Doctor Who and the Iron Legion (comic story)

Summary
The Doctor arrives on a future Earth where the Roman Empire went on to conquer the galaxy with their Iron Legion of robots led by servant of the Gods, General Ironicus. Escaping from the General and from the Ecto-Slime in the Arena for the entertainment of the young Emperor Adolphus and his mother Juno, the Doctor is forced to work as a slave onboard a slave ship travelling home. Joining forces with escapee Morris and Vesuvius (one of the oldest robots left), the Doctor discovers the Gods of Rome are the evil Malevilus (five anti-life creatures who feed off death). The Doctor awakens the Beast Men, (unsuccessful genetically engineered soldiers kept in storage) to create maximum disruption in the city. Magog (Adolphus's 'mother') is unhappy to see the Doctor and ultimately kills the General. As she changes shape to kill the Doctor the whole of Rome watches on vidscreens, and they revolt. Taking the Doctor back to the TARDIS, Magog is tricked into being expelled from the craft into an empty dimension vowing to return. The other Malevilus are attacked by the Beast Men in their temple a spaceship which explodes killing them all. The citizens make Vesuvius the New Emperor and the Doctor suggests a boarding school for Adolphus.

Characters

 * Adolphus Caesar
 * Barbarius
 * Babiyon, Abiss, Epok, Nekros and Magog
 * General Ironicus
 * Maximus Bilious
 * Morris
 * Vesuvius

Species

 * Bestiarus
 * Ectoslime
 * Malevilus
 * Kronk
 * Zark

Locations

 * Zaggar Six
 * Benidorm
 * Crab Nebula
 * Cryos Four

Original Print Details (Publication with page count and closing captions)

 * 1) DWM Issue 1 (5 pages) Next week: Into the Dimension Duct!
 * 2) DWM Issue 2 (4 pages) Next Week: Enter the Ecto-Slime!
 * 3) DWM Issue 3 (4 pages) Next Week: Temple of the Gods!
 * 4) DWM Issue 4 (4 pages) Next Issue: Against the Gods!
 * 5) DWM Issue 5 (5 pages) Next Week: Death in the Air!
 * 6) DWM Issue 6 (4 pages) Next Week: The Beast-Men Awake!
 * 7) DWM Issue 7 (4 pages) Next: The Final Battle!
 * 8) DWM Issue 8 (4 pages) Next Issue: Join the Doctor in City of the Damned!

Reprints

 * 1) DWMS Summer 1980 Reprinted complete in black and white.
 * 2) Doctor Who Marvel Premiere (Issues 57-58) Reprinted in colour.
 * 3) The Iron Legion (Graphic Novel) Reprinted as originally, in black and white
 * 4) Doctor Who Classics (IDW) Recoloured for this 2007 American title issues Issue 1 and Issue 2.

Continuity

 * The Fourth Doctor makes his entrance by characteristically breezing into a local corner shop to stock up on provisions and jelly babies!
 * In the first scenes it is established that the Doctor is not human and has two hearts, a fact that confuses a robot soldier of Ironicus' army, and helps the Doctor to escape.
 * The Doctor mentions Abominable Snowman, Autons, Axos... Daemons, Daleks, Dinosaurs when gong through a list of encountered creatures.