The Black Sea (comic story)
Opening narration box
The Doctor has brought the TARDIS to the English seaside ...
Summary
On a return trip for the Doctor to Whitby (where Dracula came ashore long ago), the Doctor and Donna witness a damaged short-range shuttle scout ship heading out to sea. The TARDIS follows the heat trail and lands onboard an oil rig in the middle of the North Sea. Using his psychic paper, the Doctor convinces the crew he is an electrical engineer.
Three hundred metres down, one of the oil tanks has been ruptured by an unknown missile. Rather than spreading out, the oil escapes in a single stream upwards. The Doctor and Donna race to the rig's barriers in time to see a 'blob monster' emerge. The 'blob', which the Doctor suggests is actually a creature with a variable adaptive biology, absorbs some of the rig workers, but not before the Doctor gets a sample. The alien molecules are fusing with the oil, which is acting as a new host body. The Doctor attributes its aggression to its pain.
Donna's suggestion for the Doctor not to "get in a lather" prompts him to concoct a soapy solution (using whatever Donna can find aboard), which is sprayed over the blob. The blob dissolves and the rig crew are returned. As the Doctor explains to Donna that Count Dracula was once believed to be able to take on loads of shapes, news comes in that another alien craft has crash-landed in Arizona...
Characters
- Tenth Doctor
- Donna Noble
- Unnamed creature with a variable adaptive biology making it able to select a new host body or material. When the creature crashed in the North Sea and assumed a bond with oil it was defeated with a cleaning solution that broke down the molecular bond.
Original print details
- 1/4 DWBIT 45 (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 comic strip of the Tenth Doctor’s adventures.
- The limitation of only four pages meant that stories often lacked depth compared to other regular comic strips running at the same time.
- 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 intelligent glasses.
Continuity
to be added
External links
