Black Sun Rising

"Perhaps if we make peace now..."

Writer: Alan Moore

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 1981

Printed in: DWM 57

Featuring: Rema-Du

Synopsis

Decades removed from the beginnings of the 4-D War, Rema-Du must lead the Time Lords once more against the threat from the Order of the Black Sun. The Sontarnas are here also, and the resolution seems an unlikely one...

Verdict

Black Sun Rising was a great story to conclude the trilogy that started in Star Death as a fascinating insight into the early days of Gallifrey. Doing a little research since reading this comic strip has proved really interesting as it seems that these events are conically now known as the first Time War. It's clear that the one that ended as depicted in The Day of the Doctor was the Last Great Time War so how many have there been? This is the first and that's such a joy to be able to see visually. I adore exploring this early version of Gallifrey because it's just so alien but that makes it so incredibly intriguing. It feels like a glimpse into history that I never thought would be possible which is so exciting. It almost feels like we're intruding a bit which I love and has strong vibes of Morbius from the Dark Gallifrey range in being so early on. I hope we get more. I'd love an entire series! It's a good story to be chosen as the titular one for the graphic novel that I continue to read through collating these brilliant backup tales from those early editions of Doctor Who Magazine. It's a real treat and I didn't have much expectation before purchasing, but I am delighted with what I'm reading! I think Rema-Du is a good character and her father being much more aged than we saw him last in 4-D War showed the extent of this temporal war on Lord Griffen and also perhaps a different perspective on the Time Lords themselves. Are they fully able to regenerate yet as we know they would be able to? Severe ageing like this would perhaps suggest not and again that just adds to the intrigue of this point in history. I wasn't expecting the Sontarans to be involved at this point in history and that makes their actions in The Invasion of Time all the more fascinating! It's also staggering to think that they were so advanced by this point in Gallifreyan history! I'm a big fan of that as I think the Sontarans despite their obvious qualities and showcasing are still underrated. They offer so much so to see them involved in the first Time War makes sense. The glory and honour of battle! Their efforts to pit the Time Lords and the Order of the Black Sun against each other was terrific and I thought the artwork as well for them was tremendous. I think the idea of bringing the Time Lords and the Order of the Black Sun together was an almost unexpected resolution to the conflict but I did like the idea of them uniting in order to prevent the war starting in the first place. I was just surprised the Order of the Black Sun were as willing as they were to cooperate with that plan! Millenium was a really strong human and I've found the whole Parahuman element of this trilogy great to explore. Her ability to have time acceleration powers is quite spectacular and was utilised well here! Her death at the hands of the Zeitgeist was a powerful moment and he served his role well on the delegation. The Desault setting was good as well in being purposeful as the base for negotiations and it's quite ironic how things end with Wardog and the psy-snare showing out of nowhere to unite the two powers against the Sontarans. The clone race really do have an important place in history! Overall, a fascinating insight into the early years of Gallifreyan history! A very strong little read.

Rating: 8/10