The Keep [COMIC/1997.1.16 ~ 2.13]

★★★☆☆

  I can never be harsh on a comic that depicts the Doctor touching hands with a giant humanoid being made of molten lava/fire type material. As I say countless times, the comic medium's advantage over others is that it can visually pull off absolutely anything, provided the artist is up for the creative standard. With Alan Barnes writing and Martin Geraghty & Robin Smith drawing, that was never going to be an issue.

  The Keep is pretty enjoyable by itself, if a little short for its own good. Another thing comics (or any monthly written fiction series) has is the tendency to have "stop-gap" stories, much like how the new series used to have Doctor-lite episodes due to budgetary issues. These comics tend to stick out because of how short they are, and how -- in lesser comic series -- they barely have anything interesting to offer. The Keep is thankfully not like that; it's a well-realised tale of a ravaged future and a scientist on the brink of death trying to achieve his dream for humanity. It's also a precursor to an upcoming Eighth Doctor comic adventure, and therefore quite essential for readers; there's at least a reason to care with this stopgap story, and it's enjoyable enough.