Doctor Who (Dr Who Graphic Novels) [Paperback]

Alan Grant (Author), Dan Abnett (Author), Simon Furman (Author), Mike Collins (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Panini Comics (April 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846534100
• ISBN-13: 978-1846534102
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,177,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Initially training to be a lawyer, Mike had always wanted to tell stories in pictures. Driven by a love of comics and animation he abandoned the life of a bewigged barrister and instead has spent the last 25 years writing and drawing adventures featuring the most iconic heroes in the US, UK and Europe.

For Marvel Comics he's drawn the X-Men, Sub-Mariner and most recently contributed to a Hugo nominated Captain Britain Graphic Novel 'Vampire State'. He's drawn Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Flash amongst others, for DC Comics. For both companies, he's written and drawn graphic stories featuring the many incarnations of Star Trek. In the UK he's been the main artist on the relaunched Doctor Who franchise, recently drawing the first BBC commissioned graphic novel Only Good Dalek, working with long time Doctor Who novelist Justin Richards.

For Norway, he's the artist on the Varg Veum series of graphic novels, written by the character's creator Gunnar Staalesen.

He's also author of the first Welsh language graphic novel Y Mabinogi, itself an adaptation of an animated feature based on the Welsh myth cycle. Outside of comics, he's also written for the Star Trek book series - 'Starfleet Corps of Engineers'.

Based in Cardiff, Wales his studio is a stone's throw away from The Rift featured in the Torchwood TV series. Often, after a day spent drawing the comic book adventures of Doctor Who he finds himself walking through the filming of the actual show.

As a storyboard artist, Mike has worked on many pre-school shows, Bobinogs; Claude; Cym Teg; Fireman Sam; Grandpa In My Pocket; Hana's Helpline; Igam Ogam and more. He storyboarded the BAFTA nominated short Day On The Beach, and recently worked on storyboards for the Ultramarines CGI movie.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent late 80's Doctor Who adventures, December 22, 2009

By 

Gothic Roots (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doctor Who (Dr Who Graphic Novels) (Paperback)

The late 80's were a time of flux for Doctor Who, with a marked increase in fandom (particularly in terms of the US, where fans were just recently exposed to the series) offset by controversy and threat of cancellation. The post-Davison Doctor Whos represented something of a sea change from its earlier days - simultaneously less stodgy, more lively and colourful, and awkward, over the top, and derided by critic and contemporary fan alike. Changes in timeslot, format, and style marked a period flirting with more physicality and violence (an argument that could be extended to apply to both the earlier Pertwee and Tom Baker eras, with their flirtations with cinematic action and horror tropes, as well), which conversely found itself accused of stepping over the top into pantomime. While time has borne out the quality of the lead actors, if not always the writing and direction, during this period, recent reassessments of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's wonderful, amusing and erudite takes on the Doctor remain offset by the outright fan hatred of the period for "the men who ruined the Doctor" - some fans still holding to their decades old prejudices.

Sadly, the same applies to the print version, as serialized in Doctor Who Magazine (and later Doctor Who Monthly). Fans praise the stodgier Davison and Tom Baker stories to high heaven, but tend to gloss over, dismiss, or even deride those of Colin Baker or Sylvester McCoy's doctors. And this is a shame.

While both Panini collections of the Colin Baker run stand as some of the best illustrated of the series, with the fine attention to lifelike rendering of John Ridgway, there is still something to be said for this first collection of Sylvester McCoy's term.

In fact, the only spot that truly "fell off" was the truly execrable "Follow That Tardis!", with some pet characters of editor Richard Starkings, the "Sleez Brothers". If that very name doesn't turn you off this one, nothing will.

But overall, there is still some quality material to be found here, particularly the Victorian-era London set "Claws of the Klaathi" and the equally evocative abandoned settings (and concomitant menace) of both "Planet of the Dead" and "Echoes of the Mogor". Recommended.