Business as Usual (comic story)
Business as Usual was a comic story published in Doctor Who Magazine. It was written by Alan Moore.
Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
In 1989, ex-plumber Winston Blunt finds a sphere that's one of six fallen from the sky. Winston soon patents a new method of bonding carbon atoms to Interchem and sets up Galaxy Plastics Inc Before shooting himself, he appoints a Mr Dolman to run the company.
When industrial spy Max Fischer breaks into the factory, he is attacked by plastic action figures before being caught by Dolman and the Nestene Intelligence. Max throws a spanner that damages the Nestene tank and causes an explosion, but Max is pursued by the remains of the Dolman Auton. Having survived a car accident whilst fighting miniature dolls, Max is killed by Dolman.
However, in August 1990, one Max Fischer invests money in a plastics factory (Fischer Toys) and leaves behind flowers on a shallow grave (that of the real Max Fischer) hidden in the grounds — plastic flowers of course!
Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
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Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
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Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- This is one of five collaborations between writer Alan Moore and illustrator David Lloyd, who would go on to create the graphic novel V for Vendetta.
- This back up strip story was introduced and tailed by the Fourth Doctor as if recounting a story.
- This story was alluded to elsewhere in DWM 41 in the issue's Security Code, which said, "BE ON THE ALERT AGAINST AUTON INVASION. REPORT A SUDDEN, SUSPICIOUS APPEARANCE OF ANY LARGE, SUCCESSFUL PLASTICS COMPANIES IN YOUR SECTOR. FURTHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE TWENTY FIVE."
- For the DWM Issue 184 reprint, the opening frame sees the Fourth Doctor replaced with the Seventh Doctor.
- The Titan Comics convention special released for SDCC 2017 and subsequent conventions - The Last Action Figure written by Richard Dinnick - featured a story of the Twelfth Doctor and Bill tracking down action figures made by Fischer Toys (the company that Max Fischer set up in the original strip).
Original print details[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Publication with page count and closing captions
Reprints[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Coloured and reprinted by Marvel in DW84 15.
- Reprinted in the DWMS Summer 1981.
- This story was reprinted as a one-part story in DWM 184 as a filler. There was a delay in the regular ongoing adventures of the main comic strip (Evening's Empire). Artist David Lloyd kindly provided the original boards for the story, which let it to be re-lettered. This apparently angered writer Alan Moore who complained to Marvel UK Editorial Director Paul Neary about the reprint. On hearing of this at the Vworp! Vworp! convention in Manchester in 2008 from former DWM editor Gary Russell, the editor who made the reprint decision but was unaware of the fallout, John Freeman, wrote a letter of apology to Alan Moore. Alan telephoned John almost immediately to say he bore no ill-will about the reprint, saying he could not recall complaining after the strip was re-published.
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
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