Prisoners of Time: An Interview with artist Gary Erskine

IDW's yearlong celebration of Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary Prisoners of Time features the work of many British creators, with Phillip Bond providing art on Issue 5, on sale soon. Issue 4, the Fourth Doctor issue, was drawn by Gary Erskine, with assist from Mike Collins.

Put on your scarves and munch on some jelly babies, as we talk to Gary about his work on the fan-favourite Fourth Doctor...

downthetubes: Prisoners of Time is, I believe, the first time you have drawn an official Doctor Who strip - although you were commissioned to draw some illustrations of the Fourth Doctor for Doctor Who Magazine some 20 years ago. Is he your favourite Doctor?

Gary Erskine: Technically my first Doctor was Jon Pertwee with [Sarah Jane Smith] and Planet of the Spiders but my first vivid memory was the end of that particular episode and his regeneration into Tom Baker. He made for an astounding debut and was crazy as Hell. Leela proved a very memorable companion too and their episodes remain my favourite part of childhood television.

downthetubes: Can you tell us which companions feature in the story?

Gary: My episode of Prisoners of Time features Leela [in her classic leather outfit] She was always a favourite companion and I was fortunate to meet Louise Jameson in Edinburgh around the early 1980s when she was filming The Omega Factor at Edinburgh Zoo. I was twelve years old at the time and on a school trip and she was very sweet. I had such a crush on her too and could barely speak.

downthetubes: How do you approach the thorny issue of 'capturing likeness' - always an issue with licensed series based on real actors?

Gary: I have worked on a number of comic book licenses before and the likeness capture always proves a tricky area. The main area we had to concentrate on was the balance between Tom Baker's quirky and individual appearance and the delicate beauty of Louise Jameson. Not always an easy task and there was a lot of BBC approval edits and changes over the course of producing the book. It goes with the territory of working with licenses and actor/agent approval but we were very pleased with the end result.

downthetubes: Were there any particular aspect to working on this story that proved a particular challenge (and why?)

Gary: Not really. I love Doctor Who and any opportunity to work with the characters was welcome. The Judoon make an appearance and they have proved a new favourite alien species for the series. Leela's interaction with them is particularly memorable but saying anything more would be a spoiler.

downthetubes: you've also drawn another great British SF hero, Dan Dare - are there any other British heroes you'd like to tackle given the chance?

Gary: I remember an old Sydney Jordan story called Lance MacLane which was serialised daily in the Daily Record in Scotland for years in the late 1970s to 80s. It followed on from his work on Jeff Hawke and had a European sci-fi vibe to it and I really enjoyed following it. Several artists worked on the series and would change almost daily but the stories were fun and entertaining. I would probably wish to reboot that character somehow if the opportunity arose.

downthetubes: Why do you think Doctor Who has proven such an enduring success over the past 50 years - in print as well as on TV?

Gary: Doctor Who works because it is good wholesome sci-fi with clever story-telling featuring likeable characters. It is a combination that has proved (nearly) timeless.

Everyone seems to have an affection for a particular Doctor but very much like James Bond, the overall legacy remains strong and the audience will always be there for the show (in whatever form it takes). I look forward to more.

dowthetubes: Would you like to draw a longer Doctor Who series, given chance, and which minsters would you like to feature?

Gary: Sylvester McCoy's portrayal of the Doctor always intrigued me and Ace proved herself to be a feisty companion. I would hope to work with them at some point but a longer return to Tom Baker (with either or both Leela and Sarah Jane Smith) would be a sweet opportunity. I might pester my editor Denton Tipton and the writers Scott and David Tipton later this year and see what we can come up with?

I have a wee idea of a story that could work quite well. I can say no more at the moment.

downthetubes: You have your own 'franchise' you're working on right now, The Roller Grrrls - can you tell us what that's about and your plans?

The Roller Grrrls project is something my colleague Anna Malady and I have been working on for over 18 months now by building up an audience and trust with the roller derby community to create an on-going serial featuring the girls in a local league.

Part soap opera, part sporting comic, Roller Grrrls actually references an earlier comic legacy of British comics such as Tiger, Champion, Action and other boys comics where sporting scenarios and characters were the popular focus, which featured football stories and strips like Roy of the Rovers, Hot Shot Hamish and Billy's Boots. Elsewhere there was Formula 1, wrestling, boxing, speedway and many other sporting stories. Even Action  and 2000AD gave a nod to the reading audience's interest in sport with the Harlem Heroes, Speedball and Inferno stories.

Girls comics too would feature sporting activities like hockey or netball and we are hopefully echoing that previous trend and pushing it to a new audience [both comic and roller derby fans] with Roller Grrrls. Granted, some of the themes we will be tackling involve more mature themes but the spirit of the earlier comics is still there.

I am also working up Incendiary.US which is an apocalyptic road movie (The Driving Dead?) and a horror western called Zachariah Gunn: Dakota, with colleague Dominic Regan, which references Once Upon A Time In The West and Hellboy. Both are to follow later this year after the Roller Grrrls launch in July. Stay tuned and follow them all on Facebook!

downthetubes: Above anything else, what one piece of advice would you offer aspiring comic artists?

Gary: Work hard.

• Gary Erskine's official web site is at: http://garyerskine.blogspot.co.uk/

• Print editions of the IDW Doctor Who titles are not officially on sale in the UK but you can purchase the digital editions

• Buy Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #4 for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch

Mars Attacks Judge Dredd!

Step on up and place your bets! An army of angry green men bent on galactic conquest have landed in Mega-City One, but they didn’t count on the grizzled lawmaking legend of Judge Dredd standing in their way.

The skeptics say it’s one man versus an army, but obviously those naysayers don’t know the Judge named… Dredd!

Written by veteran Dredd writer “Action” Al Ewing, drawn by Mars Attacks’ “Joltin’” John McCrea, and sporting covers by “Gorgeous” Greg Staples, these villainous Martians are in for the fight of their lives when they take on Mega-City One’s Number One Lawman.

It’s a September to remember! It’s bug eyes and disintegration rays versus a fully loaded Lawgiver and a zero-tolerance attitude in the Brawl for the Sprawl!

Be on the lookout this September and pick up Issue 1 of Mars Attacks Judge Dredd at your local comic shop…if it's still standing...

Hasbro Invites Kids and Fans to Create New Transformers Character

Hasbro has launched a worldwide promotion inviting fans of all ages around the globe to help create a new Transformers character that will be forever added to the Transformers world - including new comics.

In anticipation of the Transformers’ brand 30th anniversary in 2014, the “Fan Built Bot” Poll kicked off this week, and will run through 5th May on Transformers.com/vote. Hasbro is inviting fans - and, given the success of the comic down the years in the UK, we know there are plenty of British ones - to vote daily to shape this new Transformers character.

The new character will be made into an action figure featured in the “Thrilling 30” line of toys to celebrate the anniversary.

Hasbro is giving kids and fans the opportunity to make the “Fan Built Bot” character with votes determining everything from being an Autobot or Decepticon - to its vehicle or other mode, colour, personality and more. Kids and fans are encouraged to vote daily.

Also, to keep with the theme of the fans being the ones who really shape and create this new Transformers character, Hasbro will also give fans a say in the naming of the new character. More details on the naming will be announced soon.

“Since 1984, the Transformers brand has been bringing entertainment and excitement to kids and fans with our beloved characters like Bumblebee and Optimus Prime,” said Jay Duke, vice president of the Transformers brand at Hasbro. “We invite all fans to help us kick off the 30th anniversary of Transformers with a new character of their choice — for the first time in history?

"This is the perfect way to kick off our anniversary celebration and the ‘Thrilling 30’ line of special edition figures. It will be tremendous fun for everyone to keep track of the entire process from the designing of the character; leading up to its introduction as a toy and watching it become a part of the Transformers brand.”

The results of the poll will be announced by Hasbro at this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, as part of the official kick-off to Hasbro’s Transformers “Thrilling 30” anniversary celebration. Kids and fans will be able to purchase the “Fan Built Bot” character as a toy and will see the new character appear in official Transformers comic books.

• For further information visit the official polling page at Transformers.com/vote as well as the Transformers Facebook page at Facebook.com/Transformers

John Royle draws more Danger Girl for IDW

Recently released by US publisher IDW is a hardback collection of Danger Girl/GI Joe, with art from top British creator John Royle, inked by Philip Moy and colour from Romulo Fajardo – and he's now working on a new Danger Girl story.

First published as a mini series last year, John tells us a limited edition hardback is due out soon signed by him, writer Andy Hartnell and Danger Girl creator J Scott Campbell.

"Another version of only 50 is also coming out with a unique hand drawn original sketch included in each one of different Danger and GI Joe characters," he says.

Here's a few pages from the series itself.

"The reviews and fan reaction has been amazing!" enthuses John. "The new Danger Girl series I'm working on now is called Trinity, again with Andy Hartnell. He's total pleasure the work with."

Danger Girl is the creation of J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell and stars an eponymous group of female secret agents who are homages to Bond Girls and engage in adventures in the vein of James Bond and Indiana Jones., led by a former British Secret Service Agent named Deuce.

Prisoners of Time: An Interview with artist Mike Collins

British comic creators are heavily involved in US publisher IDW's Doctor Who at 50 celebrations for their 'Prisoners of Time' maxi series, which launched  in January with a First Doctor story drawn by Simon Fraser and continued with a Second Doctor story drawn by Lee Sullivan.

'Prisoners of Time' will feature every incarnation of the Doctor, as well as a long list of villains, some new, some old.

downthetubes caught up with Issue Three's artist Mike Collins, whose both written and drawn several Doctor Who tales down the years

Entering the industry in the mid 1980s, smuggled in under Alan Moore's beard, he drew Alan's Dourdevil - Man Without A Sense of Humour strip for Marvel UK. After that he worked as writer/co-artist on a short-lived Spider-Man UK strip, then moved onto various licensed properties (pretty much all there was at the time): Transformers, He-Man, Action Force, Thundercats, Zoids and oh so many more.

It was here he began his long-running connection with Doctor Who, as occasional writer on the Doctor Who Magazine strip, writing adventures featuring the Sixth and Seventh Doctors (and later drawing Sylvester McCoy while I was editing the title).

Branching out to 2000AD, Mike drew Slaine and Judge Dredd. He was one of the artists press-ganged in the Second DC Wave, working on various of their superhero and fantasy books - Flash, Teen Titans, Dragonlance, Spelljammer amongst them. At the same time he served as artist on the Judge Dredd newspaper strip for the Daily Star.

A brief dalliance at Marvel had him working on Sub Mariner and the X-Men (drawing the first appearance of Gambit), returning to DC to write and draw Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt, then Star Trek, Babylon 5 and various JLA titles, and solo hero books including Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman.

In the last decade he's worked on a series of Norse Noir albums for the Norwegian market Varg Veum, took over the long running Panini Doctor Who Magazine comic strip when the TV series returned, and co-created American Gothic with Ian Edginton for 2000AD.

He's storyboarded for various pre-school TV shows, amongst them: Grandpa in My Pocket, Claude, Hana's Helpline, Igam Ogam and Horrid Henry. Definitely not for pre-school, he also boarded on the recent Warhammer 40k CGI movie. He's also boarded adverts for Colmans, Coca Cola, amongst others.

Outside of comics, he's illustrated for various magazines and newspapers, and runs workshops for schools and libraries using comics, primarily for the Read A Million Words In Wales campaign.

Mike's pencils and colour for his cover for Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #3

downthetubes: Prisoners of Time is far from your first Doctor Who project but I gather you have a particular fondness for the Third Doctor's era of the show?


Mike Collins: Pertwee was 'my' Doctor - as a little un, I was terrified by the odd snippets I saw of the show (I remember an episode of The Krotons that I caught, maybe round a friends house, but got traumatized by it). I was a bit of a wimp as a kid. When Pertwee took over I was 8, 9... old enough to cope with the scary stuff! So for me, Pertwee was the Doctor.
 Just like the comics you read at 11 are the best ever, whoever is the Doctor at that age is best. (Though if I'm dispassionate about it, Matt Smith is absolutely the best Doctor ever.)

Watching back to back old stories, it's obvious that some of them were better than others, inevitably but Holy Crow, they're so slow! It's the starkest testament to the way we've become inured to rapid cuts and compressed storytelling: you probably get as much plot in a modern 40/45 minute episode as a four part plot back then!

When the Pertwee stories are good though, they're really good: there's a level of sophistication in the plotting and themes that sailed far over my pre-teen sensibilities. When you get past the not-even-Chewits Godzilla ad stop motion SFX, Invasion of the Dinosaurs plays like a cross between a Troy Kennedy-Martin thriller and - in one subplot- a JG Ballard 13 To Arcturus riff. Amazing for a family TV show.

downthetubes: Can you tell us which companions feature in the story?

Mike: The Brig, Liz Shaw and Sarah-Jane. If the Tiptons could have shoehorned Jo Grant and Sergeant Benton in there, I'd've had a full house.

downthetubes: Is there an old TV Monster in this part of the story?

Mike: They're new monsters but fit in exactly with the feel of the best Pertwee stories, as they address ecological and political issues. I can say no more!

downthetubes: How do you approach the thorny issue of 'capturing likeness' - always an issue with licensed series based on real actors?

Mike: Likenesses have been - I hope- one of my strengths over the years. I develop a shorthand for the characters so that if they don't look exactly like the actors, they should look how you think the actors look - it's a bit of a trick - I discovered on the Panini strip that getting screen grabs off episodes is great but the actors mid-scene hardly ever look like themselves.

downthetubes: Were there any particular aspect to working on this story that proved a particular challenge (and why?)

Mike: I had a clear idea in my head when I started this that it should feel like a 70s strip, that aspects of the storytelling and page design should be authentic to the period. I slipped in a couple of TV Century 21 panel designs to add to the ambiance.

downthetubes: You've both drawn and written Doctor Who - do you have a specific approach to tackling adventures for the franchise?

Mike: I always refer to the brief at Panini: always conceive adventures that TV couldn't afford to stage!

A digression: I've written and drawn Star Trek properties for Marvel and DC. I realized that for DC I was creating Trek stories in comics form but for Marvel, it was a Marvel story that just happened to be about Star Trek... does that make sense to anyone besides me?

downthetubes: Which Doctor Who story you've worked on has been your favourite to date?

Mike: Not dismissing anything I did after, there have been some amazing stories but my favourite Who comic strip I've drawn is The Cruel Sea, written by Rob Shearman, still his only comic script I think. He used the format and genres of comics in a way I've never seen anyone within the industry approach... brilliantly barmy.

In terms of things I've written, episode 2 of The Futurists is probably the tightest scripts I've ever done, and the jokes actually work, also, I ended with the villains proclaiming 'Now WE are the Lords of Time!' which could've be the corniest payoffs but I seemed to get away with it. I could've written a dozen episodes around the Welsh versions of Asterix I'd accidentally created there.

downthetubes: Why do you think Doctor Who has proven such an enduring success over the past 50 years - in print as well as on TV?

Mike: Go anywhere, do anything. Be decent, save lives, right wrongs. It's a concept that reinvents itself every story, every new location.

downthetubes: What's your next project and when is it on sale?

Mike: Currently running in the Judge Dredd Megazine is a three parter featuring Hondo City being besieged by Zombie Samurai. Written by Robbie Morrison, inked by Cliff Robinson and coloured by Len O'Grady, all doing stand-out work it's up there with the art I'm most proud of in my career. And it has ZOMBIE SAMURAI fer gawds sake!

Other than that, I'm back storyboarding for telly right now, on the new season of pre-school fave Igam Ogam... Upcoming for comics, I'm drawing an utterly brilliant Dredd for the Megazine written by old mate Ian Edginton which harks back to Dredd's roots through the darker lens of today. And is very, very funny.

downthetubes: Above anything else, what one piece of advice would you offer aspiring comic artists?

Mike: Draw every day, draw everything. I've sketchbooks full of drawings of foreign walls, plug sockets, window frames. Be aware of the world around you and infuse your work with a plausibility even if you're drawing a 40 foot tall jellyfish in a time vortex full of ruined worlds. Make the reader believe those panel borders aren't ruled lines around your pictures but window frames into worlds that-if you could push through and look around- extend to infinity.

• Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #3 written by Scott and David Tipton with art by Mike Collins is on sale from 27th March from IDW Publishing.

• Mike Collins Official web site

• Read our interview with Simon Fraser, who drew Prisoners of Time #1

• Read our interview with Lee Sullivan, who drew Prisoners of Time #2
 
• More about IDW's Doctor Who range on the official web site

• Read an interview with David and Scott Tipton about the maxi series on Comic Book Resources  

Prisoners of Time: An Interview with artist Lee Sullivan

(Updated 25/2/13): British comic creators will be heavily involved in US publisher IDW's Doctor Who at 50 celebrations for their 'Prisoners of Time' maxi series, which launched  last month with a First Doctor story drawn by Simon Fraser.

'Prisoners of Time' will feature every incarnation of the Doctor, as well as a long list of villains, including the Ice Warriors in Issue 2 and the Zarbi.

downthetubes caught up with Issue Two's artist Lee Sullivan, who has a long-standing connection with Doctor Who dating back to the 25th anniversary comic story Planet of the Dead for Doctor Who Magazine, which featured every Doctor to date. His Daleks are considered second to none by most Who comic fans, but Ice Warriors featured in the Radio Times Doctor Who strip he drew.

downthetubes: What have you been up to recently as an artist?

Lee Sullivan: Nothing in comics. Mainly, I've been working in educational publications for people like HarperCollins, although I have drawn a mini Eleventh Doctor comic-strip for the forthcoming Royal Mail stamps release, which will be included in the premium package, and will be providing Who art for a forthcoming BBC Worldwide Celebratory something-or-other. I'm also providing illustrations for Dan Freeman's Minister of Chance SF audio drama.

downthetubes: How did you gain the commission to draw the second issue of 'Prisoners of Time?

Lee: I'd been in contact with commissioning editor Denton J Tipton for a while, and he finally found something he thought would suit. I am apparently a 'contemporary' Second Doctor comics artist, which I think decoded means 'last surviving' artist who has drawn Troughton (in 'Land of the Blind' for Doctor Who Magazine back in 1995).

Panels from 'Land of the Blind' from Doctor Who Magazine #224

downthetubes: This isn't your first Doctor Who project by any means but it does, I think, mark a return to the character for you after a long absence?

Lee: The last strip I drew for Panini was 'Children of the Revolution' in 2002, but since then I've produced art for the BBC webcast Shada in 2003 and the Ninth Doctor drawings for the BBC's website to tie in with 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances' episodes. Then, between 2006 - 9, I drew all but one of the Tenth Doctor strips for Fabbri's 'Battles in Time' Magazine. Subsequently I provided line art for Fabbri's 'Doctor Who DVD Files' from 2009 till 2012 which were converted into digital paintings by artist Tom Connell. Also, last year I provided a digital painting for the current Who Annual. So, hardly any Who involvement at all!

downthetubes: IDW are keeping their cards close to their chest about the story, but can you tell us which villains feature in the story?

Lee: Iccccce Warriorrrrsssss.

downthetubes: Are they a monster you enjoy drawing?
Lee: Yes, though they aren't exactly masters of emoting, facially. You can give them a little body language, but even that's limited. I have actually shown them running in this one, which may be a first.

downthetubes: You're well known and highly regarded for you work on DWM's Dalek strips. What's the secret to drawing them?

Lee: Attention to detail, really, for my style of work. I tried to get all the subtle angles and shapes right, but if you look at TV Century 21 Dalek artist Ron Turner's stuff they are all over the place, but none the worse for that! I've been experimenting with Turner-style Daleks recently for a possible future project . . .

downthetubes: A project like this inevitably attracts comments over likenesses, do you find that limiting given the freedom you have on other projects?
Lee: Likenesses are always a problem because the closer you get to them in terms of photographic reference, the less likely they will fit with the drawings that don't use photo reference.

This time around, I was able to use screen grabs from 'The Krotons' which opened up a lot more (consistent) reference opportunities, but even so, it's always a bit of a nightmare. I suppose I've worked on so many projects that require likenesses one way or another that I don't really notice the difference any more!

I met my long-time comics hero Mike Noble a few months ago and looking again at his marvellous work was reminded how important dynamics and body-language are to storytelling, so I've tried harder than ever to get the character's body-language and gestures right. It's also forced me to sharpen my clothing-folds technique. He really was (and remains) an absolutely consummate artist.

downthetubes: Will you be doing more Doctor Who projects for IDW after this one?
Lee: I suppose it depends on how well the guys there like what I've done! I'd certainly like to, they're a nice bunch. I've offered to continue to lend an older & British 'ear' with regards to dialogue for the rest of the series, as it's so hard for the US writers to get the odd nuances of British actors - especially from the past - so verbal anachronisms turn up, which is ironic considering we're dealing with a time-traveller, but they do.

downthetubes: Has the way you draw comics changed since you first drew Doctor Who and if so, what's the biggest change?
Lee: Without doubt, the digital revolution. Not just in terms of sending artwork (we used to use the post or Federal Express and hope for the best) but in producing the art. I now work with Manga Studio and Photoshop, and use a tremendous piece of kit - a Wacom Cintiq 24" HD graphics tablet, which means you draw or paint directly on the screen with a stylus. For years now I've edited my scanned artwork in Photoshop and now with Manga it's possible to do the whole thing digitally, should you wish to. Thumbnails, roughs, reference, finished pencils, finished art and maybe colour all in the one file. When time is very tight, it's an amazing advantage.

downthetubes: 50 years of Doctor Who - what do you think is the key ingredient that's given it such longevity?

Lee: A very simple but amazingly flexible format: interesting guy solves mysteries with his pals at any time and in any place.

downthetubes: What's your next project?

Lee: I have no idea. Though there are some projects indicated in my previous answers. Offers, please :)

downthetubes: Above anything else, what one piece of advice would you offer aspiring comic artists?

Lee:  Think again.

To expand: Don't think you'll get rich or have a normal 9-5 daytime job (unless you're way more disciplined than me) and do expect a bumpy ride. But if it's what you do best, then I suppose you're doomed :)

• Read our interview with Simon Fraser, who drew Prisoners of Time #1

• Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #2 written by Scott and David Tipton with art by Lee Sullivan is on sale from 30th January from IDW Publishing.
 
• More about IDW's Doctor Who range on the official web site

• Lee Sullivan's Official web site

• Read an interview with David and Scott Tipton about the maxi series on Comic Book Resources  

Prisoners of Time: An Interview with artist Simon Fraser

British comic creators look set to be heavily involved in US publisher IDW's Doctor Who at 50 celebrations for their 'Prisoners of Time' maxi series, which launches this week.

'Prisoners of Time' will feature every incarnation of the Doctor, as well as a long list of villains, including the Zarbi from the TV story best known as The Web Planet.

downthetubes caught up with comics artist and writer Simon Fraser - best known for his work on Nikolai Dante, a series he created with writer Robbie Morrison in 2000AD - to ask him about his work on the first issue...

downthetubes: How did you gain the commission to draw the first issue of 'Prisoners of Time'?

Simon Fraser: I share a studio with Tim Hamilton who has worked for editor Denton Tipton at IDW on Doctor Who previously. Tim wasn't available this time , so he passed the job on to me. One of the advantages of sharing a studio with other comics types.

downthetubes: Are you a fan of Doctor Who and if so, which Doctor?

Simon: I was recently clearing my old stuff out of my parents house. I seem to have had six large posters of Tom Baker on my bedroom wall when I was 16. That might answer both questions. The other two posters were Star Wars related and there was an airbrushed poster of a Porsche (it was the 80s).

downthetubes: IDW are keeping their cards close to their chest about the story, but we do know the Zarbi feature in your issue - have you updated their design from how they appeared in 'The Web Planet'?

Simon: I have updated the Zarbi. They no longer have one set of suspiciously heavy stockinged legs and 2 other sets that seem to waggle aimlessly. I've gone for something that's a cross between an Ant and a wingless Wasp.

downthetubes: A project like this inevitably attracts comments over likenesses, do you find that limiting given the freedom you have on projects like Nikolai Dante for 2000AD?

Simon: It's all about learning the characters faces and mannerisms until they feel like your own characters. Rather than slavishly copying production stills or framegrabs, because that always looks wooden and stilted.

The older characters are usually easy. Hartnell especially was a joy to draw. It's one of the oddly wonderful things about a career in comics that I can now draw a decent portrait of Sir Thomas Huxley from memory.

I'm not sure I'm as strong on Ian and Barbara frankly, but I've spent a lot of time looking at them now and I've got a great deal better appreciation of just how good William Russell and Jaqueline Hill were in the roles.

downthetubes: Will you be doing more Doctor Who projects after this one?

Simon: I've got no plans to right now. I'm trying to keep off licensed properties for a while and do more creator owned work. When the chance to draw William Hartnell's Doctor came along though, I was powerless to resist.

downthetubes: 50 years of Doctor Who - what do you think is the key ingredient that's given it such longevity?

Simon: It's a very clever format. The TARDIS is a brilliant way of moving characters into interesting situations, while at the same time being almost ludicrously simple to execute within the restrictions of network television. Then you have all these great writers and actors being given free reign to use their imaginations and enjoy themselves, back when British television was all rather po-faced. Something so imaginative and odd was bound to engender a strong fanbase, strong enough to carry the show through some pretty rough times and ultimately ensure its rebirth.

If I had to pin down just one thing I'd have to say, Imagination.

downthetubes: You've just completed 'Nikolai Dante' for 2000AD. What's your next project?

Simon: I'll be popping in and out of 2000AD on shorter gigs no doubt. I've got a four-pager coming up written by Monty Nero. Then I've agreed to do a sci-fi exploitation story for a Dark Horse anthology book written by Alex DeCampi. I've made it my New Year's resolution to get back to Lilly Mackenzie & The Treasure of Paros which is my webcomic on ACTIVATEcomix.com and ultimately in the Judge Dredd Megazine, where the first Lilly Mackenzie story ended up being printed.
Beyond that I'm involved with a series of pitches for original projects. One of which is a very ambitious series of books about the origins of the Arab Spring, specifically Syria. So I'm very interested in the news right now.

downthetubes: Above anything else, what one piece of advice would you offer aspiring comic artists?

Simon: To be brutally honest here, if there is anything else that you think you might be able make your life doing , try that first. Drawings comics is alongside being a musician, an actor or a poet in terms of career prospects. There's not much work, it's mostly poorly paid and frequently frustrating.

So, given that you are absolutely committed to your own eternal damnation; learn the craft and keep learning it. Draw from life as much as humanly possible, then do some more. The way to get and keep a career in the creative arts is to have a unique point of view and a unique way of expressing it and the way that you get to that is by starting at first principles and working up.

As soon as you are half competent, then start putting your stories on-line and get people to comment. You won't get as much serious criticism as you will need. The good stuff is supposed to sting, don't be afraid of that. With any luck you are your own harshest critic . You're supposed to be vaguely dissatisfied with your abilities, that's what motivates you to get better.

Have I put you off yet? No? Well if you were interested in taking good advice then you probably would be doing something much more sensible than comics in the first place.
Hmm, that's more than one piece of advice!

• Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #1 written by Scott and David Tipton with art by Simon Fraser is on sale from 30th January from IDW Publishing.
• More about IDW's Doctor Who range on the official web site

• Simon Fraser's Official Blog: http://simonfraser.posterous.com/blog

• Read an interview with David and Scott Tipton about the maxi series on Comic Book Resources
Thanks to Denton Tipton for his help with updates to this story

IDW celebrates 50 years of Who with 'Prisoners of Time' maxi series

British comic creators look set to be heavily involved in US publisher IDW's Doctor Who at 50 celebrations with Simon Fraser and Lee Sullivan among the artists involved in their 'Prisoners of Time' maxi series, which launches this month.

'Prisoners of Time' will feature every incarnation of the Doctor, as well as a long list of villains, including the Zarbi from the TV story best known as The Web Planet.

The opening issue is being offered with two covers, one by Simon Fraser and the other a photo cover from publicity stills from the original Doctor Who episode, 'An Unearthly Child'.

"It's a 12-issue miniseries featuring all 11 incarnations of the Doctor," co-writer David Tipton told Comic Book Resources. "Each Doctor will be featured in one of the issues."

"And of course, there's a larger mystery spanning the course of the series," added co-writer David Tipton, "one which is set up in the opening pages of issue one, and which will increasingly come to light as the series progresses."

As yet, apart from the Zarbi, the villains who will play a part in the story have yet to be revealed.

Lee Sullivan has drawn the Patrick Troughton-Second Doctor story for #2 and Mike Collins has drawn the Pertwee-Third Doctor segment for Issue 3.

As well as the story, each issue will include an essay on the featured Doctor by prominent Who experts. Producer, director and script editor for Big Finish Productions, John Ainsworth provides these for #1 and #2, with Gary Russell contributing to #3.

• Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #1 written by Scott and David Tipton with art by Simon Fraser goes on sale 23rd January from IDW Publishing. 

• Read an interview with David and Scott Tipton about the maxi series on Comic Book Resources

Brit team bring Transformers fans biggest ever Optimus Prime-Megatron clash

Simon Furman, the comic creator who single handedly has probably done more to shape the mythology of Hasbro's Transfomers than any other over the past two decades (and counting) is promising an epic battle in #85 of IDW's latest Transformers title, Transformers Regeneration.

Out on Wednesday (7th November) Simon acknowledges that with this climax to his "Loose Ends" story arc "Pretty much everyone now knows it features what I hope is the most titanic and revealing Prime/Megatron clash ever.

"I’d always felt vaguely unsatisfied that the two towering titans of Transformers-dom had never really had an appropriately epic smackdown in the (original) comic series," he reveals in a blog post. "Circumstances and story direction just seemed to have them in different corners of the storyline, or the clashes would end in stalemate. When I came on the (US) book, with issue #56, the first thing on my mind was to get Megatron back in the fray. But through twists and turns (of my own devising) somehow I could never get them face-to-face, toe-to-toe (if you discount the Mega-Ratchet combo fight with Prime, where it’s fair to say Megatron wasn’t exactly feeling himself).

"So uppermost in mind when we got to continue the saga beyond its abrupt conclusion in issue #80 (in Regeneration One), was to put that to rights, to accelerate Optimus and Megatron into a showdown where all bets are off, the stakes and surrounding elements too mighty to brush off with an inconclusive draw (another stalemate was just not on the cards).

"In one corner, you’ve got Prime, who’s been head in the sand for the past 20 years, in the other Megatron, who’s been laying waste to Earth with almost the sole aim of sticking it to Prime and getting his attention. Well, now he’s got it — big time. The gloves are well and truly off.

"...As well as a totally titanic battle, I really wanted to get under the skin of the truly time and space-spanning grudge these two characters have," says Simon of the issue, which features art from Andrew Wildman and Stephen Baskerville. "I wanted to understand this strange, almost symbiotic relationship a little more, before, well, it ends. Forever.

"All I can say is, whatever you might think you know from the covers and forums and whatever else has engendered a mountain of speculation, think again. Nothing can be taken from granted. And the Prime/Megatron clash is just one part of this packed issue!"

• Read more about the issue, created by a near all-Brit team, on Simon's blog here



 

Artist Paul McCaffrey takes on TMNT's 'Fugitoid'

British comics comic creator Paul McCaffrey is the artist on the latest issue of IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Microseries: Fugitoid.

Also available digitally as well as in comic shops, the story centres on Fugitoid, a Mirage Studios character co-created by the founding fathers of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.

This comic Is a one-shot, released as the eighth issue of IDW's TMNT "Micro-Series" line written by Paul Allor and introduces Fugitoid to a new era of readers, the strong familial themes in his story and his personal connections to the TMNT. The adventure leads the new 'Fugitoid' to Earth, and stands to affect the Turtles’ future in an unexpected and crucial way.

The story serves to set up an upcoming TMNT ongoing story arc, and writer Paul Allor has nothing but praise for Paul McCaffrey's art.

"Paul does a really amazing job with action sequences," Allor told Comic Book Resources news. "He's able to make sure you know where everyone is, what's happening and what the stakes are for each character. He's a masterful storyteller in that regard.

"He's also fantastic at the character-acting part of the job," he added. "He's able to pick just the right body language, the right expression to tell you everything going on inside a character's mind. That's why one of my favorite moments was the scene... between Honeycutt and his wife, as they have an important conversation. It's a quiet, domestic scene, and Paul nailed the emotions behind it, the interaction of these two characters.

"The Fugitoid is an early creation of Mr. Eastman and Mr. Laird, pre-dating even the Turtles," he says of the character. "In the original continuity, he was a scientist named Professor Honeycutt who becomes trapped in a robot body and finds himself on the run from intergalactic factions. Eventually he hooks up with the Turtles and hijinks ensue!

"In the IDW continuity, Dr. Honeycutt is working for Krang before deciding to defect. The new IDW continuity is focused so strongly on family and moral questions of right and wrong, the proper use of violence and peace and how to do the right thing in such an imperfect world. Our new iteration of Dr. Honeycutt fits into these themes quite well."

"!We seem to have been getting generally positive reactions," says Paul of the book, which marks only his latest foray into US comics, having also worked on the Men of War mini-series for DC Comics.

Paul McCaffrey graduated from Newcastle Polytechnic (as was) with a BA in graphic design. Since then, he's mainly worked in the area of children's educational illustration, so he's done a lot of work you'll never see for books you've never heard of. Some of this can be seen on his web site or or his agent's web site.

Over the past few years, his comic strip work has appeared in UK indie titles such as Omnivistascope, Violent! and Zombies Vs Robots: Adventure. When he's not scribbling away, he makes music with The Phase 4). (Also atwww.last.fm/music/The+Phase+4).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles digital comics are now available to fans outside of the US, including the UK, Australia, the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey), Ireland and New Zealand.

The comics will be available in the TMNT Comics app, the IDW Comics app, Comics by comiXology apps for iOS and Android, or online at read.idwpublishing.com

- Paul McCaffrey's web site: www.coroflot.com/paul_mccaffrey

- Read a 2010 interview with the artist on the SciFi Art Now blog

- Read Paul Allor's interview about the Fugitoid comic on Comic Book Resources

2000AD, IDW team on Ewing, McCarthy's 'Zaucer of Zilk'

Continuing their new partnership with legendary English publishers 2000AD, IDW Publishing is proud to announce a collection of Al Ewing and Brendan McCarthy’s The Zaucer of Zilk.


The mind blowing story centres on a despondent, alienated young man who finds himself in a mysterious Technicolour candy shop - and his world changes forever. Thrust into the magical, psychedelic world of Zilk and finding himself atop the throne of the legendary Zaucer.

Dimension-hopping onto comic stands this October, The Saucer of Zilk is a story that simply must be seen to be believed, say IDW. The two over-sized issues of Zaucer are bursting at the staples with McCarthy’s brilliantly vivid art and he and Ewing’s fantastically ambitious story, taking readers on a wild, phantasmagorical journey across unique worlds with characters that are colorful to say the least.

“Before the main event of our Judge Dredd partnership begins in November, it’s a blast to also work with 2000 AD in bringing the gorgeous insanity of McCarthy and Ewing’s creation to readers here,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. “The colorful wonderment Brendan McCarthy worked on the Zilk pages is already embedded in my eyelids forever, and I can’t wait for readers to experience the same thing.”


“I was immediately captivated by The Zaucer of Zilk when Brendan and Al first pitched it to me, and had sensed even then it would be something special. It's great to see the Zaucer's worlds reach an even wider audience through IDW,” said 2000AD Editor Matt Smith.

• Zaucer of Zilk #1 of 2 (32 pages, FC, $3.99) will be in stores October 2012. Diamond order code: AUG12 0394.

• Visit IDWPublishing.com or find them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/idwpublishing and http://tumblr.idwpublishing.com/ and on Twitter at @idwpublishing

Transformers return, Marvel UK style!

Picking up the story 21 years later, IDW Publishing, in association with Hasbro, has released more information about Transformers: Regeneration One, an all-new monthly series continuing from the original Generation One Transformers comics originally published by Marvel UK.

 

IDW will kick off the event by offering fans a free Transformers: Regeneration One #80.5 for Free Comic Book Day, 5th May 2012, as a Gold Sponsorship comic - then continue with Transformers: Regeneration One #81 in July.

Writer Simon Furman and legendary Transformers artist Andrew Wildman (who will be signing at London's Orbital Comics on FCBD, see earlier story), are back to their original roots with all-new stories. Starting after 1991’s Transformers #80 comic epic conclusion, the free issue picks up as Optimus Prime watches over a Cybertron that hasn't faced Megatron for decades. But that peace shudders to an end and dives headlong into July's new series.

“The original Transformers saga is back - with a vengeance!” enthuses Simon Furman. “‘Epic’ doesn’t cover it!”

Transformers: Regeneration One #81 comic will feature many fan-favourite Generation One Transformers characters including Optmus Prime, Grimlock, Kup, Rod, Ultra Magnus and more.

Marvel UK's licensed Transformers was one its most successful news stand tiles, running new stories originated for the UK market that writer Simon Furman carefully dovetailed into the US comic stories also published into the title. These early stories have since been re-published as albums by Titan Books.

“It's always nice to complete unfinished business, even after 20 years,” says Andrew Wildman. Artist Stephen Baskerville, the original inker on the classic issues, joins Wildman on interiors as inker, as Wildman also provides eye-catching covers.

“Transformers: Regeneration One comic is an important book to Transformers fans,” IDW Senior Editor John Barber commented, “and expectations are high. Fortunately Simon, Andrew, and Stephen have only gotten better since the last issue!”

- Transformers: Regeneration One #80.5 (Free, 32 pages; full colour) will be available on May 5, 2012 as part of Free Comic Book Day. Transformers: Regeneration One #81 ($3.99, 32 pages; full colour) will be available in July 2012. Visit IDWPublishing.com to sign up for updates and learn more about the company and its top-selling books.



 

US publisher IDW announces Judge Dredd title

US publishers IDW have announced they're to publish a Judge Dredd ongoing series, which will launch this autumn.

No creators have yet been announced but the title will feature original stories alongside classic reprints from 2000AD - a combination that's worked for the publisher before with titles such as Doctor Who and will certainly get a boost, hopefully, when the Judge Dredd film opens.

"These things always take a while," IDW publisher Chris Ryall told Comic Book Resources. "It's something we wanted to do a long time ago.

"I've been a huge fan since the early '80s when I read some of the Brian Bolland stuff. I don't remember how many months ago it was, but a few months back, we started talking about things with 2000AD, and over the last few months, it's come together really nicely.

"I was in London a few weeks ago and met with the 2000AD guys," he revealed. "We meshed on the ideas of what we'd like to do and where we'd like to take things from here. I'm really excited about this one. It's the crown jewel, for me."

 

Cybermen, Borg, set to battle in Doctor Who-Star Trek crossover

Following up on our earlier report that a Doctor Who/Star Trek comic crossover was in the works, US publisher IDW have released more detals about the eight-issue mini series.

In conjunction with BBC Worldwide Consumer Products and CBS Consumer Products, IDW Publishing will make history when two of the greatest science-fiction properties of all time come together in a comic book for the first time. The world’s most popular time traveler teams up with the U.S.S. Enterprise crew in Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2.

“By joining these two sci-fi powerhouses, fans will be taken on the ultimate adventure through time and space,” said Liz Kalodner, executive vice president and general manager of CBS Consumer Products.

Launching in May but, as far as we know at presnt, only to be on sale officially in the US, Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2 will feature fan-favourite villains the Borg and the Cybermen as they create an unholy alliance resulting in potential disaster for all humanity. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise find themselves joining forces with the Eleventh Doctor and his companions, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance.

This eight-issue series will be written by Scott and David Tipton, two of the regular IDW Star Trek writers, with a helping hand from longtime Doctor Who writer Tony Lee, and will feature fully painted artwork by J.K. Woodward (Fallen Angel).

“We are excited about this new adventure for the Doctor and the fact that he will be travelling with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his iconic crew," says the BBC's Soumya Sriraman, executive vice president Home Entertainment and Licensing.

"This is a perfect partnership for not only Doctor Who’s incredible fans, but also for the brand. We have just celebrated our most successful year yet. Doctor Who’s latest season delivered record ratings for BBC America and it was most downloaded full TV seasons of 2011 in the U.S. on the iTunes Store,” .


The fisrt issue variants include a rare wraparound photo cover and an alternate cover from Star Trek Ongoing artist Joe Corroney featuring the Doctor and friends aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. 

The bad news for British comics fans is that getting hold of this crossover series might be difficult. Because Panini license Doctor Who comic rights in the UK for Doctor Who Magazine and the BBC publishes its own Doctor Who Adventures title, IDW's Who comics are not usually available officially in the UK.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2 ($3.99, 32 pages, full colour) will be available in US comic stores in May 2012.

• Visit IDWPublishing.com to sign up for updates and learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

® & © 2012 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.

BBC, DOCTOR WHO (word marks, logos and devices), TARDIS and CYBERMAN are trade marks of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are used under license.

IDW to publish Doctor Who-Star Trek crossover

The SF show crossover many fans have longed for but has, until now, been the work of fan fiction alone, is finally about to happen officially for the first time - a Doctor Who meets Star Trek comic crossover.

Bleeding Cool has squirrelled out news of the upcoming crossover from IDW that will see the Eleventh Doctor and crew encounter the Captain Picard and team from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Due to be released in May, the crossover follows hot on the heels of IDW's Star Trek/Legion of Superheroes six issue mini series, which concludes next month.

This is the first time that the two TV science fiction franchises have officially crossed over in comics, although there have been several brief encounters between Doctor Who and other comic characters, including Marvel's Death's Head and Eagle's Dan Dare (in a strip for the 1980s charity Comic Relief Comic).

Doctor Who Classics: Planet of the Dead re-mastered

US publisher IDW is currently publishing early Doctor Who stories from the Seventh Doctor era and the latest issue, on sale now in the US, features a rather special anniversary story by none other than myself and the wonderfully talented Lee Sullivan.

First published in Doctor Who Magazine in 1988, 'Planet of the Dead' (not to be confused with the more recent Who TV movie) was commissioned by then Doctor Who strip editor Richard (Elephantmen) Starkings to mark the 25th anniversary of the show. As my first Doctor Who story, you can imagine a tale featuring all the Doctors was something of a challenge, but thanks to Richard's editing and Lee's smashing art it turned out well, I think, and proved popular with readers.

Now coloured by Charlie Kirchoff, the story features alongside another great tale, 'Keepsake' by Simon Furman and John Higgins.

I'm pretty sure that this new edition is the first time my name has ever appeared on the cover of a US comic, so I'm pretty chuffed to be up there with such illustrious company.

'Planet of the Dead' was a two-part story featuring several past companions and the first seven doctors - in likeness, if not as the originals - and was intended as an anniversary tribute. The monsters of the piece were the Gwanzulum - shape-changing aliens that were also slipped into several other Marvel titles in the same month, to see if readers noticed their secret invasion.

Working with editor Richard Starkings was valuable experience for me - not just on this story but other titles such as The Real Ghostbusters and Thundercats. Richard devoured writing and comic art books and was, and is, a mine of information on the comics form. He taught me how to edit my strips, shape them better.

There was one instance on a Thundercats story I wrote, where economic circumstance force the cutting of a strip from 11 to five pages overnight and I argued it couldn't be done. He did it with consummate ease -- it was a very useful lesson!


Lee Sullivan, who also drew illustrations for a text story, 'Scream of the Silent', for the Doctor Who 25th Anniversary Special at around the same time, recalls that 'Planet of the Dead' was the first strip he’d drawn extensively featuring humans.

"I’d only just done a couple of strips for Transformers, he notes. "In one of those I had drawn a likeness of Richard Branson and that proved to be a 'career-moment' because, as a result, when Richard Starkings was assigning Who scripts to artists, he swapped mine to 'Planet' from 'Time and Tide', which Dougie Braithwaite ended up drawing. Suddenly I was having to deal with likenesses of all the 'dead' companions and all the Doctors, as well as being very aware of all the great artists I was following!

"It was a dream come true, though. I had followed Who in strip form since the first appearance of the Neville Main 'Hartnell' in TV Comic.

Of all the Doctors he had to visualize, the Seventh proved the most elusive to capture. " I think everyone found him hard – his face has an infinite variety of expressions," Lee says. "I find that I have to build a ‘virtual model’ of the character in my head, so that the drawings look consistent from panel to panel, but every photo of Sylvester shows a different face."

IDW's Doctor Who Comic Classics aren't officially distributed in the UK, but IDW told us earlier in the year that the digital edition will be available here, so look out for it when it's launched. 'Planet of the Dead' was, of course, also published in black and white by Panini, in their collection of early Seventh Doctor strips, A Cold Day in Hell.

They've done a great job on this Classics collection. I just wish more people in the UK could see it!

• IDW Comics is at: www.idwpublishing.com


• Lee Sullivan's Official web site


• More about Planet of the Dead on the TARDIS Index File

IDW's Doctor Who Classics reaches Seventh Doctor era

The first issue of US comics publisher's latest Doctor Who Classics volume went on sale earlier this month across the pond, featuring re-coloured Seventh Doctor stories by a slew of creators I've worked with down the years.

The Seventh Doctor's initial adventures were edited by Richard Starkings, and originally hit the ground running in Doctor Who Magazine Issue 130 back in 1987 with the four-part Ice Warrior story 'A Cold Day in Hell' written by Simon Furman with art from John Ridgway and Tim Perkins. It's the first episodes of that story that feature in this issue of Doctor Who Classics: The Seventh Doctor, which features an all-new cover by Robert Hack and new colours by Charlie Kirchoff.

'A Cold Day in Hell' featuring the Ice Warriors – used with the full permission of Brian Hayles’ estate, the use of TV monsters in the strip requiring such approval – saw the departure of John Ridgway as regular artist, as well as an end to shape-changing Frobisher’s journeys in the TARDIS. For many DWM readers neither decision was popular, and there were appeals for both John and Frobisher’s return. This was the last regular appearance for the shape-changing Frobisher, however, who had been stuck as a penguin for some time and although making an appearance in the Colin Baker-penned comic special Age of Chaos, wouldn't return to DWM until Issue 329, in Where Nobody Knows Your Name, a story by Roger Langridge, in which it turns out he now runs a pub!

Panels from 'A Cold Day
in Hell', re-coloured by
Charlie Kirchoff.

Writer Simon Furman was determined to have a TV villains the Ice Warriors in the story, which required clearance from (and payment to) creator Brian Hayles' estate. "My first two Who strip stories had obeyed the unwritten directive 'thou shalt not use established villains straight out of the gate,'" he recalls, "but with my third story, the first to feature the Seventh Doctor in strip form, I felt a grade A Who villain was called for.

"I’d always loved the Ice Warriors, back from when I was a little kid (I caught the original Troughton Ice Warriors story when he was partnered with Victoria and Jamie and it blew my whatever-year-old mind), and the chance to do a new Ice Warriors story was simply too tasty to resist."

 Tim Perkins recalls feeling rather daunted by the opportunity to work with John Ridgway on the story, but his inks proved very popular with readers, who voted him their favourite back in 1988. "Working on Doctor Who meant working with John, whose work I really admired, although I’m still not sure I was ready for it,” he says, "but John was brilliant and lent his advice where it was needed and made me feel I was doing it right. I had a ball on the series and was pretty much left to ink it the way I saw fit.

 "John basically draws with ink, with very sparse pencils, but everything is there, so even though he was pencilling more for me than he would for himself, there wasn’t as much on the pages as some of the other artists I had worked with at the time, which also meant there was more of me in the art.

"I think I can now do a good impersonation of a John Ridgway ink job, but back then it was just me inking like I would anything for anyone. I was learning such a lot.“

Next month, Issue 2 completes the Ice Warrior story and features 'Redemption' by Simon Furman, Kev Hopgood and Tim Perkins, and Death's Head's first appearance in Doctor Who - 'The Crossroads of Time'. Simon Furman again scripts that story, with art by Geoff Senior.

The story was designed to free the robot bounty hunter from his battles with giant robots in Transformers comic and, eventually, get him into his own US-style title.

“It was an enjoyable experience to pit Death's Head against the Doctor,” recalls artist Geoff Senior, “mainly because I didn't expect it to happen! I never thought they would ever meet, so when they did I was pleasantly surprised.

Geoff had no problems realizing a battle between the giant Death’s Head and the diminutive Doctor. “The scale didn't really cause me a problem. It was something that may have troubled Simon more – he had the problem of figuring out a way to shrink DH down in size.

“Death’s Head was initially a 'throw away' character who proved too valuable to throw away,” Geoff notes. “It was important to find an excuse to reduce him in size, so that he could interact with other more normal sized Marvel characters.”

Issue 3, on sale in April, features 'Claws of the Klathi' by Mike Collins and Kev Hopgood, with inks by Dave Hine.

“I was going through one of my 'more writer than artist' phases,” recalls Mike Collins of 'Claws', “doing scripts for various licensed books and Future Shocks for 2000AD. I'd written one Who story before – Profits of Doom – which sowed the seeds for a major arc featuring the Sixth Doctor who unfortunately got 'moved on', so it never got completed.

“I was lured back to Doctor Who by Richard Starkings,” he continues, also admitting the commission, like many others, “may have been in a pub and may have involved Guinness.

“I love Victoriana,” the artist-writer, who has since written modern-era Who for DWM, reveals. “Talons of Weng Chiang is one of my favourite ever Who stories, and I wanted to do something with that vibe.

Mike wasn’t the only person enthused by the strip’s Victorian setting. “I did do a load of research for that one, I was really fired up by Mike’s script,” says Kev. “I’m really into Victoriana, too, which I think Richard knew from our time 'working' in fanzines. It was great having Dave ink my work on this job as well. Although he’s now gone more into writing, he’s one of the few inkers that I’ve been absolutely happy with.

“It was a bit of a jolt to go onto the good Doctor after having drawn Zoids and Action Force.”

"This strip was very different to my previous collaborations with Kev Hopgood," recalls David Hine. "I was used to producing a slick brush line but this strip called for a very different style because of the Victorian setting.

"This was shortly after Berni Wrightson's illustrated Frankenstein had appeared: his illustrations recalled the pen-and-ink work of American illustrators like Joseph Clement Coll, John R. Neill and Franklin Booth. Intricate pen work that looked almost like etchings.

"Kev and I were both big fans of Wrightson and we set out to emulate that work. I ditched the brush, took up the pen and spent long days and nights finishing the job to deadline. It was a lot of work, but I think we achieved the look we were after and I remember that story going down very well with the readers."

The stories pace and shorter episode count marked a major change from previous Doctor Who comics which, during the Fifth and Sixth Doctor eras, had  more of an 'epic' feel to them.

“I wanted to do whatever I could to make the strip more reminiscent of the show,” editor Richard Starkings reveals of his approach to the strip. “I loved Steve Parkhouse's stories for the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Doctors, but felt that he was very much doing his own thing – toward the end it was practically autobiographical.

'Planet of the Dead', coming in May
(Issue 4) features seven Doctors

“The one thing I wanted to avoid was a lame duck companion slowing the strip down,” he reveals, “so we got rid of the heat vampire, Olla, Simon Furman introduced in Cold Day in Hell and I asked writers to focus on characters in each story that could fill the companion role.” (That device is of course one recently employed in more recent Doctor Who TV Specials such as The Christmas Invasion and The Runaway Bride).

Looking back on the strips now, Richard feels many stand the test of time. “I think Kev Hopgood and Dave Hine's art for 'Claws of the Klathi' is amongst the best work either of them produced to date,” he argues, “and even though I got a lot of stick for crossing over with Death’s Head and The Sleeze Brothers, they still make me giggle, and I think, along with the Keepsake story, they're the equivalent of 'Doctor Light' episodes in the recent series."

• On downthetubes: A Cold Day at Marvel UK
An extended feature going behind the scenes on the early Seventh Doctor stories featuring interview material with many of the creators

• IDW Doctor Who Classics - Official Information. IDW's Doctor Who comics are not officially available in the UK but they tell me they will be available as digital editions later this year