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{{title|''{{PAGENAME}}''}}
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{{Infobox Comic
{{Infobox Story SMW
|comic name= The Widow's Curse
|range = DWM comic stories{{!}}DWM Comics
|image= [[file:Sycorax Shamans.jpg|250px]]
|number in range = 141
|series= [[Doctor Who Magazine comic strips|Doctor Who]] -<BR> [[Tenth Doctor comic strip stories]]
|image       = Sycorax Shamans.jpg
|doctor= [[Tenth Doctor]]
|series       = [[DWM comic stories|''DWM'' comic stories]]
|companions= [[Donna Noble]]
|doctor       = Tenth Doctor
|enemy= [[Sycorax]]
|companions   = [[Donna Noble|Donna]]
|year= [[Shadow Cay]] [[2009]]
|enemy       = [[Haxan Craw (The Widow's Curse)|Haxan Craw]]
|writer= [[Rob Davis]]
|setting      = [[Shadow Cay]], [[2009]]
|editor= [[Tom Spilsbury]] & [[Scott Gray]]
|writer       = Rob Davis
|inks= [[David A. Roach]]
|editor       = [[Tom Spilsbury]] & [[Scott Gray]]
|artist= [[Martin Geraghty]]
|inker        = [[David A. Roach]]
|colourist= [[James Offredi]]
|penciller    = [[Martin Geraghty]]
|lettering= [[Roger Langridge]]
|colourist   = [[James Offredi]]
|publication title= [[DWM 395]]
|letterer    = [[Roger Langridge]]
|publication dates= [[28 May]] - [[24 July]] [[2008]]
|publication = [[DWM 395]] - [[DWM 398]]
|publisher= [[Panini Comics]]
|release date = 1 May - 24 July 2008
|format= Comic - 4 parts
|cover date  = 28 May - 20 August 2008
|previous story= [[Hotel Historia (comic story)|Hotel Historia]]
|traded= ''[[The Widow's Curse (graphic novel)|The Widow's Curse]]''
|next story= [[The Time of My Life]]
|publisher   = Panini Comics
}}
|format       = Comic
:''This article is about the comic. For the omnibus, see [[The Widow's Curse (graphic novel)]]''
|epcount      = 4
'''''The Widow's Curse''''' was a [[2008]] [[Doctor Who Magazine comic strips|comic strip story]] featuring the [[Tenth Doctor]]. It was significant for being the first ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic strip to feature [[Donna Noble]], though it was not [[Any Old Iron|her comic strip debut]]. It also marked the second occasion on which author [[Rob Davis]] had introduced a televised [[companion]] to the pages of ''Doctor Who Magazine''.
|prev        = Hotel Historia (comic story)
==Synopsis==
|next         = The Time of My Life (comic story)
[[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]] and [[Donna Noble]] travel to an [[Shadow Cay|Island]] that doesn't exist where an old enemy is
}}{{you may|The Widow's Curse (graphic novel)|n1=the graphic novel of the same name}}
waiting in [[Westminster Abbey]]...
'''''The Widow's Curse''''' was a ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic featuring the [[Tenth Doctor]] and [[Donna Noble]] in her ''DWM'' debut, though it was not [[Any Old Iron (comic story)|her comic strip debut]]. It was the second time author [[Rob Davis]] had introduced a televised [[companion]] to the pages of ''Doctor Who Magazine''. Ultimately, however, Donna would appear in only one further story afterward.


==Plot==
== Synopsis ==
====Part One====
The [[Tenth Doctor]] and [[Donna Noble]] travel to an [[Shadow Cay|island]] that doesn't exist where an old enemy is
A group of zombies are walking about under the sea. On a boat a group of people are talking about where they have been. They ask [[Donna Noble]], who tells them all the places she has been by herself and with the [[Tenth Doctor]]. The people introduce themselves to Donna as [[Norah]], [[Jean (The Widow's Curse)|Jean]] and [[Harry (The Widow's Curse)|Harry]]. They ask Donna where she is staying and she says the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]]. The others believe that it is some fancy hotel. Donna corrects them. Harry tries to talk to the Doctor who is standing next to Donna. He is looking through binoculars at [[Shadow Cay]]. The Doctor tells them all there is no such place as Shadow Cay. The Doctor introduces himself and explains his theory that it can't exist because the Doctor has never met someone who's been there. Harry reads the island's history from a book in order to try and prove it is real. Jean tells the Doctor he has a crooked aura. The Doctor says he had a nasty fall as a child. On a beach on Shadow Cay, two people have discovered a spiky object they think it a sea creature. Suddenly a group of zombies attack them and take away the object. The boat arrives at Shadow Cay. The Doctor and Donna discover a model hand stuck in a wall. They see a building that looks just like [[Westminster Abbey]]. The Doctor tells them it is Westminster Abbey. The group from the boat prepare to enter the abbey but the Doctor is grabbed from behind. Two men close the doors, trapping the others inside. When a man protests, a skull on a rope swings out and catches him on the neck, and he collapses. The [[Sycorax]] reveal themselves telling the group that they are in the church of the Sycorax.
waiting in Westminster Abbey...
 
== Plot ==
=== Part one ===
Zombies walk under the sea. On a boat people talk about where they have been. [[Donna Noble]] tells them all the places she has been by herself and with the [[Tenth Doctor]]. The others introduce themselves as Norah, Jean and Harry. They ask Donna where she is staying and she says [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]]. The others think it is a fancy hotel. Donna corrects them. Harry tries to talk to the Doctor, who stands next to Donna. He is looking through binoculars at [[Shadow Cay]] and says there is no such place as Shadow Cay.
 
The Doctor introduces himself and explains it can't exist because he has never met anyone who's been there. Harry reads the island's history from a book to prove it is real. Jean tells the Doctor he has a crooked aura. The Doctor says he had a nasty fall as a child.
 
On a beach on Granma Island, two people have found a spiky object they think is a sea creature. Suddenly a group of zombies attack them and take away the object. The boat arrives at Shadow Cay. The Doctor and Donna discover a model hand stuck in a wall. They see the Convent of a building that looks just like Westminster Abbey. The Doctor tells them it ''is'' Westminster Abbey. The group from the boat prepare to enter the abbey but the Doctor is grabbed from behind. Two men close the doors, trapping the others inside. When a man protests, a skull on a rope swings out and catches him on the neck. He collapses. The [[Sycorax]] reveal themselves telling the humans they are in the [[Church of the Sycorax]].
 
=== Part two ===
The man who grabbed the Doctor did so to keep him from being discovered by the Sycorax — whom the Doctor recognises as female.
 
Inside the church, the Sycorax attack the humans, binding them with ropes, but Donna escape with Norah. As they escape, they run into another Sycorax. Donna sprays her with perfume. Donna and Norah try to find out where the Sycorax are taking people. The Sycorax discuss their plans with the leader — the Haxan Craw. Some zombies bring in a spherical object — which she reacts to with joy — they now shall have the truth.
 
The Doctor realises the "locals" are all zombies, or human abstracts, as is the man who rescued him — the Sycorax are controlling them remotely. The man introduces himself as Lee Deverill. The Doctor notes he is different, but is puzzled because zombie control doesn't allow for individuality. They decide to go into the Sycorax ship.
 
In the church, some of the humans recognise the Sycorax as the "Christmas aliens on television" — but the Sycorax tell them not to speak in front of the Haxan Craw. Donna and Norah watch from behind rocks as the Haxan Craw brings in the stone, which she identifies as the Foraxi Yox. She orders the killing of the humans — but Donna protests. The Sycorax put the stone ball into a screen — which shows them what happened to their husbands. Donna realises it is like a [[Black Box recorder]]. The Sycorax watch the clip, which shows them being targeted by the humans and say they have been betrayed.
 
The Doctor and Lee come across a beach filled with the heads of abstracts — the Doctor notes they are "very, very, very dead... like they've died hundreds of times". Lee tells the Doctor that a 747 has gone missing — the Sycorax seem to have hypnotised the entire world. They set off an alarm and are chased by Sycorax riders.


====Part Two====
The man who grabbed the Doctor did so in order to keep him from being discovered by the Sycorax - who the Doctor recognises as female. 
Inside the church, the Sycorax attack the humans, binding them with ropes, but Donna manages to escape with Norah. As they escape, they run into another Sycorax, but Donna sprays her with perfume to escape. Donna and Norah try to find out where the Sycorax are taking people, the Sycorax discuss their plans with the leader - the [[Haxan Craw]]. Some zombies bring in a spherical object - which she reacts with joy to - as the now shall have the truth.
The Doctor relises that the "locals" are actually all zombies, as is the man who rescued him - the Sycorax are controlling them via remote control. The man introduces himself as [[Lee Deverill]]. The Doctor notes that he is different, but is puzzled because zombie control doesn't allow for individuallity. They decide to head into the Sycorax ship.
In the church, some of the humans recognise the Sycorax as the [[The Christmas Invasion|christmas aliens on television]] - but the Sycorax tell them not to speak in front of the Haxan Craw. Donna and Norah watch from behind some rocks, as the Haxan Craw brings in the stone. She orders the killing of the humans - but Donna protests. The Sycroax put the stone ball into a screen - which shows them what happened to their husbands. Donna relises that it is like a [[Black Box recorder]]. The Sycorax watch the clip, which shows the Sycorax being targeted by the humans - saying they have been betrayed.
The Doctor and Lee come across a beach area which is filled with the heads of zombies - the Doctor notes that they have no existence. Lee tells the Doctor that a 747 has gone missing - and notes that the Sycorax seem to have hypnotised the entire world. They set off an alarm and are chased by Sycorax riders.
Back in the church, Donna looks on in horror as the Sycorax widows watch the clip of their husbands being destroyed over and over again.
Back in the church, Donna looks on in horror as the Sycorax widows watch the clip of their husbands being destroyed over and over again.


====Part Three====
=== Part three ===
The Doctor and Lee are run from the Sycorax riders. Lee is captured but the Doctor escapes by using the Sycorax ropes to pull them off their mounts and then steals one to get away. Haxan Craw, inside the Shrine watches images of how her husband, the Sycorax leader [[Fadros Pallujikaa]], met his death.
The Doctor and Lee run from the Sycorax riders. Lee is captured but the Doctor escapes by using the Sycorax ropes to pull them off their mounts. He steals a mount to get away. Inside the Shrine, the Haxan Craw watches images of her husband, the Sycorax leader [[Fadros Pallujikaa]], meeting his death. The images show the swordfight between the Doctor and the Sycorax. The Haxan Craw identifies a part the leader's bone jewellery as her rib, a marriage bond he wears. The Haxan Craw screams at the sight of her husband's death, draws her sword and stabs Harry through his chest. Jean tries to remove the [[Torkfish]] but the Haxan Craw says they only let go when the victim dies.
The images show the swordfight between the Doctor and the Sycorax, as Haxan Craw identifies a part the leader's bone jewellery as her rib; a marriage bond he wears. Haxan screams at the sight of her husband's death, draws her sword and stabs Harry through his chest. Jean tries to remove the [[Torkfish]] but Haxan reveals they only let go when the victim dies. Meanwhile, Lee is taken to Gilfane Craw. The Doctor also arrives and is slapped for commenting on Sycorax rites. The Doctor uses his [[Sonic screwdriver]] to threaten the Sycorax whle he backs away to a man strapped to the mainframe of the island. It is Lee, the man who wrote a guide to Shadow Cay. Menwhile the Sycorax prepare to kill the humans when Norah throws the Sycorax's recording device into their screen causing an explosion, in the panic the humans flee. Jean is tied to the rest by the Torkfish but cuts the rope so she can stay with Harry who is now dead, the Torkfish having released its grip. Lee discovers he is just a spirit in another man's body. He throws himself at Gilfane and both land in the pool of acid surrounding the mainframe and dissolve. The Doctor frees Lee from the mainframe and turns to face Haxan and fellow warriors. Donna and Norah head aboard a plane. Meanwhile the Sycorax wake the dead who are contaminated with a spell virus that will be spread round the world in the Sycorax's bid for revenge. Donna and Norah realise the plane is full of corpses contaminated with the virus, ready to be flown to [[London]] to spread it. The Sycorax declare that this is their curse and advance on the Doctor. Haxan proclaims "No second chances, were that sort of a clan!"


====Part Four====
Lee is taken to the Gilfane Craw. The Doctor also arrives and is slapped for commenting on Sycorax rites. The Doctor uses [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]] to threaten the Sycorax. He backs away to a man strapped to the mainframe of the island. It is Lee, the man who wrote a guide to the Caribbean islands.
[[file:Bang.JPG|right|250px|thumb|The Sycorax ship explodes]]
The Sycorax widows continue to advance on the Doctor, who gives them a chance to leave this world. The Sycorax say they will leave this world to rot when the abstracts have freed the curse. The Doctor attaches himself to the [[Lithic womb]] in an attempt to control the abstracts. Donna and Norah are aboard the plane with the disease carrying abstracts. They soon find out that the pilots are abstracts too. Meanwhile the Sycorax prepare to kill the Doctor, the Doctor is in control of the abstracts on the island and forces them into the lithic womb. They begin chanting, "I am the Doctor". The Doctor can speak through the abstracts and tells Haxan Craw not to underestimate humanity and definitely not Donna Noble. Donna and Norah remove the pilots from the pilot seats. The Doctor begins to melt the walls of the lithic womb while a Sycorax falls into the acidic water pushed by an abstract. The Doctor realises he can use the Sycorax "magic" to replicate anything on earth. Meanwhile on the plane Donna struggles to keep the plane in flight as the Zombies awake and begin breaking down the door. Donna redirects the plane to Haxan's island. The Doctor replicates the drowning giant sculpture and uses it to catch the plane. Haxan smashes the part of the lithic womb connected to the Doctor and so he runs off followed in hunt by Haxan. The Doctor gets Jean to come with him on the way out, she is still upset over Harry's death. The island suddenly begins to take off and is revealed as a Sycorax rock ship. Haxan catches up with the Doctor and easily knocks him down and prepares to slay him. Suddenly a Torkfish attaches itself around Haxan neck. She realises it is Jean the Torkfish keeps the both held together via the rope in-between. Jean then uses Haxan's spear to knock her over the edge of a replicate building intending to also plummet to her death. At the last moment the Doctor cuts the rope saving Jean. Haxan plummets to her death. The humans all meet on a ferry as the island lifts into the air.  
The Doctor says, "There’s enough pain in loss to bring down mountains, to crush whole planets...and if pain turns to revenge it can tear you apart!" The Sycorax ship explodes.


==Characters==
Meanwhile, the Sycorax are preparing to kill the humans when Norah throws the Sycorax's recording device into their screen, causing an explosion. In the panic, the humans flee. Jean is tied to the rest by the Torkfish but cuts the rope so she can stay with Harry, who is now dead, the Torkfish having relaxed its grip. Lee discovers he is just a spirit in another man's body. He throws himself at the Gilfane Craw and both land in the pool of acid surrounding the mainframe and dissolve. The Doctor frees Lee from the mainframe and turns to face the Haxan Craw and her warriors. Donna and Norah board a plane.
*[[Tenth Doctor|The Doctor]]
*[[Donna Noble]]
*[[Norah]]
*[[Jean (The Widow's Curse)|Jean]]
*[[Harry (The Widow's Curse)|Harry]]
*[[Lee Deverill]]
*[[Sycorax]]
*[[Torkfish]]


==Continuity==
The Sycorax wake the dead, who are contaminated with a spell/virus that will be spread round the world in the Sycorax's vengeance, stopping the death of humanity while removing the immune system, causing agony for hundreds of years. Donna and Norah realise the plane is full of corpses contaminated with the virus, ready to be flown to [[London]]. The Sycorax declare this is their curse and advance on the Doctor. The Haxan Craw mockingly proclaims, in a paraphrase of the Doctor's own words, "No second chances, we're that sort of a clan!"
*The Sycorax return, but this time it's a group of female Sycorax who were widowed when their menfolk were destroyed during their failed invasion of Earth.
*[[Harriet Jones]] destroyed the Sycorax ship in [[DW]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]''.
*Clips of the events from The Christmas Invasion are seen by the Sycorax and dialogue from the episode is quoted verbatim. The Doctor's killing of the Sycorax leader by throwing a [[satsuma]] at him plays a key role.
*Haxan changes the Doctor's "No second chances: I'm that sort of man" to "No second chances: we're that sort of a clan!"
*Donna says she's flown the Tardis ([[DW]]: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem]]''), thus this adventure must be set after ''[[The Doctor's Daughter]]'' which took place immediately after the two-part story.


==Story notes==
=== Part four ===
* This comic mark the first appearance of Donna in the DWM comic strip series. However, her debut, in terms of what would have been available to the British consumer first, was [[DWBIT]]: "''[[Any Old Iron]]''".
The Sycorax widows advance on the Doctor, who gives them a chance to leave this world. The Sycorax say they will leave this world to rot when the abstracts have freed the curse. The Doctor attaches himself to the lithic womb to control the abstracts. Donna and Norah are aboard the plane with the disease carrying abstracts. They soon find out that the pilots are abstracts too.


==Timeline==
The Sycorax prepare to kill the Doctor, who is in control of the abstracts on the island. He forces them into the lithic womb. They begin chanting, "I am the Doctor". The Doctor can speak through the abstracts. He tells the Haxan Craw not to underestimate humanity and definitely not Donna Noble. Donna and Norah remove the pilots from the pilot seats. The Doctor begins to melt the walls of the lithic womb while a Sycorax falls into the acidic water, pushed by an abstract.
*This story takes place after: [[DW]]: ''[[The Doctor's Daughter]]''
 
*This s{{Tenth Doctor DWM comics}}
The Doctor realises he can use the Sycorax's magma sculptor to replicate anything on Earth, and uses it to sculpt all of planet Earth. The Haxan Craw protests, saying the island is too small to recreate the whole of planet Earth. On the plane, Donna struggles to keep it in the air as the abstracts awake and begin breaking down the door.
 
Donna redirects the plane to Shadow Cay. The Doctor replicates the {{w|The Awakening (sculpture)|"drowning giant" sculpture}} seen in a [[Sandra Bullock]] film, and uses it to catch the plane. The Haxa Crawn smashes the part of the lithic womb connected to the Doctor. He runs off, hunted by the Haxan Craw. The "spell" of the magma sculptor continues to cripple Shadow Cay. The Doctor gets Jean to come with him on the way out. She is still upset over Harry's death.
 
The island takes off; it is a Sycorax spaceship. The Haxan Craw catches up with the Doctor, easily knocks him down and prepares to slay him. Suddenly a Torkfish winds itself around the Haxan Craw's neck. She realises it is Jean. The Torkfish keeps the two together with the rope. Jean uses the Haxan Craw's spear to knock her over the edge of a building, intending to join her in a plummet to her death. At the last moment the Doctor cuts the rope, saving Jean. The Haxan Craw falls to her death.
 
The humans meet on a ferry as the island rises into the air. The Doctor says, "There's enough pain in loss to bring down mountains, to crush whole planets...and if pain turns to revenge it can tear you apart!" The Sycorax ship explodes.
 
== Characters ==
* [[Tenth Doctor]]
* [[Donna Noble]]
* [[Norah (The Widow's Curse)|Norah]]
* [[Lee Deverill]]
* [[Haxan Craw (The Widow's Curse)|Haxan Craw]]
* [[Gilfane Craw]]
* [[Jean (The Widow's Curse)|Jean]]
* [[Harry (The Widow's Curse)|Harry]]
* [[Shelk]]
* [[Ramon (The Widow's Curse)|Ramon]]
* [[Pepé (The Widow's Curse)|Pepé]]
 
== Worldbuilding ==
* Donna received a bottle of [[Odeur Delaware]] as a gift from [[Sylvia Noble]] during [[Christmas]] [[2001]].
* When asked about her holiday experiences, Donna listed the locations which she had visited as [[Minehead]], [[Paris]] with her school, [[Lanzarote]], the [[Isle of Wight]], [[Corfu]], [[Crete]], [[Cornwall]], the rings of [[Saturn]], the [[Magellanic Clouds|Magellan Clouds]], [[Venus]], [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]], [[Pluto]], the birth of the [[Earth]], the death of the [[Mestophelix Galaxy]] and [[Skegness]].
 
== Notes ==
* Events from ''The Christmas Invasion'' are seen by the Sycorax and dialogue from the episode is quoted verbatim. The Doctor's killing of the Sycorax leader by throwing a [[satsuma]] also plays a key role in the story, but the image depicts him wit his usual outfit on as opposed to the pyjamas he was wearing in ''The Christmas Invasion''.
 
=== Original print details ===
: (Publication with page count and closing captions)
# [[DWM 395]] (10 pages) To Be Continued!
# [[DWM 396]] (10 pages) To Be Continued...
# [[DWM 397]] (10 pages) To Be Concluded!
# [[DWM 398]] (11 pages) The End.
 
== Continuity ==
* Donna mentions having seen the birth of the [[Earth]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Runaway Bride (TV story)|The Runaway Bride]]'')
* The Sycorax are searching for their husbands and brothers from the [[Sycorax invasion of Earth]], and learn about how [[Harriet Jones]] destroyed the [[Sycorax spaceship]] and the Doctor killed the [[Fadros Pallujikaa]] by throwing a [[fruit]] and making him fall of the [[Sycorax spaceship]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Christmas Invasion (TV story)|The Christmas Invasion]]'')
* Donna recalls flying [[the Doctor's TARDIS]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)|The Sontaran Stratagem]]'')
 
{{Tenth Doctor DWM comics}}
{{Sycorax stories}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[Category:Tenth Doctor DWM comic stories]]
[[Category:Tenth Doctor DWM comic stories]]
[[Category:Sycorax stories]]
[[Category:2008 comic stories]]
[[Category:Sycorax comic stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2009]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2009]]
[[Category:Stories set in the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Four part comics]]

Latest revision as of 20:11, 20 January 2024

RealWorld.png

You may be looking for the graphic novel of the same name.

The Widow's Curse was a Doctor Who Magazine comic featuring the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble in her DWM debut, though it was not her comic strip debut. It was the second time author Rob Davis had introduced a televised companion to the pages of Doctor Who Magazine. Ultimately, however, Donna would appear in only one further story afterward.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble travel to an island that doesn't exist where an old enemy is waiting in Westminster Abbey...

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Part one[[edit] | [edit source]]

Zombies walk under the sea. On a boat people talk about where they have been. Donna Noble tells them all the places she has been by herself and with the Tenth Doctor. The others introduce themselves as Norah, Jean and Harry. They ask Donna where she is staying and she says the TARDIS. The others think it is a fancy hotel. Donna corrects them. Harry tries to talk to the Doctor, who stands next to Donna. He is looking through binoculars at Shadow Cay and says there is no such place as Shadow Cay.

The Doctor introduces himself and explains it can't exist because he has never met anyone who's been there. Harry reads the island's history from a book to prove it is real. Jean tells the Doctor he has a crooked aura. The Doctor says he had a nasty fall as a child.

On a beach on Granma Island, two people have found a spiky object they think is a sea creature. Suddenly a group of zombies attack them and take away the object. The boat arrives at Shadow Cay. The Doctor and Donna discover a model hand stuck in a wall. They see the Convent of a building that looks just like Westminster Abbey. The Doctor tells them it is Westminster Abbey. The group from the boat prepare to enter the abbey but the Doctor is grabbed from behind. Two men close the doors, trapping the others inside. When a man protests, a skull on a rope swings out and catches him on the neck. He collapses. The Sycorax reveal themselves telling the humans they are in the Church of the Sycorax.

Part two[[edit] | [edit source]]

The man who grabbed the Doctor did so to keep him from being discovered by the Sycorax — whom the Doctor recognises as female.

Inside the church, the Sycorax attack the humans, binding them with ropes, but Donna escape with Norah. As they escape, they run into another Sycorax. Donna sprays her with perfume. Donna and Norah try to find out where the Sycorax are taking people. The Sycorax discuss their plans with the leader — the Haxan Craw. Some zombies bring in a spherical object — which she reacts to with joy — they now shall have the truth.

The Doctor realises the "locals" are all zombies, or human abstracts, as is the man who rescued him — the Sycorax are controlling them remotely. The man introduces himself as Lee Deverill. The Doctor notes he is different, but is puzzled because zombie control doesn't allow for individuality. They decide to go into the Sycorax ship.

In the church, some of the humans recognise the Sycorax as the "Christmas aliens on television" — but the Sycorax tell them not to speak in front of the Haxan Craw. Donna and Norah watch from behind rocks as the Haxan Craw brings in the stone, which she identifies as the Foraxi Yox. She orders the killing of the humans — but Donna protests. The Sycorax put the stone ball into a screen — which shows them what happened to their husbands. Donna realises it is like a Black Box recorder. The Sycorax watch the clip, which shows them being targeted by the humans and say they have been betrayed.

The Doctor and Lee come across a beach filled with the heads of abstracts — the Doctor notes they are "very, very, very dead... like they've died hundreds of times". Lee tells the Doctor that a 747 has gone missing — the Sycorax seem to have hypnotised the entire world. They set off an alarm and are chased by Sycorax riders.

Back in the church, Donna looks on in horror as the Sycorax widows watch the clip of their husbands being destroyed over and over again.

Part three[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor and Lee run from the Sycorax riders. Lee is captured but the Doctor escapes by using the Sycorax ropes to pull them off their mounts. He steals a mount to get away. Inside the Shrine, the Haxan Craw watches images of her husband, the Sycorax leader Fadros Pallujikaa, meeting his death. The images show the swordfight between the Doctor and the Sycorax. The Haxan Craw identifies a part the leader's bone jewellery as her rib, a marriage bond he wears. The Haxan Craw screams at the sight of her husband's death, draws her sword and stabs Harry through his chest. Jean tries to remove the Torkfish but the Haxan Craw says they only let go when the victim dies.

Lee is taken to the Gilfane Craw. The Doctor also arrives and is slapped for commenting on Sycorax rites. The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to threaten the Sycorax. He backs away to a man strapped to the mainframe of the island. It is Lee, the man who wrote a guide to the Caribbean islands.

Meanwhile, the Sycorax are preparing to kill the humans when Norah throws the Sycorax's recording device into their screen, causing an explosion. In the panic, the humans flee. Jean is tied to the rest by the Torkfish but cuts the rope so she can stay with Harry, who is now dead, the Torkfish having relaxed its grip. Lee discovers he is just a spirit in another man's body. He throws himself at the Gilfane Craw and both land in the pool of acid surrounding the mainframe and dissolve. The Doctor frees Lee from the mainframe and turns to face the Haxan Craw and her warriors. Donna and Norah board a plane.

The Sycorax wake the dead, who are contaminated with a spell/virus that will be spread round the world in the Sycorax's vengeance, stopping the death of humanity while removing the immune system, causing agony for hundreds of years. Donna and Norah realise the plane is full of corpses contaminated with the virus, ready to be flown to London. The Sycorax declare this is their curse and advance on the Doctor. The Haxan Craw mockingly proclaims, in a paraphrase of the Doctor's own words, "No second chances, we're that sort of a clan!"

Part four[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Sycorax widows advance on the Doctor, who gives them a chance to leave this world. The Sycorax say they will leave this world to rot when the abstracts have freed the curse. The Doctor attaches himself to the lithic womb to control the abstracts. Donna and Norah are aboard the plane with the disease carrying abstracts. They soon find out that the pilots are abstracts too.

The Sycorax prepare to kill the Doctor, who is in control of the abstracts on the island. He forces them into the lithic womb. They begin chanting, "I am the Doctor". The Doctor can speak through the abstracts. He tells the Haxan Craw not to underestimate humanity and definitely not Donna Noble. Donna and Norah remove the pilots from the pilot seats. The Doctor begins to melt the walls of the lithic womb while a Sycorax falls into the acidic water, pushed by an abstract.

The Doctor realises he can use the Sycorax's magma sculptor to replicate anything on Earth, and uses it to sculpt all of planet Earth. The Haxan Craw protests, saying the island is too small to recreate the whole of planet Earth. On the plane, Donna struggles to keep it in the air as the abstracts awake and begin breaking down the door.

Donna redirects the plane to Shadow Cay. The Doctor replicates the "drowning giant" sculpture seen in a Sandra Bullock film, and uses it to catch the plane. The Haxa Crawn smashes the part of the lithic womb connected to the Doctor. He runs off, hunted by the Haxan Craw. The "spell" of the magma sculptor continues to cripple Shadow Cay. The Doctor gets Jean to come with him on the way out. She is still upset over Harry's death.

The island takes off; it is a Sycorax spaceship. The Haxan Craw catches up with the Doctor, easily knocks him down and prepares to slay him. Suddenly a Torkfish winds itself around the Haxan Craw's neck. She realises it is Jean. The Torkfish keeps the two together with the rope. Jean uses the Haxan Craw's spear to knock her over the edge of a building, intending to join her in a plummet to her death. At the last moment the Doctor cuts the rope, saving Jean. The Haxan Craw falls to her death.

The humans meet on a ferry as the island rises into the air. The Doctor says, "There's enough pain in loss to bring down mountains, to crush whole planets...and if pain turns to revenge it can tear you apart!" The Sycorax ship explodes.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Events from The Christmas Invasion are seen by the Sycorax and dialogue from the episode is quoted verbatim. The Doctor's killing of the Sycorax leader by throwing a satsuma also plays a key role in the story, but the image depicts him wit his usual outfit on as opposed to the pyjamas he was wearing in The Christmas Invasion.

Original print details[[edit] | [edit source]]

(Publication with page count and closing captions)
  1. DWM 395 (10 pages) To Be Continued!
  2. DWM 396 (10 pages) To Be Continued...
  3. DWM 397 (10 pages) To Be Concluded!
  4. DWM 398 (11 pages) The End.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

v • e
DWM Tenth Doctor comic stories
Rose
Solo
Martha
Solo
Donna
Majenta
v • e
Sycorax stories
For the purposes of this list, a "Sycorax story" is one in which one living, authentic Sycorax plays a part within the confines of the story, outside of flashbacks to previous stories and cliffhangers that lead into the following story. Stories like The Pandorica Opens and Revolution of the Daleks are also not included due to the Sycoraxs' cameos being of no consequence to the plot of the story.
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Complete list of appearances
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