TV21 47-51: Eve of War

The Comic

Let's start with something that is a definite improvement for me, although it may not have been such a good thing in 1965: this story is "written for the trade". Now, that's a phrase from the US comic scene meaning that the story is designed to work best when read in one sitting, rather than issue-by-issue. Normally I'd be a bit more ambivalent about it; but as I've commented in my reviews of the last two stories, the constraints of a single-page-per-week format have been actively harmful recently. This story trusts that the reader will be sufficiently intrigued to keep reading even without a cliffhanger - indeed, the only cliffhanger in the whole story is at the end of the first episode - and that allows for more natural pacing. The result is the best storyline in a long time.

Of course, plot is only one aspect of a comic story, and the art goes though by far its biggest change in the series between episodes 49 and 50: Richard Jennings leaves, to be replaced by Ron Turner. This is not something you'd be likely to see in a written-for-trade comic! Turner has a more cartoon style, with thick, dark lines and deeper shadows. The results are mixed, and neither artist does the Mechanoids justice, with the worst point being a panel with the Dalek Emperor talking about their "powerul arms" beneath an image where those arms look like flimsy plastic. I do prefer Turner's spaceships but his Daleks are vastly inferior, looking as if they are sliding around in giant sardine tins. Comparing the space battles, Jennings' final panel - showing the Mechanoid ship exploding - has much more energy than the corresponding panels on Turner's first page (which also feature molten metal from a doomed saucer dripping down towards the bottom of the page, despite the absence of gravity). Overall, at present I feel that this is definitely a change for the worse.

Turning next to the dialogue, I'm afraid I have to continue my run of snarks about the over-reliance on technobabble. This really goes into overdrive here, which is a shame as it damages my ability to take the story seriously. People complain about the technobabble in Star Trek, but that show put it to much better use than David Whitaker does here. For example, the Emperor helpfully explains precisely how they scan a Daleks' mind to find out about the Mechanoids:

"This hypnotic cloud is made up of thought patterns. They make indelible pictures, stored by this Dalek in its memory retina. We have added substance particles and dimension atoms to that cloud. Watch the result on the visualiser."

Thanks, yer highness! That makes it so much clearer! </sarcasm> Never mind that it is so full of nonsense phrases as to be meaningless, or even that it doesn't explain how a Dalek who has never seen a Mechanoid can remember what one looks like. The most annoying thing is that it isn't needed at all. A sentence like "scan this Dalek's brain for useful information" would do the job just as well, probably better.

Despite these flaws, the plot makes me excited for what is to come next. After all, it's the Mechanoids! Of course that revelation was going to please me, as I've known them as the Daleks' nemesis since before I saw either on screen. But more on that later...

Rating:
Comic: 4.5/10.

Published:
Dates: 11th December 1965 to 8th January 1966

Next Time:
Altered Vistas' take on Eve of War.

AV07: The Menace of the Monstrons

(I'm posting this a bit early because the weekend's busy and then on Monday I'm going into hospital for another back operation, but I don't want to risk leaving it for ages between the two reviews of the same story! Fingers crossed this'll be the penultimate op!)

The Animation
Between writing the previous review and this, I went and read Delta's review - and was struck in particuar by his observation about the resemblance between this story and The Dominators. My, it's quite some parallel, isn't it? Other than the minor detail of the Daleks not being a bunch of Pathetic Hippy Pacifists (tm), of course - I'm sure Mssrs. Haisman and Lincoln would consider Yarvelling's creations much better role models for today's youth.

So, what have AV made of this story? For one thing we've got the best humanoid animation yet (not counting the version of Genesis of Evil I watched, which was redone towards the end of the series). There are also some lovely little effects, including the scanner patterns (very 60s) and the night flight, which was wonderfully atmospheric.

In adapting the story for video AV added a great deal of humour and several references, all of which enhanced the experience for me. There are two door jokes: in one, the engibrain robots stream through a doorway in pretty much the same way as the Daleks when they were on board the DARDIS in The Chase. In the other, there's a doorway that has a big circular cut-out at the top to allow the Emperor Dalek to pass through! I bet some of the more irreverent Daleks snigger and make "I'm not saying the Emperor's got a fat head, but..." comments.

Still, my favourite joke has to be when the Monstrons are scanning for similar lifeforms. As well as Whoniverse creatures such as Sensorites and Zarbi we get the Mekon, the creature from the Black Lagoon, and more.

Which is not to say that it's entirely humourous. The tone is more like that of the 60s Dalek movies, in which genuine tension is cut with comedy. Let's face it, we're watching a fan-made animation of a weekly single-page comic aimed at preteens. Treating it in a po-faced manner isn't going to give much leeway for the inevitable imperfections, and the occasional nod-and-a-wink jest really does help. As I say, I'd rather watch most of these than Dreamland, despite the fact that the latter (presumably) had a much higher budget, and I think this is part of it.

Still, not all of the continuity nods are jokes anyway. We get a shot showing us the Black Dalek still being rebuilt, which fits this into the larger ongoing story; and a discussion of the Magnetiser which protected their city in a previous story plugs a plot hole I hadn't even noticed! Lastly, the body of water from the panel in the comic where the surviving Daleks emerge is here named the Lake of Mutations; which, well, of course it is.

This is the second story in a row where the animation has improved on the original comic. I'll be interested to see if this trend continues.

Rating:
Animation: 6/10.

VCD Extras
The only extra on the disk is the trailer for the next Dalek Chronicle animation. I don't know about anyone else, but it certainly excited me...

Published:
Dates: 2nd September 2005

Next Time:
Eve of War.

TV21 40-46: The Menace of the Monstrons

By complete coincidence (although I must admit I cheekily added the last line of my previous review after I found this out), in the Iris Wildthyme audio I am listening to on Spotify - Series 3 - Iris and her companion Panda are menaced by the Monstrons! I wonder if it's the same Monstrons?

The Comic

Okay, maybe I'm feeling hyper-sensitive today, but I can't help feeling awkward looking at the portrayal of the blue-skinned aliens attacking the Daleks in this story. The thing is, in an attempt to make them look alien, artist Richard Jennings has given them slanty eyes and thick rubbery lips. Which kind of seems like an ugly mashup of how people of African and East Asian background used to be portrayed by us White Europeans. The original "aliens", in fact. Ah, don't you just love a touch of racism in your Doctor Who?

Putting that to one side and turning to the plot, we come to the start of the spoilers!

This is a curiously uneven serial. Taken overall it's a massive, epic tale with huge consequences and a startling death toll. So let's look at that side of it first.

The Monstrons are scientifically advanced (particularly in the arts of war) and methodical. They capture a Dalek and analyse its capabilities before devising a strategy of conquest, protecting themselves behind an unbreakable force field while they do so. Then they soften up the Dalek city with missiles before sending their robotic troops in to finish off the inhabitants, and finally burying the city in liquid metal! I mean, talk about scorched earth policies - these guys could have taught the Romans a thing or two. And that's just the Monstrons' advanced party. Almost all the Daleks are dead, and the only reason the invaders lose is because the captured Dalek manages to temporarily escape and sacrifices its life to activate the volcano atop which the Monstron ship has landed.

Chilling? Well, actually, not entirely; and that's where the other side of the story comes in. Unfortunately, the tone is often in distinct contrast to what I have just described. The robots are called Engibrains and resemble the robot from The Day the Earth Stood Still; the missiles feature anti-invisibility thrusters; and two episodes are taken up with a subplot wherein the Emperor falls into an underground river and pleads for help while being threatened by a giant electric eel. The solution? Another magnet, this time a 10' tall horseshoe magnet of the sort we were all familiar with as children, complete with red-painted handle and metallic poles. What is it with the Daleks and magnetism at the moment? This one, once again, needs power in order to work, which the rescuing Daleks have to provide from their own casings, and then they use the eel to provide power until they can recharge. It's bizarre. As the TV series moves towards the feel of the early comics, the comics seem to be moving more towards the feel of The Chase.

Overall, then, it's exciting, but it's terribly old-fashioned (including the particular form of racism), and the tone is frustratingly inconsistent. At this point I'm wanting more: stories like Duel of the Daleks or The Amaryll Challenge feel very far away at the moment.

Rating:
Comic: 5/10.

Artwork: Richard Jennings
In the 50s and early 60s Richard Jennings was probably best known for his artwork in the celebrated British comic The Eagle, or possibly his work advertising Bovril alongside his better-known Eagle colleague, Frank Hampson (of Dan Dare fame). From 1964 onwards he became associated with the Daleks, both in the Dalek Annuals and the early Dalek Chronicles. While not one of the giants of the industry this later work had an influence on a generation of children: I should know, because I was one of them. And so, as Elizabeth Sandifer has pointed out, was Russell T. Davies. There is a direct line from here to The Parting of the Ways.

Only part of his career was spent on comics, and he also worked as fisherman, lorry driver, and painter and decorator.

Published:
Dates: 23rd October to 4th December 1965

Next Time:
Altered Vistas' take on The Menace of the Monstrons.