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.
DRP
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