Batman Automobilia Collection launches in January

A new fortnightly series, Batman Automobilia Collection, launches in the UK in January from Eaglemoss, which distributors Comag say will offer Batman fans and car model enthusiasts alike the chance to collect the most iconic vehicles ever driven by the DC Comics hero.

Aimed at predominantly at men aged 16 and over the 80 part work series will feature Batmobiles from the hit TV shows, blockbusting films and more than 70 years of comics, from its first appearance in Detective Comics No.27 in May 1939 to The Dark Knight Rises film in 2012.

The Batmobile has gone through numerous incarnations, but has always been an innovative and inspirational vehicle for fans of the Caped Crusader. With weapons, gadgets and special abilities, it is almost a character in its own right in the stories for some, and its appearance is eagerly anticipated whenever a new one is designed.

Every issue will carry a superb quality die-cast model of a Batmobile in a Perspex display box with a lenticular background. In addition to the Batmobile, each issue will carry a 12-page magazine that describes that particular version of the vehicle.

On sale for a month, issue No.1 of Batman Automobilia Collection is on sale 2nd January 2013 at the introductory price of £2.99 and will carry a Batmobile from the 1989 film Batman. Issue No.2 will be on sale 17/01/13 priced £5.99, with a model of the vehicle from the 1966 TV series. Issue No.3 will be on sale 31/01/13 at the regular price of £9.99, featuring the Batmobile from the 2005 film Batman Begins. Issue No.4, on sale 14/02/12, will have the car from 1995’s Batman Forever.

Comag says the magazine will be supported by a staggering £1 million media campaign across TV, e-mail, online marketing and social media - imagine that kind of budget for The Phoenix or 2000AD...

Star Wars Comic That Never Was...

Artist Rob Davis, whose work includes Doctor Who and who's one of the contributors to the ongoing webjam Huzzah! has posted some intriguing pages from a planned Star Wars comic for the UK that had only limited distribution.

"Doing Huzzah! has reminded me of my last foray into Space Opera," he notes on his blog, "when I produced four issues of Jedi Academy for Lucasfilms and Deagostini a few years back.

"It was aimed at the kiddies (the younglings!?!?) and followed the jolly japes of four padwans as they go through their Jedi training."

This title should not be confused with the four-issue Star Wars: Jedi Academy series published by Dark Horse in 1998, written by Kevin J. Anderson.

Davis reveals the comic had limited distribution as a test but didn't materialize into a widely pubished title. Part work publisher Deagostini went on to produce the Official Star Wars Fact File.

• View more pages and designs on Rob's blog

Doctor Who DVD Files Magazine "Market Tested"

Last month, we reported on a new Doctor Who magazine in development from part works publishers GE Fabbri, publishers of the Doctor Who magazine Battles in Time and magazine-video titles such as Ronnie Barker, Charmed and Stargate SG-1.

Although GE Fabbri confirmed the Doctor Who DVD Files part work was in development at the time of our first report, they told downthetubes the project was at a very early stage but that "early development" has now reached a limited "market test" in the Tyne Tees TV region of the UK.

The tests usually run for some eight issues before a later nationwide launch, beginning again (obviously) at number one.

Copies of the test are on sale in outlets such as WH Smiths in Scarborough and the title, which we're told will start with a focus on the new series that began with Christopher Eccleston but may later feature older stories from the original Doctor Who, is clearly aimed at younger readers, as was Battles in Time, which recently completed its initial run.

Based on the test issues it appears the first run of the Magazine will cover all four seasons of the show to date and the Christmas specials.