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{{ | {{Infobox Story SMW | ||
{{ | |range = DWM comic stories{{!}}DWM Comics | ||
| | |number in range = 43 | ||
|image= | |image = Voord Cybermen.jpg | ||
|series=[[DWM comic stories|''DWM'' comic stories]] | |series = [[DWM comic stories|''DWM'' comic stories]] | ||
|doctor= Sixth Doctor | |doctor = Sixth Doctor | ||
|companions= [[ | |companions = [[Peri Brown|Peri]], [[Frobisher]], [[Jamie McCrimmon|Jamie]] | ||
|enemy= | |enemy = [[Cyber-Control (The World Shapers)|Cyber-Control]] | ||
|setting= [[Marinus]] | |setting = [[Marinus]] | ||
|writer= | |writer = Grant Morrison | ||
|penciller= [[John Ridgway]] | |penciller = [[John Ridgway]] | ||
|inker = [[Tim Perkins]] | |inker = [[Tim Perkins]] | ||
|editor=[[Sheila Cranna]] | |editor = [[Sheila Cranna]] | ||
|colourist= | |colourist = | ||
|letterer=[[Richard Starkings]] | |letterer = [[Richard Starkings]] | ||
|publication= [[DWM 127]]-[[DWM 129|129]] | |publication = [[DWM 127]]-[[DWM 129|129]] | ||
|release date= | |release date = 9 July - 10 September 1987 | ||
|publisher= Marvel Comics | |publisher = Marvel Comics | ||
| | |reprint = The World Shapers (graphic novel) | ||
|reprint2= | |reprint2 = Grant Morrison's Doctor Who 2 | ||
| | |reprint3 = Doctor Who Classics Volume 3 | ||
|reprint4= | |reprint4 = Doctor Who Classics Omnibus Volume 1 | ||
|format= Comic | |reprint5 = Cybermen: The Ultimate Comic Strip Collection | ||
|prev= The Gift (comic story) | |format = Comic | ||
|next= A Cold Day in Hell! (comic story) | |epcount = 3 | ||
|prev = The Gift (comic story) | |||
|next = A Cold Day in Hell! (comic story) | |||
}}{{you may|The World Shapers (graphic novel)|n1=the graphic novel}} | }}{{you may|The World Shapers (graphic novel)|n1=the graphic novel}} | ||
'''''The World Shapers''''' was the final regular ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic strip to feature the [[Sixth Doctor]]. It featured the death of [[Jamie McCrimmon]], a fate which, | '''''The World Shapers''''' was the final regular ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic strip to feature the [[Sixth Doctor]]. It featured the death of [[Jamie McCrimmon]], a fate which, as of 2023, has not been contradicted in any medium. It has also attracted attention because it was written by legendary comic scribe [[Grant Morrison]]. | ||
It | |||
It was a [[CyberMondan|Mondasian Cybermen]] [[Genesis of the Cybermen|origin story]] which showed that the Cybermen evolved from the [[Voord]] from the [[First Doctor]] serial ''[[The Keys of Marinus (TV story)|The Keys of Marinus]]''. These origins conflicted with most of the later origin stories given for the Cybermen, including the [[Fifth Doctor]] audio ''[[Spare Parts (audio story)|Spare Parts]]'' and DWM's own ''[[The Cybermen (comic story)|The Cybermen]]'' comic series. However, ''The World Shapers'' was specifically referenced in the [[Twelfth Doctor]] story ''[[The Doctor Falls (TV story)|The Doctor Falls]]'' as one of many origins of the Cybermen which all coexist in the [[Doctor Who universe]], though it also establishes [[Planet 14]], [[Marinus]] and [[Mondas]] as separate planets, contradicting ''The World Shapers''. | |||
== Summary == | == Summary == | ||
| Line 35: | Line 39: | ||
== Plot == | == Plot == | ||
=== Part one === | === Part one === | ||
The [[Sixth Doctor]], [[Peri Brown]] and [[Frobisher]] follow a distress signal to a watery [[planet]] that the Doctor recognises as [[Marinus]], although it is now apparently deserted. The signal is coming from [[TARDIS (The World Shapers)|another TARDIS]]. They find an | The [[Sixth Doctor]], [[Peri Brown]] and [[Frobisher]] follow a distress signal to a watery [[planet]] that the Doctor recognises as [[Marinus]], although it is now apparently deserted. The signal is coming from [[TARDIS (The World Shapers)|another TARDIS]]. They find an [[Time Lord (The World Shapers)|elderly, dying Time Lord]] who mutters "[[Planet 14]]" before expiring. As he was on his last [[regeneration]], his [[body]] breaks down into its constituent [[molecule]]s, though the Doctor notes that it happened very quickly. The late Time Lord's TARDIS informs them they were sent to Marinus to investigate violent disturbances in the [[space-time continuum]]. Frobisher moults rapidly and Peri's hair and fingernails grow; the Doctor notes that time has been accelerated. The mention of Planet 14 jogs the Doctor's memory. He dimly recalls an adventure from his [[Second Doctor|second incarnation]]. He decides to visit [[Jamie McCrimmon]] to see if he would know. | ||
As they depart in [[the TARDIS]] (observed by a group of [[Voord]]), a | As they depart in [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] (observed by a group of [[Voord]]), a [[spaceship]] prepares to land, piloted by [[Deedrun]] and [[Maxilla]], who repair [[Worldshaper]]s. They note that the last Worldshaper they repaired was on [[Planet Thirteen]]... | ||
=== Part two === | === Part two === | ||
The TARDIS has arrived in [[Scotland]] in the [[18th century]], and the travellers are escorted by [[Dugald]] to visit "Mad Jamie", who has been labelled as [[insanity|crazy]] after the [[Battle of Culloden]], claiming to have visited the [[moon]] and [[star]]s. Having miscalculated by about 40 years, they've arrived to find Jamie an isolated old man living alone in a run-down shack. Jamie (who had been trained by the Doctor to resist the Time Lords' erasure of his memory) recalls the mention of Planet 14 by the [[Cyber Controller]] in their dealings with the [[Cybermen]]'s attempted [[The Invasion|invasion]] of [[Earth]] via the [[London]] sewers. He begs the Doctor to take him with them, and they depart in the TARDIS before the bewildered eyes of the villagers. | The TARDIS has arrived in [[Scotland]] in the [[18th century]], and the travellers are escorted by [[Dugald]] to visit "Mad Jamie", who has been labelled as [[insanity|crazy]] after the [[Battle of Culloden]], claiming to have visited the [[moon]] and [[star]]s. Having miscalculated by about 40 years, they've arrived to find Jamie an isolated old man living alone in a run-down shack. Jamie (who had been trained by the Doctor to resist the Time Lords' erasure of his memory) recalls the mention of Planet 14 by the [[Cyber Controller]] in their dealings with the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]]'s attempted [[The Invasion|invasion]] of [[Earth]] via the [[London]] sewers. He begs the Doctor to take him with them, and they depart in the TARDIS before the bewildered eyes of the villagers. | ||
They arrive on Marinus only a week since their departure, but in that time the vast oceans have been drained. They encounter Maxilla, now rapidly aged, gasping for help and claiming that "it's all gone wrong." They turn to find themselves surrounded by a party of Voord, who bear some uncanny resemblances to Cybermen... | They arrive on Marinus only a week since their departure, but in that time the vast oceans have been drained. They encounter Maxilla, now rapidly aged, gasping for help and claiming that "it's all gone wrong." They turn to find themselves surrounded by a party of Voord, who bear some uncanny resemblances to Cybermen... | ||
=== Part three === | === Part three === | ||
They retreat with Maxilla into the safety of the TARDIS. Maxilla tells how the Voord had captured the | They retreat with Maxilla into the safety of the TARDIS. Maxilla tells how the Voord had captured the Worldshaper and used it to rapidly evolve. His partner, Deedrun, was killed in the process, but Maxilla partially shielded himself with a [[time shield]]. The Voord are evolving into Cybermen. The Doctor realises the peril the Cybermen would pose with the Worldshaper. He resolves that the machine must be destroyed. Leaving Peri and Frobisher behind in the TARDIS, the Doctor, Jamie and Maxilla home in on the Worldshaper. Maxilla is stunned to find it unguarded, but runs into a protective field surrounding it which ages him to death. Jamie, however, sacrifices his life by plunging his sword into the heart of the Worldshaper. An enormous burst of temporal energy engulfs the entire planet (though the Doctor escapes to the TARDIS), causing millions of years of geological development to pass very quickly. Once it subsides, they emerge from the TARDIS to find a pair of Time Lords waiting for them. The Doctor now recognises the planet as [[Mondas]]. The Time Lords order the Doctor and his party to leave, despite the Doctor's insistence they have the chance to stop the Cybermen's development before they can threaten the galaxy. | ||
As the Doctor angrily departs, the Time Lords reflect that in five million years' time, the Cybermen will evolve beyond corporeal form into a disembodied benevolent race, becoming the most peaceful and advanced people in the Universe. They agree that the millions of years of bloodshed in the interim are worth "the ultimate salvation of sentient life." | As the Doctor angrily departs, the Time Lords reflect that in five million years' time, the Cybermen will evolve beyond corporeal form into a disembodied benevolent race, becoming the most peaceful and advanced people in the Universe. They agree that the millions of years of bloodshed in the interim are worth "the ultimate salvation of sentient life." | ||
| Line 53: | Line 57: | ||
* [[Frobisher]] | * [[Frobisher]] | ||
* [[Peri Brown]] | * [[Peri Brown]] | ||
* [[Jamie McCrimmon]] | * [[Jamie McCrimmon]] | ||
* | * [[Maxilla]] | ||
* [[Dugald]] | * [[Dugald]] | ||
* [[Deedrun]] | * [[Deedrun]] | ||
* [[Time Lord (The World Shapers)|Dying Time Lord]] | |||
* [[Time Lord in red (The World Shapers)|Time Lord in red]] | |||
== | == Worldbuilding == | ||
* The [[ | * The [[Time Lord]]s reveal that the Cybermen will eventually ascend to a state of pure [[consciousness]]. | ||
* | * Peri and Frobisher experience [[Accelerated temporal progression|accelerated ageing]] as a result of [[time spillage]]. | ||
* | * Frobisher says Worldshapers were banned after one was used on the planet [[Yxia]], causing the whole [[planetary system]] to fall apart. | ||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
*[[Charlie Kirchoff]] was the [[colourist]] for the ''[[Grant Morrison's Doctor Who]]'' reprint. | [[File:World Shapers Invasion flashback.jpg|thumb|right|A flashback to ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]''.]] | ||
* | * This marks the final appearance of the [[Sixth Doctor]] in regular comic strip format. His final lines in his comic book tenure are; ''"You haven't heard the last of this!"'' | ||
* The Doctor's mention of "the [[Fishmen]] of [[Kandalinga]]", events from the ''[[Doctor Who Annual 1967]]'' story ''[[The Fishmen of Kandalinga (short story)|The Fishmen of Kandalinga]]'', marks the first instance of ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comics acknowledging a non-televised story distributed by another publisher. | |||
* [[Charlie Kirchoff]] was the [[colourist]] for the ''[[Grant Morrison's Doctor Who]]'' reprint. | |||
* It is unclear how the Doctor or Jamie are aware of the reference to [[Planet 14]] from the events of [[TV]]: ''[[The Invasion (TV story)|The Invasion]]'', as their positive identification by the [[Cyber Module]] was made in confidence to [[Tobias Vaughn]] alone, so no other character would possess knowledge of the exchange. Furthermore, Jamie recalls the [[Cyber-Controller]] mentioning it, rather than the Cyber Module, though Jamie getting the terminology wrong is a possible excuse. If the Doctor and Jamie are remembering correctly, this points to the possibility of a further, unseen adventure with the [[Second Doctor]], Jamie and [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brigadier]] fighting the Cybermen. | |||
== Continuity == | == Continuity == | ||
* | * The Doctor recalls two of his previous trips to [[Marinus]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Keys of Marinus (TV story)|The Keys of Marinus]]''; [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Fishmen of Kandalinga (short story)|The Fishmen of Kandalinga]]'') | ||
* The | * The Doctor hints that he has stolen [[The Doctor's TARDIS|his TARDIS]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The War Games (TV story)|The War Games]]'', ''[[Frontier in Space (TV story)|Frontier in Space]]'', ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'') | ||
* The Doctor badly remembers life before his second [[regeneration]]. The [[Third Doctor]] repeatedly encountered problems with his recall as a result of memory blocks installed by the [[Time Lord]]s. ([[TV]]'': [[The Ambassadors of Death (TV story)|The Ambassadors of Death]]'', ''[[The Claws of Axos (TV story)|The Claws of Axos]]'') | |||
* Peri last saw Jamie roughly "a couple of years" ago, though he looked much younger. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Two Doctors (TV story)|The Two Doctors]]'') | |||
* | * Jamie was taught a mind-trick by the Doctor which allowed him to retain his memories of travelling in the TARDIS, despite the Time Lords' attempt to erase them. ([[TV]]: ''[[The War Games (TV story)|The War Games]]'') | ||
* | * The Doctor and Jamie's lifesigns are registered as traces on the TARDIS's external sensory equipment. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|The Five Doctors]]'') | ||
* This will not be the last time that the Time Lords interfere directly in the climax of an adventure with the Doctor and Peri. ([[TV]]: ''[[Mindwarp (TV story)|Mindwarp]]'') | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
{{dwrefguide|comic6.htm#worldshapers|The World Shapers}} | |||
{{Sixth Doctor DWM comics}} | {{Sixth Doctor DWM comics}} | ||
{{Voord stories}} | |||
{{Cyberman stories}} | {{Cyberman stories}} | ||
{{TitleSort}} | {{TitleSort}} | ||
[[Category:Sixth Doctor DWM comic stories]] | [[Category:Sixth Doctor DWM comic stories]] | ||
[[Category:1987 comic stories]] | [[Category:1987 comic stories]] | ||
[[Category:Voord comic stories]] | [[Category:Voord comic stories]] | ||
[[Category:Time Lord comic stories]] | |||
[[Category:Cyberman comic stories]] | |||
[[Category:Three part comics]] | |||
Latest revision as of 03:12, 13 March 2024
- You may be looking for the graphic novel.
The World Shapers was the final regular Doctor Who Magazine comic strip to feature the Sixth Doctor. It featured the death of Jamie McCrimmon, a fate which, as of 2023, has not been contradicted in any medium. It has also attracted attention because it was written by legendary comic scribe Grant Morrison.
It was a Mondasian Cybermen origin story which showed that the Cybermen evolved from the Voord from the First Doctor serial The Keys of Marinus. These origins conflicted with most of the later origin stories given for the Cybermen, including the Fifth Doctor audio Spare Parts and DWM's own The Cybermen comic series. However, The World Shapers was specifically referenced in the Twelfth Doctor story The Doctor Falls as one of many origins of the Cybermen which all coexist in the Doctor Who universe, though it also establishes Planet 14, Marinus and Mondas as separate planets, contradicting The World Shapers.
Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
After a trip to Marinus, the Sixth Doctor is convinced to visit an old friend, but this will be Jamie McCrimmon's final adventure...
Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
Part one[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Sixth Doctor, Peri Brown and Frobisher follow a distress signal to a watery planet that the Doctor recognises as Marinus, although it is now apparently deserted. The signal is coming from another TARDIS. They find an elderly, dying Time Lord who mutters "Planet 14" before expiring. As he was on his last regeneration, his body breaks down into its constituent molecules, though the Doctor notes that it happened very quickly. The late Time Lord's TARDIS informs them they were sent to Marinus to investigate violent disturbances in the space-time continuum. Frobisher moults rapidly and Peri's hair and fingernails grow; the Doctor notes that time has been accelerated. The mention of Planet 14 jogs the Doctor's memory. He dimly recalls an adventure from his second incarnation. He decides to visit Jamie McCrimmon to see if he would know.
As they depart in the TARDIS (observed by a group of Voord), a spaceship prepares to land, piloted by Deedrun and Maxilla, who repair Worldshapers. They note that the last Worldshaper they repaired was on Planet Thirteen...
Part two[[edit] | [edit source]]
The TARDIS has arrived in Scotland in the 18th century, and the travellers are escorted by Dugald to visit "Mad Jamie", who has been labelled as crazy after the Battle of Culloden, claiming to have visited the moon and stars. Having miscalculated by about 40 years, they've arrived to find Jamie an isolated old man living alone in a run-down shack. Jamie (who had been trained by the Doctor to resist the Time Lords' erasure of his memory) recalls the mention of Planet 14 by the Cyber Controller in their dealings with the Cybermen's attempted invasion of Earth via the London sewers. He begs the Doctor to take him with them, and they depart in the TARDIS before the bewildered eyes of the villagers.
They arrive on Marinus only a week since their departure, but in that time the vast oceans have been drained. They encounter Maxilla, now rapidly aged, gasping for help and claiming that "it's all gone wrong." They turn to find themselves surrounded by a party of Voord, who bear some uncanny resemblances to Cybermen...
Part three[[edit] | [edit source]]
They retreat with Maxilla into the safety of the TARDIS. Maxilla tells how the Voord had captured the Worldshaper and used it to rapidly evolve. His partner, Deedrun, was killed in the process, but Maxilla partially shielded himself with a time shield. The Voord are evolving into Cybermen. The Doctor realises the peril the Cybermen would pose with the Worldshaper. He resolves that the machine must be destroyed. Leaving Peri and Frobisher behind in the TARDIS, the Doctor, Jamie and Maxilla home in on the Worldshaper. Maxilla is stunned to find it unguarded, but runs into a protective field surrounding it which ages him to death. Jamie, however, sacrifices his life by plunging his sword into the heart of the Worldshaper. An enormous burst of temporal energy engulfs the entire planet (though the Doctor escapes to the TARDIS), causing millions of years of geological development to pass very quickly. Once it subsides, they emerge from the TARDIS to find a pair of Time Lords waiting for them. The Doctor now recognises the planet as Mondas. The Time Lords order the Doctor and his party to leave, despite the Doctor's insistence they have the chance to stop the Cybermen's development before they can threaten the galaxy.
As the Doctor angrily departs, the Time Lords reflect that in five million years' time, the Cybermen will evolve beyond corporeal form into a disembodied benevolent race, becoming the most peaceful and advanced people in the Universe. They agree that the millions of years of bloodshed in the interim are worth "the ultimate salvation of sentient life."
Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Sixth Doctor
- Frobisher
- Peri Brown
- Jamie McCrimmon
- Maxilla
- Dugald
- Deedrun
- Dying Time Lord
- Time Lord in red
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Time Lords reveal that the Cybermen will eventually ascend to a state of pure consciousness.
- Peri and Frobisher experience accelerated ageing as a result of time spillage.
- Frobisher says Worldshapers were banned after one was used on the planet Yxia, causing the whole planetary system to fall apart.
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
A flashback to The Invasion.
- This marks the final appearance of the Sixth Doctor in regular comic strip format. His final lines in his comic book tenure are; "You haven't heard the last of this!"
- The Doctor's mention of "the Fishmen of Kandalinga", events from the Doctor Who Annual 1967 story The Fishmen of Kandalinga, marks the first instance of Doctor Who Magazine comics acknowledging a non-televised story distributed by another publisher.
- Charlie Kirchoff was the colourist for the Grant Morrison's Doctor Who reprint.
- It is unclear how the Doctor or Jamie are aware of the reference to Planet 14 from the events of TV: The Invasion, as their positive identification by the Cyber Module was made in confidence to Tobias Vaughn alone, so no other character would possess knowledge of the exchange. Furthermore, Jamie recalls the Cyber-Controller mentioning it, rather than the Cyber Module, though Jamie getting the terminology wrong is a possible excuse. If the Doctor and Jamie are remembering correctly, this points to the possibility of a further, unseen adventure with the Second Doctor, Jamie and the Brigadier fighting the Cybermen.
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Doctor recalls two of his previous trips to Marinus. (TV: The Keys of Marinus; PROSE: The Fishmen of Kandalinga)
- The Doctor hints that he has stolen his TARDIS. (TV: The War Games, Frontier in Space, Logopolis)
- The Doctor badly remembers life before his second regeneration. The Third Doctor repeatedly encountered problems with his recall as a result of memory blocks installed by the Time Lords. (TV: The Ambassadors of Death, The Claws of Axos)
- Peri last saw Jamie roughly "a couple of years" ago, though he looked much younger. (TV: The Two Doctors)
- Jamie was taught a mind-trick by the Doctor which allowed him to retain his memories of travelling in the TARDIS, despite the Time Lords' attempt to erase them. (TV: The War Games)
- The Doctor and Jamie's lifesigns are registered as traces on the TARDIS's external sensory equipment. (TV: The Five Doctors)
- This will not be the last time that the Time Lords interfere directly in the climax of an adventure with the Doctor and Peri. (TV: Mindwarp)
External links[[edit] | [edit source]]
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