Panini Comics, publishers of Doctor Who Magazine, will begin collections of strips from Doctor Who Adventures later this year, starting with the very first stories, including the titular “Save the Humans!“
While a few individual strips from the comic, many written by Alan Barnes, have been reprinted in Doctor Who annuals, Save the Humans! is the first, and welcome collection of these Who strips, and a very welcome collection it is, too.
Launched in 2006, Doctor Who Adventures, initially published weekly by BBC Magazines, was aimed at a younger audience than DWM, the title later published under license by Immediate Media and, ultimately, Panini Comics. Its publication frequency changed over its run.
Collecting comic strips from Doctor Who Adventures #1-15, Save the Humans!, the first brand-new collection of comic-strip stories starring the Tenth Doctor and Rose is being offered with two covers, one from series artist John Ross, whose amazing work, coincidentally, features in the current Doctor Who Magazine too, available widely, a Variant Cover by Adrian Salmon available from the Panini webshop.
The Panini variant edition will be published in August, followed by a standard edition in Spetember.
So, step back into one of the most beloved eras of Doctor Who as the Doctor and Rose dash across time and space, facing a host of brilliantly bonkers monsters – from the diabolical Mirrorlings to malfunctioning Disinfectoroids, and even giant vampire bats stalking the streets of Victorian London…
Packed with action, humour and heart, this all-ages collection is a certified classic – and the perfect nostalgia hit for fans who grew up with the Tenth Doctor!
Doctor Who Adventures ran for 363 issues over its BBC Magazines and Immediate Media run, then a further 24 issues (relaunched with a new Number One) from Panini, and one-off Special, published in 2019.
• Doctor Who: Save The Humans! (variant cover by Adrian Salmon) is on sale from 18th August 2026 | Order it direct from Panini
• Doctor Who: Save The Humans! (cover by John Ross) is on sale from 1st September 2026 | ISBN: 978-1804914663 | AmazonUK Affiliate Link
The Strips
Save the Humans! collects strips from Doctor Who Adventures #1-15, as follows:
“Which Switch” (from Doctor Who Adventures #1) by Michael Stevens with art by John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon
“Mirror Image” (from Doctor Who Adventures #2) by Jacqueline Rayner with art by John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon
“Under the Volcano” (from Doctor Who Adventures #3) by Si Spencer with art by John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon
“The Germ War” (from Doctor Who Adventures #4) by Alan Barnes with art by John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon
“Warfreekz!” (from Doctor Who Adventures #5) by Alan Barnes with art by John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon
“A Delicate Operation” (from Doctor Who Adventures #6) by Si Spencer with art by John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon
“Blood and Tears” (from Doctor Who Adventures #7) by Si Spencer with art by John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon
“Fried Death” (from Doctor Who Adventures #8) by Alan Barnes with art by John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon, lettered by Paul Vyse
“Bizarre Zero” (from Doctor Who Adventures #9) by Stewart Sheargold with art by John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon, lettered by Paul Lang
“Save the Humans” (from Doctor Who Adventures #10) by Alan Barnes with art from John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon, lettered by Paul Lang
“Bat Attack” (from Doctor Who Adventures #11-12) by Alan Barnes with art from John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon, lettered by Paul Lang
“Triskaidekaphobia” (from Doctor Who Adventures #13) by Alan Barnes with art from John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon, lettered by Paul Vyse
“Smart Bombs” (from Doctor Who Adventures #14) by Alan Barnes with art from John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon, lettered by Paul Lang
“Pinball Wizard” (from Doctor Who Adventures #15) by Alan Barnes with art from John Ross, coloured by Adrian Salmon, lettered by Paul Lang
Head downthetubes for…
• Doctor Who Magazine: Official Site
• TARDIS Wiki: Doctor Who Adventures Guide
Doctor Who Adventures: Creators
Alan Barnes
Alan’s contributions, including his work as a script editor on, and writer of various Big Finish Doctor Who audio adventures, are too numerous to list in full! A former editor of both Doctor Who Magazine and Judge Dredd Megazine, his fiction writing includes over forty full-cast audio dramas for Big Finish Productions, plus the script for CBBC’s animated Doctor Who adventure, The Infinite Quest.
He is also the author of Sherlock Holmes on Screen, published back in 2004, and has co-written (with Marcus Hearn) volumes on the James Bond films, Quentin Tarantino and The Hammer Story, which is getting a revised release later this year. He was part of the dialogue team for Risen 2: Dark Waters, nominated for Best Videogame Script in the 2012 Writers’ Guild Awards.
• Big Finish: Alan Barnes Credits
Jacqueline Rayner (Jac Rayner)
Jacqueline Rayner (aka Jac Rayner) has written many books, audio dramas and comic strips, many of them set in the world of Doctor Who, including the number one bestseller The Stone Rose, first published in 2006, Doctor Who: The Wonderful Doctor of Oz, two ‘Quick Reads’ for World Book Day, and much more.
Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked at BBC Books as an editor on their Doctor Who range.
• Big Finish: Jacqueline Rayner Credits
Si Spencer (30th August 1962 – 16th February 2021)
Si Spencer’s work in British comics spanned titles such as Crisis, Revolver, Judge Dredd Megazine (creating strips such as “Harke & Burr” and “The Creep”), and he was an editor of Deadline – and created the graphic novel KLAXON, with artist DIX in 2015.
He also wrote Books of Magick: Life During Wartime, Vinyl Underground, Hellblazer: City of Demons, the award-winning 2014 cult hit series Bodies, and Slash and Burn, all published by American publisher DC Comics, under part of its Vertigo imprint.
As a TV scriptwriter, Si wrote for Grange Hill, EastEnders and The Bill. Although he was announced as writing for Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, his episode that proved a road not taken, but he rewrote and published his original script as Torch, Wood & Peasants, as an episode of a show called Alien Sex Cops, under the name Webley Wildfoot.
• Read our tribute to Si Spencer
Michael Stevens
Today, Michael Stevens, who wrote some early Doctor Who Adventures storues, is a Commissioning Editor and Executive Producer in audiobook publishing, with particular experience in TV and radio content plus associated original fiction.
He works with several licensed brands, including Doctor Who, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and a range of BBC properties, and have experience with major author brands including Agatha Christie, Alan Bennett and Terry Pratchett.
He also provides a freelance commissioning editor service, with clients to date including Penguin Random House, Big Finish Productions, BBC Books and Luebbe Audio. He’s also a photographer.
• Read: The BFS Interviews: Michael Stevens of BBC Audiobooks
John Ross
John Ross worked on a lot of magazines for Marvel UK from the mid 1990s up until 2006, most notably Spectacular Spider-Man Adventures, Doctor Who Magazine and Action Man, which he did for nearly ten years.
During that time, he also worked for other companies including Eaglemoss, BBC Magazines, and GE Fabbri on titles like Jackie Chan Adventures, Spider-Man: Heroes and Villains, and Doctor Who – Battles In Time.
Since 2006, he’s worked on much more Doctor Who-related stuff, including the Doctor Who Adventures magazine, drawing the strip in nearly every issue. He’s currently drawing for Doctor Who Magazine with “Corruption of the Daleks” reaching its conclusion soon.
Adrian Salmon
After nearly 30 years the business, Adrian Salmon still loves pushing a pencil across paper on new challenges. He graduated Manchester Polytechnic with a first degree honours in illustration in 1984. He worked for a number of illustration agencies, learning the nuts and bolts of his trade, whilst illustrating any commissions that came his way later by candlelight.
He broke into comics in 1992, simultaneously drawing for Feetway on Judge Dredd Megazine and Marvel UK on Doctor Who Magazine. His first major comics project was the “Cybermen” 24-part monthly strip. Since then, he has drawn comics for a number of other publishers, including IDW, Titan and Cutaway Comics.
In 2005, he co-created the Image graphic novel The Faceless with film director Robert Tinnell, a Terry Sharp story about a 1960s occult crimefighter.
He began working as colourist and storyboard artist for the BBC Worldwide Animations in 2018, culminating in co-directing an episode of The Macra Terror.
Adrian feels he’s best suited to drawing bold iconic imagery – a talent he brought to poster work for Eaglemoss UK and on the long running Doctor Who Magazine feature, “The Time Team”, illustrations collected into one gorgeous volume by Cutaway Comics, in both hardback and paperback
• Adrian Salmon: Official Site
Paul Lang
Now working for Hearst UK, writer, editor and designer Paul Lang was development editor of Toxic, art editor of We Love Pop and Doctor Who Adventures (he also write for various Doctor Who annuals)
His work across the years encompasses many other titles, including the winning pitches for The Official Minecraft Magazine and Horrible Histories, and redesigns for Go Girl and Girl Talk.
Paul Vyse
Paul Vyse is a graphic designer and artist, currently working in hospitality, whose credits span designer on Doctor Who Magazine and Art Editor on IPC’s best-selling What’s On TV magazine, a position he held for 13 years.
A graduate of Canterbury College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design in 1988, he has exhibited several times at the Attic Gallery in Swansea, including their 50th anniversary summer exhibition in 2012.
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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, British Comics - Collections, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comic Previews, Comics, Doctor Who, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Science Fiction, Television
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