The Weeping Angels of Mons (comic story): Difference between revisions

{{Infobox Story SMW

|image            = Angels and tank.jpg

|year              = {{il|[[Mons]], [[21 August]] [[1914]]|[[The Somme]], [[19th century]], [[July]] - [[August]] 1916 and [[2007]]|[[Dundee]], [[28 December]] [[1879]]|[[New York City]], [[1892]] - [[20 August]] [[1916]]|[[Paisley]], [[1896]]}}

|writer            = Robbie Morrison (writer)

|release date      = 26 November 2014 - 11 February 2015

|cover date        = November 2014 - May 2015

|format            = Comic

|epcount          = 4

}}'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the third story of the ''[[Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor]]'' comic strip series. This monumental four-part story set during [[World War I]] was published in [[2014 (releases)|2014]]-[[2015 (releases)|15]], during the centenary commemorations of the Great War. It was the first ever comic story to feature [[Weeping Angel]]s and was advertised as the beginning of a new storyline.

As the [[British Army]] prepares to defend the [[Belgium|Belgian]] town of [[Mons]] from the advancing [[German Army]] in its first engagement in [[World War I]], [[Jamie Colquhoun]] and his friend [[Harry (The Weeping Angels of Mons)|Harry]] are sent for a reconnaissance of Mons. Before leaving for the mission, Jamie steals the last rays of sunlight to scribble a letter to his sister [[Jeanie Colquhoun|Jeanie]] and dates it [[21 August|21st August]] [[1914]]. The town is eerily empty. At a cemetery they make a short break. Many gravestones are embellished with cherubs and angels. Harry is busy planning for after the war, when they are back in [[Paisley]]. He's going to propose to Jeanie and tries to matchmake Jamie with [[Margaret (The Weeping Angels of Mons)|his own sister]]. When Jamie goes to check inside the nearby church, Harry pulls out Jeanie's photo and starts practising his future proposal. Suddenly, behind him he notices a dark figure with wings. It ignores his demands to identify itself and seems impervious to bullets. Jamie is alarmed by the shots, but Harry can finally see clearly. It is just a statue of a weeping angel. As he turns to tell Jamie everything's alright, the [[Weeping Angel]] reveals its face. A short scream later, Jeanie's photo is all that is left of Harry.

[[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]] materialises in a barren land, grey and completely devoid of trees. [[Gabby Gonzalez]] is taken aback because she expected a spot of history more beautiful than this. Turns out, while attempting to boil the kettle, she accidentally pressed something in the TARDIS and steered them off course. The [[Tenth Doctor]] decides to explore anyway, but their finds become more and more chilling — a horse skeleton, barbed wire and finally a gas mask. The Doctor realises they are in the middle of the [[World War I|First World War]], most probably its [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]]. As in confirmation of their worst fears, they hear the sound of approaching shells and start running back towards the TARDIS. Explosions hitting near, Gabby and the Doctor almost make it to safety when a shell hits the TARDIS knocking them both off their feet. When Gabby manages to get her bearings, the TARDIS is gone and the Doctor is unconscious.

It is [[July]] [[1916]], and Jamie writes another letter to Jeanie from the [[Battle of the Somme|Big Push]] to take [[the Somme]]. He has been promoted to a [[Corporal]] and is a veteran soldier now. Jamie's faith has been crushed by war. He doesn't believe in [[Heaven (afterlife)|Heaven]] anymore but [[Hell]] he can see all around him. Still, instead of concentrating on the details of the fighting and the slaughter, he fills the letter with notes about his brothers-in-arms, those who came with him all the way back in August 1914, [[John McHugh|John "Shuggy" McHugh]], [[Manny Simons]], [[Joe Logue]] and [[Wullie Cairns|Big Wullie Cairns]]. Their commanding officer, [[Captain]] [[Douglas Fairbairn|Fairbairn]], on the other hand, only arrived a few weeks ago and still needs time to get used to the war. This time they succeed in crossing the No Man's Land and got into German trenches, which are surprisingly empty, except for Gabby with the still unconscious body of the Doctor. With Jamie's [[bayonet]] aimed right at her, Gabby decides to surrender just in case.

After the fighting is over, Captain Fairbairn reports to [[Major]] [[Atkinson (The Weeping Angels of Mons)|Atkinson]] from headquarters that they suffered heavy casualties while crossing the No Man's Land but then saw no resistance in the trenches or in the town of [[St Michel]] they have taken. He also mentions the two civilians they picked up, Gabby and the Doctor. He is sure they are spies and plans to interrogate them. Jamie, however, is not so sure.

Meanwhile, [[Thomas Monaghan]], a military [[chaplain]], is examining the unconscious Doctor in a field hospital set up in a church. He can find no fault other than the [[Binary vascular system|second heart]]. The Doctor suddenly comes to and stands up so abruptly that Manny Simons thinks he's trying to escape and points a revolver at him. Gabby explains to the Doctor that they are suspected spies, so all their belongings including [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]] have been confiscated. As the Doctor tries to distract the chaplain's attention from his less than usual physiology, a [[German patient (The Weeping Angels of Mons)|German soldier]] nearby starts screaming, "Don't look away!" His eyes are completely bandaged, but he is violently ripping them off. When he succeeds in removing the bandages, it turns out his eyelids are sewn permanently open. And he continues shouting, "Don't blink! Don't even blink!" The chaplain says that they found him already in this state and think he may have done it to himself. The Doctor looks closely into his eyes and sees an image of a Weeping Angel.

Wullie pleads for mercy and suddenly finds himself in a bathroom of a train carriage. Heavy rain lashes at the windows. Joe appears behind him. Neither understands what happened or where they are. Wullie thinks they are in [[Scotland]]. Meanwhile the train reaches a bridge. A [[Male passenger (The Weeping Angels of Mons)|man]] from a compartment greets them, and they use the opportunity to carefully figure out where they are. They explain their questions by the amount of alcohol they had before boarding the train, which brings them scorn from a [[Female passenger (The Weeping Angels of Mons)|woman]] sitting in the compartment. The man calms her down and explains that they are on the [[Dundee]] train. Suddenly, Wullie notices the date on a newspaper the man is reading — [[28 December|28th December]], [[1879]]. After the initial shock, Wullie, being from Dundee himself, starts remembering that on that same day the [[Tay Bridge]], the bridge they are passing by now, collapses. Before he finishes his thought, the train and all its passengers are plunged into the river below. The next day, the ''[[The Dundee Herald]]'' publishes a report on the tragic event, which left no survivors.

Back in France, 1916, three soldiers are smoking and preparing a meal on a make-shift fire on the darkened streets of St Michel. A couple of statues covering their faces can be seen in the arches of a building behind them.

 

On the way from the church to Captain's headquarters, the Doctor asks Jamie if he noticed anything suspicious about the statues in the city. The Doctor's dismissive manner doesn't help Jamie warm up to him, but he does not seem to be fond of the possibility of a firing squad either and asks Gabby to influence her "boyfriend". Gabby, vigorously dispelling this notion, opens up the door for some unmistakable though at times awkward flirting between the two of them.

Both Captain Fairbairn and Jamie are alarmed by the cry and take to arms assuming this to be a German attack. The Doctor, however, authoritatively tells them they have a new enemy now. He still acts as if he were in charge. He even steals Captain's personal firearm to prevent him from stopping him, while Gabby picks up and hands him his screwdriver. Jamie is forced to point his rifle at the Doctor. Unperturbed and beckoning everyone to follow him, the Doctor is already opening the door, only to find a Weeping Angel standing behind it. Slamming the door shut, the Doctor and others run to find another exit. On the run, the Doctor gives a primer on the worst-named predators in the universe. The Angel is already in the room. Jamie stays behind shooting at it, with no visible effect. But the Doctor and Gabby soon bump into another Angel up ahead. Running backwards, they soon join the others. The four humans with their backs to the windows are face to face with two Weeping Angels. The Doctor smashes the window with his sonic screwdriver and the four of them jump out and run for their lives, making it safely all the way to the church with the field hospital.

Meanwhile, only Weeping Angels can now be seen near the make-shift fire. Matches and an overturned can are uselessly lying on the ground.

 

Multiple Weeping Angels surround the church now. The Doctor makes sure that they are being continuously observed through the windows. With the temporary standstill, he explains in more detail that Angels have evolved to turn into stone whenever another living being looks at them. Their touch sends one into the past and they feed off the potential of your life that is never realised. They have to cover their faces in the presence of other Angels to prevent quantum-locking each other forever. The battlefields of World War I are a perfect hunting ground for them. The likely reason that there was no resistance in the German trenches and in the town of St Michel is that most Germans have fallen victims of the Angels.

 

[[British soldier 1 (The Weeping Angels of Mons)|One of the soldiers]] from the make-shift fire finds himself in the [[Colosseum]] in [[Rome]] in [[97]] AD, smack in the middle of a [[gladiator]] fight. [[British soldier 2 (The Weeping Angels of Mons)|Another]] appears in [[London]] in [[1535]] and is tied to a stake to be burned by the Londoners, believing him to be a witch.

 

Since Gabby introduced herself as Nurse Gonzalez, Monaghan sends her down to the basement to get fresh supplies for dressing wounds. He asks Private Simons to accompany her. As they start descending the stairs, lights in the church start flickering. Gabby and Manny Simons chat about his dream to visit [[New York City]] while she collects supplies in the basement. Suddenly, a flickering bulb plunges them into complete darkness. When the bulb lights up again, a Weeping Angel reaches for Gabby's throat.

Back in France, the Doctor tries to get some light in the room. Gabby attempts to hold off an Angel, but has to blink. She opens her eyes and sees Jamie, also looking at the Angel. Jamie asks Gabby where Manny is, and she says that the Angel got him. Jamie puts a grenade in the Angel's hand and they both run. The Angel survives the explosion and continues to attack. They run back upstairs, where the Doctor tells Gabby that he regrets taking her for an extra trip. He tells the soldiers that they have to make it through the night, suggesting a guard system to Fairbairn.

The sun rises and the Doctor goes to open the door, but they are interrupted by an artillery bombardment hitting the city. The Angels close in, using the smoke as cover. Fairbairn holds off the Angels, telling everyone else to run. The Angels circle him as the rest of the group encounter more Angels. A tank suddenly drives through a wall, with an older Shuggy inside. He says the Angel sent him back in time, a few miles up the road. He married a woman named [[Brigitte]] and worked on a farm, waiting until the right time to return.

As they approach a German trench, they see figures in the smoke. Assuming it's the soldiers, they look closer and realise that the figures are actually Weeping Angels. The Doctor deduces the Angels are starving - that's why they're hunting in the open. He also deduces that since they could understand the German patient, [[the TARDIS]] must be around still.

Gabby and Jamie find Shuggy holding a picture of his family. Jamie offers him coffee, but they realise he died of old age. Jamie reminisces about the times before the war. Gabby and Jamie almost kiss, but they are interrupted by the Doctor, who asks if they have chewing gum. He uses the gum to stick a machine together, which he then uses to pinpoint the location of the TARDIS. It's in some old tunnels which are filled with explosives. The Doctor then realises that the TARDIS is moving, as some Weeping Angels begin to carry it away.

Gabby and Jamie are alive, and they discover the explosives. Angels chase the Doctor, and Monaghan says he'll stay and watch them for as long as he can. He says if they are really Angels, all his faith is a lie and he has to know the truth. He holds up his cross and recites a prayer.

The Doctor finds the TARDIS, surrounded by angels. He starts to walk forward. Meanwhile, Jamie finds the detonator to the explosives, saying that the other half of the plan was to detonate the explosives and escape in the TARDIS. Since the Doctor is not with them, Jamie plans to detonate them himself.

The Doctor sneaks past the Angels, telling himself not to blink. He realises that instead of blinking, he can wink so that he can still see the Angels. Unlocking the TARDIS, he shuts the door while winking.

Back in the tunnel, Jamie and Gabby both press the detonator. The tunnels explode, seemingly killing them. As they kiss they realise they aren't dead. They open their eyes and discover they're in the TARDIS. Confused, Jamie asks what happened. The Doctor explains he shielded them with the TARDIS. He materialises the TARDIS on the surface and Gabby says goodbye to Jamie.

In [[2007]], at [[St Michel War Cemetery]], a family walks down a path, wheeling an old man in a wheelchair. The old man is revealed to be Jamie - who is now 111 years old. He looks around, noticing the TARDIS, the Doctor and Gabby. They leave, and then Jamie and his family start to leave the cemetery. Jamie's great-granddaughter, [[Gabriella (The Weeping Angels of Mons)|Gabriella]], trips over something, saying it must have been a rock. However, an Angel's hand sticks out of the ground.

== Worldbuilding ==

=== History ===

* The Doctor explains that the [[World War I|First World War]] started with the assassination of the [[Austria]]n Archduke [[Franz Ferdinand]] in [[Bosnia]], a country most people never heard of before the assassination. According to the Doctor, the Archduke was wearing a funny hat.

 

* Before being sent to [[Mons]], [[Jamie Colquhoun]] was quartered in [[Maryhill Barracks]].

* Jamie signed up on his 18th birthday on [[29 July]] [[1914]].

* Gabby never loses a contest of staring while staring at a Weeping Angel because she practised a lot with her brother [[Gino Gonzalez|Gino]].

* The Doctor mentions his companion [[Jamie McCrimmon]].

 

* [[Douglas Fairbairn|Captain Fairbairn]] offers his men a tot of [[rum]] for courage before another Big Push in the [[Battle of the Somme]].

 

* The [[Tenth Doctor]] previously encountered the [[Weeping Angel]]s in [[London]] in the [[2000s]].{{note|While ''[[Blink (TV story)|Blink]]'' itself uncontroversially sets its main setting in [[2007]] and "twenty minutes to [[Red Hatching]]" a year later in [[2008]]—as [[Kathy Nightingale]]'s letter describes taking "one breath in 2007 and the next in [[1920]]", and the [[Tenth Doctor]]'s side of his conversation with [[Sally Sparrow]] in [[1969]] happens 38 years before Sally says hers—these are contradicted by heavily conflicting dates in the ''[[Redacted (audio series)|Redacted]]'' audio series later on regarding both Kathy's disappearance and the Red Hatching. In ''[[Angels (audio story)|Angels]]'', [[Abby McPhail]] identifies 2008 as the year of Kathy's disappearance, which suggests [[2009]] as the year of the Red Hatching. In ''[[Salvation (audio story)|Salvation]]'', the [[Thirteenth Doctor]] recognises the Red Hatching as the cause of death of [[Andy Proctor]], who was last seen by his daughter [[Cleo Proctor|Cleo]] "nearly 20 years" before [[2022]] according to ''[[Recruits (audio story)|Recruits]]''.}} The [[German patient (The Weeping Angels of Mons)|German patient]] in [[St Michel]] keeps shouting the same advice the Doctor gave [[Sally Sparrow (Blink)|Sally Sparrow]] then, "Don't blink!" ([[TV]]: ''[[Blink (TV story)|Blink]]'')

* The Tenth Doctor and [[Rose Tyler]] were previously told stories about the "Angels of Mons". ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Warfreekz! (comic story)|Warfreekz!]]''). [[Dudgeon|Captain Dudgeon]] claimed to [[Ace]] that he had seen one of them. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[No Man's Land (audio story)|No Man's Land]]'')

* [[Jamie Colquhoun]] recalls the [[Christmas truce|Christmas Day "truce"]] in [[1914]], when British troops played [[football]] and otherwise fraternised with the [[Germany|Germans]]. This event was witnessed by the [[First Doctor]], [[Steven Taylor]], and [[Sara Kingdom]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Little Drummer Boy (short story)|The Little Drummer Boy]]'') by the [[Fifth Doctor]] and [[Peri Brown]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Never Seen Cairo (short story)|Never Seen Cairo]]'') and by the [[Ninth Doctor]] and [[Rose Tyler]]. The Ninth Doctor even served as a football referee. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Forgotten (comic story)|The Forgotten]]'') The First and [[Twelfth Doctor|Twelfth]] Doctors were also present shortly before their respective regenerations. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')

* [[Wullie Cairns]] compares the empty trenches on the other side of the No Man's Land to the ''[[Marie Celeste]]'', a ship infamously found at sea without the crew. Several Doctors were involved in different events leading to ''Marie Celeste'' being abandoned, including the [[First Doctor]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Chase (TV story)|The Chase]]'') the [[Second Doctor]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Mystery of the Marie Celeste (short story)|The Mystery of the Marie Celeste]]'') and the [[Third Doctor]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[A Stitch in Time (TVA comic story)|A Stitch in Time]]'')

* Jamie mistakes the Doctor for Gabby's boyfriend, just like [[Blanca Gonzalez|her sister]] did. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Revolutions of Terror (comic story)|Revolutions of Terror]]'')

* The Doctor references promising "one trip" to Gabby, and concedes he has taken her on "one trip too many". ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Arts in Space (comic story)|The Arts in Space]]'')

* The Weeping Angels steal the TARDIS. ([[TV]]: ''[[Blink (TV story)|Blink]]'')

{{Weeping Angel sources}}