The Final Chapter

"'The Doctor': Fact or Fiction?"

Writer: Alan Barnes

Format: Comic Strip

Released: March-June 1998

Printed in: DWM 262-265

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Izzy, Fey, Shayde

Synopsis

Fey and Izzy return the Doctor to Gallifrey, where he enters the Matrix to save himself. When an Academy dropout takes an unhealthy interest in him, the Doctor and his companions are lured into a society that threatens the existence of Gallifrey... and Rassilon himself.

Verdict

The Final Chapter was an excellent comic strip story to get me back reading through the Endgame graphic novel! I'm a big fan of any adventure that takes us to Gallifrey, and this one did so much more than just give us a visual of the Eighth Doctor being on his home planet. It followed on from the ending of Tooth and Claw very well and whilst it was a little quick for the Doctor to be recovered, the way that his mind was taken into the Matrix was very good. The Doctor encountering Rassilon always seems like a big occasion and this was no different. It's not exactly unique for it to have been envisaged that there is a time where Gallifrey falls victim, but this was the case once again here with the threat of the Elysians being very real. I thought the cliffhangers were very strong in the one, particularly that of part one where the future showed that the Doctor needed to die. At least, to the Elysians that was. The quick emergence of Shayde to save the day was wonderful and some really great continuity. I loved the idea of the Doctor being a legend on Gallifrey and the references to the likes of The Deadly Assassin and The Invasion of Time of what he has achieved on the planet were terrific. Whilst I am not sure if the continuity is sound (let's be honest, when is it ever?), the idea of the Gallifreyan people not knowing if the Doctor was fact or fiction was superb. I would have liked a little more mentioned regarding that, but the idea in itself was so good that there didn't need a huge amount of elaboration. The talk of the Type-40 TARDISes being decommissioned, except one, is always fun and that was certainly the case once again here. I really liked the Elysians as the enemies and them thinking of themselves as the Final Chapter was excellent. I was a big fan of that and their efforts to go back to year zero and change Gallifrey's history as we know it was fantastic! I loved seeing the moment, albeit briefly, of when Rassilon gave the Time Lords their power through the Eye of Harmony and took on the task of guarding Time. That's pretty monumental and following The Timeless Children, I wonder if anything will soon come of that for the Thirteenth Doctor. Xanti being used to power the planet that in itself was almost cross-figured into being a makeshift TARDIS was tremendous and the imagery of the pillar being a central column was incredible! I didn't see that coming and thought it was very clever. Lucifer being revealed as the true enemy was really good and I enjoyed Uriel's interaction with the Doctor and telling all about the Elysians. Their history was very interesting and just extended everything that comes with Gallifreyan past and what had occurred on the Doctor's planet. The sacrifice the Doctor made at the end of the story to stop Gallifrey from being rewritten was brilliant and I liked how willing he was to sort things out. He knew that he was needed as a time brain and didn't give it a second thought, quickly ushering his companions into the TARDIS and then shifting them off with a fake Dalek distraction. The way things ultimately concluded with Rassilon sourcing the Eye of Harmony as was written thanks to a last gasp time jam was great, but how things ended with the Eighth Doctor seemingly regenerating were just outstanding! A sublime cliffhanger and I am very intrigued to read how this might be resolved. It doesn't get much better in terms of a cliffhanger finish to be honest. Overall, an excellent comic strip adventure.

Rating: 9/10