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“INVASION OF THE SCORPION MEN: OR, THE SPECTACULAR VANISHING ACT OF ONE SCORPION BLOKE”

If you were expecting an actual invasion of Scorpion Men, you might want to adjust your expectations down to “one mildly threatening appearance and an abrupt exit.” This short comic features the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane in what should be a thrilling jaunt to the Post Office Tower, but instead delivers a brief, muddled story with a blink-and-you-miss-it alien and very little else.

WHO CALLED FOR THE DOCTOR? NOBODY KNOWS.

The setup is vague at best. Three and Sarah Jane arrive in London for... reasons. Possibly tea? It’s never specified. The most enjoyable part is watching the Doctor return to the Post Office Tower and fuss about with some gadgets, all while grumbling about WOTAN-related trauma. It’s a delightful nod to The War Machines, but unfortunately, it’s the only real flavour this story gets.

Out of nowhere, the titular Scorpion Man appears—red, angry, and visually intimidating—but like a monster auditioning for a better comic, he’s gone almost as soon as he arrives. No origin. No motives. No explanation. He’s just there to get sonicked out of existence, presumably to clear the page for the next scene. One can’t help but feel he might’ve made a genuinely menacing villain... had he stuck around for more than five panels.

A COMPANION IN NAME ONLY

It’s always nice to see Sarah Jane alongside the Third Doctor, but this is another story where the companion may as well be made of cardboard. She’s just there because the Doctor needs someone to talk at, and not because she has anything meaningful to do. There’s no trace of the sharp wit, curiosity, or bravery that defines Sarah Jane in her heyday. A real shame, considering the potential of this era.

ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES

The artwork here doesn’t do the story many favours, either. It’s rougher, less detailed, and less expressive than other entries in the collection. It gets the job done, but there’s no visual flair to elevate the already flimsy script. The Scorpion Man is at least decently designed, but that’s hardly worth celebrating when he’s so quickly dispatched.

📝 VERDICT: 5/10

Invasion of the Scorpion Men is a misleading title for a lightweight tale that never capitalises on its monster or its iconic TARDIS pairing. With vague plotting, throwaway villains, and a companion reduced to a sidekick-in-waiting, this story scuttles away before it can sting. A missed opportunity, and the weakest link in The Many Lives of Doctor Who so far.