Courtmaster Cruel

 was a fictional character whose adventures were published in the pages of Aggrotron! in the 1980s. The Courtmaster was "the ultimate judge in the universe" whose love, Eugenia, was killed by the Man. Like all the stories in Aggrotron!, it was edited by Grakk.

The Courtmaster Cruel story in the 55th issue of Aggrotron ended in a cliffhanger in which the Courtmaster (whose face had never been seen) was about to be unmasked by the Man. Izzy Sinclair, a fan of the comic, eagerly awaited the next issue, only to find that it had become so rare as to be virtually lost, leaving the cliffhanger unresolved.

When the Eighth Doctor and Izzy investigated the disappearances of issue 56, they discovered they were being destroyed by Derek O'Dell, an Aggrotron fan from the 51st century who had adopted the persona of Courtmaster Cruel. He had discovered the original art for the story which depicted the Courtmaster as female, a plot twist which Izzy Sinclair initially baulked at, saying, "Girls can't be in boys' comics!" Additionally, the love between Cruel and Eugenia was initially confusing to Izzy, as it implied homosexuality to her. However, on the planet where Grakk came from, Eugenia was a boy's name. (AUDIO: Izzy's Story)

Behind the scenes

 * Courtmaster Cruel is a parody of Judge Dredd.