The 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith return to Vortis and discover a new menace is trying to emerge in The Naked Flame, a comic strip from one of the DWM Yearbooks.

This is a concise story which uses the trappings of Vortis and the Menoptra to good effect.  The Menoptra themselves are updated slightly from their 60s appearance although the female Menoptra, Jresta, is certainly more buxom than the originals!  The principal male Menoptra, Vursus (occasionally spelt Versus in the text) is very much in the mould of Captain Hilio from The Web Planet - all bravado and masculine energy.

Vortis itself is a more verdant environment which fits with The Web Planet's description of how the Animus destroyed the flora of the planet.  The menace at the centre of this story is a sentient crystal which is attracting Menoptra towards it with its light and destroying them in the process.  It ties in nicely with the end of The Web Planet and also states that the Clynex (the crystal) was subdued by the Animus and is now reasserting its control.

The artwork in this is a bit hard on the eyes and there is one very, very bizarre shot of the Doctor where is is grinning into the frame.  I do like the way the Menoptra are drawn though.

Not the most in-depth exploration of Vortis-lore but a fun diversion all the same.