TRIGAN EMPIRE APPEAL

22/12/03: The official Don Lawrence web site reports that the Don Lawrence Collection is working on a collectors edition of his wonderful Trigan Empire saga containing all the Trigan Empire stories drawn by Don Lawrence – over 40 stories, more then 950 pages of artwork.

The Don Lawrence Collection has access to over 750 original pages which will be scanned in high resolution, and say the quality of the printing on the final books will be amazing. At this moment they’re also enquiring by fans who has got original artwork if they could make a contribution by having their page scanned and send it to them.For the missing pages they can use the original films of Big Balloon, the publishing house who has published Trigan all over the world.

So if you’ve got original artwork (or know someone?), please let them know at trigan@donlawrence.nl and they’ll get in contact with you. If you want to make another contribution to the series, please let them know.

The Collection says This is a one time oppurtunity to publish the Trigan Empire in a real collectors-edition. The plan is for a series of 12 volumes, each about 80 – 100 pages full-colour, hardback, deluxe printed and bounded. The first print run will be 500 copies, price EUR 49.95 each volume. The plan is to publish two volumes a year and complete the run within five years.

This is the first time the complete series of the Trigan Empire will be available in the English language.

COURTNEY IS GOD!

22/12/03: Nicholas Courtney (Doctor Who‘s Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart) has taken on the role of God for a new web site, “The Next Seven Days”. The actor has lent his voice to some cartoons created by designer Daniel Cohen’s father, David M Cohen, 25 years ago.

LET’S HEAR IT FOR HELLBOY

5/12/03: Quicktime versions of the new Hellboy trailer are now online at the Apple web site – and it looks fantastic. Hellboy, from director Guillermo del Toro and based on Mike Mignola’s comic series, opens April 2, 2004 in the US.

Link: www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/hellboy

DOCTOR WHO: ACTION HEROINE TO BE COMPANION

4/12/03: The Doctor’s companion for the new series set debut in 2005 will be more like Buffy the Vampire Slayer rather than many past companions who became “scream queens”.

“We’ve got Buffy the Vampire Slayer now, so a screaming girly companion would be laughed out of the room,” writer and executive producer of the new series Russell T. Davies told UK listings magazine TV Times. The as yet uncast Doctor’s sidekick, whose name will probably be Rose Tyler, will no longer be just a glamorous addition to the adventures.

Davies says we’ll still get a loveable “same old Doctor Who” facing death and danger from “brand new” monsters throughout the universe and history — and the TARDIS will remain a Police Box.

Although several past female companions had feminist characterisation — Sarah Jane Smith for one — few remained “action heroines”, other than Ace, the final companion played by Sophie Aldred during the last years of the original show.

• Buy the Doctor Who theme ringtone (mono or polyphonic) for your mobile (Use the search facility to find the tone. This site is registered with the Performing Rights Society so the original artist gets a percentage of every purchase: Go

FAB 1 IMAGES FROM FORD

2/12/03: Car makers Ford have just released some new images of FAB 1, one of the vehicle stars of Universal’s Thunderbirds movie, due for a Summer 2004 release. The car is a key part of the International Rescue fleet – the personal transport of London Agent, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward (played by Sophia Myles in the film).

The design is in stark contrast to the original FAB 1 from the tv series, which was inspired by the classic design of Rolls Royce. But true to the film title, Ford says the new machine has taken its inspiration from the legendary Ford Thunderbird.

John Beard, the film’s production designer, and his team turned to Ford of Europe’s Design Group for help in creating this fantastic six-wheeled transportation device.

“We had a concept that updated the original, 1960’s-designed pink, six wheeled, glass topped limousine for the 21st century,” says Beard. “Ford’s designers, who coincidently were also re-inventing design classics for the future, came on board and successfully perfected the concept and gave it the Thunderbird identity.”

“Ford’s involvement in Thunderbirds was a wonderful opportunity for our designers to work with similarly minded people working in a completely different field,” explains Chris Bird, Director of Design for Ford of Europe. “We had the opportunity to put some serious thought, and fun, into designing a futuristic 27 foot six-wheeled vehicle that met the needs of the film makers while staying true to the Thunderbirds spirit.”

In addition to FAB 1, Ford has provided a number of other vehicle concepts that fit into the spirit of excitement, adventure and slightly off-the-wall fantasy needed for the Thunderbirds film.

• Thunderbird Online: Go

• Buy the original Thunderbirds ringtone (mono or polyphonic) for your mobile (Use the search facility to find the tone. This site is registered with the Performing Rights Society so the original artist gets a percentage of every purchase: Go

MY HERO MARATHONS ON UK GOLD

2/12/03: British digital channel UK Gold is running every episode of the superhero comedy series My Hero from 5 January as well as the Christmas special (first screened in 2000) on Christmas Eve/Day.

NEW BABYLON 5 PROJECT ON CARDS

21/11/03: Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski has hinted that some kind of new Babylon 5 project may be on the cards.

“On the B5 front, there has been something of rather substantial proportion that’s finally gone from talk to money,” he revealed in a post this weekend to the Babylon 5 moderated newsgroup, “such that I’m now working frantically to meet some deadlines, but there’s nothing I can say about this until after January 15th, probably closer to the end of that month.

“The only thing I can say is that phase one of the new project is a go, hence the furious writing schedule at this end of things, which is why I’ve been silent… I’ve been writing my little brains out.

“I know the immediate result of this will be speculation, but if we could keep that to a low roar on the nets to avoid precluding anything, that would be a wonderfulness. But trust me: I wouldn’t go on about something in this way if it wasn’t a significant development. Just trust me on this one for a bit and hold fire until further word.”

• Buy the Babylon 5 ringtone (mono or polyphonic) for your mobile (Use the search facility to find the tones. This site is registered with the Performing Rights Society so the original artist gets a percentage of every purchase: Go

HITCH HIKER’S RETURN

1/12/03: Radio 4 is to broadcast an adapation of Life, the Universe and Everything, by Douglas Adams after a 20-year wait. The BBC says the new dramatisation will feature most of the original Hitch-Hiker radio cast. This time, in consequence of a number of catastrophes, Arthur Dent finds himself living in a cave on prehistoric Earth, and then things get worse. The final two books, So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish and Mostly Harmless, will be broadcast later in the year.

• Buy Nick Webb’s official biography of Adams, Wish You Were Here from amazon.co.uk (Affiliate Link)

• Buy Titan Books Don’t Panic guide to The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Neil Gaiman (Affiliate Link)

GOING CUCKOO

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham is being broadcast as the Classic Serial on BBC Radio 4 on Sundays at 3.00pm. The dramatisation stars Bill Nighy, Sarah Parrish, Nicholas R Bailey and Clive Merrison.

Set in the 1950s, The Midwich Cuckoos sees a rural English village visited by a strange presence. One night, all of the women of childbearing age are mysteriously impregnated, and later give birth to sinister children who can communicate telepathically.