Quick, which science-fiction franchise is the longest-lived one of all? If you said Star Trek, you’d be wrong! Instead, it’s the British show, Doctor Who! In fact, this year the series is celebrating its 50th anniversary. As part of that event, IDW Publishing is producing a miniseries featuring all the incarnations of the character during its existence.
Here’s the description for the fifth issue, in stores as of Wednesday, April 17: “Our yearlong celebration of Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary continues! Put on your scarves and munch on some jelly babies, as the fan-favorite Fourth Doctor takes the spotlight in this issue of a 12-part epic adventure featuring all 11 incarnations of the Doctor!”
Probably the best-known of the Doctors in the United States, Tom Baker’s version was seen exploring the galaxy in the Tardis on many PBS networks for years until the series was revived by the BBC several years ago. One of his most popular companions was Leela, a barbarian woman who was as violent as the Doctor was nonviolent. She appears in this issue as well as K-9, the robot dog who was able to fire lasers from his nose to save day.
The miniseries is scripted by Scott and David Tipton who, interestingly enough, are known for their work in writing Star Trek, especially the recent Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who crossover comic for the same publisher.
To date, the issues have been bringing back foes of each Doctor and having them square off against the Time Lord. We’ve seen many of the companions in the comics, and each book to date has ended with the companions vanishing. Look for the final issue of this series to bring the Doctors and all of the companions together to take on someone like the Master, a villain who, in his own incarnations, has battled various versions of the Doctor.
Gery Ersine’s art is strong, the Tipton brothers’ pacing quick while still being true to what Doctor Who is most known for, less fighting and shooting with more running, personal interaction and solving puzzles. Personally, I always call Who “aerobic sci-fi” because the actors certainly got their share of exercise in running from place to place, often having to return where they began in order to resolve the situation.
Most fans often find the first incarnation of the Doctor they encounter to end up as their favorite. That hasn’t been the case for me. I’ve seen Doctor Who for years, but it wasn’t until Matt Smith took over the show three years ago that I found “my” version. I loved that he would yell, “Geronimo!” and liked getting into scrapes while so many of his predecessors griped and complained when they were dragged kicking and screaming into dangerous circumstances. Well, at least that’s how I see it!
Check out your local comics store to pick up your copy. If you’ve missed previous issues, check and see if any of them remain in stock when you get there! Also, be sure to check out the monthly Doctor Who comic and trades of past issues if you’re a real Whovian!
Below you’ll see covers for the issues in this miniseries:
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