DOCTOR WHO: EMPEROR OF THE DALEKS

released OUT NOW! Publisher Panini Comics

Writers Paul Cornell, dan abnett and more Artist John ridgway, lee sullivan, Colin andrew Hailing from the dark days of 1992-1994, between the end of the classic series and the Paul McGann movie, this latest collection of

strips generally looks backwards, featuring old characters or filling holes in the show’s continuity. Sontarans meet their ancestors; Silurians and humans live side by side in an alternate world; a 30th anniversary tale sends the Doctor through past adventures.

The titular strip (six parts and an epilogue, over 57 pages) is the main attraction. Featuring both Doctors Six and Seven, it not only joins the dots between TV’s “Revelation Of The Daleks” and “Remembrance Of The Daleks” but resurrects Abslom Daak, DWM’s chainsaw-wielding Dalek killer.

Written by Paul Cornell, it’s not what you’d expect from the new series scribe. Heavy on explosive action and light on emotion, it’s guilty-pleasure fanwank, told with gusto, with some amusingly cheeky touches (a computer virus makes Daleks sing “Jingle Bells”) and neat innovations, like a mindcontrolling “Psyche Dalek”. Its epic proportions are in safe hands with artist Lee Sullivan, whose pages pulse with dynamism. Casual Who viewers will be baffled, but they’re not the target audience.