Fayetteville Mafia Press recently published A World of Demons: The Villains of Doctor Who, edited by David Bushman and Barnaby Edwards, a collection of essays devoted to the Time Lord’s greatest enemies, wrapped in a striking cover by Arlen Schumer.
Doctor Who has presented us so many nightmares over sixty years of production, from Daleks and Cybermen to Weeping Angels and the Silence. The greatest villains of the Who-niverse have achieved an iconic status all their own, cementing themselves in the minds of millions of viewers (why else would Parker Brothers have devised a version of Monopoly after them?).
If, as the Seventh Doctor once said, “You can always judge a man by the quality of his enemies,” the Doctor is great indeed, rescuing the universe time and again from some of the most formidable and terrifying villains in science fiction history.
A World of Demons: The Villains of Doctor Who is edited by David Bushman, author of Conversations with Mark Frost, offering interviews with the co-creator of both the original Twin Peaks and The Return, also a writer/producer on Hill Street Blues and other shows, and Barnaby Edwards (president, Doctor Who New York).
It offers an anthology of essays dedicated to deconstructing this gallery of blackguards. Who are the greatest Who villains of all time? Why are they so frightening? And – apologies to Shakespeare – what do they tell us about the villainy of our own fears?
A World of Demons is available in print and digital editions, features essays by Joseph Dougherty (executive producer, Pretty Little Liars; producer, thirtysomething), Steven Ashby, Anton Binder, Sarah Corey, Ken Deep, Jan Fennick, Hannah Friedman, Mark Givens, Nancy Hutchins, Jennie Jarvis, Don Klees, Chris Kocher, Robin Koman, Charles Martin, Michael Robinson, Steve Sautter, and Shane Thomas.
Perhaps the most controversial essays in the volume, written by Ken Deep, posits the Doctor as the biggest unwitting villain of the show, but there’s plenty more to leave the mind racing, including a look at the Sea Devils, Silurians and Zygons by Jan Fennick, The Silence by Chris Kocher, the Daleks by Anton Binder, and much more.
David Bushman is a longtime television curator at The Paley Center for Media and an adjunct professor of media at colleges in the New York area. He is the author of Twin Peaks FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About a Town Both Wonderful and Strange (2016), Buffy the Vampire Slayer FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About Sunnydale’s Slayer of Vampires, Demons, and Other Forces of Darkness (2017), and Conversations with Mark Frost (2020).
Barnaby Edwards is a British actor, writer, director, and artist, whose roles include a Dalek operator on Doctor Who. He has also written, directed, produced, or performed in over 80 Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories.
Located in New York City and Columbus, Ohio, Fayetteville Mafia Press was founded in 2018 by David Bushman and Scott Ryan as a writer-centric independent publisher dedicated to producing high-quality nonfiction, by authors with distinctive voices and original insights into the world around them.
A World of Demons is the company’s first Doctor Who-related book, joining a diverse catalogue that also includes A Screenwriter’s Companion by Joseph Dougherty and more.
• A World of Demons: The Villains of Doctor Who is available here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | ISBN: 978-1949024371
• Fayetteville Mafia Press is online at fayettevillemafiapress.com
• Listen: Type 40 • A Doctor Who Podcast #116: Demons Runners
A World of Demons contributors Hannah Friedman, Shane Thomas and Ken Deep tempt us with further details of the book
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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.
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