Liberation of the Daleks
Story 300.5, 60th Anniversary Comic Special
Doctor: The Fourteenth Doctor
Liberation of the Daleks features for the first time, a Doctor’s debut story taking place in comic-form. Does the gambit work? Let’s find out.
The Review
Initially, I wasn’t sure how ‘canon’ to take Liberation of the Daleks, but it became rapidly clear that this was as official as it gets. Fitting the gap perfectly between The Power of the Doctor and the following minisode, it is a great anniversary look into everything Dalek. Let’s talk Fourteenth Doctor, and thirteen months from his appearance it is clear Tennant truly is getting two numbered Doctors to his credit. For understandable reasons, there’s nothing made of the mystery around the Doctor’s creation. I did enjoy getting to see older Tennant in the Thirteenth Doctor’s TARDIS and using her screwdriver throughout the story. I didn’t read this comic, I watched it, courtesy of a full movie made by the YouTube channel Cloister Room with a full score, sound effects, and even directorial decisions. I was floored at the high quality, and can highly recommend it. Finally, Lee Sullivan’s art is absolutely spectacular, from Tennant truly looking his current age to the beautiful varieties of Daleks, it’s a feast for the eyes.
The plot starts with the 1966 World Cup Final and a seeming Dalek invasion, but it turns out this was taking place in one of the many dream realities of the Dalek Dome, a Dalek-themed reality park powered by the real dreams of captured Daleks. Naturally, the woman in charge, Georgette, underestimates them, and soon the Supreme Dalek has entered the real world. The escalation is done well here, this invasion seems as bad as it gets until the Doctor defeats it and leaves…only to be drawn right back and now the golden Dalek Emperor is in charge! The story is definitely too out there for a tv episode, but it is a great homage to the 60s Dalek comics and constantly upping the stakes. The Doctor saves the day of course by playing other Dalek Emperors (and Imperators and weird Daleks we’ve never met) off each other, jealous at the golden emperor’s success. In the end, he leaves Georgette to decide if she has the right to kill her captive Daleks.
Liberation of the Daleks is a lot of fun, and despite initially thinking the comic strip was a weird choice, it gives us hardcore fans an immediate post-regeneration story and some Dalek gloriousness just not feasible even on a Disney budget. The motion comic came out to 75 minutes or so, and I truly had a blast. Who knows if the Doctor Who Magazine strip will be this in-continuity again, but a fun anniversary adventure.
9/10: The full motion comic gets a 9.5, but I know that’s a little unofficial, seriously though, a lot of fun. Don’t miss out!
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