Lock, Stocks and Barrel (comic story)
Opening narration box
Jebelex has stolen the Treed Crystal so the TARDIS team and the Zaan are after him!
Summary
In the woods of a nearby village, Jebelex believes himself safe. He has gone into hiding before trying to sell the Treed Crystal to another buyer. When the TARDIS arrives in pursuit, the Doctor soon finds himself captured by the local natives and put into a set of stocks by a nearby pond in their village. Having left Martha in the TARDIS (the natives don’t like visitors), the pond, a living entity, rears up. Inside the liquid the Doctor can make out the half digested body of Jebelex still holding the Treed Crystal.
On the Doctor’s instruction Martha emerges from TARDIS and uses Jebelex’s mater transmuter to turn the liquid into a solid. The Doctor breaks free of the stocks, smashes the now solid creature and retrieves the Crystal. The Zaan arrive to reclaim the Crystal and the Doctor uses the matter transmuter to return the pond creature to its ‘hungry’ liquid state.
Although the Doctor still holds the crystal he hasn’t won. The Zaan have captured Martha. Unless the Doctor takes the crystal directly to the Zaan homeworld, Martha will die. The Doctor decides it's time to end this once and for all.
Characters
- Tenth Doctor
- Martha Jones
- Zaan - Spiky-backed, green, bulky-but-agile, humanoid creatures with razor sharp teeth and capable of shape changing who stole the ultimate weapon the Vortex Cannon from Brendock Seven
- Jebelex the Pulthasian – small blue, ball-like creature (not unlike a space hopper with a large face) and with long thin arms and legs. Burglar in the service of the Zaan warriors employed to steal the Treed Crystal from Miss Honey Vox.
Original print details
- 3/4 DWBIT 24 (4 pages) TO BE CONTINUED!!!
- No reprints to date.
Notes
- Supporting the series of collectable 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.
- It is known from the previous strip that the Vortex Cannon requires a Treed Crystal to power it, which can only be found on one planet. It seems slightly implausible that the only crystal that could be used on the whole planet is that worn by Miss Honey Vox! Furthermore, why did the Zaan warriors employ such a devious creature as Jebelex to retrieve the Crystal when they were so close by? And why the disguise as patrol officers if they were part of the plan?
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 intelligent glasses.
Continuity
to be added
Timeline
- This story takes place after DWBIT: Jewel of the Vile
- This story takes place before DWBIT: End Game
