Mission for Duh

This story is called Mission for Duh. I think "Duh" is a derpy-sounding word, but it's not clear straightaway what "Duh" means.

What is clear straightaway is that, just like in Ten Fathom Pirates, the story has "Dr Who" in it, even though he looks like the Doctor as played by William Hartnell. Professor Cat thinks that it is meant to be the Doctor, who was always credited as "Dr Who" in the early days of the TV series, so that's what he gets called in these stories.

There is a character called Lahk among the aliens who want to trap the Doctor. That means already there is one more named character in this story than there was in Ten Fathom Pirates.

It turns out Lahk is the leader of the Rostrows. He takes the Doctor's stick and thinks it is a weapon. While it isn't a pewpewpew gun or a sword, the Doctor can be quite vicious with it when he wants to, as we saw in Counter Plot:

When the Doctor says "I can certainly try" is he answering Lahk's question before it has been asked? That's how it looks to me.

We find out what a "Duh" is by the end of page 2 - he is one of the Rostrows, and Lahk assigns him to be the Doctor's companion for the rest of this story.

Why has everything turned blue?

Despite his having a derpy name, Duh is not at all a derpy character. He makes himself useful by delivering vital exposition to the Doctor.

Now the Doctor and Duh are on a mission. But they quickly get captured by scary tendril monsters. No wonder Duh shouts "A-AGH!"

Everything has gone pink again.

The Doctor shouts like this: "Yaa-aa-aah!"

Duh shouts like this: "Wow-wow-wow"

It would have been more dramatic if he had shouted his own name, though maybe that would have backfired and sounded a bit too derpy.

The leader of the Verdants is called Phlege. I wonder if he is a king or an elected leader? If he is their Prime Minister then maybe he was elected on a green platform? Maybe he promised to clean up the system?

Duh is shot by a barb and goes "U-u-ugh!" Though in the next panel he seems alright again.

Everything is all sorted out in the end. Although Phlege mistakes the Doctor for Dr Who just like WOTAN did in The War Machines. Maybe Phlege knows both of them but they look the same to him because they're mannys and he's a Verdant?

I notice that the Doctor doesn't have any Companions in this story or in Ten Fathom Pirates. I wonder why that is? I think they would have been much better if Ian or Steven had been in them too, especially if there had been pictures of them being manly - fighting a pirate or shouting "mew-mew-mew!" (or however Steven shouts) to escape from Verdants.