Timeslip is a Doctor Who Weekly comic story featuring the Fourth Doctor and K9 Mark II. It is notable for introducing the concept of retro-regeneration, depicting the first time a Time Lord has reverted back into their previous incarnations.
Summary[]
The Fourth Doctor and K9 drift into contact with a deep space entity which feeds on time itself. As time begins to move backwards, K9 reverts to the components from which he was made and eventually to a pool of metal. Meanwhile, the Doctor moves back through his third, second and finally his first incarnation at the point where the Doctor first threw the switch to bring life to his TARDIS.
As the power reversal switches the power off, the entity weakens and time moves forward enough to throw the switch on, then back off, then on and so on. Each time the switch is changed, the entity experiences indigestion and eventually weakens. As time rolls forward once again, all that is left of the entity is a puddle on the TARDIS floor.
Plot[]
to be added
Characters[]
Worldbuilding[]
- The Fourth Doctor wishes to get in contact with Romana claiming that things have been moving slowly in her absence.
- When the Doctor is regressed backwards in time, he has visions of past adversaries, including CyberTelosians, Daleks, the Master, Movellans, Ogrons and Zygons.
Notes[]
- This story was announced in the previous issue of Doctor Who Weekly as Time Trap.
- This is the first comic strip story to feature an incarnation of the Doctor other than the incumbent fourth incarnation, and the first appearance in the comic strip of K9.
- This was the first multi-Doctor story in any medium since the television story The Three Doctors in 1973. However, William Hartnell and Tom Baker's Doctors carry the majority of the action, while Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee's Doctors make only cameo appearances.
- The full-page regression of the Doctor, which relied heavily on photo-reference of stock photos, through his earlier selves was also used as the basis of a colouring competition in DWM 24.
Original print details[]
- Publication with page count and closing captions
Reprints[]
- DWMS Summer 1981
- DW84 18 (Doctor Who (1984) colourised reprint)
- DWCC 27 (Doctor Who Classic Comics colourised reprint)
- The Tides of Time
- DWC 4 (IDW colourised reprint)
- Doctor Who Classics Volume 1 (IDW colourised reprint)
- Doctor Who Classics Omnibus Volume 1 (IDW colourised reprint)
Continuity[]
- K9 has returned to the TARDIS. (COMIC: K-9's Finest Hour)
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