A Review by Richard Radcliffe 28/5/03
The 7th Doctor begins a long spell in the strip, with Frobisher leaving in his very first story. He remained alone throughout this run of the strip. Simon Furman took the writing reigns of the first few stories, but the mix and match approach to writing then took over. Practically every story for this point on had a different writer. The artwork also adopted this approach, with many people contributing week to week. John Ridgway was just one of many, including the future prolific Lee Sullivan for the first time. Nostalgia fests became trendy (Planet of the Dead), and the Daleks and Ice Warriors returned. Not one of the best phases of the strip. Winter 1987 to Winter 1989.
A Cold Day in Hell (130-133)
The first comic strip featuring the 7th Doctor appeared in November 1987, shortly after his debut on TV. In keeping with the bulk of the strip thus far in DWM, there was no sign of TV companions. Frobisher crossed over from the 6th Doctor - but it wouldn't be for long. The strip was to enter a new phase, and the talking Penguin was to be no more.
Simon Furman was to be the writer to see this new Doctor in, and for the next 6 months his was the Writing credit that appears in the DWM comic strip. The artist was still John Ridgway, but like the later 6th Doctor strips he was aided by Tim Perkins (inks). The difference is very noticeable. There is a lot of the artwork here though that is commendable. The Ice Warriors are superbly drawn, and the snowy waste is wonderfully recreated.
The 7th Doctor and Frobisher decided to take a holiday in A-Lux. But the sunny planet they were hoping for has been replaced by a wintry one. The Ice Warriors have turned it into a new Mars. It's therefore up to the Doctor, Frobisher and new companion Olla (a heat vampire) to restore the balance to A-Lux.
New companion Olla is an interesting addition. It's extremely handy having someone who can dish out warmth - the very thing that is fatal to the monsters of the story. But Olla is actually an interesting character too. How she ended up there is a question answered in the next story - but she's different from the norm - which is a nice change.
Frobisher has been fading away for a few stories now. The great novelty companion of the 6th Doctor's comic strips was always likely to be a casualty of the new 7th Doctor strips. He waddles through this story missing Peri (this cannot be reconciled to the TV show, so best to just ignore continuity between the 2 mediums. The strip is one thing, the TV show another!), and it is so obvious he is about to leave. They should have put a sign around his neck saying "I will leave at the end of this story" - it's that obvious he will. When he actually does though, I was surprised at how powerful the scene was. Frobisher actually gets a proper leaving scene, and I was sad that his run in DW had finished. He'd livened up the strip no end for the past 40 odd issues, but it felt the right time for him to go, to be honest. This unusual companion remains one of my favourites, thanks to my liking of the comic strip format.
The new Doctor is reasonably drawn and fairly lively. There's some clowning around that defined McCoys first season, but also an anticipation of something new. Thanks to the mass exposure of this incarnation in the books, it is nice to go back to his roots and see where different writers take him.
A Cold Day in Hell isn't the greatest or most original story in the world. The Ice Warriors are there, they do their lisping thing pretty well. Their plan is simple, to recreate Mars. There's plenty of running around, being caught and escaping. This makes it a rather traditional opener for the 7th Doctor. The relevant departures and arrivals had been achieved effectively. It's not a bad start really, all things considered. 7/10
Redemption! (134)
Following the pretty good start that the 7th Doctor received in A Cold Day in Hell, there was to be a couple of stand alone stories to wade through. The first of these is Redemption! - a strip that saw the false dawn of a new companion.
The TARDIS is caught by Skaroux, Olla's former master. At first it seems Skaroux has been mistreating Olla, that's why she escaped. Then the truth comes out, Olla is on the run with Skaroux's fortune. The Doctor hands her over - and the new companion is no more.
Olla has to be one of the shortest companion on record, in any medium of DW. Having joined in the previous story, and been a vital part of that story, she is written out straight away in the next 1-parter. It's a surprise, and a bit of a shame. Did DWM Editors have second thoughts? Had Simon Furman decided not to bother with her anymore after all?
The art's okay - Kev Hopgood and Tim Perkins - but I am already missing John Ridgway. He was to return periodically over the next few years, but that just wasn't enough for the best artist of them all.
This stand alone story is really just about Olla. There's some quite funny TARDIS scenes where she waits on the Doctor, but then suddenly she is gone, and it seems the Doctor is on his own! It's all rather peculiar, and such a turnaround. The overwhelming impression therefore is of a companion wasted, and thus Redemption! can get no more than a 5/10
Crossroads of Time (135)
The Doctor is on his own. The TARDIS collides with Death's Head - a huge mechanical Bounty Hunter - in the Time Vortex. The Doctor shrinks Death's Head, sends him through the Vortex to 82nd Century Earth.
Well, what on earth is this all about!
I vaguely recall this Death's Head character being in another comic book. So this therefore must be a crossover between that and DW. Was it there to promote Death's Head, and persuade the DW fanbase to buy that merchandise as well? I have no idea, but it hasn't persuaded me.
Death's Head is just another larger than life muscle bound villain, so beloved in the comic strip medium. Thankfully he doesn't stay with DW for that long, and 1 part is plenty - actually it's too much!
The story is one of convenience too (mind you a lot of DW stories are). Pull out the very thing that will equal the odds between you and your enemy. What the hell is the Doctor doing with the Master's Tissue Compression Eliminator? He uses it at the drop of a hat - it seems the 7th is far more violent than the 6th after all.
Simon Furman (writer) and Geoff Senior (artist) should hide their heads in shame. 3/10
Claws of the Klathi (136-138)
Sylvester McCoy had burst onto the scene as the 7th Doctor in 1987. DWM faithfully moved Doctors in the strip, and after a few shocking 1 parters, hit their mark with Claws of the Klathi in mid 1988. This was a strip that was so much better than what we had seen on TV from this Doctor, again the strip was pulling out the best stories - showing the show where to go, and how to tell a cracking tale.
The Doctor is on his own in this strip. They didn't use Mel, and Ace hadn't burst onto the scene yet. The Doctor lands the TARDIS in 1851, we're in early Victorian era here. When I read the date I just knew where the story was leading. English history has always been a particular fascination for me, especially the 19th Century. 1851 = Crystal Palace, Great Exhibition. My anticipation grew.
Quickly pairing the Doctor with English Gentlemen Nathaniel Derridge, the Doctor gets involved in the more exalted circles on Victorian London - a working men's club. He also gets involved in the underbelly of London, and we have the startling contrast of the poor and the rich - a feature of many works of fiction about this period.
The writer is Mike Collins, and he certainly has his finger on the pulse of what makes a great story. He combines many familiar aspects of Victorian London with alien infiltration. He makes social comment, showing the Doctor ill at ease with Victorian values about class and empire. The writer must have been delighted too with the depiction of his story. Kev Hopgood and Dave Hine provide some of the best, most atmospheric artwork the strip has seen - the story is wonderful to look at. The recreation of London in the mid-18th Century is excellent, and the artists shroud the action in mists and mystery when they need too.
The alien infiltration is an unusual one. Having them shack up with a Freak Show is hardly original, but it works as an idea - and provides the artists with more imaginative license. The Satan Twins are well mysterious, Caval you have to feel sorry for. It's a little peculiar that such a simple chap as Caval has a huge Robot at his command, but it is important for the story that he does.
The Great Exhibition is included, as I expected, and in a most unusual way too. As one of those wonders of the British Empire, the Crystal Palace has a great deal of romanticism and nostalgia about it. It could never be included in a TV story, the budget just wouldn't allow it, but the comics have no such worries. It looks splendid. I am just awaiting some blockbuster Hollywood Film to depict it, as it really was. It was a magnificent building, and epitomizes the glamour of the British Empire.
Claws of the Klathi is a very fine comic strip story. This is the sort of story that is perfect for the comic strip medium. Provided the artists are equal to the task of depicting historical settings (which they most certainly are here) it can really be the best kind of DW there is. Excellent in every way. 10/10
Culture Shock (139)
Grant Morrison has chipped in with a few stories in the comic strip already. Changes - a wonderful TARDIS runaround, and Worldshapers - a fan story about Cybermen origins. This is his last story to date, and the less said about it the better.
The Doctor is alone, he's depressed. He sits on a rock, a strange creature appears dying. He cures it with fancy medicine from the TARDIS. He leaves believing he can make a difference after all. It's a little character piece. We get lots of panels showing the virus at work on the insides of this creature.
The art by Bryan Hitch isn't great. Swimming sperm-like creatures dominate all. McCoy is just about recognizable. It's all very forgettable really. A few panels would have told this story. At just 1 issue 8 pages length, this is far too long. It's a case of pick up the mag, read it in 4 minutes, file it away again - I won't be reading it again. It's dull and boring, and DW should never be that. 2/10
Keepsake (140)
There's been a lot of 1-parters recently, since the 7th Doctor started in the comics. Maybe they are testing out new artists. Most of the recent strips are written by Simon Furman, so DWM must have been happy with him. I was hoping we'd finally get a good one with Keepsake.
Thankfully, it's better than the recent 1 parters. It's better drawn too, by John Higgins. Only with the terrific Claws of Klathi has the 7th Doctor comic strip achieved anything like competence (and that really was brilliant), so it's nice to know that they can still make the stand alones work. Keepsake isn't that bad at all, it contains some genunely funny moments (featuring the Doctor and the title character Keepsake). What it lacks in imagination it makes up for in some great characters.
We are introduced quickly to Keepsake, a rough Salvager, who only has a severe-looking bird for company. This bird reminds him of his ex-wife (which I thought was pretty funny) and is a constant reminder that life will never be as bad again (I can relate with that emotion!). The Keepsake has received a distress signal, and fancies his chances of recovering the potentially wrecked ship. Arriving at the planet he sees a funny little fellow charging across a plain, pursued by the natives. This turns out to be the good Doctor, and thanks to some stunts Bond would be proud of, McCoys Doctor hitches a ride on Keepsake's ship's tails.
This is McCoy's Doctor at his most physical, and it's lovely to see. Even more lovely to see is the medic of the aforementioned ship in trouble on the planet. This voluptuous lady is indebted to Keepsake, and he leaves in ecstasy.
I just think this strip does what 1-parters should do. A simple character piece where the Doctor is involved, but not necessarily that much, and a simple story to boot. I probably like it because of the woman at the end though, and I love the fact that this fellow Keepsake achieves his dream, after suffering hell with his ex-wife.
It seems this story has a personal resonance for me, as something similar has happened to me - the great thing is I married the Voluptuous lady, and am living happily ever after. Wouldn't it be great if we had Keepsake return, it'd be great to know how the old chap is getting on. 8/10
Planet of the Dead (141-142)
The editor of DWM pens this 2-parter that was there to celebrate the 25th Anniversary, back in 1988. This was also the first strip to feature the artistic talent of Lee Sullivan, a fellow who was to become one of the best DW artists of them all.
The 7th Doctor arrives on the dead world of Adeki. He gives up his fishing pretty quick (sensible chap) and finds an underground passage that intrigues him. Throughout the rest of the story he is confronted by old companions and previous Doctors. They are all shape changers, and want the Doctor to take them off the planet.
This is really a case of nostalgia running riot, but it actually is not that bad. You can see what the Gwanzulum were trying to do, and it's enjoyable to see all the old faces that we know and love popping up. The old Doctors are wonderfully drawn by Sullivan, and the banter that they enjoy with each other is very in keeping with their characters. Freeman knows his Who, and this nostalgia trip is nicely effective.
Of the companions that appear it's Peri who stands out. We get all the dead ones, and Peri (who we believed dead for a while, but quite clearly is not). Maybe the presumed dead stood stood out in any case. The Gwanzulum are wonderfully tiny vicious creatures, complete with arms in the air ranting over their lost chance for escape.
Planet of the Dead is a pretty good nostalgia trip, and Freeman and Sullivan deserve credit for making it so enjoyable, and not just a sad fan indulgence. 7/10
Echoes of thje Mogor (143-144)
This story really stands out from the crowd. There's a real attempt to present something eerie. The Doctor arrives on Mekrom, a scientific colony has been wiped out, and the Doctor is found with the last dead body. The Foreign Hazard Duty team arrive, and they too start to die off one by one.
This premise is classic, claustrophobic DW - and after the humour and dullness of much of the strip recently that's most welcome.
John Ridgway returns to the artistic fold of the comic strip, and his more realistic panels are extremely welcome. Surprisingly though he seems to have neglected the background scene on a number of images.
It's just so good to see a more mysterious Doctor being presented in the strip, and it bodes well for the future that (like the TV) this Doctor is moving away from the overt humour and slapstick.
Echoes of the Mogor loses its original impetus though in the 2nd half (it's only 2 parts long). Dan Abnett presents this wonderful scenario in the 1st part, only to resolve it with phantom images from the past scaring everyone. This unoriginal end does no credit to the whole strip, and the end result is disappointing.
Nonetheless the art is excellent (apart from the few missed backgrounds), and the 1st part is as good as anything in recent comic strip history. Shame it all petered out. 6/10
Time and Tide (145-146)
2 new writers (Richard Alan and John Carnell), 2 new artists (Dougie Braithwaite and Dave Elliott) - this was always going to be different from the norm.
At first I didn't like it. The art seemed okay, but somehow lacking in depth. The Tojanans seemed to be played just for laughs, and it was pretty sick humour at that. But by the 2nd part (it's only a 2 part story), I actually began to like it quite a lot. I'd obviously got used to the new art, and with the introduction of the Worrier and the the threat to the island, there was a real story in there to be enjoyed.
The 7th Doctor arrives on Tojana, he's on his own - the strip very keen to keep away from TV companions at this time. The Tojanans are a stupid people, only interested in food and violence. The Doctor is seen as their next meal. Turns out this meal is actually to be their last one, as the sea will soon engulf the island. The Doctor meets the Worrier, a Tojanan who prevents the Doctor from being the next main course. The Doctor asks why they haven't built a boat. "What's a boat" the Worrier asks.
It's the introduction of the Worrier, a marvelous creation of the comic strip, that rescues this strip. His banter with the Doctor is wonderful, and pretty soon they join. It's quite clear the rest of the Tojanans are beyond saving. The Worrier is pregnant though, so has a greater reason to survive than the others.
This story is quite unique with its lack of humans. The Tojanans are a kind of upright lizard race. They walk around on 2 feet, but their way of life is cosy in places, barbaric in the extreme in others. Not an eyelid is batted when one of them brutally cuts down 2 diners, for example. This apparent sick humour suddenly becomes quite Pythonesque by the time the 1st part has been finished. I actually found myself laughing at similar occurences in the 2nd Part.
When the final panels are read, I actually wanted this story to continue. Where would the Worrier end up, what would he/she teach his/her child (could never figure the sex of the Worrier!)? The Doctor has saved 1 member of a species, but it is clear that that species would continue. Suddenly more profound issues result, from an apparent silly strip at its own outset.
A right strange strip this one is - but I look back on it with a certain amount of affection. Long live the Worrier! 8/10
Follow That TARDIS (147)
In issue 135 of DWM, just a year before this strip appeared, there was a blatant attempt to push another comic series - Death's Head. The result was utter garbage. This is very similar, as the intention is to promote the Sleeze Brothers, with the 7th Doctor only being an unwilling companion of the Brothers.
The 7th Doctor arrives on Earth in the near future. The Meddling Monk has dented the Sleeze Brothers' car, and they want compensation. Thus the Sleeze Brothers take over the Doctor's TARDIS, and there's a time chase where they go to Tunguska, Titantic and Bermuda 1945.
The Sleeze Brothers are a blatant copy of the Blues Brothers. Much is made of their stupidity, it apparently causes the above unexplained disasters. The Titanic segment sticks out, for its apparent callous inclusion. That historical event was tragic, and it belittles it for it to be treated in such a slapdash way.
I didn't find anything of this strip funny to be honest. I hate to be so serious about what is essentially a cartoon strip, but it's just a waste of 8 pages of DWM. Another terrible 1-part strip in DWM had appeared. Thankfully they were never to be as bad again. John, Andy, Kev, Dougie and Dave can do better. This attempt at cartoon Who should never have been commissioned. 3/10
Invaders from Gantac (148-150)
Coming on board for their 1st and only comic strip, are the team of Alan Grant (story), Martin Griffiths and Cam Smith (artwork). Only Cam Smith was to contribute to the strip again, and it is not hard to see why this was this team's one and only.
The Doctor is still trying to get to Maruthea, for Bonjaxx's party. This endeavour would provide the strip with its early panels in a lot of issues! The Gantacs have invaded Earth in 1992, believing it to contain the Treasure of Zantar Wrouth. The Great Yaga, their leader, is told by the Doctor that he's invaded the wrong planet. The companionlesss Doctor is joined by flea-ridden tramp, Leapy, for the ride.
And what a bumpy, uneven, not much interesting to look at, ride it is! At 3 parts this should have been the story that brought us away from the dismal 1-parters that had become a feature of DWM at this time (April 1989). But I was left feeling that it had been a stand-alone story - and I struggled through its daft and uninvolving story.
The art is not that great, to be fair. The Doctor looks like his face has stretched (like those villians off Star Trek - Insurrection). There is no grand drawings to indicate the mass invasion that has taken place - no significant buildings shown in a different light. Hyde Park could be any British Park, the underground just looked the same as it always does, there just no sense of scale at all.
It's a bit of a shame because the opening panels are quite good. The tramp, Leapy, is an unusual character. I scratched myself through the story, such was his character drawn and written. The fleas eventually being the catalyst for the end of the Gantac Invasion, kind of sums up the story though! But those first few scenes in the underground were pretty good. Pity when we got to the surface everything was so boring.
The Gantacs are one of the worst aliens ever to appear in any DW medium. The soldiers have something wrong with their noses, their leader is an embarassing Jabba the Hutt creation (without any character at all). No, Invaders from Gantac is pretty bad all the way through. Even the Doctor has little to do, it's Leapy's fleas that save the day after all.
Best to move on to the next strip, and forget this abberation. There definitely has been a downward spiral in the strip of late, and it's not good. 4/10
Nemesis of the Daleks (152-155)
It needed the Doctor's number one baddie to help the comic strip get back on its feet. An army of plotters, scriptors and artists had contributed since the 7th Doctor took over in 1987. 2 Years on, the strip was in a worse state than ever. The only constant was the companionless 7th Doctor. Some used him well, others very badly. Thus Nemesis of the Daleks appeared in July 1989, the Daleks had been sent to up the ratings!
I was confident with the contributors. Lee Sullivan had proved his worth with Planet of the Dead, he's a cracking artist no mistake. Richard Alan had written the offbeat, but enjoyable Time and Tide. Looked like his brother Steve was getting in on the act too with the script credit.
At the end of this 4 part strip there is a dedication. To Terry Nation and Ray Cusick - that's for the Daleks of course. There's also a dedication to Steve Moore and Steve Dillon. These were the creators of one Abslom Daak - who chainsaws his way through this story from beginning to end. The striking thing about this story is just how involved Daak is. The Doctor seems to be his companion, and not the other way round which was surely the intention.
On Planet Hell the Doctor is reacquainted with Abslom Daak - Dalek Killer. His crew (the Star Tigers from way back in issues 27-30 and 44-46) are killed, and the 2 enemies of the Daleks combine against their mutual foes. The Daleks are mining the Planet Hell, and the Helkans are in trouble. The universe is in trouble too, thanks to a poison gas the Daleks are taking from the planet. A Dalek death wheel hangs above Hell - and a genocide device, threatening everything it seems, is being produced.
This strip blatantly rips off Star Wars. For the Emperor Dalek, (who doesn't appear to be Davros here) read Darth Vadar. For the Daleks, read the federation. For the Dalek death wheel, read the Death Star. The final part has Daak in the Luke Skywalker part destroying the wheel, and himself it appears. It therefore seems the Doctor has taken on the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Lee Sullivan emphasizes this Dalek epic story with massive panels. Each of the 4 parts has huge pictures that take up nearly 2 pages. The actual story, I would wager, would actually last half the length with conventional panels. His artwork is brilliant though, with the Dalek death wheel being the star attraction. The poor Ewoks (sorry Helkans) are well drawn as well though - Sullivan has been drawing for DW a very long time now.
Nemesis of the Daleks has an epic feel about it because of the bigger drawings, and the Dalek involvement. It's all a bit predictable though, and I got rather tired of seeing Daak decapitate another Dalek. I expect this was voted the best strip of the year on DWM's survey though, and overall it shows an improvement. It certainly looks great, it's just the story that lets it down. 7/10
Stairway to Heaven (156)
New Adventure future author, Paul Cornell, and DWM Editor, John Freeman, combine to produce this innovative 1-parter about genetic art. New boys Gerry Dolan and Rex Ward provide the art.
The Doctor wants to go to the Cardaz museum of modern art. He lands in a jungle. A small creature hatches from an egg, makes a mud brick, climbs a bone stairway, and is about to throw himself off before the Doctor intervenes. Turns out they are in a dome. The genetic sculptor, Garg Ardoniquist, is behind the strange stairway and the genetically programme creatures. The Doctor can't accept this barbarity and intervenes. However the creature sees Garg as his creator, throws himself on his mercy, and they both topple over to their deaths.
Cornell's story is well off centre, and that makes it wonderful. To even think about such an idea shows the imagination of the man. John Freeman ably gives us the words, but it is the idea that made this unique. The art is okay too, with the 7th Doctor represented better than usual.
This is the way 1-part strips should be. One of the better ones, that's for sure. 8/10