Cybermen comic strip Resurrected

By John Freeman on December 23, 2025 • ( 0 )

The Whotopia blog recently completed its representation of “Tomb”, an enjoyable fan-created Cybermen strip by John Swogger, which originally appeared in the Doctor Who fanzine Jigsaw, 25 years ago.

A rarely-seen gem of fan creativity, long tucked away in the pages of a much-loved but long out-of-print fanzine, “Tomb” has long remained hidden from the wider community of Doctor Who enthusiasts. Now readers have another chance to experience Swogger’s striking early artwork and storytelling – a piece of Doctor Who fan history brought back into the light.

The first instalment of “Tomb” of the strip is here on Whtopia, with its subsequent parts available to read here.

Tomb by John Swogger (Cybermen fan strip first published in the fanzine Jigsaw)

Whether you’re a seasoned collector of classic fanzines or a fan encountering this story for the very first time, Tomb promises to deliver the same eerie atmosphere and chilling edge that has made the Cybermen one of Doctor Who’s most enduring foes.

British comic creator John Swogger has been involved in the multiple award winning Canadian Doctor Who fiction series The Doctor Who Project since the beginning, providing both written stories, story covers, comics and more. His original comic “Logic” featured in Whotopia earlier issues and his full colour strip, “Cybermen: Destiny” launched in Whotopia Issue 37, unfortunately not currently available to download, but more recent issues are. (Issues 1 – 32 are available on the Internet Archive).

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Outside of fandom, he’s been an archaeologist and illustrator for over twenty years, working mostly on prehistoric sites in the UK, eastern Europe, Anatolia, the West Indies and the Pacific. Particularly interested in the role of narrative in archaeological visualisation, John has produced work for museums, and books and magazines aimed at children and young adults, including work for NAGPRA Comics: Community-Based Comics about Repatriation.

About the Author
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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.