Pinball Wizard (comic story)
Summary
While dodging the Erewon Amada, the Doctor realises that the TARDIS' Xion crystals have been jolted out of line. The slippage caused the passivator to go into flux and leak coolant into the aethiopathic chamber leading to the positioning system overheating. What the TARDIS needs is a big jolt. Luckily the TARDIS lands inside a giant pinball machine with a strong 1960s American theme (including the Statue of Liberty, fast food mock ups, baseballs, cars and route signs). Ironically this giant pinball table is being used to punish Gameslavers (people who spend too much time playing computer games) by forcing them to take part in a giant real-life game by being encapsulated in one of the games balls. With a spectators deciding on whether the 'player'’ gets to live or not based on their game performance. The Doctor and Rose watch Track R Ball play the game, but Rose mistakenly gets to play the game instead of Joyce Tick, while the Doctor, flashing his psychic paper, gets to take control of the game and manipulate the ball to strike the TARDIS. The ball drops down a hole and the Doctor frees Rose. Both of them make a hasty escape in the TARDIS, which now works properly.
Characters
References
- On pinball: the Doctor says that he spent a lot of time playing it back in the 1960s. He was quite a wizard at it.
Notes
- The DWA comic strip adventures were very much aimed at a younger audience and the artwork and colours were bold and bright, reflecting the tone of the magazine.
- Self contained, one part stories were the norm in the early issues, later being expanded to two-parters.
Original print details
- Publication with page count and closing captions
- DWA 15 (6 pages split 4/2) MORE ADVENTURES NEXT ISSUE!
Continuity
- The TARDIS technobable has nothing to do with any references made on screen.
- The Doctor uses his psychic paper to gain control of the pinball game.
Timeline
- This story takes place after DWA: Smart Bombs
- This story takes place before DWA: Gangster's Paradise
