Genesis of Evil (comic story)
Genesis of Evil was the first The Daleks comic story, published in TV Century 21 in 1965. The story presents the earliest account of the creation of the Daleks.
Summary
A neutronic war rages on Skaro, fought between the peaceful Thals and the hideous Daleks. During the war, the Daleks discover cobalt in the mountains, which they name the Radiation Range. The cobalt is used to construct neutron bombs which Dalek War Leader Zolfian intends to use to wipe out the Thals. Drenz, the pacifist ruler of the Daleks, demands the war be halted for fear it will annihilate the entire planet. Zolfian murders him, leading to an increase in the war effort. Zolfian orders the scientist Yarvelling to being production of a machine that will seek out and destroy any Thals who survive the bomb. Heavy production goes ahead for two weeks before a meteor storm hits Skaro and detonates the bombs in storage. The blast levels the entire continent of Dalazar.
Zolfian and Yarvelling emerge from the ruins of the war council chamber when they believe the radiation level has fallen enough. They search the ruins of Skaro for any survivors, Dalek or Thal, but find no one and they build a shelter before they become to weak from radiation sickness. Then the shelter explodes and they are confronted by the figure of the machine built by Yarvelling. It informs them that it is not a machine but a mutation created by the explosion. It orders the two humanoid Daleks to help more of the casings be constructed so the Daleks may rule the universe. Zolfian sees this as the chance for the Thals to one day be wiped out and he and Yarvelling work tirelessly to rebuilt the war factory. The being that found them declares that it will become the first Emperor of its race and orders materials to be collected so a special casing may be constructed for it. At its completion, Zolfian and Yarvelling die. The Emperor orders an invasion force be constructed. The new Daleks have been born.
Characters
References
- Skaro is located "deep in Hyperspace".
- The Dalek creatures within the casings are described as "all brain". Zolfian and Yarvelling are told they would die of shock if they saw one.
- The captain of the S.A.3. sends out urgent calls for help after a monster jellyfish was sighted. As the Stringray lost contact, Marineville holds out no hope for a rescue.
- The first Dalek's emergence is proof that "Skaro was not a dead world".
Notes
- The list of references in Genesis of Evil are almost entirely drawn from the special features, The Dalek Dictionary and The Dalography of Skaro, contained in The Dalek Book. The Emperor himself is a character which originated in the Richard Jennings comic stories from that same book. Additional references were used in subsequent stories, but this story featured more than any other. The Dalek Emperor would not actually appear on screen until TV: The Evil of the Daleks in June 1967, more than two years after this story was published.
- Unlike The Dalek Book or related books by Souvenir Press and Panther Books, TV Century 21 never used the term "Dalek Chronicles". The title of the series was The Daleks.
- Alan Fennell stated that he worked on the first two or three "stories" in an interview for DWCC 19, but most sources list him as only co-writing for the first three issues.
- The closing panels of this story crossover with Stingray and Fireball XL5.
- The name of the Humanoid Daleks' city is referred to as Dalaza on the cover of TV Century 21 issue 2, but the city goes unnamed in the comic. Dalazar is the name of the continent.
- Over forty years later, Yarvelling would inspire the name of Davros' elder half-sister Yarvell in the Big Finish audio mini-series I, Davros.
- The Dalek production line in the war factory resembles the production line in TV: The Power of the Daleks, which would also be written by David Whitaker the following year.
- The Emperor's design matches John Peel's description of the Dalek Prime. It is suggested that the two of them may be the same character.
- In 2004, Altered Vistas released an animated adaptation of this story.
Reprints
- Doctor Who Weekly 33 in black and white
- Doctor Who Magazine 180-182 in colour
- DWMS The Dalek Chronicles in colour
- Doctor Who Fifty Years 1: The Daleks
Continuity
- This is one account of the neutronic war and the Daleks' creation as discussed in TV: The Daleks. However, TV: Genesis of the Daleks would provide a different account which largely ignores this one.
- News stories about the disappearance of the S.A.3. and the response of Commander Shore were printed in January 2065. (PROSE: Stingray Attacked!)
- Yarvelling, Zolfian and Drenz were previously documented in PROSE: The Dalek Dictionary alongside the expression "Insli!", Flidor gold, and Arkellis flower sap.
