The Woman Who Sold the World (comic story)
The Woman Who Sold the World was a Tenth Doctor comic strip published in Doctor Who Magazine. It was the last comic strip to be released during the broadcast of series three and the first one to feature Martha Jones, the then-current televised companion. The title was a allusion to the David Bowie song and album The Man Who Sold the World.
Summary
The Doctor and Martha go to Loam and find the people are going to be killed as a woman has sold the world.
Plot
Part 1
A woman named Sugarpea and her friend Sweetleaf are worried as Sugarpea has sold the world and it is getting demolished, with new buildings to be put in its place. Martha Jones and the Doctor are in space; Martha has a rope around her so she can answer a Calamity Lamp. On Loam, Sugarpea and Sweetleaf go on a flying chair and start to fly. The Doctor and Martha have landed in Loam and are in a dark passageway. They open a door and find a little boy playing. The boy says his mum and dad are busy and the Doctor assumes that there is a war going on so his mum and dad will be elsewhere. As some locals spot Sugarpea and Sweetleaf they start to boo her. The Doctor goes to have a look around and leaves Martha in charge of the boy. It turns out his name is Kipe. Sugarpea flies past the parliament building and waves. The Prime Minister tells his aide to turn away. The Doctor finds out he is on a giant robot destroying the planet and the boy is controlling it. The boy gets tired of this and tosses Martha out of the robot, far above the ground.
Part 2
Martha catches hold of the flying seat that Sugarpea and Sweetleaf are flying on and they let her on to safety. The Doctor, angry at Kipe, switches his game off and decides to tell his father what has happened. On the flying seat, Sugarpea and Sweetleaf tell Martha what happened on Loam and realise that she is the one who found the Calamity Lamp. The Doctor travels through a portal to the Krib, the biggest bank in the universe. He is cross with Kipe's father, Mr Kingfisher, who tells the doctor that the robots have to clear the planet for resale. Sugarpea tells Martha that she owed money to the bank and she was Prime Minister once. Mr Kingfisher takes the Doctor to a room with a huge queue in it; he is shackled with a detector to ensure there is no crime commited. Martha, Sugarpea and Sweetleaf are chased by a giant robot but lose it and land at the Museum of Politics. The Doctor tries to catch up with Kingfisher but a man named Mandrake tells him he is wasting his time; he wants the Doctor to stop the music. Sugarpea walks up to a statue and Martha asks if it is a statue of her but she is corrected by Sweetleaf; it is in fact a Coal-Fired Diplomat. Martha soon finds out that it is a weapon. The Doctor and Mandrake are in the control room where there are brain-like objects. Mandrake tells the Doctor that they are called the Processors. The Doctor is stunned when music plays loudly in his head.
Part 3
Mandrake saves the doctor from death, the doctor says that the organic Processors are singing to stop themselves going mad. Mandrake is puzzled; he does not know what the doctor is on about. He says to Mandrake that the computer is full of slaves.
On Loam Sugarpea gains control of her machine Brassneck. Sugarpea says Brassneck will follow her path. Sugarpea says she will make Martha and Sweetleaf stay at the museum. As they leave the doors lock.
The Doctor tells Mandrake that his ship translated an alien language, he says the slaves in the computer are voices. The Doctor says he can sort out the problem and removes the tracker on his leg. He says he needs more Trackers as he wants to attach one to every tentacle on the computer.
Elsewhere Sugarpea is flying over the planet as the giant child controlled robots destroy the city. They begin to chase her round the city.
Sweetleaf and Martha find Sugarpea's autobiography and Martha finds a vehicle like an insect. They crash out the library and search for Sugarpea.
Mandrake and the Doctor have attached the Trackers to every Tentacle. The Doctor zaps them with his sonic and everyone waiting in the line says they have all been put through. The Creatures from the machine escape and begin to chase the doctor and Mandrake. They both head to Kingfish's office.
At Kingfish's office he begins to receive complaints from a riot of people who are waiting in line. Kingfish looks out his window and finds out that his computers have legs. He demands to know who did it. The Doctor and Mandrake burst in saying it was them.
On Loam Martha and Sweetleaf head to the Prime Minister's offices. Sweetleaf says Sugarpea is going to overthrow the government.
Part 4
The Prime Minister is being held up by Brassneck. Sugarpea says he will have to do as he says as she would rather not have to use force. Sweetpea tells Martha that Sugarpea does not want to rule but she wants to save Loam and that Sugarpea will make the Prime Minster resign so she can become the dictator of Loam. The only punishment for being a dictator is death. Sweetleaf tells Martha to hurry before it is to late.
But Sugarpea has made it out alive and heads towards her flying chair followed by Brassneck.
Meanwhile Kingfish is annoyed at the doctor, but the doctor is also annoyed at him for putting slaves inside the computers. He argues they are not living but organic Processors.
Meanwhile, little girl in a giant robot chases Sugarpea but she is on her flying chair. Brassneck holds on, but Martha holds onto the bottom of Brassneck. Sugarpea flies into the giant robots mouth, the little girl controlling it says she is happy that she has got one. Sugarpea tells the girl who is scared of Brassneck not to be scared they are only passing through.
The Doctor and Kingfish are still arguing, Sugarpea flies in with Brassneck and Martha. Sugarpea pays of her debts at the cost of her life. Sugarpea says she is the Dictator of Loam she says that is punishable by death, but she has arrange her death. Brassneck hits her over the head and she dies. But the Organic Processors break out, the doctor Martha, Mandrake and Brassneck burst into the robot which the little girl is controlling. The Doctor says to the girl she plays with the teddy rather than destroy Loam. The Doctor orders Mandrake to start getting the Parents to start evacuating their kids. Brassneck flies the Doctor and Martha down to loam. They land and watch as the Organic Processors jump out the giant robots mouth. Kingfish also lands due to an Organic Processor. Kipe is marching about he says his father and orders the robot to crush him. Mandrake saves the little boy.
As the chaos ends the robots rebuilt the city as Sweetleaf and Brassneck watch. The Doctor and Martha head for the TARDIS.
Characters
References
to be added
Notes
- This was the first comic strip to feature Martha Jones as companion.
- It is implied that Sugarpea and Sweetleaf are a same-sex couple.
- The title is a reference to the David Bowie song and album "The Man Who Sold the World".
- Marvel Comics characters Thor and Doctor Strange appear in a crowd scene on page 5 of part 2.
- Marvel Comics character Thor also appears in a crowd scene on page 8 of part 3.
Continuity
- This story would appear to take place very early in Martha's travels with the Doctor, based upon dialogue suggesting that items such as the sonic screwdriver are still new to her.
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