The long-awaited fourth issue of acclaimed Doctor Who comics and artwork fanzine Vworp Vworp! will be released in September, available in not one but three terrific variant covers…
Every issue of Vworp Vworp! so far has been an absolute treat for Doctor Who comic fans, and while the gap between issues is often long, the wait for a new issue is always worth it. This upcoming issue is most definitely no exception!
This 172-page issue, edited by Colin Brockhurst and published by Gareth Kavanagh, focuses on the Doctor’s strange adventures across 15 years, in TV Comic and other titles. A time when “Doctor Who” fought Trods, Daleks, Ugrakks, Quarks, The Pied Piper, Cybermen, Kleptons, all with the help of his plucky grandchildren John and Gillian, and more familiar faces like Jamie, Liz, Sarah Jane, Leela and, of course, Santa Claus! (Wait… what!?)
Lavishly illustrated with original artwork and never-before-seen photos, Vworp Vworp! Issue Four is a celebration of the weird and often wonderful TV Comic, Countdown and TV Action strips, and the equally colourful characters behind them.
Included are interviews with artists Bill Mevin, Harry Lindfield and Martin Asbury, alongside celebrations of the lives of the late artists John Canning, Neville Main, Gerry Haylock and Frank Langford, written with the full cooperation of their families. Plus, script writers Roger Noel Cook and David Motton write about their Doctor Who work, and there are detailed profiles of the strips other writers, artists and editors, including Tom Woodman, Alan Fennell, Dennis Hooper, Patrick Williams and Dick Millington.
But that’s not all, because there are brand new comic strips, too! “The Trod Invasion of Earth” is written by Steve Lyons and drawn by Shawn Van Briesen, starring the First Doctor, John and Gillian, while the Second Doctor faces the “Return of the Piper“, by Tim Quinn and Paul Cowan. There’s trouble for the Third Doctor, too, in the epic “Revenge of the Ugrakks”, by George Mann and Paul Cooke.
Vworp Vworp! Issue Four also goes behind the scenes exploring the creation of Doctor Who Magazine’s homage to TV Comic, “The Land of Happy Endings” and explores memories of growing up with the comics, and designing a competition-winning monster.
Plus: two of its three artists discuss the making of much-loved book Doctor Who
and the Daleks Omnibus, released through Marks & Spencer in 1976; a feature on collecting original Doctor Who artwork; a profile of prolific illustrator John Woods, who worked on many Dalek and Doctor Who books in the 1960s – and much more.
But you just know the Vworp Vworp! team aren’t going to stoop there, do you? Because yes, there will be free gifts for buyers, too: ‘Sugar Pats’, an authentic 1960s Doctor Who/TV Comic-themed cereal packet; and a set of thrilling TV Comic stickers for your favourite cardigan!
Head over to — oh, wait, you’ve gone, haven’t you?
• Out in September 2021, you can order Vworp Vworp! issue 4, price £9.99, from vworpvworp.co.uk now
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “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.
Categories: British Comics, Comics, Creating Comics, Doctor Who, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Magazines, Other Worlds, Television
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