*Spoilers.*
The Eighth Doctor had a really excellent comic run in Doctor Who Magazine, featuring some strong original companions and a lot of inventive stories—because Eight’s televised tenure is so short, it’s all the more welcome to get stories of his in different formats. The comics made the switch from black-and-white to color during his era, and the stories make the absolute most of it. It was tricky to narrow my favorites down to just five, but here’s what I came up with.
“Tooth and Claw” (1997)
For starters, this story features the introduction of Fey Truscott-Sade, a great character and brilliant companion. A badass British intelligence agent during World War II, Fey hooks up with the Doctor and Izzy on an aristocrat’s private island, where—what else?—something decidedly sinister is going on. The story combines the sensibilities of a locked-room parlor mystery with the aesthetic of a penny dreadful monster yarn. Super entertaining to follow the twists and turns of this one.
“The Way of All Flesh” (2001)
Let’s see here. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Dia de los Muertos. Necrotists. Izzy still reeling from ending up in Destrii’s alien body. All of this is stuff I want! The character work on Izzy here is splendid—I like seeing her struggle to get comfortable in her new skin, and her scenes with Frida really help her on her journey. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Diego go on a wild ghost adventure and give some creepy baddies what for. Love it!
“Oblivion” (2002-2003)
Basically, the best of all Eighth Doctor comic worlds. We’ve got Izzy confronting Destrii over switching their bodies, the Doctor calling in Fey to help rescue Izzy from Destrii’s home, and a new planet with a fascinating backstory and eerie baddies. It’s the culmination of a major arc, and everything comes together in a satisfying way. Also, we get the introduction of Jodafra! He’s not in that many stories, but I do enjoy that nefarious royal cat.
“Where Nobody Knows Your Name” (2003)
I debated about including this one, not because it isn’t great, but because it’s so short. The Eighth Doctor’s comic run is so good, did I have room for a oneshot? But in the end, nostalgia and feels won out, because here it is. After Izzy leaves the TARDIS, the Doctor is on his own and finds himself in a bar filled with colorful characters. On the face of it, a pretty thin story, but it nicely encapsulates what the Doctor is about, why he travels, and how he keeps going after his companions break his hearts. Really lovely.
“Sins of the Father” (2004)
After the Doctor crosses paths with Destrii again, she’s badly injured and he takes her to the Hippocrates Base for treatment. There’s a great setup in this story through the dynamic between the doctors running the base and the eventual baddies, fine food for thought. And all of that is mixed in with Destrii becoming more of a wildcard for good than one for her own selfish reasons, which is nice to see. This story acts as a bridge to get the Doctor and Destrii to the point where she could realistically be his companion. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after this that the characters were retired in the Doctor Who Magazine comics. It was for a good reason—new Who was beginning, and the comics would be picking up the stories of Nine and Rose—but still a bummer to lose getting more of Eight and Destrii.
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