Who is the Stranger (comic story)

 was a Third Doctor TV Action comic strip story later reprinted as a Fourth Doctor comic strip story in the 1977 Doctor Who Winter Special.

It was notable as the first story in Doctor Who history to be set during World War II, and the first to include Nazi enemies. It was further significant for its unusual presentation on its original publication. Unlike the normal two-page strips that usually ran in the pages of Polystyle publications,  was the featured story of TV Action #104, and was printed in its entirety over seven pages.

Summary
The Doctor fiddles with the TARDIS console, replacing an element he's apparently previously removed. The act launches the TARDIS, and soon he's at a Parisian museum. Going outside, he finds it's Nazi-controlled Paris. The Gestapo soon descend upon him, and, as he's without proper papers, they take him away to be questioned by a local pro-Nazi scientist, Professor Schmidt. Schmidt is developing a truth serum, with which he hopes to curry Nazi favour by breaking the local Reynard French Resistance cell. He has even higher hopes that it will prove useful in the coming invasion of England.

He attempts to use it on the Doctor, by slipping it into a glass of champagne, but the Time Lord is too quick for him. The Doctor switches glasses with Schmidt, and soon the Nazi scientist is spilling the plans the Gestapo have for Reynard and his friends. Specifically, Schmidt admits that they have placed a spy amongst Reynard's men.

The Doctor then goes to find Reynard. The Frenchman and his group of Resistance fighters are at first dubious of the Doctor's identity. They initially believe him to be a Nazi spy. He wins them over after a brief fight in which he handles himself impressively. (In the Third Doctor version of the story, the Doctor is drawn so as to suggest that he's employing Venusian aikido.)

The Doctor then proposes that they be captured by the Gestapo; this, he intimates, will flush out the spyy amongst them. The leaders of Reynard's group, along with the Doctor, are taken to the Gestapo base, where they are brought before Professor Schmidt. What neither Schmidt nor Reynard's men know, however, is that the Doctor knows precisely how to escape the building, having been there before. The Doctor easily escapes confinement, and soon he and Reynard's men have captured Schmidt. They have Schmidt place a telephone call in which he tells his colonel that the invasion of England can proceed. Unbeknownst to the Germans, however, they've given the plans of this invasion to the British military. Britain will be ready for whatever the Germans can throw at them. Closer to home, Reynard's men are able to firebomb the Gestapo headquarters in Paris — and to make sure that Schmidt and his valuable truth serum are sent to London for British and not German use.

Reynard is unable to adequately express his gratitude to the Doctor. All the Time Lord wants in return is a trip back to the Paris museum where his TARDIS awaits. ..

Characters

 * Third Doctor/Fourth Doctor
 * Professor Schmidt
 * Reynard
 * Eugene
 * Nazi colonel
 * Yvette

Continuity
to be added

Timeline

 * This story takes place after TVA: Deadly Choice
 * this story takes place before DW: The Time Monster