaths was emotional to read but I do wish they got rid of the line where the Doctor stated he was never too late. Clearly that was not the case here. The ending of book one with Sarah and Harry becoming scarecrows and being taken into the realm of Scratchman was outstanding. It really was fantastic. The story being told as the Doctor's defence for putting the universe in incredible danger by going to the Land of the Dead was just superb and the way he toyed with his fellow Time Lords in making them care about the villagers and his companions was magnificent. They went from wanting to wipe out the Earth to save the universe to feeling shocked that the Doctor left the villagers and companions to die. He knew he'd won the battle from that point on. The Doctor's taxi ride to meeting Scratchman was terrific and I liked the referencing of the three previous incarnations of the Doctor having also taken the ride. It was quite humorous. Despite only being minimal and an unexpected arrival at the end of book one, the Cybermen's role in this book was actually marvellous! They were the ones that had offered Scratchman a way into this domain as they were given the scarecrows as a means of turning everything into Cybermen very quickly. I thought that was great. Scratchman feeding off dreams was good and his desire to know the Doctor's fear was fantastic. The Doctor wouldn't give it to him in the form he'd expected. I loved that the Cyber Leader had to hep the Doctor and his companions in a way he was experiencing his greatest fear. Harry was splendid throughout the book with the Doctor's thoughts on his utter determination to follow the rules really great. The moments in the giant pinball game were quite something with the images of the neon wording. Sarah Jane being in the TARDIS and seeing the jigsaw room and some preview of her future, in things we would come to see in The Sarah Jane Adventures was marvellous and I liked that she got a little note in at the end. The way the Doctor defeated Scratchman was not too surprising but it worked excellently. He showed him all of his biggest fears and targeted them at Scratchman, draining his resources and seeing him become nothing. It was highly efficient. The cameo appearance of the Thirteenth Doctor at the end as she was revealed to be the nameless woman we had previously met in the story was an unexpected but delightful treat. Overall, an excellent book!

Rating: 9/10

The Dalek Generation

"The Daleks had saved and enhanced countless billions of lives."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Novel
Released: April 2013
Series: NSA 52

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

'The Sunlight Worlds offer you a life of comfort and plenty. Apply now at the Dalek Foundation.'

Sunlight 349 is one of countless Dalek Foundation worlds, planets created to house billions suffering from economic hardship. The Doctor arrives at Sunlight 349, suspicious of any world where the Daleks are apparently a force for good – and determined to find out the truth. The Doctor knows they have a far more sinister plan – but how can he convince those who have lived under the benevolence of the Daleks for a generation?

But convince them he must, and soon. For on another Foundation planet, archaeologists have unearthed the most dangerous technology in the universe...

Verdict

The Dalek Generation was a decent novel and a very intriguing look into the Daleks. With how frequent their appearances have been in all mediums of Doctor Who, I was quite happy to see that something different was done with them and instead of being recognised as the be all and end all of evil, they were revered across countless planets as saviours. One word that the Doctor just could not believe the Daleks were capable of being was nice. He was almost disgusted at the very prospect of it and refused to believe for one second that they were not up to something dastardly. The Doctor's distaste for the Daleks was evident throughout this novel and it was the driving force and reminding us what they were really like. With no companion in this story, that role fell to three children in the form of Ollus, Jenibeth and Sabel. They were terrific characters and the moment the Doctor had to tell them that their children had committed suicide in order to prevent a secret from the Daleks was heartbreaking. He was clearly devastated by the responsibility he had inadvertently taken on and that spoke volumes. Ollus was particularly marvellous with his prized possession of his holographic spaceship toy. He absolutely loved it. His ease at steering actual ships was also particularly impressive and the Doctor was quietly surprised by his abilities. The Doctor having been to his funeral, or what he thought to be his funeral, before he'd even met the child was an unexpected occurrence but he dealt with it very well. His tackling with the Dalek Litigator was excellent and I loved that the blurriness was revealed to be the Vortex itself. The Dalek Time Controller being the one that was effecting the Vortex and pulling the Doctor in certain directions was good but I really wasn't sure why the Doctor was so surprised if he claimed having knowledge of him. He should have known, apparently. He's the Doctor – of course it would be the Daleks! The plan actually being to use the Cradle of the Gods to turn all of the Dalek Foundation planets into new Skaros was excellent and the formula to harness it was needed, held within the toy. I thought the long passage where the Doctor and the children were hiding from Dalek gunfire from one side of the TARDIS ended poorly as I really didn't see why so much was effort was devoted into the Doctor turning it around. Surely the children could have just jumped around with him whilst the Dalek fire was stumped by the holograms? The tension wasn't quite deserved. The Doctor's continued mentioning of the Robomen was a personal highlight for me and I'd love for them to return in the modern era in some capacity. Lilian Belle was a delightful character and her questioning of whether the Daleks actually could be evil was very good. Jenibeth thinking of jelly bobs for the entire time she was held by the Daleks was emotional but the idea of the Cradle of the Gods latching onto her seemed a little farfetched. The Doctor and her brother and sister's plea to get her to think of something better and nice was an emotionally charged moment though and a really great moment when things didn't turn out too disastrous for the Doctor. But his interfering was getting a lot, and it would lead things close into The Snowmen very nicely. Overall, a decent adventure but it just needed a little less silliness and some more clarification in places.

Rating: 7/10

Herald of Madness Part 4

"I can make a mess anywhere, me."

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 2nd May 2019

Printed in: DWM 538

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

The Doctor has left Ryan helpless as she is talking gibberish, her mind full of an alien entity. Yaz and Graham are struggling to contend with the 'meeting of the minds' between the scientists at the gathering, just what are they up to? And what is breaking through from beneath the castle?

Verdict

Herald of Madness continued in somewhat decent fashion with this fourth part, but I will get to the comic strip itself shortly. I'm still not complete with last month's issue of Doctor Who Magazine but I am getting something close to catching up! It's progress. My university essays are due next week and a well-deserved break should see me catch up soon. Now, whilst I'm still reading about the Mission to the Unknown remake, I look forward to this month's issue which looks set to be a really good and intriguing one. One thing I'm really looking forward to is an interview with Steven Moffat as he always was an interesting person to read in an interview and I'd love to get his thoughts on Series 11, but I guess I'll have to wait and see regarding what he discusses. Eric Saward being the subject of an interview should also be fantastic and I'm assuming this will concern the upcoming releases of the Resurrection of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks novels - a pair of books I'm really hoping my local library stocks before I move from Bristol in September! Jacqueline King being the subject of the wonderful Out of the TARDIS feature should be lovely and I do hope she mentions her upcoming role in the next volume of the Tenth Doctor Adventures audios. I'm also really enjoying the Fact of Fiction lately and I'm sure Nightmare of Eden will be a fascinating read as its subject. The usuals of Galaxy Forum and the Gallifrey Guardian should also be as good as usual. Now, back onto the comic strip and I actually thought this was the weakest of the four parts so far but I'm not entirely sure why. It just didn't quite seem to flow as well as the previous instalments and I also thought the lack of a follow up regarding the cliffhanger was a bit poor. I don't think the lack of the Doctor being sane and talking sense helped but I did like how when her companion was in danger, in this case Ryan, it snapped her out of it and she was quick to save the day. Her playing of rock, paper, scissors with the guards in a more than literal sense was superb and the highlight of this part of the story. Yaz and Graham were also very good together and I did enjoy how they took initiative with the Doctor away and physically stopped the meeting of the minds between the scientists. I thought it was perhaps a little too easy but I guess they were entranced so weren't exactly going anywhere! The Baroness was decent as the villain once again and I really liked her encounter with the Doctor. I hope that gets extended in the next part, which I suspect will be the case given the nature of the cliffhanger. The pair having a mixup over who was actually freeing the monster beneath the castle was unexpected and I really didn't expect it to be something resembling a deranged version of the Thirteenth Doctor! I look forward to seeing where things go from here. Overall, a decent continuation.

The Evil and the Deep Black Sky

"Omega was tired of living in the shadows."

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: June 2017
Printed in: Myths and Legends 04

Featuring: Omega

Synopsis

Gallifrey. The first test of entering the Time Vortex. Is this finally the time for space engineer Omega to rise up and get the credit he deserves? Will he eclipse Rassilon and set forth a new age and enable them to truly earn the name of Lords of Time?

Verdict

The Evil and the Deep Black Sky was another terrific little adventure from the Myths and Legends collection of short stories. This one saw a second consecutive tale without the Doctor and that was absolutely fine as it took us to Gallifreyan history with Omega. That in itself was great enough but then this was one of the very first tests on Gallifrey that turned the planet into the centre of Time Lord technology. Omega was entering the Time Vortex and in doing so became the first being to be within it. The test was really good and I liked how there was almost an air of surprise that the test was successful. Omega could communicate from within the Vortex and wasn't feeling any adverse effects from being inside it. Everything was fine and that made the implications of what had been achieved realised. The basis of time travel and spatial materialisation was now possible. I thought the writing of Omega was actually very good and seemed to have remnants echoing his on screen appearances in The Three Doctors and Arc of Infinity. The illustration supplied with the story depicted Omega at this point in history as reminiscent of what we saw in the former televised story which was intriguing to me given how far removed the story must have been from the events read here. Karidice was a lovely character and she filled the 'companion' role for Omega really well. She was incredibly interested in the experiments of Omega and she clearly had a great deal of respect for him which was good to see. One element of this adventure that I really liked was the lack of authority felt towards the Time Lords. They had not yet mastered the ability of time travel and left them without much of a purpose compared to how we know them during the life of the Doctor. It was really intriguing to read of a primitive style Gallifreyan society.  Once Omega was in the Vortex, things started to shift in terms of orientation but Omega was adamant that he was not brought out. The appearance of a Chromovore changed all that though, and this was where the lack of Time Lord authority was most evident. It knew more about the nature of the Vortex than Omega and that was just really intriguing to think about. The dialogue between Omega and the Chromovore was really good and I liked how confident the latter was in not feeling any kind of fear to what threats Omega could make. However, Omega quickly tricked the Chromovore into feeling the full wrath of a black hole and it's radiation. That would prove catastrophic but the event would also see Omega master spatial movement by taking the whole experimental base into the Vortex, rather than just the occupant of the proof suit. It was a pacy ending and a really quick story but one that I very much enjoyed. It was a lovely snippet into Gallifreyan history and whilst I had no idea about the myth this story was based upon, this was a great little story.

Rating: 8/10

Tuesday

"King Rory. The First."

Writer: Dan McDaid
Format: Comic Strip
Released: August 2011
Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2011 (Comic)

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

An exiled royal has made an alliance with an alien race. Rory is the King of England. The Doctor is stuck in a prison cell on the rock of Gibraltar. Amy is causing a rebellion on a Vroon warship. What is all this? Just a regular Tuesday in the TARDIS.

Verdict

Tuesday was a fantastic comic strip adventure and a great way to finish my reading of the first volume of the Eleventh Doctor Archives from IDW! I really was impressed with this one and it seems to have ended the comic strip edition of the 2011 Doctor Who Annual in a terrific way after a somewhat shaky middle. I was delighted to see that Amy and Rory were back alongside the Eleventh Doctor and the format worked really well. I loved the Amy narration in the form of a letter to her mum about her time in the TARDIS and it seemed to almost foreshadow the arrival of Gabby to the comic strips with the Tenth Doctor with Titan Comics a few years after this one was released. This was obviously not quite as long as a usual feature-length story so there was not the same amount of narration but it was nice to get an insight into her character and the role she played as companion. The separation of all three main characters worked brilliantly and I loved how Rory had ended up being the King of England. It was quite surreal and the humour that came with it was just magnificent. When he was reunited with both the Doctor and Amy they had to each stop their conversations or statements as they realised that Rory was on the British throne! It was madness and he wasn't even sure what was going on. Who knew how well the psychic paper could work! Troupe made for a good villain and I was a big fan of his appearance to go with his overpowering demeanour, but the Doctor was having none of it. His confidence was wonderful to see and he really didn't seem too bothered by the fact that he was locked in a cell in Gibraltar. Just another day at the office. One thing I wasn't a fan of was the Doctor's lack of compassion for one of the guards that his walkie-talkie still connected to the power supply ended up presumably killing. He seemed to make light of it which was not in character of the Doctor in my opinion, even when concocting an escape. The Vroon were an intriguing race and I really enjoyed how Amy was able to get them to rise up and revolt despite their archaic attitudes towards women. She was Amy Pond and she just oozed authority. If anyone could stir an uprising, it was her. Troupe seeing his plan fall apart as the Doctor, Amy and Rory were reunited was fantastic and he would no longer be able to sell the Earth to the Vroon in his horrific plan. I did enjoy the moment of defeat, but I do wish that there was an extra page to enable a more coherent ending rather than just the police taking Troupe away. I doubt he would have accepted losing too well and would have attempted to escape. But, pages are limited and it was still a decent conclusion! Overall, a very good comic strip adventure to finish things for now with IDW. But it won't be long until I revisit for the second volume of Eleventh Doctor Archives.

Rating: 8/10

Down to Earth

"A beautiful day, indeed."

Writer: Matthew Dow Smith
Format: Comic Strip
Released: August 2011
Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2011 (Comic)

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

The Eleventh Doctor continues his travels alone whilst Amy and Rory are off doing husband and wife things. He arrives in the countryside and confronts an old enemy he has already defeated in the form of Harold - a Trylonian. But why isn't he taking over the planet?

Verdict

Down to Earth was to a lovely little story to continue my reading of the first volume of IDW's Eleventh Doctor Archives and the 2011 comic strip edition of the Doctor Who Annual! It was definitely a vast improvement on the recent outings of Silent Night and Run, Doctor, Run and was just a really nice and terrific little story. As its title suggests, it was down to Earth in its nature as well as the setting and that was just a really nice direction to take the adventure. It had such a great feel to it of being genuine. I liked that the Eleventh Doctor has been somewhat getting up to some mischief without Amy and Rory accompanying him on his many adventures as he was just sat waiting for Harold to come home so he could expose him. At least, that seemed the initial intention but that is not the Doctor's way. He was keen to remove the perception filter from Harold to find out exactly who or what he was but he didn't seem too surprised when the truth was that he was in fact a Trylonian. Harold's appearance didn't change too much other than the fact he was now blue and I had found it quite intriguing up to that point that he wasn't more defensive towards the Doctor when he found him in his house, legs up on the table. That was because he had encountered the Doctor before and things didn't go too smoothly for him and his race. The Trylonians were a race intent on invading planets and taking over them and on the occasion the Doctor had met them, they were planning on taking over the Zorian home world. Everything was on track but then the Doctor showed up in his TARDIS, in an unidentified incarnation, and sent the Trylonians packing and it was because of that why Harold found himself hiding on Earth and blending in. He'd been there for nearly half a century and even though he had slowly been repairing and improving his spaceship, up to a capable place of being able to take over the planet, he had settled and really liked his new home now. Why would he wish to destroy or take over it? It was home. I thought that was really nice and the Doctor acknowledged it too which was lovely. He actually aided Harold in extending the capabilities of his perception filter to the spaceship so he would not lose his love of flying. That was what he wanted most. He was already home in his eyes and the Doctor echoed those thoughts in a lovely ending. The feel good nature of this comic strip really was wonderful and a fantastic way to do a story with a limited page count. It worked really well! Overall, a delightful little comic!

Rating: 8/10

Run, Doctor, Run

"I seem to have gone sideways a bit."

Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Format: Comic Strip
Released: August 2011
Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2011 (Comic)

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

After accidentally squishing one of its inhabitants, the Eleventh Doctor is chased through a world of varied gravitational orientations by a mob intent on killing him for his crimes. They are determined to see him answer for his actions, but the Doctor plans on making up mean up and down mean down.

Verdict

Run, Doctor, Run was a decent comic strip adventure but sadly it petered out towards the end and it seems that is exactly what is happening with this first volume of Eleventh Doctor Archives from IDW! It's a real shame as things started so well but this start to the 2011 comic strip edition of the Doctor Who Annual did not get off to a great start. I thought the playing with gravitational orientation was very good and a really great idea for the comic strip format as that was surely the most perfect platform for a story messing with gravity. It could be illustrated with ease and it wouldn't tackle the logistics that would obviously arise for a televised episode. The start of the story did not mess around with getting things started as the Doctor squashed one of the weird world's inhabitants and the other locals saw this as something quite horrendous! He had to be punished for his crimes and answer for his actions and seeing the Doctor struggling to get to grips with the differences of gravitational orientation and the lack of the laws of physics that he was used to. I did feel there needed to be a bit more dialogue at times but thankfully it was not on the horrendous level of Silent Night. I wasn't a huge fan of the characterisation for the Doctor in this one and it actually seemed like it was written for the Ninth Doctor with the amount of times he said 'fantastic'. It was quite weird in that regard. The differences of orientation should have led to more utterances of 'geronimo' but we did get one with the Doctor stuck down below from the locals that were trying to kill him. I was quite taken aback by their asking if he was okay and the Doctor seemed to be likewise. It hardly seemed the right question to ask! The Doctor was asking all about the gravitational orientation and soon worked out why it was happening. This wasn't a planet at all but rather something reminiscing a gaseous planetoid. He now knew what to do in order to return things to what he perceived as normality but it didn't seem like the locals were so willing for that to be the case. I would have liked a bit more elaboration as to why that was the case as it probably would have made the ending a bit better, but even then it was slightly confusing as the Doctor saved the day but then had to escape for making things better. It was quite a unique one, I'll give it that! I really liked the concept and I thought it was utilised well, and with a bit more dialogue and some more elaboration this definitely could have been a lot better. Overall, a decent story but it was not without its flaws.

Rating: 6/10

Silent Night

"A happy Christmas to all of you at home."

Writer: Tony Lee
Format: Comic Strip
Released: December 2011
Printed in: DW11 #12

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor

Synopsis

Landing in a snowy landscape, the Doctor meets Santa himself, battles robot Santas, rides a sleigh through the skies of planet Earth and accompanies Santa as he travels the world delivering gifts. But not by sleigh - by TARDIS.

Verdict

Silent Night was a pretty awful comic strip story, I'm afraid to say. It was honestly just full of nothingness and sadly goes down as one of the very worst things I have ever blogged, from any format. It's such a big shame that this is the case as the Eleventh Doctor's run in the IDW comics thus far has been pretty fantastic but it seems that this adventure became victim of the lame Holiday special and just wasn't very good. The whole thing was just a pun on the story's title and it was a whole story featuring no dialogue. That just can't work in comic strip format, can it? I mean, it has been done before with Onomatopoeia but that wasn't literally 22 pages of just artwork. Thankfully, this story did have one line of dialogue at the end to allow me to actually have an opening quote for the blog entry but it was a forced reference to The Feast of Steven from The Daleks' Master Plan with the Eleventh Doctor breaking the fourth wall in a similar way to that of the First Doctor back in the 1960s. The one major talking point for me of this comic strip was the return of the Roboform Santas but without any dialogue, we didn't really know their purpose or who might be controlling them. The Doctor met Santa some time before Last Christmas which was somewhat intriguing but again, the lack of dialogue made things very difficult. I'm struggling to think of things to mention here because there wasn't much of a story without words! We saw the Doctor and Santa delivering presents via the TARDIS which was actually okay because the time travel element could be utilised to actually give Santa the ability to visit every child on the same night - but there was no bloody dialogue to discuss this! I just can't comprehend how a story can be told without any words. There's an appreciation of the difficulty of putting together a (barely) comprehendible story. I did quite like the image of the Doctor and Santa in the sleigh and I have no doubt that would have appealed to a younger audience, but surely even they would have found a whole adventure without dialogue just boring? I really don't think it was worth the clever play on words for the title and it just didn't work at all for me. The ending was even a bit random with the Doctor receiving a sonic screwdriver as a present, but surely he'd have an abundance of them given their link with the TARDIS that we saw in The Eleventh Hour? It was a bit of a shambles. The moment the Doctor crossed out Pond and replaced it with Williams on Amy and Rory's joint gift was nice but these comics have shown complete affirmation that the Doctor insists they be called Pond! Ugh. It was a mess. Overall, not good. Not good at all.

Rating: 3/10