13 O'Clock (comic story)
13 O'Clock is a Doctor Who Adventures comic story featuring the Tenth Doctor.
Summary
Part One
The Doctor is surprised when the TARDIS lands on the grounds of Croxton Hall instead of inside the house. He is visiting Lord and Lady Tubbs on their wedding anniversary before midnight, but the house is locked up and no lights are on.
Using his sonic screwdriver, he breaks in and finds it empty apart from Daisy White, hired help for the party. As the Doctor explains he is an old friend of the Tubbs, often attending their yearly wedding anniversary parties, Daisy says she has seen no one save silent ghosts. She warns the Doctor she has seen what the ghosts can do; one touch and you die, coming back as a ghost. The Doctor is unconvinced and Daisy rugby tackles him to the ground to avoid touching one of the ghosts. The Doctor identifies it as a “partially phased spectrum-shifted waveform”. They flee to a room in the house that houses Lord Tubb’s collection of clocks, where the 'Ghost' of Lord Tubbs appears suddenly and lunges at the Doctor.
Part Two
As the ghostly figure of Lord Tubbs lunges at the Doctor, Daisy pushes the Doctor aside, only to be touched by the figure. She is turned into a ghostly form, unable to hear or speak to the Doctor. As all the ghosts appear in the Clock Room before fading away, the Doctor looks around for a clue to what is happening.
On the floor he finds broken bits of a clock. It is not just any clock, but a special clock, the prize of Lord Tubbs’ collection. The ghostly figure of a youth wearing a hoody and carrying a large bag appears. The Doctor watches as the ghosts re-enact the theft of an Ancient Horologe, a timepiece used to measure the passage of time across dimensions. He sees the thief stealing several clocks. He is caught by Lord Tubbs in the act.
In the scuffle, the Ancient Horologe is dropped and breaks. Those nearest to it slip into a kind of time which creates a terrible strain on the damaged horologe. The Doctor know if he can't repair it, they will disappear forever. He sets about repairing the clock with his sonic screwdriver. As the ghostly figures prepare to disappear forever, the Doctor fixes the horologe and time corrects itself.
All the ‘ghosts’ are returned at the moment they left, with Lord Tubbs capturing the thief with Daisy’s help. The Doctor leaves the next morning after Lord Tubbs thanks him for fixing that “ridiculous clock” - a wedding gift from the Doctor.
Characters
References
- As well as attending Lord Tubbs' wedding, the Doctor often pops along to their annual wedding anniversary parties.
Notes
- The opening caption states “… Croxton Hall, the home of Lord Percival Tubb. ”All other references refer to Lord Tubbs.
- This is the first two-part comic strip adventure in Doctor Who Adventures that does not feature individual titles.
- The DWA comic strip adventures were aimed at a younger audience and the artwork and colours was 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 22 (6 pages) DON'T MISS NEXT ISSUE TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!
- DWA 23 (6 pages) A BRAND-NEW ADVENTURE STARTS NEXT ISSUE!
Continuity
- The Doctor says that he “always fancied collecting clocks [myself] – only I could never find the time.” Maybe the collection of timepieces seen aboard the TARDIS in the 1996 TV Movie wasn’t impressive enough to count.
Timeline
- This story takes place after DWA: The Hunters
- This story takes place before DWA: Green Fingers
