War World! by: John Freeman with pencils by: Art Wetherell, inks by: Dave Harwood, and lettering by: Annie Halfacree

 

“War World!” is written by: John Freeman with pencils by: Art Wetherell, inks by: Dave Harwood, and letters by: Annie Halfacree.  It was released in The Incredible Hulk Presents issue 4 (October 1989) and is reprinted in its original form in Doctor Who: Nemesis of the Daleks by Panini Books.

 

John Freeman actually attempts something interesting in the five pages of “War World!”.  This is a story that becomes memorable because of its twist, subtly making a statement about what can make something a sentient being.  Again, The Incredible Hulk Presents only allot Doctor Who five pages per issue and only two of the stories were spread across multiple issues.  Freeman does have more to put in “War World!” than the previous two stories, the Doctor immediately being catapulted into a war between “humanity” and faceless, unfeeling robots.  Art Wetherell’s design of the robots is clearly an homage to The Day the Earth Stood Still which is intended to strengthen the theme of sentience.  There is not much to actually discuss without the twist, humanity is presented as still having a flourishing creative culture during the war.  Works of art have been preserved in bunkers and the robots are the enemy because they cannot appreciate art and are only slaves to their program.  The twist is that humanity is also a race of robots, those given the image of humanity. The thematic depth, to be fair, is perhaps being stretched.  The twist happens on the last page of the story and Freeman runs out of time before there is anything extra there.  The surface read is on the futility of war, something that Doctor Who had done quite a few stories exploring including when this was released on television with Battlefield.  But proposing the idea that a humanoid robot could be considered human because of their ability to create and it not be derivative or theft does resonate slightly more in a world overrun by generative AI.

 

Overall, “War World!” is at the very least a story with an interesting idea in its core.  The idea does not get explored in any meaningful fashion due to having absolutely no time and introducing it in the final moments of the story.  Art Wetherell’s pencils are simplified but still stylistic enough and serve the story quite well especially considering the quick turnaround time of these weekly issues.  6/10.