The Mystery of the Marie Celeste

another annual down another part of my life gone

This was pretty good for an story from the 70s annuals, which so far have been otherwise quite middling for me.  I enjoyed this short's take on the Doctor, Zoe, and Jamie, the visuals that accompany the story are well done, and the story itself is quite fun though far from perfect.  It's not anything astounding but it does well with the charm of these early comics and annual stories that enhances The Mystery of the Marie Celeste nicely.  Little quirks like the Doctor's hat in these early adventures, his knowledge around advanced technology much more limited than what we are used to, and naming the character as "Dr. Who" makes this a very unique read, even if it isn't anything too exceptional, either.  The aliens involved in this story and the seamen of the Marie Celeste are interesting enough that the plot more or less works and it was a very easy read, even if it got a little clunky in the narration sometimes.

Some story choices are very weird and don't hold up to canon well at all, unlike most Doctor Who stories.  It's not a deal breaker, but like so many of these side publications from the 60s and 70s, it sure is a strange and unusual piece of Doctor Who fiction.