The Stalker of Norfolk – 23

Beverly gets drinks and overhears a few conversations about the spreading disease in the North East. She tells the Doctor about it since she doesn’t remember anything about that from her studies.


Discussion (81) ¬

  1. Ren Geek

    Oh, what a time in history to be sick. As the Doctor points out, it could be any number of things, but something tells me this isn’t the sweating sickness!

  2. Cathulu

    I said. . . PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MYSTERIOUS DEATHS AND ILLNESSES IN THE NORTHEAST. The have nothing to do with the story. Just drink your ale and have a nice time with Lord Dudley. There is absolutely nothing odd going on in the northeast. People died all the time during this point in history, nothing special. So don’t worry your heads about it.

    And while you are up a dish of warm milk would be nice.

    Bow before Cathulu!

  3. CSBlakebrough

    *gets Cathulu a saucer of milk*

    Anyway seems the plot thickens, why i thought the plague when i read that i’m not sure perhaps it’s the fact my recall of historical dates is rubbish.. :)

  4. Dave

    North East? weakness and death? we aren’t dealing with those vamps from Forever Knight again,are we?

  5. JustAWanderer

    Ah, the plot thickens.

  6. The Doctor's Son

    What are the odds that the Doctor decides to investigate this mysterious illness in the North East? (I know, silly question!)

  7. The Doctors Son

    Just realized I had a redundant apostrophy in my name!

  8. Chuck

    @Doctor’s Son:

    Not redundant, it was actually correct usage. :D

  9. Animate Mush

    This reminds me a bit (=a lot) of “Mark of the Rani” – but honestly at this point vampires, plague, sunspots, and “nothing” are just as likely. And for what it’s worth Beverly seems to be winning the historical argument at the moment.

    @ DS and Chuck – the apostrophe IS extraneous iff [sic] you’re German. And if you’re being inexplicably plural (not altogether inappropriate here) the apostrophe comes last. And if you mean this as a non-genitive Noun-Noun compound…but that would be just silly. /pedantry

  10. WhoRU?

    Yeah it could be a lot of things including alien disease . . . mark my words.

  11. Koki

    I agree with WhoRU. I bet the illnesses have something to do with aliens :)

  12. M'reen

    They are not ill at all, but felled by a dastardly deed done by ailing aliens, intent on leeching the lively to feed their feeble failing bodies … um, well, or something like that, I’m sure!
    …okay, I have no idea yet either. But it’s very suspicious!

  13. Makkabee

    @ Animate Mush: But if he were German he’d be spelling son with an h.

  14. Metal_Dog

    maybe some careless time traveler brought back a strain of H1N1… or worse. Imagine if the AIDS epidemic had started 400 years earlier…

  15. John

    oh god I know what this is..

    ZOMBIE WEREWOLF!!! :p

  16. Fangarius

    Confidentially this sounds a bit like ‘The Visitation,’ where the Terileptils attempted advancing The Plague on Earth. Fortunately, The Doctor was able to foil that, though he did inadvertently cause The Great Fire of London as well. Funny how I can vividly recall Classic Who, but the New Who stuff eludes me.. sorry about that, Ten.

    Looks outside and sees Dot Warner pursuing Doctors 5 through 10, going “Helllloo, Doc-TOR!” (What? You maybe were expecting that rabbit’s line?)

  17. Child of Zion

    I recommend you find some disinfectant. And antibiotics. And most of all…BE VERY CAREFUL.

    Great work, especially as now we’re getting to the meat of the story. Fabulous, Rich. :D

    ~CoZ

  18. plurgid

    I thought Beverly was undercover as a soldier in her majesty’s army ?

  19. Rancke

    Coming as this story does right after Forever Janette, I doubt that the ‘disease’ is a vampire, but the title does suggest that it is something that occupies the same ecological niche. Or possibly a Typhoid Mary.

  20. Arcalian

    The disease may have something to do with the “Stalker of Norfolk”, no?

  21. Mister Ed

    Ah, the North East. Geordies getting the shaft again, then…

  22. Dave

    What was it four said about the villain in “Talon’s of Weng Chiang” ? Absorbing the life force so you don’t have to chew the gristly bits?

    hmmm wonder if Beverly is Leela’s great ,great ,great…..well you get the idea–grand mother.They would make a rough duo.

  23. DeathlySerenity

    The illness sounds like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or its horrible counterpart, ME. Look it up, the symptoms are VERY close. My mum suffers from it =/

    One day she was fine, then the next she had to stay in bed. For years it was called ‘yuppie flu’. But its so much more.

  24. Mitchell Craig

    Like Fangarius, I also recalled “The Visitation.” Some kind of alien influence is about which will touch on Lord Dudley and sundry…

    Cue Classic Who cliffhanger music.

  25. The Doctor's Son

    I was very tired when I made my last post. The apostraphe is back for good!
    Is the Doctor going to do a House and dianose a very rare disease?

  26. nightfly

    D’s Son – if so, hope he gets it right the first time. House tends to make five different implausible diagnoses per episode. “It’s phlebitic narcosis! No, wait… inhibitive T-cell syndrome! Uh… pseudo-tumor cerebrii? Wait… uhm…. where’s my pills?”

  27. Hybrid

    Only just caught up with this fic, it is GREAT!
    Disease?
    Hmmmmm…
    OBVIOUSLY involved with plot in some way, but how?
    Waiting with bated breath.

  28. Captain Shade

    Maybe it’s Lazars…

  29. TrivialofAus

    It’s not Lupus. It never is.

    (all right, there was that one time, but…)

  30. Mark

    It could be a tumor…

  31. Rich

    Mark: Iz nodda toomah!

  32. Mitchell Craig

    Mark: IT’S NODDA TOOMAH!

    Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarden Cop! Thank you! I’ll be here through Thursday. Try the veal…it’s to die for.

    Just noticed Rich’s response…oh, well.

  33. Hybrid

    Is it just me, or is Beverly using some of the language of that time?
    I keep waiting for the Doctor to go “No, don’t do that.”
    But then that’s only Ten, isn’t it?

  34. Continuity Watcher

    Beverly is a historian. Rose didn’t have a clue about how she should be speaking.

    Also, it’s never been worried about before, why start now?

    (Great comic, by the way!)

  35. Mark

    Rich & Mitchell Craig: Thanks for picking that up!

    Incidentally, Mitchell: Thanks for using that avatar. It brightens my day ;)

  36. Mitchell Craig

    Mark: My avatar brightens a lot of days….

  37. Blödi

    Great, I love it. More Please!!!

  38. Grimley Fieendish

    You fools….!!! Don’t you know it’s “The Dreaded Lurgi”… (cue dramatic chord/sting)
    I suspect that the Ainley! Master is up to one of his crazed, but ultimately rubbish “Cunning Plans”, to alter Earth’s history, in a similar manner that he tried to do so, in The King’s Demons & The Mark Of The Rani…

  39. Continuity Watcher

    Lurgi? It’s Spon!

    Or something perfectly normal and Earth based, which has nothing to do with the plot. Depends on whether you believe Cathulu or not.

  40. Mark

    Methinks it is not wise to disbelieve Cathulu, or to look him directly in the eye unless bringing an offering of sardines.

  41. Bill M.

    I’m going to go out on a wild limb here and say the “dreaded disease” is an altered form of tuberculosis (known as consumption back then). Whether it’s altered by normal genetic mutation, or some one’s genetic manipulation, I haven’t the foggiest…

  42. TrivialofAus

    Might want to get those sardines, CW…
    *looks around furtively*
    *pushes CW off bridge*

    @Grimley: It’s unlikely to be the Master… this time. I think Rich might have something more original up his sleeve

  43. DECLAN

    Gives cathulu a million fish
    *pushes TrivaloAus off a cliff*
    The illness probulary the rani, master or aliens.

  44. Blödi

    Like It. More please!!

  45. Blödi

    Sorry. Forgot i already commented!!!

  46. Rich

    Yes, Blodi. I’ve been very busy. I’ll get to it soon.

  47. Cathulu

    Thanx for the fish.

    Take a free torment out of the goody bag.

    And pay no attention to the deaths and illnesses, no one is attempting to summon the Great Old Ones from the Abyss. Don’t worry and enjoy the story. . . really . . . I mean that.

    Kibble anyone?

    Bow before Cathulu!

  48. The Doctor's Son

    @Blodi: I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there’s this big event called Christmas coming up, which has an anoying habit of taking up most of peoples time in the weeks leading up to it. Rich updates pages when he is ready, not on demand. Besides, the pages tend to be better if you’ve had to wait for them.

  49. mrfranklin

    I’m sure Blodi is just appreciative and wants Rich to know. I doubt there was any time pressure intended… (Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s how I read it…)

  50. Continuity Watcher

    *falls off bridge*
    Ahhhhhhhhhh!
    *lands on next page somewhere*
    Until the next page comes up, I’m stuck. Help!

  51. John

    about ten days without an update, I hope rich is ok, I’m getting worried.

  52. TrivialofAus

    He’s fallen in the water!

    I think i’ll wait at the bottom of the cliff for now… it might be safer.

  53. Hilary

    Dudes? CHRISTMAS SEASON. And since we’re an interfaith household, we did Hannukah as well, equals even more time spent on prep, family, working on the house and parties. It’s also Nutcracker season, which means my work week goes from 40 hours a week to 80+ in November and December. Please bear with us, and we’ll get there when we get there.

  54. xenoblatta

    Rich and Hilary,

    Thanks for a wonderful year of Doctor Who comics! You’ve done exceptional work (drawing and storytelling). The Ten Doctors, Forever Janette, and now Stalker of Norfolk have made this TV “gap year” much easier to bear. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and 2010.

    Sincerely,
    xenoblatta

  55. WalksInEternity

    To Hilary & Rich: Genuinely, thank you for all the DW (& YAFGC/Paulus,etc) goodness you’ve given us over the years. Happy Hanuka and Merry Christmas to you and yours. :D

  56. Are you my mummy

    Hilary even with the holidays peoples minds tend to go to worst case cinarios when there’s a gap, we were just worried.

    Also have a happy christmas/hanuka new years and what ever other holidays you celibrate

  57. John

    thanks for the heads up, and merry christmas!! happy new year as well. and happy whatever-the-hell-else-you-celebrate too lol

  58. pappy h

    Well, this seems as good a time as any to thank you both, Rich and Hilary, for another twelve months of wonderful entertainment on this web-site. I loved the denouement of TTD, Paulus made me laugh, I learned a lot about Forever Knight through Janette and finally started reading YAGFC. Oh, and Stalker’s looking good too!

    Wishing you and yours a peaceful (?!) festive season and I look forward to more of the same in 2010

    kind regards

    Phil
    Northampton, England

  59. Mitchell Craig

    Christmas AND Hannukah?
    Have a merry one and l’hayam, y’all.

  60. katya514

    A merry Christmas and a joyous Hannukah to you and your household! Here’s to 2010.

    And the same to one and all, or at the very least a pleasant holiday season. :)

  61. Hilary

    Mitchell: “to the sea”? I assume you mean l’chai’im, “to life,” and in that case, thank you. :D (FYI, though, the more appropriate greeting for a holiday would be “chag sameach” or “gut yom tov.”)

  62. 494alex

    I bet its the guy from Forever Janette who drained life force to stay alive. And the draining isnt death-inducing yet.

  63. 494alex

    @ Trivialofaus: yes son, its a tradition among drowning men!

  64. Captain Shade

    I hope everyone had a wonderful Yule. Can’t wait for the next installment, which’ll be after New Years, sometime. Happy Holidays!!!

  65. Fangarius

    Hey, guys, no hurry, Happy Holidays! And Happy Low-Tides’ Day and Merry Knishmas as well, if you’re visiting Stormalong Harbor or Marizpan City! The Doctor did and he’s not quite been the same since…

    Ah, well…

  66. Korafrax

    I can’t believe no ones noticed. The disease is obviously H1N1.

  67. Emie

    Happy Christmas everyone!

    Rich and Hilary thanks for sharing your talent!

  68. Mitchell Craig

    Hilary: Thank you. We Baptists can speak Hebrew better than we can spell it.
    And yes, I was going for “l’chai’im.” Holidays, ultimately, are all about celebrating life.
    Especially this one.

  69. Hilary

    Technically, Hannukah is about celebrating the victory of a group of partisans against an occupying military force and their local supporters. That, and doughnuts. ;) Usually (colloquially), ‘l’chai’im’ is used as a celebratory toast – similar to ‘cheers’ and ‘kampai’ – you wouldn’t just say it when someone wishes you, say, a happy new year. And, dammit, now that song’s stuck in my head for the second time this week.

  70. Anita

    Chag Sameach, Hilary and Rich. I just celebrated Hanukkah (still have my dreidel out, in fact) ate a whole bunch of latkes and donuts (to the point where I got sick), and now I’m in a house that celebrates Christmas. OY!

    Looking forward to next year!

    a.

  71. Metaldog70

    Bah, humbug!

    ;P

  72. DECLAN

    Me want comic!
    Happy jewish thing.

  73. Matelot

    Yom Huledet Same’ach, Hilary! Bilui Naim! (Hope I got that right) :D

  74. Hilary

    LOL! Todah rabah! It’s started pretty well so far!

  75. TrivialofAus

    @494alex: don’t worry, I’m sure he can dry himself on the way in to save time.

  76. violinvictory

    You guys celebrate hanukkah too, as well as Christmas? Awesome! Who’s Jewish? I’m a Jewish fan myself, but unfortunately Hanukkah occurred during my finals week. I did come up with a way to observe it, however–I made a Doctor Who-Theme Menorah! Bascially, I took pictures of the first 8 Doctors of the classic series and the Tardis, and they formed the candles. Each day, I put a flame-shaped Post-it note over a Doctor (like 1st night = 1st Doctor, 2nd night = 2nd Doctor and so on) and the TARDIS served as the shamash!

    Also, thanks to the Forever Janette comic, I’m now watching Forever Knight over my winter break–it’s really cool, dark, and it beats Twilight out of the park (I’m not interested in that series, funny since I’m a girl).

  77. violinvictory

    Call me a conspiracy freak, but I had noticed something in the theme music for Forever Knight–at one point, I heard the da-da-da duh, da-da-da duh motif in there. Ever notice that?

  78. You_Will_Obay_Me

    Haven’t had any updates for a while :(

  79. Matt_A_Big_Fan

    Still no update ??? Really missing my daily dose of this, hope everything is OK with the author ????

  80. Cathulu

    Hmmm….. Rich is still missing.

    If I didn’t know better I would suspect he has been abducted by servants of my arch rival, Dog-Sotthoth. Go forth my loyal minions and bring Rich back!

    But before you go…
    Bow before Cathulu!

  81. Wildrider51

    Rich, I have to say, I just spent today reading everything from the middle of The Ten Doctors until the end, and you have a new fan for life! In the aftermath of losing Doctor Ten, your adventures will keep going until Doctor Eleven returns — I just hope we get an update on The Stalker of Norfolk soon! Doctor Three rocks!

Comment ¬

NOTE - You can use these tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>