As Tom Hardy is getting favored by the oddsmakers to be tapped as the next James Bond, the other big British genre franchise is not waning in the eyes of its fans. This past week around 50,000 fans of the Doctor Who series voted for their favorite Doctor and David Tennant’s 10th Doctor barely edged out Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor by only 95 votes for the top spot, with more than 10,000 votes cast for each (Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor edged out Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor for the third place, followed by Tom Baker’s fourth Doctor–proving every era has its loyal fans). This is good timing, as Titan Comics just provided borg with a preview of a new Doctor Who series and story arc featuring the 10th and 13th Doctors… and the return of Rose Tyler! Check out our preview pages and look at the cover art below.
Now is as good a time as any to climb aboard the TARDIS with the Thirteenth Doctor in Jody Houser and Rachael Stott′s monthly Doctor Who series. The book continues right after the season one finale, taking readers along with the Doctor and her latest companions Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan, and Graham O’Brien. If you haven’t been keeping up, you can pre-order the first four issues of the new Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor series “A New Beginning,” now here at Amazon in a paperback trade compilation. With Issue #5 on the stands a new story arc is underway, “Hidden Human History,” and Issue #6 arrives in comic book stores today. Check out a preview of the new story arc below courtesy of Titan Comics.
Jody Houser, today’s most prolific comic book writer, joins fan-favorite artist Rachael Stott, completely reflecting the look and feel of the actors and characters from the BBC television series in their stories. In fact each four-issue story plays out like a new episode of the show. In the first four-part adventure “A New Beginning” the Doctor must escape new villains–the cybernetic Grand Army of the Just–and face a new alien threat, an intergalactic collector of rarities, as two manipulated human scientists get stuck in a time loop. But as with the Doctor’s exploits old and new, not everything is what it seems. Roberta Ingranata joins Rachael Stott as interior artist in the second adventure, “Hidden Human History.” The Doctor and friends catch up with Stilean Flesh Eaters, also known as the Habsburgs’ Demons, as the TARDIS drops the crew into the 16th century. Is the Doctor jealous of a history-themed podcast everyone else is following?
Colorists, inkers, letterers, cover artists on the first eight issues include Giorgia Sposito, Valeria Favoccia, Enrica Eren Angiolini, Viviana Spinelli, Sara Michieli, Andrea Moretto, Tracy Bailey, Richard Starkings, Will Brooks, Iolanda Zanfardino, Sanya Anwar, Rachael Smith, Claudia Ianniciello, Rebekah Isaacs, Dan Jackson, Sarah Jacobs, and John Roshell.
That’s the trouble with regeneration… you never quite know what you’re going to get!
Some things are worth stopping the presses for. This time it’s a review copy of the forthcoming first issue out of the gates for Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor–Issue #0. If you’re already a fan of the 55-year-old sci-fi television series and especially if you haven’t yet jumped on the Whovian bandwagon, there’s no better way to start than with this unprecedented voyage across time. It stars all twelve regular series Time Lords plus the War Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness, River Song, and plenty of companions, all intertwined as the new Thirteenth Doctor readies to emerge from her latest regeneration. With so many reboots and remakes these days with new actors that arrive with a bit of a resounding jolt, it’s Doctor Who that best found a way to overcome the need to replace actors over time. And that mechanism was regenerating from one human form to another.
Few events are as significant in pop culture as the introduction of Jodie Whittaker as the first woman Doctor this year. In this first issue of a new monthly series, the Doctor relives previously unseen adventures from each of her past lives. The result is a book full of great Easter Eggs and special references for passing fans and diehards alike. And every incarnation of the Doctor is featured in the story by Richard Dinnick with a different well-known comic book artist re-creating the changing TARDIS, sonic screwdrivers, a companion or two, and even more fan-favorite supporting characters. Along with Dinnick’s great voice for each incarnation of the Doctor, each artist puts a special twist on their part of the story. This may be one of the biggest comic book issues of the year, to prep you for what will be without a doubt pop culture’s biggest television event of the year.
Here’s a new image promoting the new series just released by the BBC, featuring stars Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill, and Tosin Cole:
So get ready for some exciting imagery in the new Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor, Issue #0, from artists Rachael Stott, Mariano Laclaustra, Georgia Sposito, Arriana Florean, Claudia Ianniciello, Iolanda Zanfardino, Brian Williamson, Carlos Cabrera, and more. And borg.com readers get a first look right now with preview pages from this landmark story, courtesy of Titan Comics. Check it out:
This week Titan Comics and BBC Studios revealed a magic number of 13 covers for the forthcoming comic book series, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor. In this year’s preview lunch for retailers hosted by each of the major comic book publishers at San Diego Comic-Con, one creator’s name stood out: Jody Houser, who is writing the new Doctor Who comic book stories. The Eisner-nominated writer can be found everywhere this year from writing Dark Horse Comics’ new series Stranger Things, to DC Comics’ Mother Panic, to Valiant Entertainment’s Faith, and Marvel Comics’ The AmazingSpider-Man series. That’s five series at five publishers. Pretty awesome! We’ve already seen her work in previous Doctor Who and Orphan Black monthlies from Titan, The X-Files: Origins from IDW Publishing, Supergirl, Justice League of America, and the Batman/Mother Panic crossover for DC Comics, and Star Wars titles Forces of Destiny, Poe Dameron, and Thrawn, and the movie adaptation of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story from Marvel. She’s definitely the writer to watch for over this next year.
Artist Rachael Stott(Doctor Who, Motherlands) and colorist Enrica Angiolini (Warhammer 40,000) will be giving fans their first look at the 13th Doctor in the new tie-in stories (including all that comes with the new Doctor, like the new TARDIS, the design of that bigger-on-the-inside interior, and her trusty sonic screwdriver, which you can now order here at Amazon). You can look forward to variant covers from artists including Stott, Babs Tarr(Batgirl, Motor Crush),Sarah Graley(Rick and Morty),Katie Cook (Adventure Time), Ariela Kristantina (Mata Hari),Alice X. Zhang (Doctor Who), Sanya Anwar (Assassin’s Creed), and Paulina Ganucheau (Zodiac Starforce).
On televisions across the world Jodie Whittaker (Attack the Block, Broadchurch) will be exploring new places and time periods with new companions Graham (played by Bradley Walsh), Yasmin (Mandip Gill), and Ryan (Tosin Cole). It begins with Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor–The Many Lives of Doctor Who, which you can pre-order at Amazon now here.
Take a look at all the covers below for Issue #1 and 2.
Tomorrow IDW Publishing is beginning a new bi-monthly anthology series, Star Trek Waypoint. And we have a preview for borg.com readers from Issue #1 below. The series is billed as a 50th anniversary look across all the Star Trek incarnations, and it features a host of writers we haven’t seen before in IDW comics. Issue #1 includes a Star Trek: The Next Generation story featuring Geordi and Data and an Original Series story featuring Uhura. Fans of the Star Trek Countdown prequel series should take note: Although the anthology stories aren’t specifically pegged in the canon timeline, writer Donny Cates and artist Mack Chater’s story “Puzzles” feels like a continuation of the Star Trek 2009 prequel story, after Spock and Nero return to the past and create what we now know as the “Kelvin timeline.”
Star Trek Countdown (reviewed here back in 2011) was one of the comic medium’s most fascinating stories so far, revealing Captain Picard working again with Data, with new Starfleet uniforms and an engrossing future. Similar uniforms appear in “Puzzles.” It’s an exciting starting point for fans who want to see Star Trek continue to move into the future beyond past TV series. The second story in Star Trek Waypoint features Uhura, and has the look and feel of authentic, classic Star Trek episodes. Sandra Lanz serves dual roles on that story, titled “Daylily,” as both writer and artist.
In November Issue #2 will feature two more Original Series stories. Look for a preview here in two months. You can look forward to fan favorite Star Trek novelists Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore creating an homage to the classic Gold Key Star Trek comics (remember the great photo covers?), featuring Kirk and Spock on an uncharted planet. Artwork will be provided by Star Trek comic book artist Gordon Purcell. The second story is a “red shirt” story, written by author Sam Maggs with art by Star Trek and Doctor Who artist Rachael Stott.
Check out this great preview to Issue #1, courtesy of IDW Publishing:
Scott and David Tipton have done it again. They’re back with a new Star Trek series, but this time it’s a mash-up with Planet of the Apes. And Issue #1 explains how it all comes together, and we’ve got a preview below. Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive, Issue #1, is now available at comic book stores everywhere from IDW Publishing.
Finally we get to see Sulu and Uhura on an away mission together, donning Klingon disguises. It’s the classic Trek–images by Rachael Stott and Charlie Kirchoff of George Takei and Nichelle Nichols as opposed to the reboot actors John Cho and Zoe Saldana. Yet the circumstances and action are updated and modern–storytelling like you’d see in the reboot series. It works–great, in fact.
So how does the starship Enterprise (the original, not the bloody A, B, C, or D) find its way into a universe where apes rule Earth’s future? You’ll have to pick up Issue #1 to find out. Meanwhile, check out this preview, courtesy of IDW Publishing, after the break.
More big news emerged from San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. A new comic book series for Haven and Galaxy Quest… a sneak peek at Arrow Season 3, a Star Trek crossover with Planet of the Apes… details and art from Marvel’s new line of Star Wars comic books… new actors to star in Marvel’s Ant-man… more content from Avengers 2… and new giant monster movies are coming soon from Legendary Pictures.
But the biggest news that almost “broke the Internet” was from DC Entertainment: the first look at Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and her new costume from the 2016 release Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s a nice Cliff Chiang-inspired pose for the Amazon warrior. So we now have three images of the DC Comics trinity:
We’ve got a pretty dark superhero movie in our future.
The next big news came from a Marvel Comics panel–the creative line-up for Star Wars comic books under Disney:
Marvel Comics announced that January 2015 will see the first of Marvel taking over the Star Wars comic book line from Dark Horse with three initial series. Kansas City’s Jason Aaron will write and John Cassaday will serve as artist on a series taking place just after A New Hope, where the original 1978 Marvel Comics line began and the current main Dark Horse title takes place. Above is the cover art by Cassaday for Issue #1.
A series beginning in February 2015 will follow Darth Vader after his TIE Fighter is knocked away by Han Solo at the end of A New Hope, to be created by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca.
And March 2015 will see a series following Princess Leia after the destruction of the Death Star, from writer Mark Waid, artist Terry Dodson, and colorist Rachel Dodson.
Here are four pages of early stage art for the main Star Wars series:
