I’m excited to get back to integrating some comic book material into my content now that Trope-ical Readathon is over. Today’s post is a recap and review of the most recent Doctor Who comic, which centered Missy as the main character instead of the Doctor. I was excited to get to this arc because Missy is one of my favorite characters and probably my favorite incarnation of the Master.

Recap (Spoiler Alert!)

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The story starts with a conversation between the administrator of Stormcage prison and the Third Doctor. The Doctor is checking up to make sure the Master is still locked away safely in the prison. The administrator assures the Doctor that the Master is still safely locked away. Upon completion of their conversation, Missy waltzes into the administrators office, but, surprise, she is pretending to be ‘Doctor Who.’ She convinces the administrator she is the Doctor and is allowed access to the Master. She informs the Master she needs help retrieving a part of the Key to Time, all while still pretending to be the Doctor. She releases the Master from his cell, and, surprising no one, he turns on her and attempts to skewer her with a sword.

Missy pulls out her own sword, and a duel ensues. While the standoff continues, the alarm begins blaring, and Missy and the Master are surrounded by the guards. The two of them then switch to fighting the guards instead of each other. One of the guards gets shot by someone unexpectedly. That someone happens to be River Song, who is also incarcerated in Stormcage and is an expert at breaking out. River helps Missy and the Master safely reach the TARDIS, and they quickly enter it and set off for the fragment of the Key to Time, leaving River behind at the prison. Upon arriving at the fragment, Missy and the Master lament about how good the security is at the door the Doctor created for protecting it. The Master begins to outline his plan to crack it, which involves traveling through the Doctor’s and his timelines in the TARDIS until they find the key to the door.

Missy and the Master hop back in the TARDIS and visit several different places within the timeline. They are attacked by indigenous life on one planet, and they watch scenes from their futures and pasts on others. However, they still have not found the key. They go further and further back in their lives until they finally pick up a reading on the key in the 1970’s during the era of the Third Doctor. They sneak into UNIT headquarters looking for the key. Missy finds it hidden in a stapler, but the Master seems to have disappeared. He is stalking away down the hall looking to bring doom upon the brigadier.

The Master wanders the halls looking for his revenge on the brigadier while Missy begins searching for him with the key in tow. The Master finds the brigadier and is poised to shrink him when Missy stops him from pulling the trigger. Another standoff ensues before they agree to head back to the TARDIS since they now possess the key. Once in the TARDIS, Missy reveals that she intends to return the Master to his cell in Stormcage before using the key, and the Master expresses he knows she is a version of himself, rather than the Doctor. He attempts to convince her to join forces so that they could grasp unlimited power together. Then the Twelfth Doctor pops out of the shadows. It turns out Missy has been working with him all along to procure the key for the Doctor. The Master is obviously furious and tries again to convince Missy to help him instead, but she ends up putting him back in Stormcage. Afterward, Missy gives the Doctor the key but not before making an impression of it for herself…

My Review

This was such a fun story. The writers and artists captured the essence of Missy perfectly. It was hilarious seeing her pretend to be the Doctor, and her snarky dialogue with her younger self was a true treat to read. The time-hopping was interesting to see, and I enjoyed getting to see Missy’s reactions to her younger selves and the Master’s reactions to his older selves. Her interaction with River was also a treat since the two characters never actually met onscreen. The story was a bit simple for a Doctor Who story, but I still enjoyed it. It also seems like it was setting up something bigger for the future. So, I’m looking forward to seeing where it all goes. The artwork throughout these issues was gorgeous, but I’m not surprised as I always love the art in these Doctor Who comics. If you like Doctor Who, and especially Missy, this short comic arc is not to be missed.