Doctor Who?

"Tell me your name!"

The Traitor

This story is called The Traitor, which is very similar to the name of a Blakes 7 episode. Maybe this story will also waste the talents of Christopher Neame?

"Gosh, Doctor - it's beautiful," says Sarah, just before her face melts.

The story gets off to a strange start with it not being entirely clear who says "I don't know. But if it doesn't change course it will crash on that planet." If it is Sarah that says that then she is answering her own question, but if it is the Doctor that says that then in the next panel he is answering himself when he says "You're right! It is going to crash!" Confused cat is confused.

"Oh! How awful!" Sarah, here being played by someone who was maybe once within earshot of Elisabeth Sladen, reacts to the sight of a crashed spaceship with characteristic understatement. Characteristic of a writer who had never seen Doctor Who before, I mean.

I don't have much to say about this page except: what's wrong with the Doctor's face? In the last panel it looks like he has wrapped his scarf around his face and is then wearing a mask of his own face on top of that.

Well I think we can now tell who is playing Zemos:

Here is where this story goes completely round the twist.
"YOU WHAT?! You fool! Those men are no scientists! They are liars and psychotic killers! They are totally and permanently insane."
Apparently, on their own planet the mannys who turn ugly have to become "savage murderers whose evil is apparent in their appearance," which sounds like the Evil Makes You Ugly trope played as straight as it possibly could be...

...except that this story is so silly that it reads like an over-the-top parody. For instance the overly dramatic narration: "...FOR IT IS ALREADY TOO LATE!"
"kaarrr..." and "kreeee..." say the mannys, which is supposed to show that they have become "liars and psychotic killers" again.

This story is really not helped by the fact that every character looks completely different in every picture. Even the Doctor is only identifiable by his his scarf most of the time, though the last picture of him makes a real effort to look like Tom Baker.

The pathos of the Doctor crying at the end, unsure if he has done the right thing, is completely undermined by the silliness of the concept that the mannys are "permanently insane" and "savage murderers" except on this one planet where they become scientists, and there is nothing that can be done to change that.

The Traitor is fatally flawed from the very beginning.

New Book Needs A New Cover

Duncan has a new book. It is called The Time Traveller's Companion and that means it is for taking with you when you go travelling through time.

Not really, lol. It is a Doctor Who book.

Unfortunately it has a big picture of River Sue, holding an even bigger gun, on the cover. This is not a good thing, and does not belong on the cover of a Doctor Who book because it gives the mistaken impression that River Sues and bigger guns are good things to have in Doctor Who stories.

On the internets I have found a better picture to be the cover of this book:

Although it is only subtly different because it still has Captain Jack, the Doctor and River Sue on it, it is an improvement because River Sue is wielding a sonic screwdriver as a weapon instead of a bigger gun.

For the cover to be better still, it would have to not have River Sue on it at all, maybe replacing her with a character that actually feels like they properly belong in the Doctor Who universe. Here is Duncan's suggestion:

While there is no doubt that TV's David Jason is a more appropriate character to feature on the cover of the book than River SmugnessSweetieSpoilersSpoilersSweetieSmugness Sue, I can't help but feel that a character that was actually in Doctor Who might be even more appropriate.

Any suggestions?

Eurovision 2013

Click the picture to see my score card full size.

My favourite song was from Romania. Here's why:

Euro Visiooooon

On Saturday it is the Eurovision Singing Contest, and we cats are already excited about it.

Here is what I think should be the theme song for the Eurovision Singing Contest, but it isn't really.



Euro Visiooooon!

Theory on The Empire Strikes Back by A Cat (Star)

My friend Starcat has a theory about the film The Empire Strikes Back. Here he is to tell us about it.

Hello. I'm Starcat. I am a cat. I have stars on me. I like stars. I like Star Wars. I like The Empire Strikes Back. I have a theory about The Empire Strikes Back. My theory that I have is mine and this is how it goes.

In the lightsabre fight between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, the winner was not Darth Vader.

Thank you Big Gay Longcat, it has been a lot of fun saying what my theory is. And whose it is. And who I am. And what I look like. And what I like. I have another think that I like. It is sleeps. Zzzzz.

Clockface, Woo-oo

This is my new friend Clockface. He is a cat who has a clock for a face. Instead of "mew" he says "tick tock." Of all the cats I know he is the best at telling what time it is.