TV Comic

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TV Comic was a weekly magazine published by Polystyle Publications, Ltd. in Britain from 1951 to 1984. It printed Doctor Who strips from 1964 to 1979.

History[[edit] | [edit source]]

Throughout the TV Comic strips, the Doctor was primarily called "Dr. Who" by his companions and the narration. For convenience, the later-established incarnation numbering schema is used on this page instead of, for instance, "William Hartnell's Dr. Who".

The TV Comic strips are notable for introducing a number of original characters, including companions and aliens. Original companions included the Doctor's grandchildren, John and Gillian, as well as Arnold. As the comic rights to the Daleks were initially held by competing magazine TV Century 21, original villains called the Trods were used in their place. However, in 1967, the rights to use the Daleks were finally able to be acquired by TV Comic; and the Daleks were subsequently shown to massacre the Trods in The Trodos Ambush.

Nearly every comic story, save for On the Web Planet, was published unnamed during the first TV Comic run. Common titles for these stories were later invented in The Terrestrial Index.

From the years 1971 to 1973, new Doctor Who comics were instead printed in TV Comic's sister magazine, Countdown/TV Action. From this point forward, stories were published with titles.

Beginning with TVC 1386 in July 1978, old TV Comic Second and Third Doctor strips were reprinted with new art showing the then-current Fourth Doctor's face. This modification and reuse of pre-existing material continued until TVC 1430 in 1979, when Polystyle opted not to renew their licence and the rights to Doctor Who comics moved to Marvel Comics UK's new magazine Doctor Who Weekly.

The TV Comic run of Doctor Who concluded with TVC 1430 on 11 May 1979.

Comic stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

First Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

Title	Featuring	Printed in	Released
The Klepton Parasites	John Who and Gillian Who, Kleptons	674-683	9 November 1964-11 January 1965
The Therovian Quest	John and Gillian	684-689	16 January - 22 February 1965
The Hijackers of Thrax	John and Gillian	690-692	1 - 15 March 1965
On the Web Planet	John and Gillian, Zarbi	693-698	22 March - 26 April 1965
The Gyros Injustice	John and Gillian	699-704	3 May - 7 June 1965
Challenge of the Piper		705-709	14 June - 12 July 1965
Prisoners of Gritog		Holiday Special 1965	1 July 1965
Moon Landing		710-712	19 July - 2 August 1965
Time in Reverse		713-715	9 - 23 August 1965
Lizardworld		716-719	30 August - 20 September 1965
Prisoners of the Kleptons	John and Gillian, Kleptons	Annual 1966	1 September 1965
The Caterpillar Men	John and Gillian	Annual 1966	1 September 1965
The Ordeals of Demeter		720-723	27 September - 18 October 1965
Enter: The Go-Ray		724-727	25 October - 15 November 1965
Shark Bait		728-731	22 November - 13 December 1965
A Christmas Story		732-735	20 December 1965 - 10 January 1966
The Didus Expedition		736-739	22 January - 12 February 1966
Space Station Z-7		740-743	19 February - 12 March 1966
Plague of the Black Scorpi		744-747	19 March - 9 April 1966
The Trodos Tyranny	John and Gillian, Trods	748-752	16 April - 14 May 1966
The Secret of Gemino	John and Gillian	753-757	21 May - 18 June 1966
The Haunted Planet		758-762	25 June - 23 July 1966
Guests of King Neptune		Holiday Special 1966	1 July 1966
The Gaze of the Gorgon		Holiday Special 1966	1 July 1966
The Hunters of Zerox		763-767	30 July - 27 August 1966
Deadly Vessel		Annual 1967	1 September 1966
Kingdom of the Animals		Annual 1967	1 September 1966
The Underwater Robot		768-771	3 - 24 September 1966
Return of the Trods	John and Gillian, Trods	772-775	1 - 22 October 1966
The Galaxy Games	John and Gillian	776-779	29 October - 19 November 1966
The Experimenters	John and Gillian	780-783	26 November - 17 December 1966

Second Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

Title	Featuring	Printed in	Released
The Extortioner	John and Gillian	784-787	24 December 1966 - 14 January 1967
The Trodos Ambush	John and Gillian, Trods, Daleks	788-791	21 January - 11 February 1967
The Doctor Strikes Back	John and Gillian, Daleks	792-795	18 February - 11 March 1967
The Zombies	John and Gillian	796-798	18 March - 1 April 1967
Master of Spiders	John and Gillian	799-802	8 - 29 April 1967
The Exterminator	John and Gillian, Daleks	803-806	6 - 27 May 1967
The Monsters from the Past	John and Gillian	807-811	3 June - 1 July 1967
Barnabus	John and Gillian	Holiday Special 1967	1 July 1967
Jungle Adventure	John and Gillian, Daleks	Holiday Special 1967	1 July 1967
The Tardis Worshippers	John and Gillian	812-815	8 - 29 July 1967
Space War Two	John and Gillian	816-819	5 - 26 August 1967
Attack of the Daleks	John and Gillian, Daleks	Annual 1968	1 September 1967
Pursued by the Trods	John and Gillian, Trods	Annual 1968	1 September 1967
Egyptian Escapade	John and Gillian	820-823	2 - 23 September 1967
The Coming of the Cybermen	John and Gillian, Cybermen	824-827	30 September - 21 October 1967
The Faithful Rocket Pack	John and Gillian	828-831	28 October - 18 November 1967
Flower Power	John and Gillian, Cybermen	832-836	25 November - 23 December 1967
The Witches	John and Gillian, Witch	837-841	30 December 1967 - 27 January 1968
Cyber-Mole	John and Gillian, Cybermen	842-845	3 - 24 February 1968
The Sabre-Toothed Gorillas	John and Gillian	846-849	2 - 23 March 1968
The Cyber Empire	John and Gillian, Cybermen	850-853	30 March - 20 April 1968
The Dyrons	John and Gillian	854-858	27 April - 25 May 1968
Dr. Who and the Space Pirates	John and Gillian	859-863	1 - 29 June 1968
Return of the Witches	John and Gillian, Witch	Holiday Special 1968	1 July 1968
Masquerade	John and Gillian, Cybermen	Holiday Special 1968	1 July 1968
Car of the Century	John and Gillian	864-867	6 - 27 July 1968
The Jokers	John and Gillian	868-871	3 - 23 August 1968
Invasion of the Quarks	John and Gillian, Jamie McCrimmon, Quarks	872-876	31 August - 28 September 1968
The Time Museum	John and Gillian, Cybermen, Trods	Annual 1969	1 September 1968
The Electrodes	John and Gillian	Annual 1969	1 September 1968
The Killer Wasps	Jamie, Quarks	877-880	5 - 26 October 1968
Ice Cap Terror	Jamie	881-884	2 - 23 November 1968
Jungle of Doom	Jamie, Quarks	885-889	30 November - 28 December 1968
Father Time	Jamie	890-893	4 - 25 January 1969
Martha the Mechanical Housemaid	Jamie, Quarks	894-898	1 February - 1 March 1969
The Duellists	Quarks	899-902	8 - 29 March 1969
Eskimo Joe	Cybermen	903-906	5 - 26 April 1969
Peril at 60 Fathoms		907-910	3 - 24 May 1969
Operation Wurlitzer		911-915	31 May - 28 June 1969
The Champion	Cybermen	Holiday Special 1969	1 July 1969
The Entertainer		Holiday Special 1969	1 July 1969
Action in Exile		916-920	5 July - 2 August 1969
The Mark of Terror		921-924	9 - 30 August 1969
Death Race	Quarks	Annual 1970	1 September 1969
Test Flight	Cybermen	Annual 1970	1 September 1969
The Brotherhood		925-928	6 - 27 September 1969
U.F.O.		929-933	4 October - 1 November 1969
The Night Walkers	Time Lords	934-936	8 - 22 November 1969

Third Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

Title	Featuring	Printed in	Released
The Arkwood Experiments	The Brigadier	944-949	17 January - 21 February 1970
The Multi-Mobile		950-954	28 February - 28 March 1970
Insect		955-959	4 April - 2 May 1970
The Metal Eaters	The Brigadier, Liz Shaw	960-964	9 May - 6 June 1970
The Fishmen of Carpantha	The Brigadier, Liz Shaw	965-969	13 June - 11 July 1970
Assassin from Space		Holiday Special 1970	1 July 1970
Undercover	The Brigadier	Holiday Special 1970	1 July 1970
Doctor Who and the Rocks from Venus	The Brigadier, Liz Shaw	970-976	18 July - 29 August 1970
Castaway	The Brigadier	Annual 1971	1 September 1970
Levitation	The Brigadier	Annual 1971	1 September 1970
Doctor Who and the Robot		977-984	5 September - 24 October 1970
Trial of Fire		985-991	31 October - 12 December 1970
The Kingdom Builders		992-999	19 December 1970 - 6 February 1971
After TVC 999, the Doctor Who strip moved to Polystyle's new Countdown magazine, which was retitled TV Action. It returned to TVC in issue 1133 in 1973.
Children of the Evil Eye	Arnold	1133-1138	1 September - 6 October 1973
Nova		1139-1147	13 October - 8 December 1973
The Amateur		1148-1154	15 December 1973 - 26 January 1974
The Disintegrator	Daleks	1155-1159	2 February - 2 March 1974
Is Anyone There?		1160-1169	9 March - 11 May 1974
Size Control		1170-1176	18 May - 29 June 1974
The Magician		1177-1183	6 July - 17 August 1974
The Metal-Eaters		1184-1190	24 August - 5 October 1974
Petrified		Annual 1975	1 September 1974
Lords of the Ether		1191-1198	12 October - 30 November 1974
The Wanderers		1199-1203	7 December 1974 - 4 January 1975

Fourth Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

From Issues 1292 to 1325, the Doctor Who comic strip is reduced from the usual two pages to one.

Title	Featuring	Printed in	Released
Death Flower	Sarah Jane Smith	1204-1214	11 January - 22 March 1975
Return of the Daleks	Sarah Jane Smith, Daleks	1215-1222	29 March - 17 May 1975
The Wreckers	Sarah Jane Smith	1223-1231	24 May - 19 July 1975
The Emperor's Spy		1232-1238	26 July - 6 September 1975
Woden's Warriors		Annual 1976	1 September 1975
The Sinister Sea		1239-1244	13 September - 18 October 1975
The Space Ghost		1245-1250	25 October - 29 November 1975
The Dalek Revenge	Sarah Jane Smith, Daleks	1251-1258	6 December 1975 - 24 January 1976
Virus	Sarah Jane Smith	1259-1265	31 January - 13 March 1976
Treasure Trail		1266-1272	20 March - 1 May 1976
Hubert's Folly		1273-1279	8 May - 19 June 1976
Counter-Rotation		1280-1286	26 June - 7 August 1976
Mind Snatch		1287-1290	14 August - 4 September 1976
The Tansbury Experiment		Annual 1977	1 September 1976
The Hoaxers		1291	11 September 1976
The Mutant Strain		1292-1297	18 September - 23 October 1976
Double Trouble		1298-1304	30 October - 11 December 1976
Dredger		1305-1311	18 December 1976 - 29 January 1977
The False Planet	Andric	1312-1317	5 February - 12 March 1977
The Fire Feeders		1318-1325	19 March - 7 May 1977
Kling Dynasty		1326-1333	14 May - 2 July 1977
The Sky Warrior		Holiday Special 1977	1 July 1977
The Orb	Leela	1334-1340	9 July - 20 August 1977
The Mutants	Leela	1341-1347	27 August - 8 October 1977
Jackals of Space	Sarah Jane Smith	Annual 1978	1 September 1977
The Devil's Mouth	Leela	1348-1352	15 October - 12 November 1977
The Aqua-City	Leela	1353-1360	19 November 1977 - 7 January 1978
The Snow Devils		1361-1365	14 January - 11 February 1978
The Space Garden		1366-1370	18 February - 18 March 1978
The Eerie Manor		1371-1372	25 March - 1 April 1978
Guardian of the Tomb		1373-1379	8 April - 20 May 1978
The Image Makers		1380-1385	27 May - 1 July 1978
The Sea Devil	Miss Young	Annual 1979	1 September 1978
Edited reprints: Second and Third Doctor stories altered to feature the Fourth Doctor
Doomcloud	Joan Brown, Maxwell-Lennon	Mighty Midget Doctor Who Comic (included with TVC 1292)	18 September 1976
The Duellists	Quarks	1386-1389	7 - 28 July 1978
The Amateur		1390-1396	4 August - 15 September 1978
The Magician		1397-1403	22 September - 3 November 1978
The Wanderers		1404-1408	10 November - 8 December 1978
The Metal-Eaters		1409-1415	15 December 1978 - 26 January 1979
Moon Exploration (Lords of the Ether)		1416-1423	2 February - 23 March 1979
Size Control		1424-1430	30 March - 11 May 1979

Back-up strips[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor fights with a police officer, wanting to get to his TARDIS.

The cast of TV Terror accidentally steal the TARDIS.

Two Daleks talk, in TV Comic 798.

TV Comic used the Doctor and the Daleks in five known back-up comics, four times in "Pick of the Jokes" and once in TV Terrors. One notable aspect was that these cameos appear to follow licensing restrictions: for instance, Daleks did not appear in these comics until TV Comic obtained a license to use them from the Terry Nation Estate.

These comics are:

TVC 696: In an untitled comic, the Doctor attempts to get back to the TARDIS, or perhaps just a police box, but is blocked by an officer.
TVC 709: TV Terrors: An instalment of TV Terrors saw Monica, Buttons, and Cuthbert trying to meet "Dr. Who" after watching him on television.
TVC 740: In another untitled comic, the Doctor enters a police box, only to find an officer exiting. The Doctor responds "Oops! Sorry! Wrong box!"
TVC 794: In an otherwise non-Who strip, a child carries a small Dalek on a leash.
TVC 798: In a third untitled strip, two Daleks talk, one speaking of their "transistors".

Special issues[[edit] | [edit source]]