This was one of the very best celebratory volumes published. There is extensive information on all aspects of Doctor Who including pages of information on comics, novels, annuals, fanzines, collectable cards to name just a few. You do not typically see such in depth coverage of the extended media. My hope is the casual fan will pick this up and discover the myriad ways one can enjoy the program above and beyond the TV show. 10 out of 10.
It was great to see the first adventure of the latest incarnation of the Doctor appear in extended media. Alan Barnes provides a solid narrative accompanied by the beautiful Lee Sullivan artwork. We see the destruction of Jody’s sonic and the last appearance of her control room. The story flows directly into the Children in Need special and leaves room for more extended media adventures prior to the events of the TV story The Star Beast. 8 out of 10.
Doom’s Day A Doctor in the House? was written by Jody Houser with art by Roberta Ingranata. A Doctor in the House? is a comic story across two issues, released on 5 July and 26 July 2023 by Titan Comics. It was released in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who and was collected here in this graphic novel. Doom’s Day was a multi-media series beginning on 20 March 2023, with its first story released on 5 June and final story on 6 October. It followed the exploits of the time-traveling assassin Doom as she is searching for the Doctor and trying to escape death.
I was not a fan of this multi-media series as I felt that an unrepentant assassin was not a good template for a protagonist for the Whoniverse. I do like the idea of the multi-media crossover as a big proponent of the extended media. This release features the beautiful artwork of Roberta Ingranata and does not disappoint. Jody Houser’s prose is on point and the plot flows through the two issues collected here with pace and interest. 7 out of 10.
The book is geared towards new fans coming on board with the new 60th anniversary specials. There is a good mixture of classic and NuWho entries providing a solid overview of the entire series. There are some omissions and inaccuracies included most likely because they are trying to streamline the entries to make sure new readers are not confused. Sara Kingdom is relegated to the status of a guest star and not a companion and the Delgado Master is referred to as the first incarnation of the Master and not the 13th. Some details were spot on with Liz being on the UNIT moon base as mentioned in an episode of the Sarah Jane Adventures as well as in the extended media. As with most of these reference books there is not mention of the extended media which is disappointing. The text is all written with an in-universe conceit. 8 out of 10 with the caveat that Who scholars will not find much they do not already know.
Doctor Who The Complete History was a series of hardback volumes which came out every two weeks and covered 3-4 stories each. These were in-depth volumes covering the production of each episode from the first in 1963 to the end of the Peter Capaldi era of the show. In addition to the extensive production notes there were also merchandise and publicity updates and actor profiles. The quality of each volume was exceptional overseen by several different editors. The volumes were only available in the UK and Ireland so were difficult to obtain in other locations. I am more of a Watsonian fan but if you are a Doyalist you will greatly appreciate these books. Even so I give the entire series a solid 8 out of 10. I will rate each episode covered below.
We’ve reached the end of the Tom Baker era in televised Doctor Who with this volume covering his last four stories. State of Decay is another foray in E-space where the Doctor, Adric, K-9 and Romana face the last of the Great Vampires and his acolytes. We see some in-depth character exposition with Adric and his naivety concerning the vampires. A straightforward well paced story 8 out of 10.
Warriors’ Gate was confusing to much of the fandom but was a nice farewell story for Romana and K-9. Adric did not have much to do in the story understandably so with this being Romana’s departure narrative. There were some interesting concepts introduced that have been expanded on in the extended media. 7 out of 10.
The Keeper of Traken introduced one of the most underrated Doctor Who companions Nyssa ably portrayed by the wonderful and attractive actress Sarah Sutton. The combination of highly technological society mixed with a medieval feudal culture was captivating. It was nice seeing Anthony Ainley in a different role as Tremas and Geoffrey Beevers through his work in Big Finish has become my favorite incarnation of the Master. Sutton lights up the screen with her every appearance in the story, you can see why she was promoted from a one off guest character to a full time companion. 8 out of 10.
Logopolis was Tom Baker’s final episode and was a mediocre send off. The Watcher was a confusing addition to the story and I still to this day do not fully understand the need for the character both in universe and production wise. The highlight of the story for me was the interaction of The Doctor and Adric. It makes me wish we had more stories with just the two of them. The Fourth Doctor and Adric would have made a great TARDIS team. 8 out of 10.
