Also one thing I’m really appreciating about the comics is that because they’re not so commonly ingrained in cultural consciousness like the TV show is, the surprise villains are actually surprises (provided you don’t look at the characters listed on the guide, I’m changing them to spoilers as I read though)
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Dragon's Claw - 8/10
I really like it when we get a non-western historical, and it’s done really well here. There’s definitely a fair bit of playing into the martial monk stereotype, but I think at least with the reveal it definitely works here.
Generally this was a really fun story, the idea of sontarans using post hypnotic suggestion to make monks killers and take over the world does feel a little outside their normal wheelhouse, but it’s explained in the comic itself that they’re unable to clone themselves, so it works, training people to kill (though killing most of those they train themselves in the final battle), so that they can rule does work pretty well, and I love that it’s genuinely a surprise when they show up, but one that still works.
I also really like K9 using a recording to turn off the ‘kill switch’ at the end, it’s a fun use of K9’s abilities and one you wouldn’t think of at first when reading the comic, but makes complete sense as a counter in retrospect
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I also discussed the first collection of DWM comic stories earlier this year:
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I also read the first three stories of the next volume:
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You could add it to the site as a quote. 
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Im darting about these stories. I’ve reviewed all of the new series offerings up to towards the end of Matt Smith’s time, and now will be watching in line with my marathon of the TV show itself.
Now I’ve caught up with my TV marathon I’ve shot back to the beginning.
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There is a lot of great stories in the classic half of publication too, so hope you’ll have fun
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I’m reading these collections in the random order I am able to obtain them from various libraries across London, so have just finished The Iron Legion and am starting A Cold Day in Hell. I’ve only ever listened to Frobisher on audio - so should be fun!
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I’m guilty of this I guess because I’ve never really given comics a chance. The ones I’ve read I’ve just felt were “okay”.
I don’t buy much physical media so I have to read them on a computer or phone, which I find is fiddly, and then I think in a typical comic there’s so little actual story that it’s basically a really short story.
On top of that, when I’ve tried to get invested in the DWM comics, like Liberation of the Daleks, one issue a month is way too big a gap, I have a bad memory so I forgot what happens. To go back now and read them all again I’d have to flick through so many different issues in the app and scroll around, just the idea of it is making me feel tired. I’d much rather listen to an audio lol.
I’ll try to check out The Flood as you keep recommending it…
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This is all true which is why the DWM collections are good (not that I own many of them). It helps that I have physical DWMs so I can line up a series of issues because, you’re right, it’s very easy to forget the story between issues.
Liberation of the Daleks is also not the best example. It is from a time when the DWM comic strip was truncated because of costs so the ‘episodes’ are much shorter than in the golden era of the 8th Doctor.
I’m wary of over-recommending The Flood though, I know what you’re like. But there are some really good story arcs throughout that era and there is some pretty good stuff before and after as well. Stories like Voyager, The Mark of Mandragora, Emperor of the Daleks, Ground Zero, The Final Chapter, Wormwood, The Glorious Dead, Hunters of the Burning Stone and Endgame are all superb (and that’s just a few from the top of my head).
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Trying not to get offended by this… 
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I usually wait for them to wrap up a story before reading, waiting a month is way too much for me too. And while they are short, I do think they compesate a bit by the sheer amount of details in every page.
Modern comics are usually decompressed, but every panel of the strips tells you are lot exactly because they know how little space they have to tell the story.
Plus, while I do think The Flood work as a standalole story, I wouldn’t read it as such. It’s a finale to the entire Eighth Doctor era of comics and wrap up his character arc; so I’d recommend giving his four volumes a chance. I said it before, but it can be really rewarding.
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Agreed. The Eighth Doctor comics and Eleventh Doctor comics form one long arc. Of the Eighth Doctor stuff I’ve read Volumes 2-4 fairly recently (Library couldn’t find a copy for me). I’ve also read the first three volumes of Eleven which essentially form two arcs (Volume 1 and then 2-3).
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I am curious about the Seventh Doctor era of comics because they seem a bit of a mess (good or bad, don’t know yet). And then there is that huge blockbuster of a finale.
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The first collection at least does not score that well according to tardis.guide users, so very curious about whether I agree with that. I have three of the 7th Doctor’s collections on my desk atm, so will be able to talk at length about this in no time. 
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One last quick comic before bed
The Collector - 6/10
Just a nice little story, but they sort of gloss over some things in the end.
The idea of a bored and stranded alien kidnapping humans for anthropological research is a pretty fun one, especially when he’s made to to so easy to empathise with instead of being made a villain. I love the image of Four in a robe but still wearing the scarf that the few ‘habitats’ we see enable.
The ending does make it fall a little flat though, first the alien dies because of earth’s pollution (a fun little climate message), but then Four decides to go back in time and undo the events that lead to his death? We do get a pretty fun panel of Four punching other Four in the face, but rewriting time, your own timestream even, in such a blatant way just feels so wrong, and they don’t punish the guy for kidnapping at all.
Sure they blow up the device to he can’t kidnap any more people, but what about the one’s he’s already taken? it just doesn’t quite work for me.
The art here is great though, Tom and the ‘Mother ship’ especially are drawn really well.
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Coming back to the comics from where I left off, I love the scenarios so much. I am at Funhouse right now
An earlier comic left me breatheless (Voyager):
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Finished it. I liked Funhouse a lot, it worked well for a shorter story and left me wanting mooooore (it’s easy to make a sequel to this one, someone call mister Scott Gray right now).
THAT BEING SAID, c’mon people why is this one considered a multi-Doctor? That barely counts.
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Remind me (you can DM me if you want) as to what might make it multi-Doctor and what might not. We can always change it on the guide. It’s a constant work in progress 
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A noteworthy detail is that Six is characterised a bit different than he was on TV while these comics were being published. That’s me saying I find it funny how much the authors enjoy to write Six scared to death in these comics. He is forever being chased by living cosmic horror nightmares.
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