Emperor of the Daleks

Infobox comics story arc
title = Emperor of the Daleks


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publisher = Marvel UK
date = March 17 - August 4, 1993
titles = "Doctor Who Magazine" #197-202
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writers = John Freeman
Paul Cornell
artists = John Ridgway
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nonUS = y

"Emperor of the Daleks" was a black and white comic strip based on the television series "Doctor Who". It ran primarily in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine, written by John Freeman and novelist and future television series writer Paul Cornell. The story utilised elements of previous television canon, as well as the canon used by the comic strip, reviving popular characters such as "Dalek Killer" Abslom Daak and the Star Tigers. It also attempted to bridge the gap between "Revelation of the Daleks" and "Remembrance of the Daleks".

Like much of published "Doctor Who" storylines, its canonicity is unclear, though the strip at this point was adapting the New Adventures of Doctor Who series of novels published by Virgin Books.

Plot

On the Dalek homeworld of Skaro, the Daleks place their creator Davros on trial for crimes against their race. Coming to his aid is the sixth incarnation of Davros' eternal enemy the Doctor, who offers to take Davros to a planet where he can create new lifeforms for good if he is willing to change, Davros agrees. During the rescue, The Doctor makes a sly reference to the Hand of Omega.

Incensed with yet another humiliating delay at the hands of the Doctor, the Emperor Dalek make use of his empire's delicate time-travel capabilities to snatch Abslom Daak from the brink of death, and pose as humanoid delegates of Earth. They deceive Dakk and offer a way of reviving his long lost love Taiyan in exchange for the capture of the Doctor. Dakk agrees.

The TARDIS materialises on the planet "Hell", a world the Doctor had visited earlier in his seventh incarnation in Dakk's previous appearance, "Nemesis of the Daleks". The Doctor is now accompanied by Bernice Summerfield, and it isnt long before the two discover that Daak's former team the "Star Tigers" are alive and well, having been presumed dead when their vessel crashed in the previous story. Drunk and downbeat, the Tigers are ill-prepared for the return of Daak, who soon captures the Doctor and Benny, as well as his old teammates, and returns all of them to the "Earth Delegates", who reveal themselves as Daleks and capture all of them.

The Doctor agrees to take the Daleks to the planet that he hid Davros on, but both groups discover that the world was Spiradon, and that Davros has activated the long dormant Dalek armada hidden there, redesigning them to fit his white and gold trimming variations seen on Necros. Davros leads a successful coup on Skaro, destroying the Emperor Dalek, but his wheelchair is split in half by Abslom Dak's chainsaw, triggering his self-destruct mechanism that seemingly obliterates the Dalek City. The Doctor, Benny, the Star Tigers, and Dakk escape the city in the TARDIS.

Shortly afterwards, the Seventh Doctor meets up with his Sixth incarnation at a bar as his group of friends celebrate. He assures the Sixth Doctor that time will show him that Davros will doom him and Skaro to oblivion.

Back on Skaro, Davros's body is pieced together by his loyal Dalek forces with a new casing, they inform Davros he has claimed the mantle of "Emperor". Much of Davros' memory has been affected by the explosion, but as he regains his composure, he recalls the Doctor referencing the Hand of Omega, and vows to find it when he faces the Doctor in what he believes will be their next and possibly final confrontation.

Continuity and connections

*It is unlikely that this strip is considered canon anymore, as a Big Finish audio adventure, "Return of the Daleks" (also featuring Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor), also features the hidden Dalek army of Spiradon being reactivated.
*In the new series episode The Stolen Earth, Davros is again in his trademark wheelchair with no sign of damage or his imperial shell.
*Prior to this story, a clone of Abslom Daak had appeared in the New Adventures novel "Deceit".
*Davros and the Sixth Doctor's experiences following their departure from Skaro is explored further in a prequel strip, "Up Above The Gods", published several months after this story had concluded. ["...Up Above the Gods..." (with Richard Alan and art by Lee Sullivan, in "Doctor Who Magazine" #227, 1995)]
*The concept of Davros being rebuilt within a new Dalek casing after the remains of his original body had been destroyed in an explosion was explored again with the Big Finish audio adventure "The Juggernaughts".

Notes

References

* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/comic7.htm#emperor Emperor of the Daleks] at the Dr Who Guide
*comicbookdb|type=storyarc|id=384|title=Emperor of the Daleks

External links

* [http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Emperor_of_the_Daleks%21 Emperor of the Daleks] at the Dr Who Wiki