Doctor Who: The Dalek Project

by Justin Richards, Mike Collins (Illustrator)

1917: The Great War is at its fiercest and most terrible. But things are about to get even worse. Armaments manufacturer Lord Hellcombe has a new secret weapon he believes will win the war. But when the Doctor witnesses the final demonstration he begins to realize how much danger everyone is in: Lord Hellcombe claims to have invented the Dalek Except, of course, that nothing is quite what it seems. Now, the Doctor and his new friends must draw on every type of early 20th century technology and every element of human ingenuity and bravery if they are to discover the truth - and survive - to prevent the entire Western Front of World War One from becoming part of The Dalek Project

Genres: Doctor Who, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Comics, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Aliens

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2012

About the author

Justin Richards was a British writer of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure fiction. He wrote science fiction and fantasy novels, including series set in Victorian and early 20th-century London, as well as contemporary adventure stories. He was best known for writing numerous spin-off novels, reference books, and audio plays based on the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. Richards served as Creative Consultant for the BBC Books range of Doctor Who novels until 2017.

Reviews

[John Parungao · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would happen if the Daleks tried to influence the outcome of one of the World wars? Wait they already tried that. It was called "Victory of the Daleks". "The Dalek project" presents something very similar, only this time The Doctor's greatest foes are trying to influence the outcome of World War I.

This graphic novel has it's roots in some of the classic Dalek stories. As I said it reminded me of "Victory of the Daleks". It also gives a nod to "Power of the Daleks", as seemingly helpless Daleks convince unsuspecting humans to help them build more Daleks under the pretense that it will help win the war. The setting of part of the story in a country house is a nod to "Evil of the Daleks"

The story itself, would have felt at home either in the Doctor Who monthly comic, or as part of the comic strip series in Doctor Who magazine. Something similar to the Fourth Doctor comic strips, as The Doctor travels on his own without any of the television companions; instead he picks up help along the way throughout the course of the story. The drama comes from The Doctor having to convince various humans how dangerous the Daleks really are. Can humanity see through the Dalek lies and defeat them before humanity is exterminated?

[Wanli Cheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel was interesting. I really like the style of the drawing, and I liked the style of the story, too. The story is not like a hero story, which uses the special power to kill the bad guy. This book is more about a clever doctor, who used his brilliant mind to solve some problems, find the evidence from old time, and defeat the evil.
The book is exciting. I saw that the son of professor was killed, but rebuilt into machines by the DALEKs, and the old man in the hall's wife was killed, and the gardeners were killed by the robots too. I felt sad about it, and thought the robots are so evil and must be destroyed.
The story didn't move on really fast, but I can remember every little bit in the story. After reading this book, I can't believe such things happened, and can't believe there are actually such terrible machines which use the weak spot in human's heart, and control the human to work for them. But suddenly i thought this might actually happen in real life, too. There are some bad friends, who only use people for their purpose, and while you are not as useful as usual, they put you on the side, and never talked to you again. So we should read the friend clearly, and not making friends with these kind of people, because we are like tools to them.
Also, we shouldn't be the people who use others like they are tools. We should be kind to others, and help our friends indeed.
And that's what i think about this novel.

[Amy Hawthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Doctor Who! And this graphic novel felt so much like the show it was great. It has the classic Doctor Who tropes like the witty doctor, courageous self sacrificing companions, near escapes, and of course the Daleks! I couldn't give this any lower than 4 stars because it was so well paced and exciting and fun, just because it's small graphic novel doesn't mean it isn't worthy.

Book one of the Cram athon complete!

[Gerek Tupy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this graphic novel was fairly decent. The plot ran smoothly, and made sense for the most part. Though the story follows the Doctor Who stereotype of a crashed/stranded faction of enemies. They’ve crashed at some point in earths history and are messing with history in order to survive. Though I thought it was a bit more creative that it was also part of a Dalek experiment. A few characters in the story were a bit useless. Most contributed to the plot well a few just took up space. I am also not sure why Rory or Amy are not in the story. I assume this story takes place between season 6 and 7. That would explain their absence. Overall I thought the graphic novel was fairly high quality. The illustrations were slightly above average, and the dialogue was straight to the point. I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Whovian, I find it hard to believe that I would come across a Doctor Who work (of any kind) and not love it. However, that being said, this review isn't biased. It's simply fact. First of all, Matt Smith is one of my favorite Doctors, so that already had me hooked, but also, the Daleks are one of my favorite villains in the Universe. I loved the story and the way the dialogue seemed to capture the same quirky energy and character of Matt Smith's Doctor. But I think the thing I loved most about this particular graphic novel was how vibrant the colors were. I've read a lot of graphic novels and the artwork and coloring in this one was just beautiful. <3

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justin Richards and Mike Collins have created this cool graphic novel. The images are clever, well detailed and compelling. The bubble text placement works well. I enjoy history, and appreciate that there is some non-fiction contained in this read. This novel is full of action and uses Dr Who's self deprecating humor. The Dalek Project is definitely one for the fans of Dr. Who.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

An original graphic novel featuring the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith).
After encountering Daleks at an archaeological dig, the Doctor recalls his travels to Kent in 1917. At Hellcombe Hall, the arms manufacturer Lord Hellcombe is about to unveil a new weapon to help win the First World War; the Proto-Dalek.

Richards' previous OGN, 'The Only Good Dalek', had the misfortune to have a plot almost identical to an episode of the TV show, but through no fault of the author since his version came years before the onscreen one.
Here, however, there is no such excuse.
The core concept of the Daleks tricking the desperate British into using them as soldiers in a World War against the Germans is exactly the plot of Mark Gatiss' script 'Victory of the Daleks', which came out a full year before this was published. Sure the setting has been changed from the Second World War to the First, but the parallels are inescapable and inexcusable.

And honestly, even if the plot wasn't so derivative, the execution isn't that great anyway. There's no companion featured and none of the side characters are particularly engaging and Richards totally fails to capture the horror and tragedy of WWI.

The two minor redeeming features of this book are that the writer has done a good job of capturing the energy of Matt Smith's incarnation of the iconic Time Lord and, to be fair, the designs of the First World War-era Proto-Daleks, both British and their German counterparts, do look pretty cool.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[David T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horrible... just horrible. I knew coming in form The Only Good Dalek how poor these comics would be. Though this was a step up form The Only Good Dalek. Still nothing was explained and nothing added up. What I could grasp was the Daleks have started nearly every war in history. This on its own is stupid. This one possessed much better illustrations and was still not afraid to be violent. But it's randomness and pure sensation of oddness got the best of it. I would not recommend The Dalek Project, or The Only Good Dalek too anyone.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Great War is coming to a head, but the Daleks have interfered with the time stream and the Doctor must try to get the Allies and the Germans to work together to avert the invasion.

The story is quite good, but the artwork is heavy and dark. Richards and Collins also turn a bit preachy about peace and forgiveness at the end.

[Nola Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a Dr Who fan, there's a lot to enjoy in this graphic novel featuring the 11th doctor played by Matt Smith. The Daleks have been researching humans at war so that they can exploit their weaknesses, with this book culminating in World War I. The art and story are both good. I enjoyed it overall.

[Emily Michie ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but a very similar premise to that episode of Doctor Who where the Daleks infiltrate World War II ( I forgot what it’s called sorry)

[Sassafras · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huge Dr. Who fan here: my son and I just binge watched the final episodes of season 7 as well as "The Day of the Doctor." I figured since we're due for a regeneration at the beginning of season 8, I should read the graphic novel featuring the Eleventh Doctor.

Anything with Daleks is sure to catch and keep attention, and we know the whole timey-wimey thing can take us anywhere and anywhen. Without spoilers I cannot give away the locations and times. Let's just say the main action takes place during WWI somewhere in Britain. Daleks. Big war. Gotta' stop total annihilation. There are time and space portals involved. There is death, lots of death; we're talking about Daleks!

Even my fangirl heart can't figure how all the characters kept in the know about all the key events. I wanted to mark it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, but I have to be okay with ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Regardless, the comic version of Matt Smith's Doctor is there and up to his winsome ways.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Doctor Who novel I've read although I've been watching the TV show since the Tom Baker days - off and on - and I intentionally looked for a book that wasn't a retelling of a TV episode so that I could judge it on it's own merits and I think that this Doctor Who adventure belongs in the Whovian cannon. There was a similar story set during WW2 about the Daleks being used to end the war. This story in this book is set during WW1 and the war doesn't feature as prominently as it did in the TV show. Instead the reader is given four companions - all new to this story line - and a time travelling manor that is hiding secrets that the Doctor unravels before facing his sworn enemy. This concept is used well throughout the story with each door of the manor being a portal to some-other place and time giving the doctor - and artist- ample room to play with the time-travelling motif. But the action seems to feel a little rushed and I got the sense that the doctor was running around putting out fires until the Daleks appeared instead of using his superior intellect and devious cunning to outwit his foe. There was also a lack of the analytical, sciency nature of the doctor with the writer preferring action as a means to drive the narrative. I sure would have liked the story better if the doctor would slow down and talk that science mumbo-jumble that always make me think twice and the TV show so compelling.

The art-work though is excellent. The rendering of the Daleks - including a new Proto-Dalek - are spot on and the rendering of Matt Smith - though not exact - is certainly passable. Also the mechanic of the portals is used well as the Doctor moves between various locations including a German U-boat factory, Dalek space ship and an overgrown jungle/garden. Every inch of the panel is used throughout the book an the colors are vibrant and eye-catching. the character detail is also very well done. This visual aspect is why I chose the comic medium to expand my Doctor Who experience and the artists and colourists do not disappoint.

In the end I knocked a few stars because of the pace of the story - too quick - and the fact that the Doctor doesn't play to his strengths - his intellect - but I would recommend this book to Whovians because the story does work and the artwork is top quality.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Myself being an extreme "whovian" I had utterly high expectations. At first I became truly interested, this graphic novel had a balance of action and adventure and sci-fi all in one. But It honestly wasn't graphic novel of the year. The animation in this graphic novel is amazing, if you get past small issues : the wrong eye color, something out of place etc. The explosions and colors for the action scenes were great but I thought there were to many explosions. As always Doctor Who kept the science fiction perfectly kept together, we even get to see our main character time travel many times in this book. The book is perfect even for someone who doesn't watch the show or read the books because everything is explained.I'll be honest though, I don't actually think there ever was a theme or moral. Which isn't the usual for something Doctor Who related, when Doctor Who has a theme it really sinks in, here that didn't happen in the slightest. It actually annoyed me a bit as I read. The symbolism, as always was pretty good. Lord Hellecomb, a scientist planning on using a series of dangerous machines to attack the enemy could symbolize a fear so strong that it forces you to do bad yourself, and the Doctor, as always represents the courage and or bravery who stands up to or stops the bad things from happening. I really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't perfect. What else is there to say? It's enjoyable because of the amazing animations and colors, but it's no book of the year.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2158739.html[return][return]As with a number of the recent Who novels, this is aimed at a slightly younger readership, with the Doctor's co-adventurers being three children rescued from a spaceship by him after their parents' death (no novel with Clara yet, as far as I know, although she has been on the show since April, or perhaps longer depending how you count). I was very interested to note that, like Malorie Blackman's The Ripple Effect published last month, The Dalek Generation presents a situation where the Daleks are perceived as a force for good rather than evil, with the Doctor frustrated in his attempts to warn against them. I do wonder if this is a subtle (or maybe even unsubtle) hint about a storyline we can expect for the two episodes due to air later this year.[return][return]That apart, it's quite a different story from Blackman's; it's clear to the reader from the first chapter that the Daleks really are evil here, but the story of what they are looking for, and how the Doctor and his traumatised young friends thwart their plans in the face of a wilfully ignorant totalitarian society which won't believe them, is nicely convoluted and also evocative of various previous Who stories. If you are happy to adjust for the target readership, it is very enjoyable.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Doctor Who graphic novel sees the Doctor comes face to face with the daleks in the middle of the First World War. Initially the story is not that dissimilar to the Series 5 TV episode "Victory of the Daleks" but after a while it does take a different direction as the daleks plan is much bigger than it first appears.

The daleks are at their manipulative best here and look brilliant, as does every part of the artwork. For some reason their speech just doesn't quite work the same in comic form- that feeling probably wasn't helped by the fact they do talk quite a lot. The Doctor's characterisation isn't great here, probably because it's quite hard to put the long speeches into speech bubbles so they are limited. Considering he is really supposed to hate the daleks, for the most part he here he doesn't seem that bothered.

It has fantastic art and some brilliant dalek moments but the relatively weak plots lets this down a bit. For the most part, it's just the same old threat that's easily beaten.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Doctor Who graphic Novel I have read and I was really impressed by it. I was a little trepidations about embarking on the Doctor Who comics because A) the last thing I need is a new obsession and B) because I have heard mixed reviews about the quality of the story lines; however I am happy to report that this installation was very entertaining. I thought the art work was great, the story was thought-provoking and also I think Justin Richards nailed the 11th doctor's sense of humor which had me laughing out loud more than a few times. I would definitely recommend this to fans of the show and those who maybe want to check out what Doctor Who is all about. As a stand alone story, I think this graphic novel has a lot to offer may different kinds of readers.

[Nyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll say for this one close to the same thing I said for the last one. It was a great story, a fast read, and nothing's really better than Doctor Who...but, I've seen this storyline before. In this story, the Eleventh Doctor is looking into how the Daleks meddled with World War I. He doesn't have a companion in this one, so I'm just assuming it's after Amy and Rory left and before the Doctor found Clara. It would be nice to know for sure though. In the TV show, the Eleventh Doctor and Amy go to look into how the Daleks are meddling with World War II.
I'm hoping the similarities are a coincidence and I'll find a few Doctor Who graphic novels with storylines that are a little more original (or at least less of a copy of one of the TV episodes).
Geronimo!

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richards' story is actually pretty good. It makes good use of the Daleks that feels authentic, while at the same time nicely highlighting Earth's history and offering up some surprises along the way. It does get a little long, and the whole idea of building Daleks to aid in the war has already been done on TV (just not for the same war).

Unfortunately, the artwork lets the book down. It's occasionally very rough and the coloring seems amateurish. Worse, the coloring is combined with zippotone, and the result just makes already muddy artwork look muddier. That's all a shame, because at its best the art looks nice and does a good job of capturing Matt Smith.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nicely-illustrated tale of the Doctor and the Daleks in the First World War. There are plenty of twists and turns, but the real strength of this tale lies in the art by Mike Collins. It's visually exciting and action-packed, and his dynamic layouts, while visually interesting, never sacrifice clarity of storytelling. The story itself is maybe a little close to the TV episode Victory of the Daleks at first, but ends up going in a different direction. A fun story for fans of Doctor Who in comics form.

[Kalilah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I'm not a fan of Doctor Who, I ended up reading this book because my sister won it in a contest and the graphics grabbed my attention.
I really, really like the artwork - especially illustrations of the Dalek's; they're so epic!
The story-line is also quite interesting and easy to follow, but not too exciting. Probably not the best example of Doctor Who ingeniousness. If I'd found the plot more appealing I would've given this book an extra star.
But really - the pictures are awesome, the pages are thick and they smell wonderful xD A great book to own.

[Alex Sarll]

Some crashed Daleks get primitive versions of their kind built by humans, who think that they have a perfect weapon with which to end a World War...in other words, it's the same plot as 'Victory of the Daleks', but set in the First rather than Second. I was under the impression that the comics (and books, and audios) were monitored to avoid this degree of overlap with the TV series, and here's a good example of why they should be: this isn't perfect, but it hangs together much better than 'Victory' and so really rather shows it up...

[Trae Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid entry in the Doctor Who mythos- would have made a great episode. My only lament is that it's ALWAYS Daleks these days. Enough already with the Scourge of Skaro, and Cybermen too for that matter. The comic book medium should be used to explore distant worlds and develop new foes that would be beyond the budget of a TV series. At the very least give me the Silurians (maybe even when they ruled the Earth!) the Ice Warriors or even the Sontarens.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very much a children's comic and should be judged as such. But I think for kids it's great. The art is bright and clear. The story is strong and nicely built up as the daleks' plan is slowly revealed. The book shows how both sides in a war can be guilty of the same mistakes. There is a lot of action while at the same time building up the plot. Definitely one I'd recommend for young fans.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good read. Daleks are found on an archaelogical dig in France. This leads the Doctor to remember an adventure around the time of World War 1. It is a bit like a tv episode, but it was written well before it. The daleks are at their manipulative best, and the artwork is nice too.

[Paul Griggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keep an ear out for my exclusive review on The Attack of the 50ft Nerds podcast. Episode 18 coming this week. Just search iTunes for 50ft nerds.

[Callumw · Rating 5 out of 5]

where is harry potter
by callum

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Below average Who.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story! I just wish some of these artist could make a good rendering of Matt Smith or even David Tennet.

[Paul McNamee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun romp - the variety of Daleks in this one makes it enjoyable. Story goes a bit off the tracks near the end with a lot going on - a bit too much. But, all in all, a good time.