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 By Rob McCow |
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What’s the story called? Redemption! The Collector Redemption! was possible
for readers of issue #134 of Doctor! Who! Magazine! Which was available in
March 1988. It may have been reprinted, but I doubt it. The World Shapers Script – Simon Furman Art – Kev Hopgood and Tim Perkins Lettering – Zed Editor – Richard Starkings Fellow Travellers Olla The Heat Vampire. Likes: Cooking for the Doctor, being warm, lying about her past, stealing money, dressing like one of ITV’s Gladiators. Dislikes: War-Lord Skaroux, the Vachsyian’s oppression of her race the Dreilyn, cruel masters, being a slave, the left stabilisers of the TARDIS. Olla WLTM kind, caring
type, GSOH, with vague resemblance to Sylvester McCoy. Mobility in time
and space is a must. Wants to start afresh. Prospective date must be
prepared for a bit of rough and tumble, maybe more. Not interested in
one-night stands. The Deal The TARDIS is being tracked by some big cyborg type guys. On board, Olla has cooked the Doctor a meal. The Doctor is surprised and has to remind Olla that she is not a servant anymore. As he sits down to enjoy the meal, the TARDIS lurches and he is knocked off his chair by a big ‘SHTOM!’ The TARDIS is held in a null-field by the Vachysian Gunship, which the Doctor recognises on the scanner. Olla recognises the ship and is nervous. Skaroux the leader of the Vachysians contacts them on the screen and orders the Doctor to hand over Olla.
Olla explains to the Doctor that her people, the Dreilyn, are feared for their heat vampirism. They are gypsies of the galaxies, begging what they need to survive. Her father sold her into slavery. She doesn’t want to go back to Skaroux, who was a cruel master. The Vachy-whatsits board the TARDIS and the Doctor distracts them while Olla runs away. Skaroux sends his two men to search for her and pontificates at the Doctor. Olla sneaks in behind Skaroux and threatens him with her stored heat attack. Skaroux tells the Doctor that Olla was her willing consort and that she ran off to A-Lux with most of his money. Olla admites that Skaroux told the truth and prepares to kill them both. The Doctor uses the TARDIS stabiliser to throw them Olla off balance. He tells Skaroux to make sure she gets a fair trial as he takes the Dreilyn away.
TV Action The seventh Doctor of this comic strip is rather bland and resigned, showing little of the pratfalls or comedic turns that characterised the TV version at this time. In fact, he comes across as rather callous in the closing moments and seems happy to be travelling alone. Olla is the most skimpily
dressed companion since Leela. At the end of this story, the Doctor
bemoans his companions leaving him, mentioning Peri, Frobisher and Olla.
As he fails to remember Mel, his contemporary TV companion, it seems that
somehow this story is set before Dragonfire where Mel leaves. Mel also
spent time with sixth Doctor however, so the seventh really should
remember her. 4-Dimensional Vistas With Ridgway gone, it’s
time for the rapid rotation of random artists that struggled with drawing
Sylverster McCoy. Kev Hopgood’s art in this story isn’t bad; it’s just
rather simple and unimaginative. The Vachysians are generic cyborg
boot-boys, their ship is lumpy and boring. On top of that, most of the
action takes place in the roundel-heavy TARDIS interiors. The whole thing
looks very bland. End of The Line So Olla is gone, like a bad idea quickly scrubbed out. The change of editor from Sheila Cranna to Richard Starkings might be a big clue as to why she’s written out so perfunctorily in her second story. What could have been a dull runaround is made even worse for two main reasons. Firstly, the Vachysian Gunship is able to track, disable and board the TARDIS, which implies that they are a time travelling race with powers greater than the Doctor’s own! In virtually every other story, the TARDIS is an impregnable fortress and only god-like beings are able to breach its defences. So quite why these irritating goons are able to is a mystery.
The ending of the story is even even worse. Throughout this story and previously in A Cold Day In Hell, Olla has been quite sympathetic and compassionate. So the revelation that she’s a thieving murderess comes out of the blue. Then the Doctor instantly swaps allegiances and hands Olla over to the Vachsyians. Redemption! is an
unsatisfying story and a terrible exit for a potentially interesting
companion. Follow That TARDIS! This story leaves the Doctor travelling alone for the first time since the end of The Moderator. The meal that Olla prepares for the Doctor appears to consist of a bowl of plums, a bottle of wine and piping hot soup. There is a huge flower display in the middle of the table – perhaps Olla was expecting the Doctor to eat that as well? Olla’s only subsequent appearance in any branch of Doctor Who fiction (that was easy to find on the internet) is in ‘Sharon From Blackcastle’s Pyjama Party’, available via this link.. Redemption! came rock bottom of the Season 25 DWM season poll, scoring 1.2% of the vote. Incidentally, the comic strip results of the Season 24 poll were published in DWM 137. World Shapers – 200 votes, Cold Day In Hell – 182 votes, The Gift – 35 votes and Profits of Doom – 12 votes.
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