The 60th anniversary of Doctor Who has been celebrated in numerous ways by the BBC; alongside the release of almost all classic (and ‘new’ Who) episodes being added to BBC iPlayer, new content and behind the scenes material was also uploaded, under a new ‘Whoniverse’ category.

It’s an absolute treasure trove for fans old and new, but even if you didn’t investigate that incredible wealth of old and new material, the most high profile 60th anniversary content came in the form of three hour long specials – featuring David Tennant in the role of the Fourteenth Doctor, alongside the hugely popular Catherine Tate as prior companion Donna Noble.

The first of these specials was based on what most people would consider fairly obscure source material – a Doctor Who comic strip from 1980, The Star Beast.

It’s a fun story, with some excellent twists (which, if you weren’t familiar with the original story, you wouldn’t have seen coming in the TV adaptation) and fantastic art by the legendary Dave Gibbons.

At the time of its release, Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor was on TV screens – so it’s him who we have in the story.

Arriving on Earth, expecting to be in Benidorm, the Doctor gets embroiled in a conflict between the terrifying Wrarth Warriors, as they hunt down the incredibly adorable Beep the Meep.

Deadly chases and narrow escapes ensue, with those aforementioned twists putting a surprising spin on the entire situation.

Interestingly, this comic story saw the Doctor with his first companion who was a person of colour; pre-dating Mickey Smith (if he counts as a companion!) by a quarter of a century and Martha Jones by 27 years.

So, as is often the case with British comics of the 70s and 80s, it feels quite progressive; way ahead of the broadcast media of the period.

There’s enough differences between the adaptation – which has its own, ongoing plot points to resolve, including the Fourteenth Doctor having the face of a previous incarnation, as well as bringing Donna Noble and her family into the picture – and the comic that it’s still a worthy read, even if you know what’s coming with a certain twist.

The Wrarth Warriors do seem nastier here with their tactics (check out what they do to the Doctor very early on!) than the slight misdirection we get in the adaptation, but there the spoilers shall end.

It’s also worth noting that it’s now easier to pick up The Star Beast in a pretty affordable form, than it’s been for a long time.

It’s part of The Fourth Doctor Anthology, which you can purchase from Amazon here. There’s plenty more great comics to discover in there too!

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