The 1st, 2nd and 2nd-and-a-halfth Doctors argue about the value of lives with the 9th Doctor, who lays it out on the line about how evil the Daleks really are.
The 7th Doctor, ever the judge of his own character, has faith that the 9th Doctor doesn’t have it in him to let Rose die.
He’s right. Even Dalek Tor is touched.
‘Nothing is an important as anothers life… except cavemen. Those b******s should all be wiped out!’
I need tissues
opopt2
February 11th, 2009 at 4:02 am
I need tissues
Likewise.
Wow, i never expected the 9th Doctor to called himself a tosser. =P Rich you have thought of everything.
Personally I think the Tenth Doctor is trying to get them all back into one place so they can defeat the Daleks Journeys End style =)
*passes tissues round*
Absolutely marvelous page, Rich!
And for all those who are going to go on about how this is uncharacteristic of the 1st Doctor: he was unwilling to change time, but humans softened him up a bit the more he traveled with them. If someone was meant to die, he let them die, but since Rose isn’t meant to die, he can’t just let her die!
Wow – everyone out from behind the sofa – I think it’s safe for the moment. Rose’s little moppet face – bless.
Oh Blimey – we need a maid service to tidy up now.
Great page as always Rich.
*takes some of those tissues*
Lovely. Absolutely.
And thank you seven, for keeping the faith.
Awwww….. I have warm squeezy feelings right now. *Attempts to hug computer*
Beautiful page again Rich. And the dialogue is brilliant as always. But my fave panels are the ones without text.
A picture says more than a thousand words.
Wonderful page Rich, I love everyones reaction to 9.
Any tissues left?
That was butifull.
Evry time I think you’ve reached the climax of what you can do, I think “that was amazeing, you can’t do better”… and you prove me wrong. Bless you. And long may the graphic novel/webcomic continue as a medium.
Sniffle…
Nice work when it came to making Rose look pathetic. Can’t wait for the next comic.
Is it me or that 10th is happy that 9th didn’t sacrifice Rose?
I especially like the 4th panel. Both Doctors are captured perfectly in this 1/4 profile (whatever the professional terminus is) and Nine’s text makes me want to hug him so much.
And thanks to Seven for defending Nine from One’s harsh verbal attack, he knows that even he (the most ruthless of the bunch) wouldn’t do this so he trusts himself.
That’s three points for the incarnation with “clarity of insight.”
Two points for 9 and his rant. Luv a good rant.
And several million points for 10 and the expression on his face.
Sean: Why not? The caveman’s death at the hands of the doctor could have had drastic repercussions as to how mankind developed (a better example is Classic Star Trek when that USAF pilot was beamed aboard the Enterprise whose potential son went on to be an astronaut, or when they had to let Joan Collins get run over by a car or the world would be taken over by Nazis).
Humans *did* eventually soften him up, but this is set before that happened. He goes from valuing all human life (Rose) to hating it (electifying the TARDIS console to fry Ian Chesterton and then try to kill the caveman).
Sorry about the gripe. Still a bloody good page, Rich! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!
Long time reader, second time poster.
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
You’ve definitely captured the expressions of all the characters. The shot of Rose in the 7.5th panel is especially awesome.
And 9’s compassion has reached the core of 10.
Methinks his love shall set him free.
You wanna know why these comments keep filling up so fast?
You keep the awesomeness going and more people comment.
Nine always has a grump now and again. Should I expect more? Nice expressions btw.
when’s jack coming back
i need to know
you know these doctors to well
9 does exactly what he would probably do if this was written by russel t davies or the other dr who writers
Ten is happy! There is hope!
You know, many people assume that 1 had snapped 9 out of…something without assuming that perhaps 9 may have been bluffing all the while calling on the way he felt towards the Daleks to back up that bluff with what he had, which doesn’t change the fact that it was still a bluff all along, but good enough to possibly fool everyone into thinking he was capable of following trough on it.
I have to applaud Rich’s ability to layer so many different possibilities into the story and the way he writes the characterizations to allow people to make aguess to the characters motivations.
OH! to add to what I was saying, I also don’t think that 9 considered his own selves calling him on his bluff either. XD
MY GOD!!!! stunning as per rich! all the charaters are fantastically done but you’ve nailed one completely!
ten knows whats going down, or least enough to allow the others enough room to get in and sort it out but good!
on the edge of my seat!
elrositter
Went down to the shop… got more tissues, plenty for all !!! I think we are going to need them when the next page comes out.
Rich, I know you have said that you have a general plan on how this story starts, runs and ends. Here we are all gasping and giggling and crying and you know how it all ends, every step of the way. Does that spoil the journey for you, wish there was a way for us to do something for you. If it’s any help, I just made a donation of $40CAD, it’s not much but it’s all I got at the moment. Thank you Rich.
My internal warm fuzzies have reached critical mass. :3
And as for One being out of character…I don’t think so. I think the key word here is trust – look at the first line he says! The caveman didn’t trust him, did he? Ian and Barbara /certainly/ didn’t trust him (with…good reason, but that’s beside the point.) But Rose trusts the Doctor. To sacrifice her like that would be betrayal, and that’s a little different…to One, that would be less like frying Ian and more like frying Susan, I think. Besides, at this point, killing Ten wouldn’t accomplish anything – the other Daleks would just let loose and kill them all. So it’s not like he’d be sacrificing Rose for the good of the many, he’d do it out of revenge, and that’s just not on. Also, I think they’re shocked over the difference between now and when they first met Nine. Before, they saw him do something crazy and irresponsible in an attempt to save Rose. Now, they see him doing something crazed and violent that would have Rose killed as a consequence. And it’s sort of…the antithesis of all that is Doctorish.
Nine looks like he seriously needs a hug. So does Rose…before he never actively did something he knew would kill her. In Dalek, he tried to give her a chance to escape, she just didn’t make it. In WW3, he asked her first. She looks genuinely scared now, in a way she didn’t in those episodes.
Initial reaction: :O! I’m in tears!! That was a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming, right there
. Will post again when I’ve read more comments, though.
Awwww… *Tears up, just a little bit*
Beautiful, Rich. And exactly as it should be.
~CoZ
Excellent, excellent, excellent!
I could see 9 totally doing this, early in his series. He HATED the Daleks more than any other Doctor. He has good reason to, and yes, I think he would chance losing Rose in this instance. That is he would CHANCE it, not necessarily go through with it. He’s bluffing.
Oh, but just one question… 300 years? Why 300? If 2 was 450 at the time of Tomb of the Cybermen, and 9 is 300 years older than 1, that would make him less than 750 years old, which is how old 4 is while traveling with Sarah Jane. Unless I’m misinterpreting his point?
I’m on the “that’s out of character for 1″ side of the debate. He was much less concerned with the lives of individual humans and more concerned with the big picture at that point in his life. If he objected to 9’s behavior it would have been over tactics. The humanistic reasons he gives would be much better suited to 2’s thinking, or from a companion. Though I see why for dramatic reasons this argument has to come from a Doctor and not a companion in this scene.
brilliant. ‘caught the voice(s) of the Doctor(s) wonderfully..
sorry,something in my eye..
9’s rant was stunning! Kudos to the others and to 7 for still believing in 9!
Doesn’t he have some serious explaining to do with Rose? I mean, if I was her I’d be more scared of the 9th Doctor around now, and not much wanting to continue travelling with him.
But HOORAY! 10 smiling fills me with happiness :3.
What an incredible page. Once again, I couldn’t wait for this one, but I REALLY can’t wait for the next one! It’s mind-blowing, 10/10, the best thing since sliced-bread! The expressions are perfect and the dialogue was so emotive. B-E-A-U-tiful!
Now… where’re those tissues?
I think I know some wanting to give Seven a hug right now! Fitting the Doctor people go on about ‘betraying’ Ace to Fenric intervenes for Nine. Nicely Done Rich!
On the subject of the 1st Doctor being out-of-character:
Think of his motivations in the original episodes. As far as he was concerned, Susan was his only companion and Ian and Barbara were dangerous alien intruders until around the end of “Edge of Destruction”. He tried to bump off the caveman because he felt he and Susan were in danger. Once he accepted Ian and Barbara he would have died for them too. That was the point at which he became more accepting of other people, especially Humans who came to be his very favorite species.
Also, as a writer here, I’m trying to capture NOT just the pre-series 1st Doctor, but the 1st Doctor we remember from the first 3 and a bit seasons. The influence of being with his future selves has altered him in that direction a little bit too. For the time being, anyway.
And thank you, opopt2, that was very generous and helpful for us! I’m glad you’re reading and enjoying this project! Stay with us, there’s more!
AWWWWWWWWWW poor 1,2,2.5,7 and Rose oh and 10, but not 9 as I never liked him. Best page yet keep it up.
Ten is so bluffing. It’s been obvious for a while now.
*Wipes his eyes*
I was going to ask about the 300 years thing too. That doesn’t seem quite long enough…
Other than that, I can certainly see One reacting as he does, he’ll know what Rose is going to come to mean to him, and even if he doesn’t really approve of getting that close to a companion, he’ll still know.
lol “tossers” … can actually hear him saying that.
well done.
It’s nothing to do with this page (which is absolutely awesome, by the way – love that last panel and all those touching speeches) but I’ve noticed a little continuity issue.
If it was the Toymaker’s fake Valeyard that lured the first Doctor to his death (pg 153) then how did the real Valeyard know about One being there at all (pg 99)?
*wibble*
I’ve been thinking about this.
Why have the other Doctors tended to defer to One?
Possibly (and feel free to disagree), they see their younger/less world-weary self – an incarnation fairly untouched by countless run-ins with monsters and megalomaniacs, especially in this story. One’s interactions with his future selves and his companions-to-be has inspired him to scold Nine for such a suicidal course of action. In turn, he may have also given Ten the wedge needed to fully break free from his Dalek conditioning.
That having been said, for all the speechifying on this page, it’s those last four panels which stand out.
Now just get Nyssa fixed up, and get on with it, OK?
I interpreted the 300yrs to be how long he (well, actually it would have been 8, but the Doctor by any number) fought in the Time War, before finally being driven to sacrifice everyone to end it.
Beautiful page.
Wow. Powerful speech from Nine.
But Seven’s right, he can’t sacrifice Rose anymore than the rest of them could sacrifice their friends…
And Dalek Tor was listening too, it seems. Perhaps he’ll turn back into Doctor Ten now–such a speech against the Daleks and Seven’s noting that he’s still a big ol’ softie must be helping him fight.
The Doctor says “tossers”? :O
Awesome pageee as ever!
in the three Doctors 1 was sent to straighten out 2 and 3.Later on in the episode 2 says he trusts 1’s opinion.What you all must remember is that 1 traveled a great deal before fleeing Gallifrey.He has a wealth of experiance and favors thinking before blind action.9’s rash actions cause more damage than good.As Rich explained 1 is very loyal to the ones he loves.I think the 300 years refers to the Daleks causeing the 1st doctor to lose 2 companions lives(Sara Kingdom and Katrinia)in the Dalek Masterplan as well as seeing Susan leave him(in the Dalek invasion of earth).Thats when the true “softening” of the Doctor began.
*needs a tissue* That was perfect! I loved the end where 10’s smiling.
I also understand why you wrote 1 getting so angry. That was very well done! 
Sorry for double posting but imagine what 10 would have done if 9 had let Rose die! Talking about an oncoming storm!
Rose looks like she’s almost in tears…or her mascara is running again.
I like the little smile 10 has though.
Awwww, … 10’s crying too!
well done Rich!
Mitchell Craig: Timelords probably have (had?) a different sense of self than us ordinary humans. As they probably think of their earlier incarnation as we would a parent, in a fashion they ‘give birth’ to each new regeneration, and with the added aspect of the mortal sacrifice of their older self’s life, they probably would defer. Each new Doctor does have more experiences to draw on than the last, but if not for their sacrifices, he would not be there at all.
lo he said tosser
Rich, you’re always brilliant–but you’ve built this up so such an astounding level my head might explode from awesomeness…to quote the man himself, utterly FANTASTIC!
I knew 9 would come around. I’m just waiting for the Daleks to say ‘Enough! Exterminate!” Rich – awesome comic! And thanks for the quick updates! Theres still plenty of Tullamore Dew for everyone…
Oooh, good point, Darren.
Anyway, 9’s lucky that 10 hadn’t picked up Donna yet before all this, because she’d be fighting 1 for the right to chew him out and *then* she’d punch his lights out. Of course she’d also inadvertently blurt something out from his future and probably make things a lot more awkward, but…at least she’d give 9 the smack he needs.
And oh, that look on 10’s face. *cuddles ol’ 10* It’s okay, skinny boy. Rose is okay.
(yeah, I know, I got a little girly there…but I’m a girl, so I have an excuse. 
)
If tens crying…the dalek conditioning must be wearing off!
I think sofas are the wrong term to be using here. It certainly seems easy to armchair quarterback around here. A combination of Eight and Nine had to make some of the most awful decisions in the Time War. Only Nine (and Ten, who is otherwise not himself) knows what the universe is like post-Time War and understands how precarious the place it is without the Time Lords keeping an eye on things.
Now, all that being said, I am pretty confident he would not have sacrificed Rose. This was just another play on the climax of “The Parting of the Ways” when The Doctor chose to not use that…I forget the term, but the thing that would have killed all the Daleks but everyone on earth, too. It’s a pretty established pattern with Nine that his fits of rage lead him to a less violent solution.
ninjac
February 11th, 2009 at 9:36 am
I knew 9 would come around. I’m just waiting for the Daleks to say ‘Enough! Exterminate!”
-to witch Tor would say “no Rose lives”
he was really scared for her for a moment there…
Awwwww, there’s still hope for 9 (I still think he’s crazy though). And 10 is still in there, I think he’s getting out of this thing very soon!
Haven’t commented in a while, but I’m a little surprised by the use of “t*ssers”. I did a double-take when I read it. So called ‘New-Who’ gets away with the odd more minor swearword, but the BBC would never get away with “t*ssers” in their flagship family programme. It’s probably more realistic to think that word would be said by a normal person in anger in such a situation as the one presented, but I think even it’s out of character for the Doctor as a person, (even the post-Time War Ninth Doctor), to say such a thing. Especially to himself.
This isn’t Series 1 of ‘Torchwood’, after all…
I’m surprised the doctor said ‘tossers’ too. But if any doctor can pull it off, its 9. And maybe 6.
The last 4 panels are awesome, btw. I can almost see rose’s lip wobbling.
*Opens new box of tissues*
*Passes them round*
Bah, this isn’t the BBC, though. A few things can slip through.
Besides, just because he’s never sworn on-screen doesn’t mean he hasn’t had a few choice words for the TARDIS when something would break. 
For any of those surprised, count me in, let’s re-edit the page and replace “tossers” with “stupid old nitwits”
As an American unfamiliar with the term, it didn’t phase me until all the hubbub… I had to go look it up. :\
Rich: The ‘T’ word *is* a bit extreme. Not used in polite company. Similar to the ‘F’ word, and we don’t mean ‘FRAK’
No fare, with the heart string pulling…Sniff sniff
IF he survives this, poor Ten is going to have issues bigger than Picard’s after being turned back from being a Borg…
And yet- this moment gives me hope that he will survive somehow.
Thanks for the tissues…
Oh my goodness! There’s still an ounce of hope for Ten after all.
The look on his face is so sweet! Not to mention Rose’s puppy-dog eyes..
..thank you for another great page!
well maby he’s speaking honestly. The doctor didnt have a romantic intrest till the tv movie so I’m just thinking 9 may be litteral
>The doctor didnt have a romantic intrest till the tv movie<
Technically, he did. Susan was his granddaughter after all
I know what you mean, but I couldn’t resist a logical/technical comeback
Absolutely brilliant. >> I love it.
I love that Panel with Rose in.
The puppy Dog eyes are brilliant!
Is this the point where Ten brakes free from Dalek Control?
Aaronn – I sure hope that it is!
Although it raises the question – was Ten really under Dalek control in the first place? He’s been able to plan and scheme (I think, by letting Captain Jack stay behind so he’ll wake up) so maybe he broke free a while ago?
Three used slang swear words all the time(”Jeasophat!”was my favorite.Not offensive but still got his message across).In fact the BBC got quite a lot of mail from the Mary Whitehouse types that tought he was a bad influence on the younger viewers.RTD stepped up the swearing(which I think is not really needed)so having 10 curse is in line with his character.
o_O Puppy eyes Rose is indeed amazing, but somehow also terrifying.
Is wonderful, as always.
I’ll grab another box of tissues and pass it over the back of the sofa for anyone that needs one. You didn’t see me take a couple for myself, OK?
Rose did say 9 sounded like he was from the north. I’ve lived in the northern half of England most of my life, and the T-word that’s causing so much debate is pretty mild. Not something you’d want to hear young kids repeating, but I’ve certainly seen worse than that in some Comments, never mind Torchwood!!
I think 9’s reactions are understandable, it’s not been long since “Dalek”. And this has always been the Doctor’s greatest dilemma, how can he defeat the evils of the universe without sacrificing his principles (eg hatred of mindless violence) or his family? Especially when 9 knows he ultimately failed to do both to end the Time War.
Sorry if this sounds heavy, but I think the last few pages have been really powerful and cut to the whole ethos of the program.
Ammy: I am also from the North of England (Manchester). The T-word is not mild (the exact context is the same as a ‘J*rk-Off’ in the US). It is very offensive, and not used in polite conversation. Would you feel comfortable repeating it infront of your mother or a police officer?
Confidentially, here’s what I’ve really suspected with Regenerations, on the whole they differ with experiences each has had, and when you think about it, Nine was a bit embittered with the Daleks from the Time War, it temporarily clouded his judgment. Especially when he presumed Ten’s fate might be permanent, winding up as the creature he most despised.
But it took the Seventh Doctor to remind Nine he wasn’t the only one to face gruesome possibilities. Considering he himself discovered he wasn’t quite the man as his previous Incarnates were.
Perhaps as Nine contemplated on the fact one of his Incarnates still had faith, there could be another way out. Meanwhile I still suspect Doctors Four, Five and Eight (as well as the Rani and the two K9s) will devise a scheme to hopefully ‘undo’ Ten’s condition.
Wow! New favourite page
Darren: Apologies if I caused offense. I agree it’s technically a “rude” word that no-one would use in regular conversation, let alone with my mother or a police officer, I’ve just never thought of it as *that* bad before. I guess it’s all relative to your experience. I’ve seen (what I consider) worse in some comments on previous pages.
Re. who am I – I agree that whilst it may be more true to life, swearing in ‘New Who’ has not been needed and has seemed out of place in ‘Doctor Who’. However, I am not aware of the Doctor swearing in ‘New Who’. Hasn’t it just been humans like Martha?
Re. Ammy – I live in the North as well and whilst I agree the t-word is more mild than some swearwords, still I would not describe it as ‘mild’. I don’t think we’re debating whether there are worse swearwords, (which of course there are), rather whether the Ninth Doctor would or should use that particular swearword even in such a stressful situation, (which as you rightly point out is compounded by the fact that in his personal timeline this is not long after ‘Dalek’). In real life, possibly yes – but in ‘Doctor Who’ reality with which this comic is concerned, probably not – and by ‘Doctor Who’ reality I mean the fictional reality where people on the street aren’t swearing even when Daleks are exterminating them, (it being a family programme), and where people can live constantly oblivious to or not overly concerned about in the aftermath of alien invasions, (so that writers aren’t bogged down too much with heavy continuity each time they decide to have aliens invade Earth yet again).
Note in ‘Bad Wolf’ – the Ninth Doctor’s first encounter with Daleks post-’Dalek’, in his impassioned speech to the Daleks at the end when they’re holding Rose, the best he can muster is “stinking”, (when in reality one may choose a more extreme word) – “And then, just to finish off, I’m going to wipe every last stinking Dalek out of the sky!”
Meh, I’d rather enjoy the story than argue over a word, myself.
Ammy: Believe me, in 6 years I served in the Royal Navy I’ve heard (and used myself) such words and worse. The main issue with the word was that the Doctor himself was the one using it, and in the strip itself, not comments used on previous pages, and that isn’t something you would expect someone like him to do. Matthew Rimmer, above, managed to put it into words better than mine, though (Thanks, Matthew). I’ll make no further comment on the matter, as I think I may incur the wrath of TPTB.
Love the look on Rose’s face. A total classic. But then I could say that for the whole story, so far…
Well Nine is the battered, wounded War Vet still coming to terms with what he lost. And with the frequent use of the h- word in NuHu, if it’s in charactor — and it is — it’s okay to let this one pass.
I expect Ace gave Seven a hug after he intervened, she surly caught the ‘have faith’ irony of Seven’s plea.
Heheheh…
Wow, it’s amazing what strikes cords. I’m Canadian and “the T-word” means absolutely nothing over here. I understand the context, sure, but it’s just not used that way. Never occurred to me that anyone would take offense. It’s really a sort of quaint thing the English say when they’re peeved. And it’s funny. So, sorry to people I offended. *shrug* Put it up there with “things I may change when/if I get around to changing things”.
Of course, I can remember when ’screw off’ was terribly ghastly, and my English mother would absolutely bristle at the word “sod”. I still wince inside when my Canadian mother-in-law casually uses words like “odds n’ sods” in regular conversation. It’s such a ludicrous thing to have select words in certain cultures that get that kind of a reaction, isn’t it?
In relation to Tom’s muddled “spack off!” in Destiny of the Daleks, you could have Nine say “spackers”
Yeah, 10 looks like he’s under Dalek control…
Re. Rich – sorry to dwell on this, but whilst on occasion it may be used without venom, (as in when someone calls someone a name but they don’t mean it), the t-word is far from “quaint” in England. Quaint would be something non-sweary and somewhat antiquated like “bloomin’ heck”, “fiddlesticks!” or, to quote the Third Doctor in ‘The Five Doctors’, “Great balls of fire!” (I grant you that last one may not be used as frequently…)
I find it rather funny that 9 called 1 an old man even though 9 is technicaly the old man between them.
Rimmer: Well, we’re not all British, are we?
And to put in my two cents about 1 being out of character…they’re all going to forget this adventure, remember? So any possitive character developement goes out the window along with the memories…
These last two pages have been the only ones that have disappointed me – but hey, 2 from 181 is still a pretty good strike rate!
9’s actions didn`t really advance the story and the resolution is as predictable as I’m sure we all expected. The dialogue in panel three rings false and anyway we’ve been here before ["Dalek"].
So sorry Rich but this is a bit of a dud, let’s just get on with the story shall we?
awwwwwwwwwwww…. *sniff* that was really touching! Go 7 for being such an awesomely nice little guy, and the rest of them too! great work, Rich
Hope 4 comes back soon…I’m beginning to miss him again–he likes running off stage for long periods of time…
I haven’t commented for a while, But I must say this is gorgeous work, both art, and story-wise
whopix: You don’t know that yet. For all we know, that small bit at the end in the last panel may be important at some point…
(sniff) please pass me one of those tissues, i don’t want to flood this web page with my salty, yet tasty, tears!
Wonderful! Just Wonderful!!!
Bravo Rich!
Sorry to return to this point once more, I was not going to make further comment until I saw Percy’s response to my comments.
Re. Percy – I never suggested all the readers are British. However, in his writing for this comic as I understand it, Rich is attempting to emulate the speech patterns of many established characters from ‘Doctor Who’ which is a British programme, (now of Welsh origin with production based currently in Cardiff). The Doctor may be an alien from Gallifrey but he is bound, (at least on television), by what can be said prior to the 9.00 watershed on British television. I can assure you the t-word is heard rarely pre-watershed and would not be included in a ‘Doctor Who’ episode. ‘Torchwood’ gets away with far worse precisely because it is a post-watershed programme and strong expletives had to be removed when they broadcast repeats of Series 2 at pre-watershed times.
I realise this is a comic and so is not bound by the watershed, but the character of the Ninth Doctor was created with these constraints in mind, hence it seems out of character and does not ring true that he would use such a word even in a stressful situation.
As I have been made aware, meanings for the word have been lost in translation, which is understandable. Indeed whilst reading this comic, I have noticed the odd expression that has struck me as more of a Canadianism than what the character speaking it would say if this were ‘Doctor Who’ proper, but never have commented on this prior to my doing so for the example on this page. I felt compelled to point out that I do not think the Ninth Doctor would say this and have attempted to explain why I think this.
Sorry to be so doom and gloom about this. Other than that one word, I enjoyed reading this page.
The language issue has become a debate, and as such needs to be moved to the forum. Any further discussion of it here will be removed, especially considering the short time it took to fill today’s comments page.
Edited to add: the “tosser” debate comments have been copied into their own forum thread, and all further discussion belongs there.
Can’t believe that nine would do that. WOW. He did the same thing in the epsoide called “Dalek” in 2005. Where Rose was talking to a dalek and he tried to kill it. I guess nine si just like that. I like ten better he has passion amd love in him because Rose made him a good person or ” Timelord”.When Rose met the ninth doctor he was still broken up about his people. Nice work Rich getting better and better!!!! ;D
Wonderful stuff, Rich.
Thanks.
Rich…wow, just wow. I’m damn near speechless.
This is a great page, my friend.
I hope ten has pants on in that dalek ( cough cough) or it won’t be very good!
No I don’t think he is. But I do think he’s being a tosser righ now. Hehe
wow ten smiled and teared up ! I still think hes faking it but I hope I’m wrong.
I’m……speechless……
a.
Wow…i’ve been following this epic tale since last spring and it’s only now I’ve been stunned enough to speak out. Incredible speeches from 1 and 9…..comments on continuity aside, The Doctor in ANY incarnation has always been an advocate of using non-violence and certainly not in this Machivellian way; and on a friend no less. I interpret 1’s reaction at 9’s outburst as shock that a future incarnation would be so filled with anger and hate that he would resort to that level of threat.
Still, it’s a very powerful scene; foreshadowing and mirroring “The Parting of The Ways” where instead of his friends gently telling him he won’t do it it’s his greatest enemy egging him into doing something that no matter how badly he’s been scarred by his experiences, The Doctor is fundamentally incapable of destroying an innocent life or letting one be destroyed by his actions.
Thanks Rich… I’m on the edge of my seat waiting till tomorrow!!!
Oh. My. Stars.
That…was powerful for me. And, I’ll confess to it, I was listening to the soundtrack to the first series (….stop looking at me funny, Murray Gold’s brilliant, all right?) and I was thinking, hey, the “Harriet Jones” track goes with this pretty well, and just as I got to the last four panels, “Rose’s Theme” started playing.
I must need to clean my house, because if the dust is thick enough that my eyes start to well up…oh, sod it; I got misty-eyed. It happens. [Stares pointedly at the floor] I’m normal…ish.
By the way, brilliant way to quell this squall in the storm; I was not expecting Seven to be the reasoning voice between One and Nine at all. Like everyone else has been saying as well, fantastic work with Nine’s soliloquy there. (I much prefer ’soliloquy’ to ‘rant’; gives Nine a bit more credit for the fact that, well, he’s RIGHT).
Can’t WAIT to see what’s next, Rich. Honestly, this makes my day; I get home, and before even putting groceries away I’m at the computer going “Did he update?” I’m…not going to go into what my reaction to a new post is. It’s embarrassing…
By the by, saw your response to the comment I left yesterday; okay, okay, fair point, maybe the producers haven’t the brain capacity to hire you for writing or somesuch. I think you’d make a fantastic addition to the comic’s staff. Have you given that any consideration?
Or, perhaps, even a go?
When I read 9’s monologue in frame 3 and 4, I could hear Christopher Eccleston’s voice reading it! Fantastic!
Fantastic, I love it. I had hoped 9 was bluffing…*hopes 10 is as well*
It gets better and better.
“You tossers…” Bwah ha ha ha ha! Nine rules!
Hehehe
10’s expression is hilarious XD
Ten looks like he’s breaking free but not yet free of Dalek programing.
I just rememberd a phrases I wanted to hear in a 10+ doctor story befor I learned of this.
Enemy grunt: It’s the doctor
Enemy leader: Which one
Enemy grunt: every one (or) all of them
Awww! That’s so sad! ;_; But I don’t think I want to see 10 crying like that…it’s kind of creepy…
And how strange that Rose is (again) the reason why the 9th Doc became life-saver (not the beach life-savers…LIFE saver…).
I’ve never liked Rose much…she’s too clingy…
Aw, now, be nice to Rose. *cuddles Rose* I mean, she *was* just into adulthood when he picked her up. Chalk it up to hormones. (Ha, that reminded me of Cassandra’s line spoken through the Doctor, “Nyeah nyeah nyeah, god it was tedious in your head. Hormone city.”) ;D
Or maybe nine just wanted to get close enough to ten to touch his mind and help him break free of the Dalek conditioning? And the rest was play acting for the Daleks’ benefit?
Lovely page! Probably Doc9 is bluffing, but he takes the risk of letting Rose die anyway, same as in the “Dalek” episode of the new series. I want to believe that doc10 is doing about the same (he’s killed or injured less people than any other Dalek would).
Another interesting point: doctor’s age. Loved it! Yes, it could be 300 years for him and only 45 for us.
Doc2 said he was 450 years old (at a classic story: “Tomb of the Cybermen”), later doctors said around 800 and around 957 years, and that was decades ago. He should be around 1000 years now… and perhaps longer, during his lonely years at the Time War (perhaps centuries). This Time War was companionless, and some other Doctors travelled alone sometimes, too: this could also fill in the gaps. On these lonely times, he could have travelled for centuries before coming back to our time.
That…. was Brilliant!
I imagine 9 meant it when he threatened Dalek Tor, but seeing Rose in danger, was probably thinking if anything would make 10 break out of his conditioning, this would do it. He knows better than any of the others how much Rose means/will mean to him. However if it didn’t work, he’d probably also assume Rose was better off dead than converted into dalek, and that stopping the time daleks might be worth the sacrifice, both of her and his future self. After all, he (whether as this incarnation or
had recently sacrificed his entire species in an attempt to stop the daleks.
Is 1 being naive and not seeing that putting Rose in danger might help 10 break his conditioning? Maybe he just messed up 9’s plan?!
*sniff* I think I need tissues.
I think seven is missing the question marks on his pullover.
*grabs some tissue*
That last panel of Rose wibbling is great–even though the Tor wibble looks slightly insane.
First I need to say that I think this whole series is brilliant. I love your characterizations (particularly your 4), and your knowledge of and ability to climb inside the spirit of this massive TV series is astounding.
Now, my reaction to the above. First off, 9 is My Doctor, and I’ll admit to taking the 9/Rose dynamic a little more seriously than I should, but damn, this just felt like the hugest betrayal. 9 has never put Rose in a situation like that without her “consent,” more or less. In “WWIII” he wouldn’t put his plan into action until she said she trusted him. In “Dalek” he warned her of what he was doing and she forgave him when it happened. Also in “Dalek,” he chose to let her die once, but said he couldn’t do it again. I would have thought he’d have carried that lesson through to here, and just told himself that they’d have to find a better way.
The main thing, though, was just…bluffing or not, she believed him. He authentically scared her for the first time (that I’ve ever seen, anyway) by taking away his protection. He essentially told her “Yeah, amazing unspoken life-saving bond or not, we’ve reached a situation where you don’t rate high enough. Sorry. Hope you don’t mind the whole ‘being dead’ thing.” And it doesn’t feel like he takes it back because of his own conscience — he does it because someone else talks him down.
Rose does generally look at the big picture in these situations and I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had been willing to sacrifice herself… but that much-mentioned panel of her looking stricken told me she was not in that place of acceptance just then. She looked like a little kid who’s just been told her parents left her at the store on purpose and won’t be coming back for her. My thought was that they were going to have some major talking to do after this.
But the commenters above are right: his speech is dead on, as are the reactions of the others. And you know you’ve told a powerful story when you make someone write a comment this long and thought-out.
Keep it up.
(PS: I have no opinions on the word ‘tosser.’)
lol tosser
Anne, you said that so well!