Rift War! (comic story)

Rift War!
Main character(s):	Jack, Gwen, Owen, Tosh, Ianto
Featuring:	Kneale, Derbyshire, Myfanwy
Main enemy:	Vox
Main setting:	Cardiff, 2008
Key crew
Publisher:	Titan Comics
Editor:	Simon Hugo
Writers:	Simon Furman, Ian Edginton
Artist:	Paul Grist, SL Gallant, D'Israeli
Colourist:	Kris Karter, Hi-Fi Design, D'Israeli, Phil Elliott
Letterer:	Jimmy Betancourt, Richard Starkings, D'Israeli, Comicraft
Release details
Number of parts:	10
Printed in:	TM 4 - 13
Release date:	17 April - 31 December 2008
Format:	Comic
Torchwood comic stories
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Next →	The Selkie

Rift War! was the third story printed in Torchwood The Official Magazine. It was collected in the Rift War graphic novel.

Plot

Part one

Toshiko is detecting multiple Rift contacts across Cardiff. She says there is something coming through the rift, Jack goes to investigate Cardiff university, where he meets alien warriors. Gwen and Ianto head for Cardiff Museum, and Toshiko and Owen go to the shops.

Jack ends up fighting with the aliens, but does not know what they are. Toshiko says they are not on the Torchwood database, but suddenly an alien smashes through the window and attacks them. Gwen and Ianto search the museum, and find that this was a diversion left by them. Jack kicks an alien down and it says the only reason they are fighting is because it is invading, and when this war is over there will be no more Torchwood. Jack shouts at the alien, stunning it, and several other Torchwood team members kill some more. They all head back to the hub. While Jack is driving, an alien grabs his neck, so Tosh shoots the wheels, causing it to crash. This kills Jack, but also kills the alien. Tosh goes into the hub, but finds it is gone.

Part two

Toshiko is where the Hub once was, underground beside the Torchwood 3 pet Pteranodon, Myfanwy. She thinks that she could use Myfanwy to fly up to safety but Myfanwy flies away.

Jack, Gwen and Ianto find that the Hub has been moved. They find that the Harrowkind are targeting Torchwood. Jack asks Owen over his earpiece to find what the Harrowkind want. Owen finds a recall device grafted onto its skin; luckily for him, he already deactivated one and removed it. A crowd starts collecting to see what has happened to the ground.

Tosh attempts to look into the Roald Dahl Plass structure, where she finds a man called Vox. He tells her that they are stuck in time. All of a sudden, Harrowkind attack. They hide, and Vox tells Tosh they work for an organisation called the Sanctified. Vox says he is hiding from them. He hands Tosh a pocket version of the rift manipulator. Myfanwy suddenly swoops down and Tosh jumps onto her back.

Back at the top Gwen asks a man to move. He turns around. He wears a hat and a mouth brace and has a spear. Tosh activates Vox's rift manipulator and the Hub is returned. Jack and Ianto fire at the man who went for Gwen. He vanishes. Tosh finds she is on top of the Roald Dahl Plass and wants someone to get her down.

Gwen wonders who Vox is. He says he is an enemy of the Sanctified and the Harrowkind, that Torchwood technology led the Harrowkind here. Vox says he can help Torchwood. Tosh says that Vox's rift manipulator is burnt out. Jack says if the Harrowkind want a war he will give them a war.

Part 3: Funhouse!

to be added

Part Four: Dino Crisis

to be added

Part Five: Dark Times

to be added

Part Six: Circles

to be added

Part Seven: The Man Who Fell to Earth

to be added

Part Eight: The Enemy of my Enemy...

to be added

Part Nine: The Calm Before

The Vox warriors run riot around the streets of Cardiff. Torchwood discovers Planet Earth is the key to unleashing the God Of the Vox. Can they prevent the rise of a powerful god before Earth becomes the new Hell?

Part Ten: The Storm

The Earth is facing its final battle with mankind. The only way of stopping world domination lies within ex-Torchwood member Gerald Carter.

Characters

• Jack Harkness
• Gwen Cooper
• Ianto Jones
• Toshiko Sato
• Owen Harper
• Vox
• Myfanwy
• Gerald Kneale
• Harriet Derbyshire
• Splott

Worldbuilding

to be added

Notes

• This is the last comic story set before the deaths of Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato in Exit Wounds.

Continuity

• Reference is made to a Space Whale. (TV: Meat) Star whale would later be introduced in TV: The Beast Below.

External links

to be added