House Pests (comic story)

The Doctor and Martha arrive in the jungle on Lumana. They are soon attacked by bat-like creature with sharp claws. The creatures fly away when the Loomish arrive and sound their horn. The Loomish are cute, little, child-like, friendly creatures which ask for the Doctor’s help in protecting them from the Slaken (a big, big monster that lives in the caves and wants to eat them).

Saying goodbye to Lumea and the other Loomish, the Doctor and Martha head off with a map to find the Slaken, which is a big, green, fire breathing creature, but rather than wanting to eat the Loomish, it looks out for them and their bat friends. The mischievous Loomish are well known for conning visitors. When the Doctor and Martha return, they find the Loomish have moved into the TARDIS and decorated it out with floral garlands and cooking pots!

In the guidebook ‘Tempus Fugit – The Time Travellers Companion’, Martha reads up on the Loomish and learns of their incredibly strong family bonds. Martha sounds a Loomish horn that the Doctor collected in the jungle. The Loomish hear it as a distress signal and hurriedly leave the TARDIS to assist. The Doctor secures the TARDIS door and witnesses the Slaken's arrival, lovingly bringing food for the Loomish. Feeling hungry the Doctor and Martha return to the TARDIS, where the cooking pots are still warm!

Characters

Tenth Doctor
Martha Jones
Loomish – Cheeky, furry, slightly smelly, mischievous creatures with big, round eyes and large ears. They are native to the planet Lumana and have a reputation for conning visitors. They have incredibly strong family bonds and with their bat-friends in the sky and the Slaken in the caves protecting them, they lead an idyllic existence.
Slaken – Native of the planet Lumana, these large green cave-dwelling repilian creatures exhale fire. The male of the species are maternal and ‘adopted’ the child-like Loomish.

Original print details

1/1 DWBIT 30 (4 pages) THE END
No reprints to date.

Notes

Supporting the series of collectible Doctor Who trading cards, the magazine carried a regular four page, individually titled comic strip of the Tenth Doctor’s adventures.
The artwork and colours were bold and bright, reflecting the tone of the magazine and, as did Doctor Who Adventures, reflected the appeal to readers younger than those catered to by Doctor Who Magazine.

References

The Battles in Time comic strip sought to reinforce the association of its Doctor with the one seen on screen with ‘props’ from the TV series: blue/brown suit, sonic screwdriver, psychic paper and his brainy specs.
Martha reveals she had three trumpet lessons in Year 6.

Continuity

to be added

External links