The Fourth Wall (comic story)

The Fourth Wall
Doctor:	Twelfth Doctor
Companion(s):	Clara
Main enemy:	The Boneless
Main setting:	London, 21st century
Key crew
Publisher:	Titan Comics
Editor:	Andrew James
Writer:	Robbie Morrison
Designer:	Rob Farmer
Artist:	Rachael Stott
Colourist:	Marcio Menys
Letterer:	Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt
Release details
Printed in:	12DY2 5
Release date:	11 May 2016
Cover date:	May 2016
Format:	Comic
Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor
← Previous	Clara Oswald and the School of Death
Next →	The Twist

You may be looking for the audio story of the same name or the plot mechanic known as the fourth wall.

The Fourth Wall was the ninth story of the Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor comic series, published in 2016.

Summary

It's the long-awaited return of a deadly foe, as the Doctor and Clara face a monster that will have you checking your stack of comics for suspicious movement! Dare you continue reading, when every page turn could bring you into MORTAL DANGER?! You have to – you're the Doctor's only hope!

Plot

The Twelfth Doctor and Clara arrive in modern London because of some suspicious activity recorded by the TARDIS. While looking around, the doctor is sucked into a "time surgeon" comic. With the help of Clara, he escapes the comic and defeats the Boneless.

Characters

• Twelfth Doctor
• Clara Oswald
• Natalie
• Natalie's mother
• James
• Molly
• Luke
• Female clerk

References

• The Doctor tells Clara he has no control over whether he can regenerate into a woman.

Comic books

• The Bat, Amazonia, Steel Man, Spider-Guy, Time Surgeon, T-Men and Monkey Planet are all popular comic series.
• Time Surgeon is a comic series based on rumours of the Doctor.

Notes

• This is the final main Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor story to feature Clara Oswald (though she continued to be featured in the back-up strip).
• The Doctor has been known to break the fourth wall with viewers a number of times, such as the First Doctor wishing viewers a Merry Christmas at the end of an installment of TV: The Daleks' Master Plan. The Twelfth Doctor himself has done so on several occasions (TV: Deep Breath, Listen, Before the Flood, and Heaven Sent)
• This story was published not long after Pearl Mackie was announced the Doctor's new TV companion, Bill Potts. The character of Natalie, who becomes something of a one-off companion in this tale, was noted as strongly resembling Mackie. Artist Rachael Stott indicated on her Twitter feed that this was a coincidence.

Original print details

to be added

Continuity

• Clara questions the Doctor's decision to park the TARDIS in broad daylight, but he tells her no one will notice it. (TV: Boom Town)
• The Eleventh Doctor previously visited the Prohibited Sphere store. (COMIC: Give Free or Die)
• The Boneless return. (TV: Flatline)
• When the Doctor is breaking through the "fourth wall", some of the stray comic book panels show images from Clara Oswald and the School of Death.
• The Doctor mentions the Empress of the Racnoss. (TV: The Runaway Bride)