Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time

JoeZhang · December 28 2012, 09:55 PM

t's hard to keep a good Doctor down, especially when there are 11 of them. That's the case this January when IDW Publishing launches "Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time" to coincide with the BBC property's 50th anniversary. "Prisoners of Time" is a 12-issue miniseries featuring all 11 TV incarnations of Doctor Who, a new Doctor every issue each drawn by a different artist.

IDW is entrusting the task of bringing all these Doctors to life to Scott and David Tipton, the sibling writing team behind "Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who: Assimilation2." Joining the Tiptons for the first issue of "Prisoners of Time" is "2000 AD" and "Nikolai Dante" artist Simon Fraser.

The Tiptons spoke with Comic Book Resources about bringing all 11 incarnations of Doctor Who to life for this ambitious new project. They shared details on which villains and companions you can also expect to see, their favorite personal Doctor Who and Doctor Who villains, getting support from the BBC and more.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=42842

While any new Who is good news, to me the Tiptons are mediocre at best as writers so I will approach this new series with caution....

Emh · December 29 2012, 06:21 AM

Not familiar with the writers but I see this being hit and miss for another reason: 12 issues with 12 different artists. Some might be great, others might be rubbish, but no matter what, there won't be a consistent style and I fear it will make the story jarring. Only time can tell.

Allyn Gibson · December 29 2012, 02:13 PM

I think of this more as a series of one-shots under an umbrella theme. Since each issue is about a different group of characters and recreates a different production era, different artists is fine to me.

The Wormhole · December 29 2012, 02:24 PM

My main question is if it's one Doctor per issue, and there's 12 issues, what's issue 12 going to be? All the Doctors teaming up?

Emh · December 29 2012, 03:11 PM

Allyn Gibson wrote:

I think of this more as a series of one-shots under an umbrella theme. Since each issue is about a different group of characters and recreates a different production era, different artists is fine to me.

If that's the case, that's not so problematic. But, as The Wormhole says, what will issue 12 be? Hm.

Allyn Gibson · December 29 2012, 04:19 PM

The Wormhole wrote:

My main question is if it's one Doctor per issue, and there's 12 issues, what's issue 12 going to be? All the Doctors teaming up?

That's one possibility. The other possibility is that it takes the eleventh Doctor two issues to resolve the overarching plot.

Nick Ryder · December 29 2012, 09:15 PM

Or it's like how some series do the last issue and have a few pages with each artist and maybe have each Doctor complete his arc.

ToddKent · December 29 2012, 10:45 PM

I imagine the first and last issues will feature the current Doctor and the other issues will be flashbacks.

Brendan Moody · December 29 2012, 10:52 PM

ToddKent wrote:

I imagine the first and last issues will feature the current Doctor and the other issues will be flashbacks.

The first issue is definitely a first Doctor story, so that can't be the plan.

Allyn Gibson · December 29 2012, 11:23 PM

Nick Ryder wrote:

Or it's like how some series do the last issue and have a few pages with each artist and maybe have each Doctor complete his arc.

Two pages per Doctor? I don't think that's realistic.

Nick Ryder · December 30 2012, 03:01 AM

Sure it is, if done right

Allyn Gibson · December 30 2012, 03:54 AM

Nick Ryder wrote:

Sure it is, if done right

I should have been more specific. It's not realistic for the Tiptons. Their writing is very decompressed. They barely get going in two pages.

Nick Ryder · December 30 2012, 04:40 AM

HAHA yeah... I have to track down their work somewhere - but it sounds like Matt Fraction too, takes him for-fricken-ever to get going too.

Allyn Gibson · December 30 2012, 02:22 PM

Fraction and decompression... *shakeshead*

I was really looking forward to Fraction on Thor a few years ago, as I had loved his mini-series Thor: Ages of Thunder. The first issue of his run came out, I read it, and I thought, "It's good, but it's thin." The next issue came out, and I thought, "It's good, but we're still where we were at the end of the last issue." Ultimately, I said it took Fraction seven issues to do a story that would have taken Walt Simonson one.

The Mirrorball Man · December 30 2012, 02:26 PM

Nick Ryder wrote:

HAHA yeah... I have to track down their work somewhere - but it sounds like Matt Fraction too, takes him for-fricken-ever to get going too.

There's enough plot in one panel of Casanova to fill dozens of spinoff series.

December 29 2012, 06:21 AM	#2
Emh The Doctor Location: Japan	Re: Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time Not familiar with the writers but I see this being hit and miss for another reason: 12 issues with 12 different artists. Some might be great, others might be rubbish, but no matter what, there won't be a consistent style and I fear it will make the story jarring. Only time can tell. __________________ "Eccleston was a tiger and Tennant was, well, Tigger. Smith [is] an uncoordinated housecat who pretends that he meant to do that after falling off a piece of furniture." - Lynne M. Thomas "I'm in Hell and it's full of Avons!" - Vila

December 29 2012, 02:13 PM	#3
Allyn Gibson Rear Admiral Location: South Pennsyltucky	Re: Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time I think of this more as a series of one-shots under an umbrella theme. Since each issue is about a different group of characters and recreates a different production era, different artists is fine to me. __________________ "When David Marcus cited the great thinkers of history -- "Newton, Einstein, Surak" -- Newt Gingrich did not make his list." -- 24 January 2012 allyngibson.net

December 29 2012, 02:24 PM	#4
The Wormhole Admiral	Re: Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time My main question is if it's one Doctor per issue, and there's 12 issues, what's issue 12 going to be? All the Doctors teaming up? __________________ "Internet message boards aren't as funny today as they were ten years ago. I've stopped reading new posts." -The Simpsons 20th anniversary special.

December 29 2012, 09:15 PM	#7
Nick Ryder Fleet Captain Location: Milwaukee, WI Da Brew City	Re: Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time Or it's like how some series do the last issue and have a few pages with each artist and maybe have each Doctor complete his arc. __________________ "Here you are in the club with your bottle full of Bud, you got grillz you got bling, but playa you don't know a thing..." Alice Cooper - Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever

December 29 2012, 10:45 PM	#8
ToddKent Captain Location: Dallas, TX	Re: Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time I imagine the first and last issues will feature the current Doctor and the other issues will be flashbacks. __________________ The Comic Book Literacy Documentary - Next screening TBA CBL on Facebook and CBL on Twitter

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December 30 2012, 03:01 AM	#11
Nick Ryder Fleet Captain Location: Milwaukee, WI Da Brew City	Re: Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time Sure it is, if done right __________________ "Here you are in the club with your bottle full of Bud, you got grillz you got bling, but playa you don't know a thing..." Alice Cooper - Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever

December 30 2012, 04:40 AM	#13
Nick Ryder Fleet Captain Location: Milwaukee, WI Da Brew City	Re: Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time HAHA yeah... I have to track down their work somewhere - but it sounds like Matt Fraction too, takes him for-fricken-ever to get going too. __________________ "Here you are in the club with your bottle full of Bud, you got grillz you got bling, but playa you don't know a thing..." Alice Cooper - Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever

December 30 2012, 02:22 PM	#14
Allyn Gibson Rear Admiral Location: South Pennsyltucky	Re: Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time Fraction and decompression... shakeshead I was really looking forward to Fraction on Thor a few years ago, as I had loved his mini-series Thor: Ages of Thunder. The first issue of his run came out, I read it, and I thought, "It's good, but it's thin." The next issue came out, and I thought, "It's good, but we're still where we were at the end of the last issue." Ultimately, I said it took Fraction seven issues to do a story that would have taken Walt Simonson one. __________________ "When David Marcus cited the great thinkers of history -- "Newton, Einstein, Surak" -- Newt Gingrich did not make his list." -- 24 January 2012 allyngibson.net