The Tides of Time was the first Fifth Doctor comic story published in Doctor Who Monthly.
Summary
The Universe is falling apart. A demon from another universe has left a hole in time and space.
The Doctor teams up with Sir Justin to prevent the demon from destroying the entire universe. But first, they must battle creatures of nightmares to find the lost matrix....
Plot
to be added
Characters
References
Fashion and clothing
- The Doctor wears cricket pads when playing cricket.
Individuals
- Zoe Heriot appears as an illusion in the Maelstrom generated by Melanicus.
Notes
- This story afforded the first splash of interior colour in the history of DWM comics. Part six opened with a double-page full-colour spread. Oddly, the colourist wasn't credited.
A mysterious woman
- The Doctor's sees an illusion of a girl he knows but it is not revealed who it was. Although she is often interpreted to be Zoe with The Wheel in Space's garments, author Lance Parkin stated in the reference book AHistory that, coincidently, she also resembled his character Patience's first incarnation from the novel Cold Fusion's flashback.
- Actor Peter Davison was somewhat displeased with artist Dave Gibbons' likeness of him in the earliest parts of the story. Consequently, he submitted to a vigorous and highly detailed photoshoot for the artist. These photos allowed Gibbons to draw the Fifth Doctor more accurately and to avoid duplicating poses seen in widely-circulated publicity shots. Careful examination of the parts of this story show a steady improvement in Gibbons' ability to evoke Peter Davison, while placing the Fifth Doctor in completely original panel compositions. (DOC: Stripped for Action)
- The story begins and ends with the Doctor playing cricket in Stockbridge. Thus the comic debut of the Fifth Doctor gives stronger rationale for this incarnation's signature "cricket uniform" than does his televised introduction.
- The name "Stockbridge" does not actually appear in this story. Readers only retroactively knew the village name because this story named Wells Wood. It was only in the next story that Wells Wood was identified as being on the outskirts of a village named Stockbridge.
- In this story, the Chancellory Guard refer to the Doctor as "the President", although the Doctor tells his companion that his title his only honorary. We know that the Doctor had at least two separate terms as president, because Flavia pointedly says that he has "again" been made president in The Five Doctors. This story logically takes place during his first term — the one initiated in The Invasion of Time — simply because Arc of Infinity, where he is no longer president, hadn't aired at the time Tides was published.
Original print details
- (Publication with page count and closing captions)
- DWM 61 (8 pages) Next Issue: The Maelstrom!
- DWM 62 (8 pages) Next: Journey to the Edge of Forever!
- DWM 63 (8 pages) Next Issue: Dream Wars!
- DWM 64 (8 pages) No closing caption
- DWM 65 (8 pages) No closing caption
- DWM 66 (8 pages) Next: To Slay a Demon!
- DWM 67 (9 pages) The End.
Reprints
- DW84 15-18 (Doctor Who (1984) colourised reprint)
- DWCC 10-11 (Doctor Who Classic Comics colourised reprint)
- The Tides of Time
- DWCS2 5-6 (IDW colourised reprint)
- Doctor Who Classics Volume 4 (IDW colourised reprint)
- Doctor Who Classics Omnibus Volume 2 (IDW colourised reprint)
Continuity
to be added
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