Script: Scott Gray Art: Colin Andrew
A Review by Finn Clark 7/4/05
Final Genesis (DWM 203-206) is best known for being one of many stories where DWM's comic strip and Virgin's NAs tripped over each other. Like Blood Heat, this is a parallel Earth story in which the 3rd Doctor is dead and the Silurians at Wenley Moor weren't destroyed. I suppose continuity hounds might retcon this into a lead-in to Virgin's Alternate Universe Arc (the conclusion fits this theory quite well, with Benny and Ace batting theories back and forth but agreeing that there's no point asking the Doctor), but personally I think that Final Genesis is strong enough to stand as a story in its own right.
The art is a major factor in the story's success. Colin Andrew drew four stories for DWM (plus a two-part throwaway for the 1994 Summer Special) and they're all reasonable, but I think this is his best work. Pureblood (DWM 193-196), Victims (DWM 212-214) and Food for Thought (DWM 218-220) have straightforward SF settings, but here he gets to draw woodlands, psychic dreamscapes and sinister underground laboratories. At times it's atmospheric. His pencils aren't always the most dynamic, but the inking almost reminds me of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing stories. It's good to look at and more importantly it makes the story feel rich and textured.
The TARDIS console changes shape between episodes two and three, becoming round instead of hexagonal, but I can forgive that. Who knows? Maybe the console really does change shape every so often when we're not looking? The 7th Doctor often looks goofy, but that's hardly out of character. Colin Andrew also draws good Silurians and Sea Devils (both from the Pertwee and Davison era - which believe it or not is a plot point).
This story is from that period when Gary Russell took over from John Freeman as DWM's editor and the comic strip went into overdrive with massive continuity-fests. Pureblood (DWM 193-196) rewrote Sontaran history from the ground up, then Emperor of the Daleks (DWM 197-202) starred the 6th and 7th Doctors, Bernice Summerfield, Peri, Abslom Daak and his crew (including a Draconian and an Ice Warrior), Davros and the Daleks in a story that linked into several TV stories. Oh, and the next story would be a ten-page romp starring all seven Doctors and most of their companions and enemies!
Final Genesis includes enough continuity to overload it many times over, but Scott Gray handles it rather deftly. The script actually does things with the Sea Devils and Silurians, while UNIT (or "URIC" as it says on the fence sign, albeit not on all the beret badges) fits in very naturally.
In fact the strip's internal continuity feels louder than its links back to the TV series. Firstly, UNIT is headed by Muriel Frost from The Mark of Mandragora and Evening's Empire. Secondly, this is the first DWM comic strip with Benny and New Ace. The comics had been linked with the NAs since the latter began, but this is where it really became noticeable. Benny is more in character than in some of her early novels, with a nod to the writers' guidelines when she even notices body language. As for New Ace... well, like the rest of us, Scott Gray clearly disliked Virgin's revamp of her. She actually calls herself "an idiot with a death wish"! New Ace was often annoying, but I can't think of many portrayals so openly hostile to the character.
The story itself is quite clever. It has some fun twists (even if Blood Heat did them too) and its last page gives a new perspective on the idea of parallel universes in Doctor Who. That's so strong that I'm almost prepared to forgive this for being a parallel universe story, which for me is quite a concession! (Virgin's impending Alternate Universe Arc perhaps affects things too.)
According to the 7th Doctor, apparently humans and Silurians will "get together" somewhere around the year 2500 AD. "This is quite remarkable!" He's not wrong either. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, which has interesting ideas and atmospheric artwork. It's 32 pages long (with eight-page episodes briefly back in fashion) and in its own way thinks almost as big as Pureblood did with the Sontarans. Recommended.