Holiday Special (comic story)

Holiday Special
Doctor:	Thirteenth Doctor
Companion(s):	Graham, Ryan, Yaz
Featuring:	Baxter
Main enemy:	Krampus
Main setting:	Unnamed planet, Christmas Eve
Key crew
Publisher:	Titan Comics
Editor:	Jake Devine
Writer:	Jody Houser
Artist:	Roberta Ingranata
Colourist:	Enrica Eren Angiolini
Letterer:	Richard Starkings and Sarah Hedrick
Release details
Printed in:	13DHS 1-2
Release date:	13 November-18 December 2019
Format:	Comic

Holiday Special was the story published in the Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Holiday Special comic series.

Publisher's summary

to be added

Plot

to be added

Characters

• Thirteenth Doctor
• Graham O'Brien
• Ryan Sinclair
• Yasmin Khan
• Krampus
• Friffle
• Friffle's people
• Baxter
• Minion of Krampus
• Toy guards

References

The Doctor

• The Doctor believes in children's dreams, laughter, general jolliness, and bringing joy to others through space and time despite impossible odds.
• The Doctor uses a fez to protect herself from the mind traps.

Christmas

• Graham says that he and Ryan have a Christmas dinner to get to.
• The Doctor notes the "festive" appearance of her neurological trackers.
• "Mr Henderson" is dressed like Santa Claus.
• Children all over the world believe in Santa, and write him letters and send him their wishes.
• Baxter is an elf, sent by "Jeff".
• The Doctor wonders if the list of children's names is a naughty or nice list.
  • Names on the list include Dylan Fry, age seven, Jordan Fry, age four, and Lily Jenkins, age ten.
• The Doctor hangs a wreath on her TARDIS door.
• The Doctor leaves a mince pie and a carrot for her "old friend".
• Ryan calls Krampus the "anti-Santa".

Leisure

• Ryan suggests the Doctor take them to Disneyland, or "cool, future, other planet Disneyland".
• The Doctor recalls how Graham lost a Bevivian game of chance at the amusement park they'd previously visited.
• Graham, Ryan, and Yaz each have conflicting memories of what happened at the amusement park:
  • Graham recalled that Ryan had gone into an "alien haunted house" full of "actual ghosts", where he was in danger of becoming one.
  • Ryan remembered encountering an "alien clown", with a trick flower that sprayed Yaz with a dangerous substance that they "barely" found the antidote for in time.
  • Yaz's version of events saw the Doctor play a test of strength carnival game, which led to her being put in their gladiator games.

Popular culture

• Ryan calls the use of the mind trap on the workers "very Dark Crystal of 'em".
• Ryan calls Krampus a "regular Grinch".

Miscellaneous

• The Doctor acted as a gladiator at some point, but "decades" before the scenario that Yaz remembered.
• Ryan wonders if Yaz would be okay with wearing the festive-looking neurological tracker because of her Muslim faith.
• Ryan previously had a maths teacher called Ms. Henderson.
• A human's sense of smell is linked to their memory, as are a Time Lord's.

Notes

Original print details

• Part 1:

PREVIOUSLY...

Whirling through time and space, the Doctor and her friends - Yaz, Ryan and Graham - took some time off from thwarting nefarious alien plots to enjoy some well-earned leisure time. But theme parks on distant planets aren't always what they seem, and the gang were soon saving victims of a crooked carnival con. Everything is right in the universe again - or so they think...

NEXT TIME!

The Doctor and friends gain an unexpected ally. Together they must stop Mr. Henderson - but who exactly is he? And what is he really up to?

• Part 2:

PREVIOUSLY...

Having been plagued by false memories of an alien amusement park, the Doctor and the gang went on the hunt to discover the truth. On a curiously colourful planet, perturbed alien named Friffle reveals his people are being taken by the mysterious the mysterious Mr Henderson - a man who bears a striking resemblance to Santa Claus! Taken as prisoners in his grotto-like lair, the Doctor resolves to find out exactly what he's plotting...

NEXT TIME!

The threat of two deadly enemies - the Weeping Angels and Autons - forces the Doctor to bend the rules and get help from none other than... the Tenth Doctor!

Continuity

• The Doctor recalls the events of COMIC: Meet the Fam!, but Graham, Ryan, and Yaz all have differing memories of the stories' events.
• Graham wonders if the culprit may be that "hoarder fellow we keep running into". (COMIC: A New Beginning, Old Friends)
• Ryan suggests going to Disneyland. He previously asked the Doctor if her psychic paper could get them into the park. (COMIC: Meet the Fam!)
• Yasmin's Muslim faith is brought up. (TV: Rosa, Demons of the Punjab)
• The Doctor wears her rainbow-coloured scarf. (TV: Resolution)
• The Doctor and Baxter refer to Santa as "Jeff". (TV: A Christmas Carol)
• Ryan mentions the Corsair. (COMIC: Old Friends)
• The Doctor uses her fez to protect herself from the mind traps. (TV: Kerblam!)