Black Death White Life (comic story)

Black Death White Life was an IDW one-shot comic book featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. It was significant for being the final Tenth Doctor one-shot by the publisher during that incarnation's "era". After this publication, all IDW Tenth Doctor stories were seen in the pages of Doctor Who (2009).

Publisher's summary
To be added

Summary
En route to witness The Beatles' famed rooftop concert in 1969, The Doctor and Martha Jones find themselves instead in rural England in 1669, where alien interference is resulting in a revival of the Black Death, several years after it was supposedly eradicated. The Doctor's investigation takes on greater urgency when Martha becomes infected.

Plot
In a church in the Seventeenth Century, a man enters with the plague, asking for help. Father Vita inspects him and leads him to a room where Healers sits. Healer, a large figure almost completely covered in a monk's robes, lays his hands upon the man and a glowing light comes from them. Suddenly, the healer turns and exclaims the enemy has found Healer.

The TARDIS materialises, with the Doctor promising to take Martha to the Beatles last concert. Instead they find themselves in a village. Inquiring with a collector of the sick, The Doctor discovers the year is 1669. The Doctor finds this bizarre as the last recorded outbreak of the bubonic plague was in 1666 and Martha confirms it is not anything she has ever seen on Earth. Behind them come three plague Doctors, in black robed and raven headed outfits. Martha tries to talk to them but they only reply with groans. The villagers tell The Doctor the Plague Doctors are upset because the faith healer has been curing people instead. The Doctor therefore thinks there must be a connection. He goes up to the church, whilst Martha tries to make the people more comfortable. As The Doctor leaves, one of the Plague Doctors comes up behind Martha and reveals a scythe-like claw.

Inside the church Healer does not want to heal any more, but Vita convinces him he must do for the greater good. At that time The Doctor enters the church and follows one of the infected men into Healer's room. Vita claims he is an Angel but the Doctor says he is not but that there should be thousands of them.

Convinced Healer is not the cause of the plague, The Doctor returns to Martha. He finds her collapsed and infected. Taking her in his arms Martha tells him the plague Doctors are aliens. Hearing a voice behind him the Doctor turns to find the Plague Doctors flying. They say that Martha ha been recruited for their army. The Doctor asks what they mean but they instead say that Healer must die and, at that moment, they break out of their robes to reveal themselves as a macro-virus.

Picking up Martha, The Doctor runs to the church and holds the door shut. Too late, the Doctor realises what they meant be recruited as the infected begin transforming into the macro-virus. Vita attempts to stop them but is cut down. This does however allow the Doctor to reach Healer, telling him he knows that he is, Immunoglobublins, and he should have the power to destroy the virus. Healer explains that the virus attacked their home world, Mimosa 3, killing most them. In fear Healer fled and hid here. Because he was afraid he was unable to reproduce. The Doctor, however, is able to allow Healer to remember his bravery and therefore divide. The new army of Immunoglobulins destroy the macro-virus in the church and bring Father Vita back to life.

The Doctor then picks up Martha and leads the Immunoglobulins to his TARDIS. Inside Healer heals Martha and the rest follow them to Mimosa 3. The Immunoglobulins then attack the macro-virus. Martha says she has never seen the Doctor encourage a war before, however he says that he has learnt that sometimes war is necessary, that sometimes there must be death in order for there to be life and sometimes it's just best to let it be.

Characters

 * The Doctor
 * Martha Jones

Planets

 * Earth

Continuity

 * The reference to Martha liking milkshakes likely places this story after the events of IDW: Agent Provocateur, but otherwise there are no other direct clues indicating when this story takes place during Martha's travels (other than it occurring prior to DW: Utopia).