The Then and the Now was the first story printed in the second year of Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor. A two-part story, it was the first in the series since What He Wants... to feature the Doctor and Alice without John Jones or ARC, and was the first comic printed after the conclusion of the Four Doctors cross over event. It also featured the surprise return of comics character Abslom Daak, who had originally been introduced during early issues of Doctor Who Magazine. This was most likely a tribute to Daak creator Steve Moore, who had passed on the previous year. The decision to return Daak to his basics -- of carrying around Taiyin in order to find a way to revive her -- was most likely made in part due to the author's wishes. Moore had spoken out against the Nemesis of the Daleks/Emperor of the Daleks! take on the character multiple times. Notably, this story has to be set after those as Daak knows the Doctor, but still decides to continue Daak holding on to his lost love despite the previous two stories showing him leaving her behind. More unexpected however was the ending of the story, which did not depict Daak leaving the TARDIS or successfully capture the Doctor -- suggesting that both he and the Squire would serve as companions to the Doctor in the second season of comics.
The comic is also notable to non-Daak fans as being the first story since The Day of the Doctor to depict The Curator, and the only one to directly connect him to the Doctor. While the previous story had only hinted that he might be a future incarnation of the Time Lord, this comic decided to clearly show the figure as one of the Doctor's forms when time is distorted around him and Alice. He appears in front of the Eleventh Doctor, who is in front of the First Doctor, suggesting that his is indeed a future incarnation.
Summary
Accused of a genocidal crime he (probably) didn't (possibly) commit (oh hell, he totally did it), the Doctor and Alice – along with a unique! new! companion! – go on the run.
But extreme hyperviolence-for-hire is hot on their tail, tracking them wherever and whenever they go. With chainswords!
It's a race to clear our tricksy Time Lord's name and spare the lives of his friends, with the only answers burnt in the fiery footsteps of the incarnation he can never acknowledge: the WAR DOCTOR.
Plot
Part one
to be added
Part two
to be added
Characters
- Eleventh Doctor
- Alice Obiefune
- The Squire
- Abslom Daak
- War Doctor
- First Doctor
- The Curator
- Princess Taiyin
References
- The War Doctor introduced the Squire to the works of Marcel Proust.
- The Squire wears Quantum gauntlets.
Notes
- The back of Issue 1 included an advertisement for the graphic novel Nemesis of the Daleks, intended to enlighten readers on the character of Abslom Daak.
- The first half of this story was the first to confirm the Curator was a future incarnation of the Doctor.
Continuity
to be added
External links
to be added
