Admittedly, I’ve already reviewed this story for “Yesterday’s” Comic. In the 1980s Marvel US reprinted a few of their UK counterparts Doctor Who magazine stories, first as a trial run in Marvel Premiere and then in 23 issues of his own series. At the time the show was popular in the US, but aired on PBS rather than the networks the new show did so it wasn’t as widely known until the TV Movie, which as usual Fox screwed up because they have an odd disinterest in treating science fiction shows well on their network, or so their history would make you assume. However, this seemed like a good time to revisit it after the TV special decided to tear it apart for fodder. This isn’t the first time Davies has done this, mind you. The “Family Of Blood” pair of episodes was taken from the Seventh Doctor’s novel Human Nature, though at least the author was ripping himself off for the episode. Davies still wanted or was willing to use it.

This time, “Doctor Who And The Star Beast” was a comic, appearing in Doctor Who Monthly #s 19-26. The writers, Pat Mills & John Wagner, alternated between writing the strips making up the story, with Dave Gibbons on art. In this case Davies himself took a story that was popular enough with fans that Big Finish has adapted it and made further meetings between the Doctor and the villain of the story, Beep of All The Meeps, in audio dramas, to tell his version of the story with his characters. And social messaging because of course he did. This time it’s Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor being replaced by Davies Fourteenth, who is just Doctor Ten screwing up the numbering system for the third time in this franchise, after the War Doctor and the Timeless Child nonsense has basically made counting the Doctors a moot point.

This is sadly the coolest K-9 will look in this story.

This is not going to be a review of the episode because I haven’t fully seen it. I’ve seen clips, I’ve seen a scene-by-scene review or two, but I don’t own Disney Plus, and from what I’ve seen and heard I’m not sure I’d want to see this story anyway when the comic did it better. I will say that undoing Donna’s lost memories was okay but the way they did it was lame, the new TARDIS is finally investing in lighting and bright colors but is mostly blank space with not much to it. Even when they get something right they managed to mess it up. As for the male bashing and trans allegory, I’m not surprised with the former and even when I explain my issue with the latter later I’ll still be called a transphobe just for disagreeing with it. At this point I stopped caring what people who don’t have time to listen have to say. Disagree with me all you want. That’s fine. Just make sure you get my actual point of view correct or don’t waste my time.

Also the new intro is kind of meh. The TARDIS flopping around through nebula clouds. I’m not impressed.

Finally, before this really long intro chases you all off, I’m working from the version that I have, namely the aforementioned Marvel US reprints. So the Meep is blue because the original comic was black and white and Marvel US colorist Andy Yanchus made him blue. So he’s blue in these pictures. Sorry if that bothers you, but I kind of prefer it. It makes him cuter, which is kind of the point of his twist. With that, let’s get on with the story.

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