Artist and designer Andy Lambert has recently been treating followers to a series of faux Doctor Who jigsaw covers, inspired by the genuine “Enemies of Doctor Who” range produced by Whitman Publishing. Now, he’s turned his attention to Doctor Who Weekly.
Specifically, he’s started conjuring up “variant covers” to the early incarnation of Doctor Who Magazine, published weekly until Issue 44, when it went monthly, in response to declining sales – although a weekly cover for Issue 44 was designed…
Andy has identified the fonts used on the original Doctor Who Weekly and created completely new covers, benefiting from pin sharp photography from the TV show that the 35mm transparencies provided to Marvel could never hope to match.
It’s a fun project – head over to BlueSky and see what else Andy has conjured… and do check out his marvellous “Enemies of Doctor Who” faux jigsaws, too!
2000AD and Doctor Who fan Andy Lambert has provided the illustrations for several “Brief Encounters” tales published in Doctor Who Magazine, and also provided an illustration for Doctor Who: 100 Illustrated Adventures published by BBC Children’s Books in 2017. He’s also created art for the Doctor Who Appreciation Society.
(The item above was updated on 14th November 2024 to update Andy’s social media links, because he has nuked his X account from orbit)
New Comic Strip Collection, Black Sun, Out Now
Andy’s homage to Doctor Who Weekly comes ahead of Panini’s release of Doctor Who: Black Sun Rising: The Complete Doctor Who Back-Up Tales Volume 2 on 1st October – a fantastic second collection of early back up strips that ran in Doctor Who Weekly, following up on Doctor Who: The Return of The Daleks – The Complete Doctor Who Back-Up Tales, released in July.
Doctor Who: Black Sun Rising: The Complete Doctor Who Back-Up Tales Volume 2 includes back-up strips by creators including Steve Moore, David Lloyd, John Stokes, Paul Neary and Mick McMahon – and the rarely reprinted “Black Sun” stories written by Alan Moore, referred to as “The Original Writer” in this collection, delivering memorable adventures set on early Gallifrey, the Time Lords home planet, that have since proven hugely influential on Who lore.
It’s a wonderful collection, simply sparkling with chronal energy, that also includes the later “non-Doctor” strips “The Fabulous Idiot” by Steve Parkhouse, drawn by Steve and Geoff Senior, “A Ship Called Sudden Death”, also written by Steve, drawn by Dave Gibbons, featuring the Freefall Warriors, and “City of Devils”, written by Gary Russell, an experience that put him off writing Who strips at Marvel after my editing interventions (sorry, Gary!), drawn by Vincent Danks, starring Sarah Jane Smith and K9.
Paul Scoones provides a smashing commentary on the making of the strips, talking to creators of many of these mini classics.
Official Doctor Who Magazine Links
• Doctor Who: The Return of The Daleks – The Complete Doctor Who Back-Up Tales (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Discover timeless tales of the Daleks, Cybermen, Silurians and many more in this brand-new collection from Panini Comics. These ‘back-up tales’, taken from the early days of Doctor Who Weekly, are a highly sought-after and much-loved slice of Doctor Who comic book history – and they’re now back in print for the first time in decades. Featuring the work of British comic book legends Steve Moore and David Lloyd, each strip has been digitally restored to the highest quality, ensuring that these thrilling stories can be enjoyed at their absolute best.
• Doctor Who: Black Sun Rising: The Complete Doctor Who Back-Up Tales Volume 2 (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Discover more of the very best stories from the Whoniverse in this classic collection of comic strips – digitally remastered and restored to look better than ever! From Cybermen and Sea Devils to untold tales of the Timelords, this volume boasts an array of fan favourite stories reprinted here for the first time in over 40 years. Features work by some of the very best British comicbook creators including Steve Moore, David Lloyd, John Stokes, Paul Neary, Mick McMahon and more.
• Doctor Who Magazine – Official Site
• Doctor Who Magazine on Facebook
• Doctor Who Magazine on Twitter
Doctor Who Magazine 608 is available in newsagents and online here, and along with news and features, incudes a brand-new comic strip adventure with the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby
Doctor Who © BBC
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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: Art and Illustration, British Comics, British Comics - Collections, Comics, Doctor Who, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Television