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A celebration of the early Doctors’ eras of the Doctor Who comic strip – and far more.

If you’ve got copies of the first three editions of Vworp! Vworp! you’re not really going to need me to tell you more than this is more of the same high standard of interviews, features and artwork, which you’re going to pore over for some time. If you’ve not yet encountered Vworp! Vworp!, then you’re in for a treat.

Obviously a number of the people involved with the creation of Doctor Who comics between 1963 and the end of the 1970s have sadly passed away, but this issue features intriguing interviews with three key people, as well as appreciations of the work of many more, often by members of their family. Archives have been raided, and you could quite cheerfully simply spend an enjoyable hour examining the artwork that’s been reproduced, quite often for the first time since publication (there’s a lovely piece of Fireball XL5 art here as well). There’s in depth analysis, and rogues’ galleries of the companions in the comics – and three strips that bring to mind the different eras of the show’s comic strip incarnations.

There’s still a school of thought that the Doctor Who strip began with The Iron Legion in Doctor Who Weekly #1, but this encyclopaedic look at the show’s first 15 years of comic strips will hopefully set the record straight. (Talking of which, there’s an anguished and impassioned argument towards the end against the contents of one of issue 3’s features…)

Verdict: Not purely a look at the strips but giving valuable insights into their creators and creation – essential for any fan of those early years. 10/10

Paul Simpson