The first episode of Jon Pertwee’s final Doctor Who story, “Planet of the Spiders” was first broadcast on this day, 4th May 1974, and the Target novelisation, featuring cover art by Peter Brookes, was published on Thursday 16th October 1975.
The cover was the work of Peter Brookes, who temporarily replaced Chris Achilleos as regular jacket illustrator for the novelisations, providing just four covers – Terror of the Autons, The Green Death, Planet of Spiders and The Giant Robot.
But, as an illustrator for the Radio Times, also taking over the main back-page cartoon from Mark Boxer in 1979, he was also commissioned to draw numerous Doctor Who-related illustrations, including illustrating the 10th-anniversary special, published in 1973.
Writer and producer Simon Guerrier wrote a fascinating article about Brookes’ cover, reflecting on conflicts between the show’s producers and Target over art choices on some books last year.
Alan Hood provided the cover for the 1978 re-release and Alister Pearson the 1991 cover.
As noted here by the Chris Beetles Gallery, Peter Brookes CBE political cartoons and regular ‘Nature Notes’, produced for The Times, are always inventive, incisive and confidently drawn. “They are the fruit of wide experience as a cartoonist and illustrator, and of complete independence from editorial intrusion”.
He succeeded Ranan Lurie as political illustrator and cartoonist for The Times in 1982, and became its full-time political cartoonist a decade later. Since 1986, he has also shared the job of cover artist for The Spectator, with Nicholas Garland. In addition, he has contributed to many other magazines, including Radio Times, The Times Literary Supplement, New Society, New Statesman and The Listener. He has also produced illustrations for The Folio Society and Glyndebourne Opera, and has designed covers for Penguin Books and others. He was elected to the membership of the Alliance Graphique Internationale in 1988.
Given his longtime connection with the TV and radio listings magazine, it was entirely appropriate Peter was commissioned to illustrate the cover of The Art of Radio Times, when it was published to accompany an exhibition at London’s V & A museum, in 1981.
Head downthetubes for…
• TARDIS Fandom Guide to the Planet of the Spiders novelisation
• Simon Guerrier’s Nothing Tra La La Blog: Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders, by Terrance Dicks
• The Chris Beetles Gallery: Peter Brookes
- 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: Doctor Who, downthetubes News, Magazines, Other Worlds, Science Fiction, Television
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