On sale now from all good newsagents is the absolutely brilliant Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition: The Art of Doctor Who, wrapped in a cover by US artist Mark Maddox.
“This is how the story of Doctor Who unfolded in the eyes of the artists who interpreted, shaped and represented the show,” says series editor Marcus Hearn. “In fact, the story begins before the first episode was even transmitted – we have articles examining the creation of the Doctor Who logo and the filming of the original title sequence.”
Marcus has previously put together some tremendous specials in this series but for my money, this is the best yet, crammed with gorgeous art (as the title suggests) and fascinating insights into how Doctor Who has been translated to other media by a huge number of companies down the years, from the first Dalek annual through to Countdown in the 1970s and today’s various comic strip incarnations.
This 100-page Special is absolutely jam packed with gorgeous reproductions of original artwork from the Dalek annuals, the Doctor Who annuals, Doctor Who Weekly and much more – some of it, incredibly, rescued from skips.
It also features interviews with numerous comics artists, including Mike Collins, Martin Geraghty, Dave Gibbons, Richard Piers Rayner, John Ridgway, Nick Roche, John Ross, Adrian Salmon, Lee Sullivan and Alice Zhang; and illustrators such as Chris Achilleos, Lee Binding, Jeff Cummins, Bill Donohoe, Roy Knipe, Colin Howard, Tony Manero, Alister Pearson, Andrew Skilleter and Nick Spender.
The Special also features the work of TV series concept artists Peter McKinstry and Matt Savage, while award-winning graphic designer Bernard Lodge explains how he created the series’ first four title sequences.
This is a terrific “must have” for any fan of Doctor Who-inspired art, and I’m bowled over by how much work has been put into it. Congratulations to both the editorial teamm and thank you to everyone who helped create such a fantastic “Special”. It really is!
• The Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition: The Art of Doctor Who is available now in the UK price £5.99
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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.
Categories: Art and Illustration, British Comics, Creating Comics, Doctor Who, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Magazines, Other Worlds, Television
John, you are absolutely right about this magnificent special. Lew Stringer tipped us off about it a while ago and I had been eagerly awaiting it ever since!
But it has far surpassed my expectations!
I am recommending it to everyone!