"THE RAMBLER" The Time Henge" - Part Three Post Three

In these first two panels I simply wanted to show what the time-bomb looked like, complete with multi-coloured wiring and have the Rambler unmasked before he could complete his task.

This set up a nice frame in which the time-traveller provided a bit of closure as to what happened to his companion, Wandsworth, when I previously stopped drawing his adventures a few years earlier. I had actually considered having the character, a butler, accompany the Rambler in "The Time Henge". But felt that it would give me too many people to write for all at the same time. As it was I therefore stuck to an old story idea I had planned to draw where Wandsworth remained on board H.M.S. Victory as Captain Hardy's servant following the Battle of Trafalgar. The four-parter was going to have been called "Nelson's Waterloo."

Earth's time-stream is ablaze and about to be destroyed. But can even a strong-will and determination help the Rambler stave off the flames long enough for him to de-active the Time-bomb.!?!

"THE RAMBLER" The Time Henge" - Part Three Post Two

There are two points to this sequence of panels and ordinarily I would have paired them together but as I wanted to show a brief passage of time between the two drawings set on the planet Beorge, I split that scene up. One of my biggest concerns about this series was trying to explain just why the aliens needed to maintain the smooth-flow of  the Earth's time-stream, so I tried with these frames to explain that they siphon off the energy created by 'events happening as they should' in order to hold their planet's tectonic plates together; as their planet is at the end of its life.

I also wanted to show why the Rambler was so keen to reach Stone Henge's central altar as it is actually a disguised time-bomb which he needs to re-wire. As I thought it was quite hard to spot my hero of the hour amongst all the grey robes, I deliberately kept his right coat arm showing.

The Rambler has only seconds to re-wire the time-bomb or the Earth is finished. But can he complete his task before he is discovered..!?! 

"THE RAMBLER" The Time Henge" - Part Three Post One

Having essentially been an ineffective passenger for the first half of "The Time Henge" this part finally gives our grey-suited 'hero of the hour' something to do, and show he can use his fists. I actually left the Rambler's arm showing as he donned the hooded robe in order to make it clear that it was the time-traveller getting dressed, as opposed to the unconscious lodge member reawakening.

This part also introduces another green-uniformed Beorge, in the form of one of an alien engineer. His dialogue also reinforces the fact that the Rambler's journeys through time are enabled by the technology of the amphibian space species as opposed to any gadgetry he may have upon his person.

As the Grand Lodge prepare to dispatch a human sacrifice, the Rambler must make a difficult decision... Rescue the fair maiden from a bloody death or re-wire a time-destructor and save the entire planet.!! 

Mooretoons - Early "Doctor Who" Adventures - Man-Eating Ants, A Glass Dalek And Ogrons

Top: The Man-Eating Ants attack and the Master Ant    Bottom: The Meddling returns... and more Ants

Having suddenly fallen into an artistic style which clearly suited my needs by being both clean-lined but also reasonably detailed, “The Invasion Of The Man-Eating Ants” is arguably my favourite original “Doctor Who” story. Indeed I have re-used the story for a subsequent adventure involving my own time-travelling character “The Rambler”.

The main motivation behind the four-parter, as I recall, was that I thought I could swiftly and easily draw a horde of ants and as a result speedily finish another tale. Unfortunately the time required to draw all the ants, irrespective of my technique of simply using a continuous squiggle, quickly lead to the little ‘monsters’ being replaced by a far larger, but infinitely easier to draw Master Ant. I also used the story as yet another excuse for me to include the Meddling Monk; my own take on the villainous Time Lord who I thoroughly enjoyed writing and drawing. In addition, knowing I was fast running out of stories for William Hartnell’s incarnation of The Doctor, I started to have the time traveller begin thinking about his great age and that he would soon have to regenerate. Thus at the end of the adventure, an over-tired Time Lord collapses from mental exhaustion.

Top: An invalid Doctor and Ogron meet the Glass Dalek    Bottom: The Doctor's Dalek and a Rad-Mutie

Carrying on with this theme that the Doctor was mentally unwell “The Decoy Of The Daleks” was a chance to once again script an insane Gallifreyan and include a few official canon monsters from the BBC television science fiction series; namely the glass Dalek from the March 1985 programme “Revelation Of The Daleks” and the classic Ogrons, thanks to the July 1986 VHS video release of “Day Of The Daleks”.

By this time my portrayal of the First Doctor had dramatically departed from his televised counterpart and was now decidedly bald and wore a tracksuit. The story also provided me with the opportunity to give an appreciative nod to the nuclear irradiated mutants known as Mutos from the 1975 BBC story “Genesis Of The Daleks”. 

"THE RAMBLER" The Time Henge" - Part Two Post Three

In many ways these four panels encapsulate the main plot device behind all of my stories for "The Rambler". The alien Beorge, who rely upon Earth's smooth flow of time for their own survival, identify when some change is occurring and send their Time Agent to the place in question. Upon arrival the Timeman gets into all sorts of mischief.

The 'TEEOOWW' sound effect is one I've used since I first started drawing these adventures. But the bubbles are new as they came as a pre-generated graphical effect with "Paint Shop Pro".

Far from safe, and trapped over a hundred years in their own past, the surviving tourists now face a new threat... to become the sacrificial subjects of a druidic ceremony.!?!