4-D War (comic story)

4-D War
Main character(s):	Rema-Du
Featuring:	Wardog, Griffen, Jodelex
Main enemy:	Order of the Black Sun
Key crew
Publisher:	Marvel Comics
Editor:	Dez Skinn
Writer:	Alan Moore
Artist:	Dave Lloyd
Release details
Number of parts:	1
Printed in:	DWM 51
Release date:	12 March 1981
Format:	B/W 1 part / 4 pages
DWM backup comic stories
← Previous	Crisis on Kaldor
Next →	The Greatest Gamble

4-D War was the middle story in a trilogy of Doctor Who Magazine "backup" strips by Alan Moore. Following the story of the origin of the Time Lords in Star Death, 4-D War posited the then-novel concept of a "time war" — a notion that would go on to influence novel writers in the 1990s, as well as Russell T Davies' revival of the television series itself in 2005.

In 2012, Lawrence Miles said, "Alan Moore's back-up strips were an obvious influence on both Marc Platt's view of ye olde Gallifrey and my view of its future (Alien Bodies shares 95% of its DNA with its closest relative, 4-D War.)"

Indeed, the fact that this story's time war takes place in what is very early Time Lord history — long pre-dating the Doctor's birth — is one of the reasons that the televised "time war" is more formally called the Last Great Time War.

From the perspective of comics historians, however, this story — and its larger trilogy — are mostly significant because of the partnership between Moore and artist David Lloyd, a duo that would go on to create one of the most significant English language graphic novels, V for Vendetta.

Summary

Twenty years after the loss of Omega, the Time Lords seek to retrieve Fenris from the Zone of No Return to learn the reason for his attempt to stop the Gallifreyan's control over time. Wardog and Rema-Du, the daughter of Lord Griffen, are successful in their attempt, but while the Chronarchs of the Prydonian Chapter await results from Viridian the Brainfeeler, they are visited by the Order of the Black Sun, enemies from thirty thousand years in the future, who wipe out Fenris, the Brainfeeler and several of the council before they disappear. In the chaos, Lord Griffen reflects on crimes yet to be committed.

Plot

to be added

Characters

• Fenris
• Lord Griffen
• Lady Jodelex
• Wardog
• Rema-Du
• Viridian
• Llorex
• Faru-Faro
• Drin

Worldbuilding

• The Prydonian Chapter gather the Chronarchs in the Question Hall.
• The Gallifreyans aknowledge they are fighting a "timewar", "a war in four dimensions".
• The Order of the Black Sun is able to materialise into the hall.

Individuals

• Fenris is confined in the Zone of No Return.
• Rema-Du, daughter of Griffen and Jodelex trained for ten years to retrieve the Hellbringer.
• Griffen is the designer of the security system of the facility which accesses to the Zone of No Return.
• The Special Executives are a group working for Gallifrey. Among its members:
  • Wardog, looking like a werewolf; able to stand stresses better than classic Gallifreyans;
  • Viridian the Brainfeeler, psychic of the group.
• Llorex, Faru-Faro and Drin are members of the Order of the Black Sun.
• Following the attack of the Order of the Black Sun, there 11 casualties: Viridian, Fenris and nine of the Castellan's strike force.

Notes

• Much of this story was rooted in Moore pondering how temporal warfare would work. He developed the Special Executive with the idea that they'd be a group suited to timewar. (about: the special executive!)
• Lawrence Miles cited Alan Moore's back-up strips as an influence on Marc Platt's view of Gallifrey's past and Miles' own view of its future. In particular, he said "Alien Bodies shares 95% of its DNA with its closest relative, 4-D War".

Original print details

Publication with page count and closing captions

1. DWM 51 (4) End

Reprints

Reprinted by Marvel in The Daredevils issue 6.

Continuity

• This story, along with the comics Star Death and Black Sun Rising, takes place during the Black Sun War.
  • The story is set 20 years after COMIC: Star Death: Rema-Du is the daughter of Griffen and Jodelex and Fenris is "scattered" through time and space.