Invasion of the Quarks (comic story)

Invasion of the Quarks was a TV Comic story featuring the Second Doctor. It showed the departure of John and Gillian and the introduction of the television companion Jamie McCrimmon to the comic strip.

Summary
The Doctor, John and Gillian are on the planet Zebadee, an intellectual meeting place. While John and Gillian go to meet some of the young friends they've made at the University, the Doctor visits a fortune teller who informs him that he will soon encounter deadly robots. The Doctor realises, if his next adventure will take him to the edge of death, he must leave John and Gillian on Zebadee. He talks to the children and convinces them to enrol at the university before he travels on alone.

The TARDIS lands in the cellar of an old castle in Scotland, where the Doctor sees a flying saucer land in the castle courtyard - piloted by Quarks. The Doctor is spotted and the Quarks are soon in pursuit. The Doctor tumbles down a flight of stairs, but is saved at the last minute by his old friend Jamie McCrimmon.

However, the damaged Quark's cries brings a whole squad after them. The Doctor and Jamie elude them and hide in the castle’s torture chamber, where Jamie explains that he had called to see Professor Quantril at a tracking station about half a mile from the castle. The Professor spotted the Quark ship on the radar. Just as he was about to warn Earth's defences, the Quarks destroyed the station. Jamie was the only survivor and saw the Quark ship land inside the castle, so he went there, intent on finding out how large an invasion force they were up against.

With little time to act before the main invasion force arrives, the Doctor and Jamie seize the Quark ship and take off. Once in flight, the Doctor flies straight into the approaching fleet and opens fire. The Quarks attempt to retaliate, but not knowing which ship is firing causes chaos.

The Doctor’s ship is hit but he still has limited control. As the two remaining Quark ships destroy each other, the Doctor pilots the ship back to the castle and Jamie blasts it to pieces, destroying the Quarks stationed there with their own weapon. Landing, the Doctor and Jamie board the TARDIS, but they are observed by Quark leaders in another galaxy who order all Quarks to search for and destroy the two Earthlings.

Characters

 * Second Doctor
 * John and Gillian
 * Jamie McCrimmon
 * Quarks

Continuity

 * The Quarks are vastly different from their televised selves, being autonomous, speaking, and far more dangerous. As the Doctor hasn't encountered them before, this takes place before TV: The Dominators.
 * Jamie has spent some time in the 1960s for an unknown reason.
 * The Quarks' vendetta will drive multiple strips throughout the Second Doctor's era of the strips.