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Warren Ellis Challenge: Design the 13th Doctor

PsychoPere

PsychoPere

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Writer Warren Ellis on his blog recently challenged his readers to post their concept designs for the Thirteenth Doctor. I thought there would be many people here who might be interested in seeing that thread and perhaps even to participate, so here it is!

There have been several entries so far, but I think the best one has been from comics artist Ben Templesmith, creator of IDW Publishing's Wormwood: Gentelman Corpse and past collaborator of Ellis on Image Comics's genius Fell.
 
PsychoPere said:
Writer Warren Ellis on his blog recently challenged his readers to post their concept designs for the Thirteenth Doctor. I thought there would be many people here who might be interested in seeing that thread and perhaps even to participate, so here it is!

There have been several entries so far, but I think the best one has been from comics artist Ben Templesmith, creator of IDW Publishing's Wormwood: Gentelman Corpse and past collaborator of Ellis on Image Comics's genius Fell.
Click to expand...

I am so going to enter that one! Awesome link thanks for the tip!

http://skywarp-2.deviantart.com/
 
I found most of the images of 13 alienating (pardon the pun) and threatening, which is kinda like the Doctor but not at the same time. My favourite was struthersneil's entry.
 
I have to agree, WillsBabe. I think sthruthersneil's entry is by far the most interesting at this point.
 
They're pretty much all shit, aren't they?

I think part of the problem is there's so little variety and individualism among the entries- they break down into three categories:
1) He wears a long coat and is geeky, like the two most recent Doctors.
2) He's black- it's about time and it'll be so edgy cos I'm so PC, and nobody else would ever think of it!
3) She's female- it's about time it'll be so edgy cos I'm so PC, and nobody else would ever think of it!

There are over a hundred posts in the thread, so where are the 97 other wild and wacky and creative ideas?

Having said that, some of them are technically well-accomplished - the female Doc with the French-style advertising pillar, and the old Druid-doc with the beard and burning torch/staff are especially well done.
 
Interesting...Templesmith's not bad but it's not great, and yes I agree the majority of them are quite shite. If I could actually draw I think I would go out of the box completely with the design. I have a Thirteenth Doctor story in mind, along with a potential design but nothing what I have seen so far in this thread.
 
Well, once I am done with my work, and poisted up on that site, I sure hope you guys drop by anbd supoport me..

I went with a 50's to 60's suit motif, and added some cool things to tie him to his former selves.. the doctor of my design looks like he comes full circle in some aspects.. especially being like a younger version of his first incarnation..

anyhow, I will let you guys decide first.. once the work is done and uploaded to that site, I will provide the link to the page.. please let me know what you guys think.. I should have it up by tomorrow.
 
Lonemagpie said:
They're pretty much all shit, aren't they?

I think part of the problem is there's so little variety and individualism among the entries- they break down into three categories:
1) He wears a long coat and is geeky, like the two most recent Doctors.
2) He's black- it's about time and it'll be so edgy cos I'm so PC, and nobody else would ever think of it!
3) She's female- it's about time it'll be so edgy cos I'm so PC, and nobody else would ever think of it!

There are over a hundred posts in the thread, so where are the 97 other wild and wacky and creative ideas?

Having said that, some of them are technically well-accomplished - the female Doc with the French-style advertising pillar, and the old Druid-doc with the beard and burning torch/staff are especially well done.
Click to expand...

It's the same vibe I get off much of the 1990s books, "Well the Doctor needs to be more adult and an asshole", one explained his design as

"For his companion I first wanted to draw a dude because the Doctor really needs some wild gay butt sex" - get a grip (well not literally).

It's just fucking lazy (although as you say much of the art is technically very good).
 
JoeZhang said:
It's the same vibe I get off much of the 1990s books, "Well the Doctor needs to be more adult and an asshole",
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Oh yeah, I remember it well. (Well, I would do, I wrote several - but I always hated that direction for the NA Doctor...)
 
I rather like the designs of bruceohughes, Pia Guerra, and ArtMonkeyWorld Dave. Pia's is probably my favorite.

Struthersneil's is nice in some ways, but I hate the Time Lord-y shoulder things.
 
Lonemagpie said:
JoeZhang said:
It's the same vibe I get off much of the 1990s books, "Well the Doctor needs to be more adult and an asshole",
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I remember it well. (Well, I would do, I wrote several - but I always hated that direction for the NA Doctor...)
Click to expand...
Would you say that's a logical development of the mystery Cartmel tried to bring to the character in those last two seasons (thus perhaps making that a mistake), or the result of it being purely fans who were writing the printed continuation of the show and wanted to refute the idea of Doctor Who being for kids (by making childish attempts at being adult and turning the Doctor into a completely different character in the process)?
 
USS Bones said:
Would you say that's a logical development of the mystery Cartmel tried to bring to the character in those last two seasons (thus perhaps making that a mistake), or the result of it being purely fans who were writing the printed continuation of the show and wanted to refute the idea of Doctor Who being for kids (by making childish attempts at being adult and turning the Doctor into a completely different character in the process)?
Click to expand...

Mostly the former, with a bit of the latter - although it wasn't just fans writing them, and not all the ones who did wanted to take the Doctor that way. As far as I'm concerned it was a chance to make the other characters and the worlds more adult, but the Doctor should always be the Doctor.
 
Ah, I like that. Very well put. Still, I can't say I've read/remember many, but I'm not sure they all saw it that way.
Head.Games.jpg

Incidentally, I've always meant to ask you: who's your favourite Doctor to write for?
 
Please tell me that's a Photoshop job and not an actual cover. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover but...
 
Nope, that's the real thing. To be fair to it, I think it's a little misleading. It's got something to do with the Land of Fiction from The Mind Robber, or something.
 
Lonemagpie said:
USS Bones said:
Would you say that's a logical development of the mystery Cartmel tried to bring to the character in those last two seasons (thus perhaps making that a mistake), or the result of it being purely fans who were writing the printed continuation of the show and wanted to refute the idea of Doctor Who being for kids (by making childish attempts at being adult and turning the Doctor into a completely different character in the process)?
Click to expand...

Mostly the former, with a bit of the latter - although it wasn't just fans writing them, and not all the ones who did wanted to take the Doctor that way. As far as I'm concerned it was a chance to make the other characters and the worlds more adult, but the Doctor should always be the Doctor.
Click to expand...

I can sorta see that but I think the problem is that we got too much of the same thing in a row, for example, book after book with a deeply unlikable 'Space Ace'.
 
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