Issue 5 (February 1985)
The Front Cover
“Doctor Who Meets the Time Witch!” An action shot combined from several panels of the comic: Brimo simultaneously wraps Sharon in chains and disintegrates the Doctor’s hat. His only comment: “My Hat–!” A caption box in the lower right-hand corner tells us, “Plus: An Exclusive Interview with the New Doctor – Colin Baker and Doctor Who producer, John Nathan-Turner!”
The Strips
“Doctor Who and the Time Witch” (“The Time Witch” Parts One – Four)
“Warlord of the Ogrons” (“Warlord of the Ogrons” Parts One – Two)
We return to the old tactic of editing the two back-up strip episodes to look like one.
The Articles
“Fellow Travellers” (by Patrick Daniel O’Neill, artist unknown)
A complete rundown of the Doctor’s companions, from Susan Foreman to Perpugilliam Brown. O’Neill is keen to remind us that while Susan “called the Doctor ‘Grandfather’…their true relationship remains unknown.” Actually, the thing is remarkably accurate, and even includes Katarina and Sara Kingdom. Accompanied by the same illustration of Leela seen in issue #3 and Marvel Premiere #60, but – yes! – recoloured.
“John Nathan-Turner and Colin Baker: The Producer and the Doctor” (interview and photos by Patrick Daniel O’Neill)
Another interview, conducted this time at Panopticon West ’84 in Columbus, Ohio. O’Neill questions the two celebrities about the “certain characteristics common to all the Doctors”, what will happen when the Doctor reaches his last body (both offer some pretty bizarre ideas on how the show could continue), their opinion of US fandom, and whether they’re afraid of typecasting. Ironically, Baker says he has “set no time limit on playing the role”, while JN-T, although not worried about it, admits that “if [a producer] stayed for ten years it could be dangerous.” And, oh yeah, they tackle the whole TARDIS-changing-shape debacle (with JN-T trying to fob it off on educational interests!).
The Columns
“Introduction” (by Jim Salicrup)
Salicrup reveals his big, exciting secret: Pat Mills will be writing for the Doctor Who television program! (Except, of course, he never did.) “Now don’t ask when his episodes will hit the airwaves, even Pat doesn’t know.” He then spends most of the rest of the column providing a checklist of which Doctor Who comics have appeared in each issue of the comic, as well as the earlier Marvel Premieres.
“Who Cares”
Tom Seger of Maine writes to simply congratulate Marvel on their fine comic. Trevor Ruppe of North Carolina gets all picky that Telos was mentioned as the Cyber homeworld in “Throwback”, when it’s clearly Mondas. Jason Dargo of Kentucky likes the contents of the Doctor’s pockets, as seen in “The Star Beast”. Patricia Fogleman (address withheld by request) writes one big praise-a-thon for the comic, and how it turned her into a full-on Doctor Who fan. More pedantry comes from Philip Salomon of Illinois, who knows exactly what colours the Doctor’s scarf should be, as well as yarn lengths (“‘8 mustard, 16 grey, 8 rust, 54 camel, 10 purple'”). Naturally, the comic’s colorist promises to try and work in all those colours and then promptly ignores his promise and goes right on back to his usual scheme. Oh, and Philip wanted some Peter Davison and Colin Baker strips, too – doesn’t everyone? Finally, more praise comes from David Hayes of Pennsylvania, who enjoyed “The Star Beast” and “Throwback”, but didn’t like “The Return of the Daleks”, “probably because the Doctor was not in it.” Oh, and he wants strips featuring other Doctors. Ay carumba. Accompanied by the same picture used as the Marvel TARDIS. With different colouring, naturally.
The Adverts
“Subscribe to Doctor Who: The Magazine of Time and Space”;
“10 Reasons to Pick Up Marvel Age Every Month”.
The Back Cover
The same logo-on-black as seen on issue #3.
Cool Colours
The Marvel TARDIS is entirely bright blue. That’s right, bright blue from head to toe, lamp and all. It still gives off pale blue light, though. The Doctor’s coat, both in the comic and on the cover, finally gains its dark brown cuffs again after two issues (the collar, however, remains unchanged). On the cover, the Doctor’s scarf comes as close as it ever will to the proper TV colours: yellow, orange, red, dark green, and purple. The highlights of Brimo’s black hair are green. Ogrons have purple skin and orange whiskers, it would seem.
Fun Mistakes
John Nathan-Turner experiments in retconning: he wants everyone to think back to that classic Peter Davison story, “The Keeper of Traken”. And there had to be an error somewhere in that companions article, don’t you know; apparently “The Caves of Androzani” was Peri’s first story, and Turlough’s swansong.
Conclusion
A good issue, with a fun Doctor/Sharon comic and an acceptable back-up strip. The interview with Colin and JN-T is a definite highlight, particularly when read these days. Truth be told, we got a kick out of the obsessive fans in this month’s “Who Cares”, too.
Issue 6 (March 1985)
The Front Cover
“The Doctor’s on the Run Again – This Time in Ancient China!” The Doctor is attacked by the Shaolin monks, in a scene extrapolated from (but not actually in) “Dragon’s Claw”. He protests heartily: “You’ve got the wrong chap! I’m just a tourist!”. A fun action cover from Dave Gibbons.
The Strips
“Doctor Who: Dragon’s Claw: The Summer of Death!” (“Dragon’s Claw” Parts One – Five)
“Deathworld” (“Deathworld” Parts One ‘ Two)
Quite oddly, the “Part One” caption is gone, but the “Part Two” caption has been retained.
“Abslom Daak’ Dalek-Killer” Part One
The Columns
“Introduction” (by Jim Salicrup)
More praise for the original British magazine, as well as the US colorists. Comics Collector magazine has “selected DOCTOR WHO MONTHLY, as well as Groo The Wanderer, and Elfquest, as one of the 12 ‘finest direct-sales comics.'” Salicrup is also extremely proud to know that “best-selling novelist Jerry Ahern” (who?!) called to find out “how he could subscribe to Doctor Who.” Awww.
“Who Cares”
T.J. Campbell of Wisconsin has a lot to say: he lists all nine Doctors (including Trevor Martin), liked “Dogs of Doom” more than “Star Beast”, complains about the book reviews in issue #3, thinks Sharon is boring, wants Romana instead, liked “Throwback” but would’ve preferred it in one issue, and thinks “The Final Quest” wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. Gad, do some people ever shut up? The editors respond with a nearly as long reply, including responses to frequently asked questions (like, say, “Will other Doctors besides Tom Baker be appearing in your stories?”). Mike Lord of Chicago “bought four copies of each of the four Marvel Premieres featuring [the] beloved Doctor”, “11 copies of the first issue” of Doctor Who, and “five of the second”. Cripes. Mary Lowe from Nashville, Tennessee wants to know the significance of one Irving Forbush. And the editors take some time to “comment on the amazing amount of mail Doctor Who received from female readers.”
The Adverts
“Subscribe to Doctor Who: The Magazine of Time and Space”;
Marvel Subscriptions Savings.
The Back Cover
“10 Reasons to Pick Up Marvel Age Every Month”.
Cool Colours
The Marvel TARDIS finally settles down into something reasonable – bright blue, with yellow windows, white lettering and lamp, with white and pale blue light. On the cover, the Doctor’s waistcoat is dark brown. In part one of “Deathworld”, one Ice Warrior appears to have purple legs.
Conclusion
The beginning of a run of content-packed issues. “Dragon’s Claw” is one of our favourite strip stories, and the first portion ends on just the right cliffhanger. “Deathworld” is, well, pretty dead, but it’s nice to see Abslom Daak make his first appearance. A nice tight issue.
Issue 7 (April 1985)
The Front Cover
Continuing last month’s theme, a cover clearly inspired by the featured strip but not relating to any specific scene: a gigantic, bronze, helmeted Sontaran holds the Doctor, Sharon and K-9 in its hand. A very cool cover, and quite eye-catching, in our humble opinion.
The Strips
“Doctor Who: Dragon’s Claw: Men of Bronze: Fists of Iron!” (“Dragon’s Claw” Parts Six – Seven) (Wow, lots of colons!)
Beginning with this instalment, the editors start listing which issues of Doctor Who Weekly or Monthly the comics come from, in a caption below each comic’s first page.
“Abslom Daak: Dalek-Killer” Parts Three and Four
No attempt is made to disguise that this segment of “Abslom Daak” is culled from two British instalments, complete with title captions and “End of Episode #” caption boxes.
The Articles
“The Doctor Who Bookshelf” (by Patrick Daniel O’Neill, artist unknown)
In this instalment, O’Neill examines four Target novels from the first Doctor’s era: Doctor Who – An Unearthly Child, Doctor Who and the Daleks, Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus, and Doctor Who – The Aztecs. Each review describes the plot, makes comments on the author’s writing style, and includes a brief excerpt. O’Neill actually recommends we start reading Doctor Who and the Daleks from chapter 3 onwards! He is, of course, quite complimentary to all four books and their authors, even going so far as to say that Terrance Dicks has “an ability to write for several different readers at once: the youngster, who merely wants a chance to read about his favorite TV hero; the SF reader, who wants an interesting plot; and the Who fan, who requires an accurate record of that original broadcast.” All this about An Unearthly Child? Wow!
The Columns
“Introduction” (by Jim Salicrup)
The editor explains the new policy of telling readers which issues of the British magazine the comics come from (see above), and defends the decision to keep the British spellings. Oh, and he lavishes praise on the British team again.
“Who Cares”
Michael “Doctor” Webster of Sandy, Utah, is a big fan of Tom Baker; John Caples of Hanover, Massachusetts, makes the usual demands for different logos, different Doctors, new stories, etc. David Alan Wright of New Britain, Connecticut, defends the comic from “Lady Jennika”‘s scathing comments in issue #4, but he still wants more Doctors. Paul Antonowicz of East Islip, New York, thinks there should be crossovers with “anyone from Conan to Indiana Jones to the X-Men! The possibilities are endless!” He also thinks the letters page should be called Time Passages. Trevor Ruppe of Statesville, North Carolina, is back, with comments on the strips of issue #3 (he liked them all). And, oh yeah – he wants Peter Davison strips. .::sigh::. Accompanied by the Dalek cliffhanger panel from “Dogs of Doom”, with new (but really hardly different) colouring.
The Adverts”Subscribe to Doctor Who: The Magazine of Time and Space”;
Marvel Subscriptions Savings.
The Back Cover
“10 Reasons to Pick Up Marvel Age Every Month”.
Cool Colours
The Marvel TARDIS is – shock of shocks! – exactly the same colours as last month, with the exception of a little more pale blue light and a little less white light (hey if you’re gonna be picky!). The whole thing about “Bronze Men” would make a lot more sense if the Sontarans’ armour was bronze-coloured, as it is on the front cover or in the initial splash page.
Conclusion
It’s another packed issue, with the great conclusion to “Dragon’s Claw” and more Abslom Daak. The book reviews are rather self-serving, but overall it’s a very fun instalment.
Issue 8 (May 1985)
The Front Cover
The Doctor socks himself in the jaw, in a scene from “The Collector”. A caption in the corner tells us what a treat we’re in for: “2 Tales of the Doctor in This Issue: ‘The Collector’ ‘Dreamers of Death'”.
The Strips
“Doctor Who: The Collector”
“Doctor Who and the Dreamers of Death” (“Dreamers of Death” Parts One – Two)
Unusually, the two episodes both carry their original title captions, instead of being combined into one strip.
“Abslom Daak: Dalek Killer” Part Three
Well, they tried. They’ve changed the caption on this one to read “Part Three”, when clearly it’s part four – part three, complete with caption, ran in the last issue!
The Columns
“Introduction” (by Jim Salicrup)
Salicrup repeats the usual facts, and informs us that the editor of the included comics, Paul Neary, is now pencilling Captain America. He also talks about Denis Gifford, “the famed British comics historian”, and his International Book of Comics, which features a whole chapter on Doctor Who comics (titled “The Where and When of Dr. Who”), including the covers of Doctor Who Weekly #1, Marvel Premiere #57, and TV Action #1, as well as information on the Time Lord’s comics appearances from the very beginning. Accompanied by a two-colour version of Walt Simonson’s cover from Marvel Premiere #57.
“Who Cares”
Alex Afterman of San Francisco, California, Daryl A. Christensen of St. Louis, Missouri, and Helen Lesser of Norwalk, Connecticut all offer their praise of the Doctor Who comic. They’re particularly appreciative of Andy Yanchus’ colouring effort, and of course want strips featuring other Doctors. Matt Rogers of Deerfield, Illinois writes in with a bullet list of points on how the comics (more specifically issues #1 – #4) take liberties with the TARDIS and how it’s “supposed” to work; he doesn’t like the “slightly incompetent” portrayal of the Doctor, either. Eric Stafford of Lenoir, North Carolina writes to mention the “Keeper of Traken” mistake (see issue #5), while a demand for Sharon’s immediate dismissal comes from Gregg Evans of “Gallifrey”.
The Adverts
Marvel Subscriptions Savings;
“Subscribe to Doctor Who: The Magazine of Time and Space”;
“10 Reasons to Pick Up Marvel Age Every Month”.
The Back Cover
Another wonderful piece of original art by Dave Gibbons. The dream Doctor and Sharon, in their spacesuits from “Dreamers of Death”, float over a blue-and-white background of the dreaming Doctor. This is one of our very favourites from the series of original Gibbons covers, and would’ve made a much better front cover than the piece used.
Cool Colours
The Marvel TARDIS is bright blue, with yellow windows, white lettering, and a red lamp that gives off yellow light. Unusually, the Doctor’s waistcoat and trousers are both dark brown on the front cover (as opposed to the trousers’ traditional green); his cuffs are also back to being the same colour as the rest of his coat, and his boots are reddish-brown. On the cover, the Doctor’s necktie is the typical red, while in the comic, it’s blue! On the back cover, the Doctor’s scarf is made up of fairly muted colours, far different from the usual colour scheme in the comic, and much closer to Tom Baker’s actual scarf (including white, cream and dark green). The Collector has blue-green skin and blue hair, while his robot is purple with pale purple face and hands. The slinths in “Dreamer of Death” are dark purple, but they combine into a bright red Devil.
Fun Mistakes
This isn’t so much an error as something that could be construed for one: in “Dreamers of Death”, the Doctor has ditched his usual shirt and necktie for his season 18 shirt (with question-mark collars). On first glance, you might think this is a case of the colorist making a mistake and not knowing when to switch to the all-red palette, but if you stop and look you’ll notice the Doctor is still wearing the speckled coat and check trousers of his earlier illustrated form. Thus, these two strip episodes represent a transitional phase for his costume.
ConclusionAnother packed issue! Two full stories with the Doctor, Sharon, and K-9, plus the last four pages of the first Abslom Daak script. “The Collector” isn’t a terribly strong story, but we have a soft spot for “Dreamers of Death” and the interesting idea of the Doctor having friends he drops in on every so often (even if the ending is very silly and somewhat Quatermass and the Pit-inspired). The comic is really on a quality roll right now.
