I’ve gone on record before about Six being my least-favorite of the main-continuity Doctors. However, I’ve also acknowledged that I think he improves somewhat on rewatch, and for me, his comic stories help to open him up in a way that his TV stories don’t. Six’s comic run has a lot of fun bits and plenty of interesting storytelling, not to mention one of the wildest comics-only companions around!
“The Shape Shifter”
Okay, so I love it when my sci-fi gets mixed with a little film noir, shape shifters always add an interesting element to the proceedings, and shape shifters who shift into inanimate objects? Just give me all of this. Great introduction to Frobisher, a highly-entertaining comics-only companion. He spends so much of his run in penguin form that it’s almost a little startling to go back and see him using his shape-shifting so freely. A shape-shifting P.I. (complete with a dank little office and noir-style narration) would totally clean up, and his interactions with the Doctor are immediately fun.
“War-Game”
I like stories featuring classic aliens that are less well-trod than Daleks, Cybermen, the Master, etc., and I like stories where there has already been some interesting alien goings-on long before the Doctor’s arrival. In this case, the Doctor and Frobisher land on a low-technology planet inhabited by a race of warriors, only to find a Draconian who’s made himself a new life there after his ship crashed. While the Draconians, like the Ice Warriors, can be hard to pin down, they aren’t inevitably evil, which I appreciate. I enjoy our heroes’ interactions with Kaon, and I like the idea of him finding a home for himself on a new planet.
“Profits of Doom!”
Completely-banal villains tickle me sometimes, and I get no end of amusement from the pencil-pushing Profiteers of Ephte. All their fiscal-based proverbs and aphorisms crack me up in the most delightful way! And the story is fun too, with the Doctor, Peri, and Frobisher stumbling into a good old “spaceship arc under siege while most of the passengers are in stasis pods” story. I enjoy Kara, the brave/clever technician who happens to be awake when the excitement pops off, and while the resolution of the story isn’t exactly a huge stretch, it’s still executed well.
“The Gift”
The Doctor, Peri, and Frobisher land on a planet where the society is obsessed with Earth’s American Jazz Age, where a massive shindig thrown by a pintsized ruler gets interrupted by the arrival of a robot that replicates itself by scavenging other technology. Fun, inventive premise with silly references and just the right amount of timey-wimey. I also get a kick out of Peri’s flagging interest in the incessant Jazz Age tunes. This one’s a blast!
“The World Shapers”
I love the comics’ devotion to callbacks/references, and this story is chock full of them. Old-school Cyberman! Marinus! Planet 14! And of course, best of all… Mad Old Jamie! Jamie’s always been one of my favorite classic Who companions, and I loved his interactions with Six in “The Two Doctors,” so it’s just lovely to see him back here, bringing his story from the end of “The War Games” to a close. Just love from top to bottom.
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