The Klepton Parasites (comic story)

The Klepton Parasites
Doctor:	First Doctor
Companion(s):	John, Gillian
Main enemy:	Klepton One
Main setting:	England, 20th century; The Thain's planet, 30th century
Key crew
Writer:	Neville Main
Artist:	Neville Main
Release details
Number of parts:	10
Printed in:	TV Comic 674-683
Release date:	9 November 1964 - 11 January 1965
Reprinted in:	DWCC 2
Format:	Comic
TVC comic stories
Next →	The Therovian Quest

The Klepton Parasites was the first TV Comic story, as well as the first Doctor Who strip of all time.

It featured Dr. Who and introduced two new companions for the comic, his grandchildren, John and Gillian Who.

Summary

On Earth, John and Gillian meet their grandfather, the Doctor. They travel in the TARDIS to the 30th century, where the Kleptons are attacking the peaceful Thains. The travellers help them repel the invaders, follow the Kleptons to their secret underwater city and defeat their plans.

Plot

Part One

In the distant future, the Thains have lived peacefully and happily for many years on a distant planet. However, they are suddenly attacked by a race known as the Kleptons, who intend to enslave the race. The Kleptons take numerous Thains hostage via their advanced airships and unleash a race of massive plants on the city, which grow quickly and begin crushing the Thain city. Having no weapons and no way to stop the Kleptons, the Thains fear that they are doomed.

Meanwhile, in the 20th century, two children named John and Gillian seek out their grandfather, Dr. Who, who lives at Number Sixteen — which they discover is not a house but just an empty yard, inside which they find a lone police box. Inside the box, they find their grandfather, whom they are meeting for the first time, who explains that they are inside a time travelling machine. John, fascinated by the controls, presses a button and causes the ship to take off.

Opening the ship's doors to see where they've landed, the trio are greeted by a Klepton airship, and the orders that they be kidnapped immediately.

Part Two

The Kleptons return to the Thain city at the exact moment the TARDIS has landed, and one Thain attempts to kidnap Gillian via their airships. John throws a brick, breaking the glass of the ship and setting Gillian free. The ship crashes, causing the Kleptons to flee.

Valda, the leader of the Thains, introduces himself to the group and explains their plight. Valda fears that the Klepton's technology is too much for the unarmed race to take on, but the Doctor notes that if a simple brick could halt their plans, they could indeed defeat the Kleptons. John, noticing a museum in the city, suggests they look for weapons inside that can be armed and used against the invaders.

Inside, they indeed find century-old heat guns, which they repair. Suddenly, the Kleptons return to the city...

Part Three

to be added

Part Four

to be added

Part Five

to be added

Part Six

to be added

Part Seven

to be added

Part Eight

to be added

Part Nine

to be added

Part Ten

to be added

Characters

• Dr. Who
• John Who
• Gillian Who
• Valda
• Klepton One
• Kleptons
• Thains

References

• The Doctor says that the TARDIS is travelling to the 29th century before it finally comes to a stop in the 30th.
• The Thain city is on land, while the Klepton city is on the ocean floor.
• The Thains are peaceful, but used to make heat guns which are now found only in their museum.
• The Kleptons possess flying machines, giant creepers and paralyser guns.
• Both the Doctor and John call the Kleptons "bug-eyed monsters".
• The Doctor speculates that the Kleptons cannot survive in the Thains' atmosphere.
• The Doctor mockingly calls one creeper an "overgrown aspidistra".
• The Kleptons keep their Thain slaves behind an electrified wire cage.
• The Doctor says he will try to get his grandchildren back to the 20th century.

Notes

The cover to TVC 674, proudly declaring the start to the Doctor Who comic run which would last until 1979.

• The first issue of this story was printed in TV 674. The cover to said issue advertised the narrative on the cover, stating "Starts today! Doctor Who".
• The Kleptons have huge eyes, snouts and large finlike ears.
• This was the very first Doctor Who comic strip. It opened with the following narrative: "In the far distant future, the Thains have lived happily and peacefully for many years. But one day, strange, menacing creatures hover over the city..."
• The very first words were spoken not by the Doctor himself but by the villains of the story, the Kleptons: "We are the Kleptons! We will take over your cities and your land! You Thains will be our slaves!"
• The very first words spoken by Dr. Who (who does not appear until the third panel of the second page) were: "You must be John and Gillian! How nice to meet you!"
• The title of this comic story logically applies to the city-destroying plants harvested by the Kleptons, the Creepers. However, some have taken the title to mean that "Klepton Parasites" is an alternate term for the Klepton race.
• John and Gillian's home time, presumed to be 1964 by most fans, is never stated in the comic, as it is just said that they are from the 20th century.
• John has been told that his and Gillian's grandfather Dr. Who is "an inventor or something", but the reader never learns who gave him this information.
• The word TARDIS is never spoken in this comic. Dr. Who's vessel is referred to as a "time travelling machine", "the 'Police Box'", and "the flying machine." The next story, COMIC: The Therovian Quest, would be the first to use the term.
• This story was reprinted in DWCC 2 in colour.

Continuity

• The Kleptons reappear in COMIC: Prisoners of the Kleptons and PROSE: Placebo Effect.
• The yard the Doctor appears in is similar to 76 Totter's Lane in appearance. (TV: An Unearthly Child)