The Stockbridge Horror [COMIC/1982.10.14 ~ 1983.3.10]

★★★☆☆

  Lots to love, and quite a few that wind me up -- that's the long and short of The Stockbridge Horror. I admire how these early comic writers took the concept of Rassilon and expanded it with their own ideas. Founder of Time Lord society, now stuck inside the Matrix as a hologram/questgiver for the Doctor... sure, I'll take it. This bearded wizard figure would become a far cry from future incarnations of this ancient Gallifreyan, but that's why I love these old Doctor Who Magazine comics so much -- they craft a world of their own, almost, without much consideration for the world of television. 

  This is the kind of energy The Stockbridge Horror has -- it's expansive, it breaks new ground, and it's the kind of adventure that can only really be told in the comic medium. As always, the panels are filled with lush, imaginative drawings that inspire the mind and awe the comic fan (me)... for the most part. A few parts are drawn by Mick Austin, and I couldn't help but notice that he draws humanoid proportions in the most ridiculous way. It goes to the point where the giant hands and feet (and short limbs) take me out of the immersion, and it's the biggest flaw of Stockbridge Horror -- a flaw even more egregious when the remainder is drawn by the superb Steve Parkhouse. Moving on from the questionable drawing style, am I a fan of how the comic switches gears at the two-thirds point? The villain is a menacing, brutish force, and then it just disappears with little fanfare as the Doctor is promptly given a Time Lord trial and dropped off in a quarry. It's the kind of sudden ending that doesn't feel satsifying at all, and it's amother bone I have to pick with the comic... but other than all this, I'd say it's a fine enough comic for you to delve into. Shayde's a great addition to the mythos as always, and the Fifth Doctor is always at his best when surrounded by absolute peril.