I know, you’re probably all fed up of polls at the moment, but I thought this would be an interesting one.
Which Doctor has the best comics? (You have five votes)
Easily the 8th Doctor but I have a soft spot for the 1st Doctor TV Comic era (the 2nd Doctor era is awful though).
8 I’d say has the highest highs but 11 has a great Titan run and a great DWM run.(I like 8s Titan miniseries too but it’s more just a fun time than something outstanding)
I’ve gone for the Fourth Doctor, partly because I have a long memory!
Anyone remember the TVComic strips from the '70s (and earlier, although they’re before my time)? Gary Haylock, an artist seemingly incapable of drawing a bad Jon Pertwee likeness subsequently struggled with Tom Baker. I remember his first story Death Flower, which bore a huge resemblance to The Seeds of Doom on television a few years later.
Martin Asbury took over the illustrating duties for a couple of tales after that, including a return for The Daleks, before regular John Canning drew the remainder of Fourth Doctor stories (including reprints of earlier stories, with Tom Baker’s face drawn over Doctors Troughton and Pertwee!). Tremendous artists both.
And then Marvel took over, and Dave Gibbons took up drawing duties (alongside others, including Mike McMahon) for Doctor Who weekly and remained well into Peter Davison’s time.
So Tom’s Doctor was the only one who straddled the old guard of Polystyle’s comics and then Marvel’s universe-blasting run. Such wonderful memories. Why have those earlier strips never been reprinted?
I used to love the 3rd Doctor strips in Countdown (later TV Action). I fell in love with Gerry Haylock’s artwork when he drew the Land of the Giants comic strip in Joe 90: Top Secret comic, so was delighted when he started illustrating Doctor Who. I couldn’t wait to pop round the corner to the papershop on a Saturday morning to spend some of my pocket money on the latest issue.
Thanks for sharing, @Doctor_Roo. His artwork is stunning and his paintings of Jon Pertwee are uncanny. For my money, the only other artist who could so completely capture a Doctor Who likeness is Mick Austin and his talent for drawing Peter Davison, who is notoriously difficult to draw. Mick just got him, every time.
What I’d give for these strips to be reprinted and collected as graphic novels!
