Titan Announces Fourth Doctor Mini-Series

[Allyn Gibson]

Titan Comics' next Doctor Who mini-series, after the eighth Doctor series which just started, will be a fourth Doctor/Sarah Jane Smith series from Gordon Rennie, Emma Beeby, and Brian Williamson.

I applaud Titan's ambition with the Doctor Who license, but their inability to hit ship dates or maintain a regular schedule may be their undoing.

 

[kirk55555]

I'm amazed they're actually used Sarah Jane, not some poorly written original companion that will be forgotten by everyone except the Doctor who wiki the second the comic series ended Now, if we could only get real companions in the other Doctor Who comics, there might be more Who comics worth reading.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I hope when they do the Sixth Doctor, they'll use Evelyn Smythe. I've missed her for a while really.

 

[StCoop]

Titan Comics' next Doctor Who mini-series, after the eighth Doctor series which just started...

...and which I won't be buying any more issues of because a Manga-esque McGann who looks like he's about 12 is not for me.

 

[kirk55555]

I hope when they do the Sixth Doctor, they'll use Evelyn Smythe. I've missed her for a while really.

They won't do the 6th Doctor, his coat is too offensive to some people's sensibilities But, if they did, they'd almost certainly use Peri if they used a pre-established companion. They wouldn't assume than any of the comic readers listened to Big Finish, so its either an entirely new character or a TV character. Plus, I'd think that Big Finish created characters wouldn't necessarily be included as something the BBC can license out to other people.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Titan Comics' next Doctor Who mini-series, after the eighth Doctor series which just started...

...and which I won't be buying any more issues of because a Manga-esque McGann who looks like he's about 12 is not for me.

It was certainly a surprising artistic choice. I opened it up, and I went, "Wait, what is this? A shoujo romance manga?"

It took some mental adjustment, and when I did I liked the art. I think it's a valid take on the Byronic, romantic eighth Doctor (even though, by the first page, this apparently takes place someplace after the Dark Eyes series).

That said, I do get why people are objecting to it, because it's not traditional for a licensed comic book when readers have grown accustomed to something closer to likenesses and lightboxed screengrabs.

 

[DarthPipes]

Sweet! I can't wait for the Fourth Doctor series and am thrilled they'll be using Sarah Jane as well. Titan has done a great job with original companions like Gabby and Alice but that's not needed here. It's a great chance to use Sarah Jane again in a DW story.

 

[Turtletrekker]

They won't do the 6th Doctor, his coat is too offensive to some people's sensibilities .

I'm pretty sure that I read that the plan is to eventually do a mini for every classic Doctor.

 

[kirk55555]

They won't do the 6th Doctor, his coat is too offensive to some people's sensibilities .

I'm pretty sure that I read that the plan is to eventually do a mini for every classic Doctor.

On the one hand, a potential 6th Doctor mini could be awesome. On the other hand, every Doctor Who comic Titan has released has been mediocre at best, atrocious at worst. So, I like the idea of a mini for every Doctor, I just wish a good company had the license to do it.

 

[The Wormhole]

While I get that Tom Baker is the most popular Doctor, and therefore doing something with the Fourth Doctor would be a priority for Titan, I'm kind of disappointed they broke their "backwards order" thing they've had going on.

I'm amazed they're actually used Sarah Jane, not some poorly written original companion that will be forgotten by everyone except the Doctor who wiki the second the comic series ended Now, if we could only get real companions in the other Doctor Who comics, there might be more Who comics worth reading.

Titan's miniseries do include TV companions, the Ninth Doctor mini includes Rose and Captain Jack. It's their ongoing series that use original companions, and even then the Twelfth Doctor series does use Clara.

I hope when they do the Sixth Doctor, they'll use Evelyn Smythe. I've missed her for a while really.

They won't do the 6th Doctor, his coat is too offensive to some people's sensibilities But, if they did, they'd almost certainly use Peri if they used a pre-established companion. They wouldn't assume than any of the comic readers listened to Big Finish, so its either an entirely new character or a TV character. Plus, I'd think that Big Finish created characters wouldn't necessarily be included as something the BBC can license out to other people.

Well, IDW used Frobisher in their Sixth Doctor comic for the 50th anniversary, even though I think Panini own him as opposed to the BBC.

But then, I suppose Panini isn't Big Finish.

 

[NightJim]

Well Big Finish have used Frobisher as well, so maybe if it's Doctor Who it all falls back to the BBC umbrella, but most people don't use the non-TV stuff to avoid the confusion.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Seeing Sarah Jane makes me wonder, does Titan's license include things like Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood? I'd like to see some continuation of SJA. Or if not SJA specific, anything starring Sarah Jane would be cool. A gathering of companions, perhaps?

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Well Big Finish have used Frobisher as well, so maybe if it's Doctor Who it all falls back to the BBC umbrella, but most people don't use the non-TV stuff to avoid the confusion.

Except it's well established that Bernice Summerfield existed outside of the BBC's purview. That's why Virgin could keep doing New Adventures books about her after their Doctor Who license expired and why Big Finish started out adapting Bernice Summerfield books when the BBC wasn't comfortable giving them a Doctor Who license.

 

[NightJim]

I perhaps should have been clearer. We know if you create a Who character for the BBC, you keep some ownership and can do stuff with that. See the K-9 series, Terry Nation trying to launch a Dalek series, and the current Lethbridge-Stewart novels that can't reference UNIT.

I imagine the reverse is true as well. Bernice Summerfield was created by Paul Cornell writing for Virgin, for Doctor Who. I imagine it works in reverse. BBC would surely get the same rights to Bernice or Frobisher as they do for something created directly for their show. It is their franchise after all. But like something for the show, Cornell keeps his rights too, and it was him that allowed Virgin and Big Finish to do what they did.

 

[Mister Spock]

I'm happy for the first seven Doctors to use known companions, rather than trying to establish years of adventures with unseen companions.