We have a new winner in the “longest Greys comic” competition. With seven panels, this one beats our previous incumbent by one.

For many years as we grew up it was a running joke that the Daleks could be evaded simply by going up some stairs. Yes, they were a destructive force to be reckoned with, and the modulated voices alone could send thousands of children – and quite a few adults – dashing for safety behind the sofa. But despite their menace we all knew that our bedrooms – almost invariably upstairs – would be safe from invasion.

Then Russell T Davies came along and changed all that by giving the Daleks the ability to fly* in the episode “Dalek“. As an extra jibe at those of us who had grown up through the earlier years of Doctor Who, this capability was introduced in a stairwell, just as the humans thought they would be able to outrun their nemesis with a few feet of additional altitude.

So the Daleks used to be unable to deal with stairs; now they can fly. Clearly there must have been some period of Dalek research and development during which they experimented with various approaches to “the stair issue”. This comic is our impression of what probably went on throughout those quiet years on Skaro.

* Yes, the Daleks were shown to be able to levitate up stairs as far back as “ Remembrance of the Daleks ” – but the RTD era not only expanded their flying capabilities, but re-introduced the Daleks to a whole new generation of kids, for whom the stairs up to the bedroom would no longer provide adequate defence.

Cette bande dessinée est aussi disponible en français

This comic is also available in French

Questo fumetto è disponibile anche in italiano

This comic is also available in Italian

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