Dr. Who's Time Tales (DWM 33 comic story)
The fifth story in the Dr. Who's Time Tales series was printed in Doctor Who Weekly #34.
It followed the format of the series: short tales depicting strange events in the Doctor Who universe, narrated by the Fourth Doctor himself, similar to DWM backup comic stories, created by adding the Fourth Doctor framing device to a preexisting Marvel comic story, in this case I Dared to Defy Merlin's Black Magic, first published in 1959 in Strange Tales #71.
The story concerned Merlin; as it predated the introduction of Merlin the Wise to the Doctor Who Magazine comic strips' roster of characters, as well as the TV story Battlefield, which established that one version of Merlin was a future version of the Doctor, it offered a more traditional depiction of the enchanter. However, the story did appear to be selected because of how easily it tied in with Doctor Who lore at the time, like many other entries in the Time Tales series, as Merlin refers to the existence of "laws that cannot be broken, even by magic" that called for the human time traveller to be returned to his home era before long.
Plot
The Fourth Doctor tells the story of a "foolhardy" man who "tampered" with black magic. An American businessman on a business trip in the Balkans, the man in question decides to kill some time by visiting a "musty" curiosity shop he comes across. Priding himself on being a skeptic, he brushes off the old antiques dealer's attempts to tell him about the occult background and strange history of the items on display.
The American makes a beeline for a large leather-bound volume labeled Merlin's Diary. The old man tries to warn him off from opening the book, explaining that it is not for sale and that some of Merlin's magic still lingers within it, but the man thinks it's just nonsense designed to drive up the price and opens it anyway. A burst of light escapes from the yellowed page, envelops him, and transports him back in time to the study of Merlin himself. Merlin mocks him for not believing in magic, but also says that he cannot keep him here long, as laws that even magic cannot break demand that he be returned to his home time. Merlin tells him that when he returns to his home time, he may try to tell himself that his experience with magic was just a mad dream, but that he will "see the sign" and "believe". Merlin then casts a spell to send him flying back to the 20th century, with him seeing himself cast off into a growing darkness.
When his vision returns, he is once more in the curiosity shop. As Merlin predicted, he tries to shake off what has just happened as a mad fancy, and to resume haggling over the diary — but he catches sight of his own reflection in a mirror and see that his hair has magically turned white. Profoundly shaken, he excuses himself to the old salesman and leaves, saying that he has "much to think about". After he has gone, the old man picks up the diary and tells himself that he must stash it away where his customers cannot be seen, having been foolish to leave it out in public sight — and also that it was wrong of him to, in his pride and his anger, let a mortal find a clue as to his true identity… for, as his reflection proves, the old man is none other than Merlin himself!
Characters
References
- The country in the Balkans where the story is set is supposedly "famous for its black magic and strange legends".
Notes
- Dialogue in the story repeatedly refers to the book as "Merlin's Diary", in quotation marks, making it clear that it is the actual title of the book, not a descriptor. However, the art itself shows it as simply bearing the word Merlin on the cover, and a decorative "M" on the spine.
Continuity
to be written
