FRED EGG COMICS

DOCTOR WHO ADVENTURES

For those of you not in the know, every few years the lead character in the British TV science fiction series Doctor Who changes. The physiological change is part of the narrative, in that the Doctor has 13 “lives”. This aspect of the story was brought in when William Hartnell, the first actor to play the role, wanted to leave in 1966.

During the final minutes of January 1^st 2010’s episode, the 10^th version of the Doctor (David Tennant) changed into the 11^th (Matt Smith). After a few months recess, the series returned last weekend with the first full episode featuring the 11^th.

Now, concurrent to all this, there is a weekly magazine called Doctor Who Adventures. It runs a 4 page comic strip drawn in a neat way by John Ross. Here’s his take on the interior of The Doctor’s TARDIS time machine...

As the strip runs alongside the series and then continues while it is off air, it has to follow the events of the show. So, while Catherine Tate’s Donna was his companion onscreen, so was she in the comic too...

Lavender Hill Blob, funny. After the TV series dispensed with Donna and the Doctor spent most of 2009 without a regular companion, the comic created its own characters to keep him company, Heather and Wolfgang...

After New Year’s Day and the 11^th Doctor's 2 minute TV debut showed that the character no longer looked like Tennant, the comic still had to run for four months before Smith established himself. So the continuing tales now had to be subtitled “The Tenth Doctor’s Untold Stories”...

Nice idea, going back to the millennium celebration. Going into 2000 still seems like the future somehow.

These “untold stories” lasted until 2 weeks ago when the comic presented an enigmatic goodbye to Heather and Wolfgang, in much the same way as the TV Doctor had done with his onscreen companions...

Note at the bottom right: “NEXT WEEK: New comic action with the Eleventh Doctor”. This struck me as odd, in that it meant the 11^th Doctor’s 1^st comic story was going to appear before his 1^st TV one.

I looked forward to seeing how John Ross drew the 11^th Doctor. I also hoped they kept Ross on – they may well decide now was a good time for a change.

I keenly perused the next week’s issue, flicked through the opening 3 pages detailing an alien invasion in London, then turned the page to see this...

“NEXT WEEK: Find out what happens when Stephen meets the Doctor and Amy!” What a tease. They got me! I was on the edge of my seat reading this weekly comic, just like a ten year old boy! Good job!

Matt Smith’s first story appeared on TV last Saturday, and this week he’s up and running in the comic. It’s still Ross and here he is...