Stingray Attacked! (short story)
Stingray Attacked! was the first short story printed in TV Century 21 to contain elements from the Doctor Who universe. Framed as the front page of an in-universe periodical, it was most notable for constituting the first appearance of the machine Daleks in the narrative of a story within the magazine, preceding the Dalek Prime's introduction in the second part of Genesis of Evil later in the same issue.
The Stingray content in the issue served as the basis of the titular article, although smaller pieces tied-in to the aforementioned The Daleks story and the Fireball XL5 crossover comic The Batmen.
Summary
Marineville raises the alarm as Stingray reports that she has lost contact with the submarine aircraft carrier it was escorting following an attack from a Titan Terror Fish. At 15.00 hours, a massive air search across the Pacific Ocean is started for the "vanished" S.A.3.. Chief of Marineville Commander Shore tells reporters the S.A.3. was the third carrier to have disappeared in a month, as relayed to TV Century 21 by their special correspondent.
Meanwhile, Space City Headquarters are abuzz with excitement at the news that Fireball XL5 has landed on a previously-unknown asteroid in hyperspace. At a press conference held in the afternoon, Commander Zero informs reporters that the discovery was made while Fireball was pursuing a "mysterious" space freighter.
Finally, TV21 provides a recap regarding the account of the creation of the Daleks the magazine is currently printing, reiterating that the Dalek capital city of Dalaza was completely destroyed after the accidental explosion of a neutron bomb on Skaro.
Characters
Worldbuilding
- The S.A.3. weighs 220,000 tons and has a crew of seventeen thousand.
- A full colour Videoscan report about the developing situation in Marineville is available on the tenth page of TV Century 21, while reports on Fireball XL5 and the Daleks can be seen on the fourth and twentieth pages respectively.
Story notes
- This story marked the first fully-licensed completed crossover between the Doctor Who universe and another fictional series. The first part of Genesis of Evil technically beats this story if one counts the "Stop Press" panels included in instalments of The Daleks but that story did not conclude until issue 3.
Continuity
- The article states that the War Lord Zolfian and the scientist Yarvelling were reported to be the only survivors of the catastrophe on Skaro. (COMIC: Genesis of Evil)
- TV Century 21's front page continued to report on the situation surrounding the missing aircraft carriers in Marineville. (PROSE: Fireball Surrenders!, Titan Declares War!, Marineville Waits!)
- TV21 also continued to detail the Fireball crew's exploration of the asteroid in hyperspace. (COMIC: The Batmen, Power Play, PROSE: Fireball Surrenders!)
