Voyage to the Edge of the Universe

"To see if the universe has an end!"

Writer: Paul Neary

Format: Comic Strip

Released: January 1981

Printed in: DWM 49

Featuring: Azal

Synopsis

On a discovery to see if the universe has an edge, the Daemons led by Azal get more than they bargained for as they reach zero coordinates...

Verdict

Voyage to the Edge of the Universe was an excellent story to continue my way through the Black Sun Rising graphic novel collection of backup comic strips from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine! I have been really enjoying this run of comic adventures because it gives a chance to highlight those that aren't the Doctor. I am intrigued by the current direction as following on from The Touchdown on Deneb-7 the stories seem to all be printed in the same edition of DWM. I'm unsure if that relates to it replacing the main comic strip or if the first run was just so popular that they got more of a page count! I'm sure the demand was there. I don't think it's any secret that The Daemons is something of a cult classic amongst fandom and I do wonder if enough time had passed when this was released in 1981 for it to be considered in a similar vain. I mean, surely the fact they have done an entire comic strip with just Daemons present means the story made some sort of impression! And how could it not? I must say I do think it is a bit of an overrated serial despite its qualities but I am well on board with exploring the Daemons! I thought their desire to test if there was an edge of the universe was outstanding and obviously where the tile comes in, but I just thought it was tremendous as a goal. That is some feat to try and achieve and I admire them for their bravery and determination in continuing the venture for so long. It really was an incredible voyage an after over three years of light speed, they got somewhere close. I thought the parallels to the likes of The Mind Robber and Full Circle were fascinating with the realm when arriving at zero coordinates definitely feeling reminiscent of the former. It was all white and the image and description of Azal walking on nothingness was quite something. It was certainly familiar but I couldn't trust that the Daemons would be entering the Land of Fiction even though that is a mashup I would be well up for! The use of the coordinates being zero definitely did have strong E-Space vibes and maybe that's the universe that Azai came from? The fate that befell Azal when entering the mist at the mysterious age of the universe was troublesome as he saw himself, but it was no reflection. Depicting here how Azal as the last Daemon got his immortality was incredibly audacious and I think it worked a treat. He became at one with his parallel self or so it seemed but that left him pondering on a devastating dilemma. He knew he was needed to guide his people, but now amalgamated which would he choose? That is quite the choice! Whichever universe he left behind the people would struggle without his guidance, and in continuously stalling he was leaving people to get on with things themselves. I thought that was good and Azal not being the first with others spending millennia questioning which way to go when the same thing happened to them was only why this didn't get a perfect rating from me. I wanted the focus to be kept solely on Azal which I thought that took away from him a little. It was really great though to get an answer as to what was at the edge and would Azal ever make that choice? And if he did, which way would he go? That's fun to ponder on and I think the ambiguity at the end was right. It's not often I like things left open-ended, but this was certainly the exception to the rule. Overall, tremendous comic strip adventure!   

Rating: 9/10