Earth, in the far future: the fearsome Neutron Knights, led by the bloodthirsty warlord Catavolcus, descend on the inner sanctum of the fortress of a king and his few remaining defenders. The king’s wizard summons the Doctor and his TARDIS via mental control to try and stop the Neutron Knights.
Rate and review below:
Felt like I was missing a lot of context for this one (which going off latter comics I dont believe I was). I also understand this somehow ties into Captain Britain so maybe its a backdoor pilot gone wrong?
Whatever the case I wasnt a fan
And that’s where the 4th doctor run ends not with a bang but with a meh
Ugh. After really enjoying Junkyard Demon, I’m back to reading a strip that seems determined to insert the Doctor into someone else’s comic strip. Again, this is a story where the Doctor is hugely passive and just seems to have stuff happen to him. Again, he comes into a world where a story has already been happening and he spends the whole time trying to catch up on who is who and what is what. Consequently, so does the reader. And I don’t think I came out of this knowing any more about this world of ‘Neutron Knights’ than when I went in first. Why are Arthur and Merlin involved? How does Merlin know about the Time Lords? Is this the future or some parallel universe (ala Battlefield)? Having the Doctor not know and say it out loud really doesn’t make it seem like the people writing these understood the Doctor or the show. This one seems to be a bedfellow of The Life Bringer! - another strip which had the Doctor encounter legendary characters but not really know where or when he was. The Doctor of these strips just lacks agency. He is thrown from pillar to post and never seems to actually get a grip on what is happening.
Knowing that this is also the final Fourth Doctor strip makes this all the more bitter. The Fourth Doctor’s time in DWM has been a rollercoaster of good and bad stories but central to even the good ones seemed to be a lack of understanding of the show’s actual ethos or the character’s individuality. In a way these are almost closer to the TV Comic version of Doctor Who than anything that eventually emerges from the DWM strips when the writers finally understand how the comic strip medium can be used to tell Doctor Who stories rather than trying to warp the Doctor into a character who fits into a much more violent, grotesque comic strip world.
Let’s just say I’m looking forward to the Fifth Doctor taking over.
I’m in two minds about this story. The louder of the two is rather persuasive, though; as the final DWM story with the Fourth Doctor, it certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Of course, looking back with the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to want something more climactic when we know how this incarnation’s story ends but, in the absence of companions, it’s a decent enough story with the Doctor—it’s just not ‘final story’ material.
The illustrations in this one were rather gripping; I’m reminded of ‘Doctor Who and the Iron Legion’, if only because I suspect I have a soft spot for when Doctor Who comics evoke the almost farcical gothic styles of Warhammer 40,000 and whatnot. It was rather funny having a character called Merlin, considering where the Seventh Doctor ends up going in Season 26 and beyond but, while I’m usually all in favour of open-ended mysteries, this felt more like a loose thread than an invitation to speculate. That said, the cryptic ending did remind me somewhat of the opening moments in ‘Logopolis’, with the Doctor being aware of some foreboding presence, aware of his own mortality and uncomfortable with the idea of an uncertain future.
What was that? I understood nothing of the plot. This was probably my least favourite comic in this series so far.
And so ends the 4th Doctor’s comic run. It’s a pity that it ends on a whimper, because this wasn’t a fun read.
It is a disappointing note on which to end the Fourth Doctor’s original DWM comic run. Dave Gibbons’ artwork remains a pleasure to look at, but it cannot save a story that feels overcrowded, underdeveloped and, despite lasting only eight pages, strangely like a chore to read.
4/10 = Underwhelming
I enjoyed the art and change of pace, but I do wish I had a better understanding of the plot.