Moon Landing

"The eyes of the world are on us!"

Writer: Neville Main

Format: Comic Strip

Released: July-August 1965

Printed in: TV Comic 710-712

Featuring: First Doctor, John, Gillian

Synopsis

Doctor Who, John and Gillian arrive on the Moon in their quest to return to Earth, and they do so at a very important time as two astronauts step foot there for the first time in human history...

Verdict

Moon Landing was an excellent comic strip adventure to continue my way through the TV Comic original run. This really was extraordinary and for only three parts spread across just six pages, so much was packed into this. It was an absolute delight and I just had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading. I thought the premise was wonderful and on the face of it that just feels like something normal that would be explored in the Whoniverse. We had it in Day of the Moon and numerous other adventures across the expanded universe, but then you realise that this comic strip was published in 1965 and it creates a whole new perspective! I think it's just astonishing what happens here. It really is glorious that we basically have a Doctor Who comic strip predicting the moon landing ahead of time! The fact that it sets the story in 1970 is wonderful and shows just how close the Space Race was to being completed in the minds of the public in 1965. Of course, the real life moon landing would happen one year ahead of schedule compared to events depicted here, but the accuracy of the actual date only being two days off as well is magnificent. The odds on that! I absolutely adored the cliffhanger finish to the opening part as just when the two astronauts had made their way to the Moon and were now stepping foot on it for the first time in human history, they stumble upon a police call box! The TARDIS beating them to the punch is such a strong image. I thought the Doctor's defence of anyone not believing a word they would say if they radioed back to Earth to tell them what they had stumbled across was pretty foolproof to be honest. I thought it was also amusing for the two astronauts themselves to question whether what they had just experienced was a space hallucination and they really could be forgiven for thinking that. Who would blame them after encountering an old man in a frock coat and his two grandchildren in a police box as the Doctor put it? He had a point. The Doctor showing urgency when the astronauts fell beneath a crack in the Moon's crust was nice to see and I also liked the intelligence of John and Gillian in realising that they wouldn't be able to breath with no air in the Moon's atmosphere. I don't know why the Doctor and his grandchildren couldn't have worn spacesuits, but the device the Doctor just had lying around was pretty handy in not only allowing them to breathe but also to communicate! It wouldn't be so easy with the astronauts as there was no air to carry their voices, so of course the Docot brought a blackboard and chalk with him! His advice for the astronauts to just jump their way out and utilise the Moon's lower gravity was amusing stuff. I really do think this comic strip is the equivalent of the First Doctor's little chuckle. It was simple and there was no apparent threat, but it was just divine. The style was glorious and seeing news coverage and the TARDIS interior on a couple of occasions really pleased me. There was just so much to enjoy and cherish. A tremendous comic strip adventure! 

Rating: 9/10