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TV Comic was a weekly magazine published by Polystyle Publications, Ltd. in Britain from 1951 to 1984. It printed Doctor Who strips from 1964 to 1979.

History[]

Throughout the TV Comic strips, the Doctor was primarily called "Dr. Who" by his companions and the narration. For convenience, the later-established incarnation numbering schema is used on this page instead of, for instance, "William Hartnell's Dr. Who".

The TV Comic strips are notable for introducing a number of original characters, including companions and aliens. Original companions included the Doctor's grandchildren, John and Gillian, as well as Arnold. As the comic rights to the Daleks were initially held by competing magazine TV Century 21, original villains called the Trods were used in their place. However, in 1967, the rights to use the Daleks were finally able to be acquired by TV Comic; and the Daleks were subsequently shown to massacre the Trods in The Trodos Ambush.

From the years 1971 to 1973, new Doctor Who comics were instead printed in TV Comic's sister magazine, Countdown/TV Action.

Beginning with TVC 1386 in July 1978, old TV Comic Second and Third Doctor strips were reprinted with new art showing the then-current Fourth Doctor's face. This modification and reuse of pre-existing material continued until TVC 1430 in 1979, when Polystyle opted not to renew their licence and the rights to Doctor Who comics moved to Marvel Comics UK's new magazine Doctor Who Weekly.

The TV Comic run of Doctor Who concluded with TVC 1430 on 11 May 1979.

Comic stories[]

First Doctor[]

Title Featuring Printed in Released
The Klepton Parasites John Who and Gillian Who, Kleptons 674-683 9 November 1964-11 January 1965
The Therovian Quest John and Gillian 684-689 16 January - 22 February 1965
The Hijackers of Thrax 690-692 1 - 15 March 1965
On the Web Planet John and Gillian, Zarbi 693-698 22 March - 26 April 1965
The Gyros Injustice John and Gillian 699-704 3 May - 7 June 1965
Challenge of the Piper 705-709 14 June - 12 July 1965
Prisoners of Gritog Holiday Special
1965
1 July 1965
Moon Landing John and Gillian 710-712 19 July - 2 August 1965
Time in Reverse 713-715 9 - 23 August 1965
Lizardworld 716-719 30 August - 20 September 1965
Prisoners of the Kleptons John and Gillian, Kleptons Annual 1966 1 September 1965
The Caterpillar Men John and Gillian
The Ordeals of Demeter 720-723 27 September - 18 October 1965
Enter: The Go-Ray 724-727 25 October - 15 November 1965
Shark Bait 728-731 22 November - 13 December 1965
A Christmas Story 732-735 20 December 1965 - 10 January 1966
The Didus Expedition 736-739 22 January - 12 February 1966
Space Station Z-7 740-743 19 February - 12 March 1966
Plague of the Black Scorpi 744-747 19 March - 9 April 1966
The Trodos Tyranny John and Gillian, Trods 748-752 16 April - 14 May 1966
The Secret of Gemino John and Gillian 753-757 21 May - 18 June 1966
The Haunted Planet 758-762 25 June - 23 July 1966
Guests of King Neptune Holiday Special
1966
1 July 1966
The Gaze of the Gorgon
The Hunters of Zerox 763-767 30 July - 27 August 1966
Deadly Vessel Annual 1967 1 September 1966
Kingdom of the Animals
The Underwater Robot 768-771 3 - 24 September 1966
Return of the Trods John and Gillian, Trods 772-775 1 - 22 October 1966
The Galaxy Games John and Gillian 776-779 29 October - 19 November 1966
The Experimenters 780-783 26 November - 17 December 1966

Second Doctor[]

Title Featuring Printed in Released
The Extortioner John and Gillian 784-787 24 December 1966 - 14 January 1967
The Trodos Ambush John and Gillian, Trods, Daleks 788-791 21 January - 11 February 1967
The Doctor Strikes Back John and Gillian, Daleks 792-795 18 February - 11 March 1967
The Zombies John and Gillian 796-798 18 March - 1 April 1967
Master of Spiders 799-802 8 - 29 April 1967
The Exterminator John and Gillian, Daleks 803-806 6 - 27 May 1967
The Monsters from the Past John and Gillian 807-811 3 June - 1 July 1967
Barnabus John and Gillian, Barnabus Holiday Special 1967 1 July 1967
Jungle Adventure John and Gillian
The Tardis Worshippers 812-815 8 - 29 July 1967
Space War Two 816-819 5 - 26 August 1967
Attack of the Daleks John and Gillian, Daleks Annual 1968 1 September 1967
Pursued by the Trods John and Gillian, Trods
Egyptian Escapade John and Gillian 820-823 2 - 23 September 1967
The Coming of the Cybermen John and Gillian, Cybermen 824-827 30 September - 21 October 1967
The Faithful Rocket Pack John and Gillian 828-831 28 October - 18 November 1967
Flower Power John and Gillian, Cybermen 832-836 25 November - 23 December 1967
The Witches John and Gillian 837-841 30 December 1967 - 27 January 1968
Cyber-Mole John and Gillian, Cybermen 842-845 3 - 24 February 1968
The Sabre-Toothed Gorillas John and Gillian 846-849 2 - 23 March 1968
The Cyber Empire John and Gillian, Cybermen 850-853 30 March - 20 April 1968
The Dyrons John and Gillian 854-858 27 April - 25 May 1968
Dr. Who and the Space Pirates 859-863 1 - 29 June 1968
Return of the Witches Holiday Special 1968 1 July 1968
Masquerade
Car of the Century 864-867 6 - 27 July 1968
The Jokers 868-871 3 - 23 August 1968
Invasion of the Quarks John and Gillian, Jamie McCrimmon, Quarks 872-876 31 August - 28 September 1968
The Time Museum John and Gillian, Cybermen Annual 1969 1 September 1968
The Electrodes John and Gillian
The Killer Wasps Jamie, Quarks 877-880 5 - 26 October 1968
Ice Cap Terror Jamie 881-884 2 - 23 November 1968
Jungle of Doom Jamie, Quarks 885-889 30 November - 28 December 1968
Father Time Jamie 890-893 4 - 25 January 1969
Martha the Mechanical Housemaid 894-898 1 February - 1 March 1969
The Duellists Quarks 899-902 8 - 29 March 1969
Eskimo Joe 903-906 5 - 26 April 1969
Peril at 60 Fathoms 907-910 3 - 24 May 1969
Operation Wurlitzer 911-915 31 May - 28 June 1969
The Champion Holiday Special 1969 1 July 1969
The Entertainer
Action in Exile 916-920 5 July - 2 August 1969
The Mark of Terror 921-924 9 - 30 August 1969
Death Race Quarks Annual 1970 1 September 1969
Test Flight Cybermen
The Brotherhood 925-928 6 - 27 September 1969
U.F.O. 929-933 4 October - 1 November 1969
The Night Walkers Time Lords 934-936 8 - 22 November 1969

Third Doctor[]

Title Featuring Printed in Released
The Arkwood Experiments The Brigadier 944-949 17 January - 21 February 1970
The Multi-Mobile 950-954 28 February - 28 March 1970
Insect 955-959 4 April - 2 May 1970
The Metal Eaters 960-964 9 May - 6 June 1970
Assassin from Space Holiday Special 1970 1 July 1970
Undercover The Brigadier
The Fishmen of Carpantha The Brigadier, Liz Shaw 965-969 13 June - 11 July 1970
Doctor Who and the Rocks from Venus 970-976 18 July - 29 August 1970
Castaway The Brigadier Annual 1971 1 September 1970
Levitation
Doctor Who and the Robot The Brigadier 977-984 5 September - 24 October 1970
Trial of Fire 985-991 31 October - 12 December 1970
The Kingdom Builders 992-999 19 December 1970 - 6 February 1971
After TVC 999, the Doctor Who strip moved to Polystyle's new Countdown magazine, which was retitled TV Action.
It returned to TVC in issue 1133 in 1973.
Children of the Evil Eye Arnold 1133-1138 1 September - 6 October 1973
Nova 1139-1147 13 October - 8 December 1973
The Amateur 1148-1154 15 December 1973 - 26 January 1974
The Disintegrator Daleks 1155-1159 2 February - 2 March 1974
Is Anyone There? 1160-1169 9 March - 11 May 1974
Size Control 1170-1176 18 May - 29 June 1974
The Magician 1177-1183 6 July - 17 August 1974
The Metal-Eaters 1184-1190 24 August - 5 October 1974
Petrified Annual 1975 1 September 1974
Lords of the Ether 1191-1198 12 October - 30 November 1974
The Wanderers 1199-1203 7 December 1974 - 4 January 1975

Fourth Doctor[]

From Issues 1292 to 1325, the Doctor Who comic strip is reduced from the usual two pages to one.
Title Featuring Printed in Released
Death Flower Sarah Jane Smith 1204-1214 11 January - 22 March 1975
Return of the Daleks Sarah Jane Smith, Daleks 1215-1222 29 March - 17 May 1975
The Wreckers Sarah Jane Smith 1223-1231 24 May - 19 July 1975
The Emperor's Spy 1232-1238 26 July - 6 September 1975
Woden's Warriors Annual 1976 1 September 1975
The Sinister Sea 1239-1244 13 September - 18 October 1975
The Space Ghost 1245-1250 25 October - 29 November 1975
The Dalek Revenge Sarah Jane Smith, Daleks 1251-1258 6 December 1975 - 24 January 1976
Virus Sarah Jane Smith 1259-1265 31 January - 13 March 1976
Treasure Trail 1266-1272 20 March - 1 May 1976
Hubert's Folly 1273-1279 8 May - 19 June 1976
Counter-Rotation 1280-1286 26 June - 7 August 1976
Mind Snatch 1287-1290 14 August - 4 September 1976
The Tansbury Experiment Annual 1977 1 September 1976
The Hoaxers 1291 11 September 1976
The Mutant Strain 1292-1297 18 September - 23 October 1976
Double Trouble 1298-1304 30 October - 11 December 1976
Dredger 1305-1311 18 December 1976 - 29 January 1977
The False Planet Andric 1312-1317 5 February - 12 March 1977
The Fire Feeders 1318-1325 19 March - 7 May 1977
Kling Dynasty 1326-1333 14 May - 2 July 1977
The Sky Warrior Holiday Special 1977 1 July 1977
The Orb Leela 1334-1340 9 July - 20 August 1977
The Mutants 1341-1347 27 August - 8 October 1977
Jackals of Space Sarah Jane Smith Annual 1978 1 September 1977
The Devil's Mouth Leela 1348-1352 15 October - 12 November 1977
The Aqua-City 1353-1360 19 November 1977 - 7 January 1978
The Snow Devils 1361-1365 14 January - 11 February 1978
The Space Garden 1366-1370 18 February - 18 March 1978
The Eerie Manor 1371-1372 25 March - 1 April 1978
Guardian of the Tomb 1373-1379 8 April - 20 May 1978
The Image Makers 1380-1385 27 May - 1 July 1978
The Sea Devil Miss Young Annual 1979 1 September 1978
Edited reprints: Second and Third Doctor stories altered to feature the Fourth Doctor
Doomcloud Joan Brown, Maxwell-Lennon Mighty Midget Doctor Who Comic
(included with TVC 1292)
18 September 1976
The Duellists Quarks 1386-1389 7 - 28 July 1978
The Amateur 1390-1396 4 August - 15 September 1978
The Magician 1397-1403 22 September - 3 November 1978
The Wanderers 1404-1408 10 November - 8 December 1978
The Metal-Eaters 1409-1415 15 December 1978 - 26 January 1979
Moon Exploration (Lords of the Ether) 1416-1423 2 February - 23 March 1979
Size Control 1424-1430 30 March - 11 May 1979

Back-up strips[]

Pick of the Jokes Doctor Who TVC 696

The Doctor fights with a police officer, wanting to get to his TARDIS.

TV Terrors 9

The cast of TV Terror accidentally steal the TARDIS.

TV Comic 798 Daleks

Two Daleks talk, in TV Comic 798.

TV Comic used the Doctor and the Daleks in five known back-up comics, four times in "Pick of the Jokes" and once in TV Terrors. One notable aspect was that these cameos appear to follow licensing restrictions: for instance, Daleks did not appear in these comics until TV Comic obtained a license to use them from the Terry Nation Estate.

These comics are:

  • TVC 696: In an untitled comic, the Doctor attempts to get back to the TARDIS, or perhaps just a police box, but is blocked by an officer.
  • TVC 709: TV Terrors: An instalment of TV Terrors saw Monica, Buttons, and Cuthbert trying to meet "Dr. Who" after watching him on television.
  • TVC 740: In another untitled comic, the Doctor enters a police box, only to find an officer exiting. The Doctor responds "Oops! Sorry! Wrong box!"
  • TVC 794: In an otherwise non-Who strip, a child carries a small Dalek on a leash.
  • TVC 798: In a third untitled strip, two Daleks talk, one speaking of their "transistors".

Special issues[]

TV Comic Holiday Specials[]

First Doctor[]

Second Doctor[]

Third Doctor[]

Fourth Doctor[]

TV Comic Annuals[]

First Doctor[]

Second Doctor[]

Third Doctor[]

Fourth Doctor[]

External links[]

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