Doctor Who: Wicked Sisters (Big Finish/Audio/Box Set)

I was an avid buyer of Big Finish audios until Dr Who returned to the telly then (foolishly) stopped buying them until about 18 months ago and have done my best within my budget to catch up and buy new Doctor Who audio adventures. However large gaps remain and probably always will. 

One of the things I missed was the back story to Wicked Sisters who apparently appeared in three of the Doctors CDs and had  their own solo series so I came to this story without knowing exactly where this was coming from. However there is enough in the script to keep the new listner more or less aware of what's going on even if their origins remain a mystery to me.

Two human women when together have "god-like" powers which are interfering with time itself and could destroy the universe so nothing too serious. One of the joys of this particular story was seeing Leila not just as an agent of the Time Lords but advanced from the primitive she once was without the actual warrior disappearing.

The Doctor is asked to help destroy Abby & Zara who seem a nice if somewhat misguided pair and the Doctor is going to sentence them to death as there is in his view always an alternative. All three stories (set across 3 CD's) are set on the moon.

The Garden of Storms is reminiscent of Logan's Run though with a much nastier twist whist the second Moonrakers sees the Moon cut off from earth by "cosmic storms" and humans fighting amongst themselves for resources with a very amusing group of Sontarans building a garden!

The final story, The People Made Of Smoke shows how the Doctor's intervention changed history and the menace that the girls had brought into this reality. Will they live or die?

I enjoyed this story over three nights and if I have the money and the original stories are available on CD I think I might, just might get around to picking them up.

Available from: bigfinish.com

Heavy Metal #300

 

For any comic or magazine to reach 300 consecutive issues these days is a miracle what with all the constant relaunches, renumbering and whatever, but this particular magazine has even more reason to be proud of it's continuing run. Heavy Metal outlived it's "parent" Metal Hurlant by a miles. There's even an interview with Jean Pierre Dionnet one of the founders of Metal Hurlant launched in 1974, ran for 11 years and 132 issues.

Oddly the prelude to the interview includes Eerie & Creepy as one of 'it's "glossy competitors" not sure I'd count those warren Magazines as rivals exactly the world of black & white horror mags was a separate one. Marvel's Epic and Playboy's Omni now they were distinct rivals which had short lives.

I have to be honest here that I've never really been a reader of Heavy Metal though did try it once in a while, the last time being when Grant Morrison was given an editorial run. I ordered three issues and remembered why I wasn't a great fan. The stories were too esoteric for their own good. 

This over-sized and highly priced 100 page issue contains a couple of quite readable stories of which Savage Circus was the best and is apparently continuing as a comic book series not that I'll be following it up for a whole number of reasons.

I understand that Heavy Metal is part of a whole genre of comics including those produced by Humanoid publications but though I like The Incal (or what I managed to read of it) and The Metabarons, the stories such as Memories which is (re)printed here just do not do anything for me. Like a lot of Grant Morrison's edited issues it's self indulgent and unappealing, to me anyway.

However Heavy Metal has it's fans and I have on occasion considered picking up some of the other comics they produce but with everything that's happening at the moment it is nowhere near a priority even in terms of collecting comics.

The only other story which caught my attention was The Cold Dead War otherwise the material which is Heavy Metal's usual fare just does not appeal. I did try to like this comic/magazine and I am aware it has it's fans otherwise it wouldn't have either lasted this long or be going strong. I wish them all the best for the future but Heavy Metal will not be on my list.

Note: I haven't given Heavy Metal a rating or recommendation simply because though it doesn't appeal to me there are many who will enjoy it's content and I don't wish to appear unfair.

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious - The Enemy of My Enemy

 

In the last instalment of Big Finishes Time Lord Victorious story-line featuring the Eighth Doctor we see our the Doc as a prisoner of the Daleks...... again. There are moves to exterminate him as the Executioner Dalek approaches only to be stopped by the Dalek Strategist who needs the Doctors help. 

Some thing has happened to the time-lines, history is changing and it threatens the Dalek Empire  and oh everybody else not that the evil creatures give a damn about anyone but themselves. The Doctor agrees to help but only on his terms not that the treacherous Daleks would ever keep their word.

Ending up on a Planet where a civilisation has appeared where none used to exist the Doctor and the Daleks investigate the mystery of the ancient civilisation of Wrax with whom the Daleks propose an alliance not that either side could be trusted. Thing is the Wraxians should never have existed . In history this was a lifeless planet. 

Photo: By Source

This adventure shows how good Paul McGann would have been at playing the Time Lord as he has proved in in a large number of Big Finish audios. Sadly McGann's participation on TV is (so far) restricted to one TV film and a short that tied in with another Doctor's season. 

Maybe when we reach the Doctor's sixtieth anniversary in three years time we could see all the Doctors return for a real special while there is still time!

In the meantime these audio adventures are highly recommended.

Time Lord Victorious: To be continued..........

Marvel Two-In-One Annual #3 (Marvel/1978)

 

Marvel Two-In-One Annual #3: 

Marv Wolfman (w) Sal Buscema (a)

It's been a while since I read an old Marvel comic and I just happened to notice whilst moving stuff about that despite having had the is comic for some time I had not even opened the bag so sat down for what turned out to be a nostalgic read.

Marvel Two-In-One was a vehicle for teaming up the lovable Benjamin Grimm a.k.a. The Thing from the Fantastic Four with other players in the Marvel Universe. This comic along with Marvel Team-Up allowed Marvel to feature a lot of characters that  did not have their own comics nor were members of teams and otherwise might not get an outing.

These were usually "done-in-one" stories that are rarely if ever seen these days and frankly are in part responsible for the decline of the medium as these allowed for casual readers to pick up comics at random rather than be forced to track down every issue of a multi-part adventure or complex crossover.

This particulate over-sized comic the American version of an "Annual" features Nova who was a not just a super-hero rookie as seen in the story but new to Marvel. Aliens known as "Monitors" have landed on Earth to see if the planet is fit to be allowed to live. In thousands of years no planet has ever met their standards. 

Unable to face the threat alone Nova seeks help firstly from the Avengers and then from the Fantastic Four after amusingly asking Jarvis for the address of the Baxter Building! Help is also at hand as a woman, seemingly a prisoner of the Monitors gets freed and the trio seek to free the others to weaken & help save Earth.

It goes without saying that Ben and Nova succeed but one has to ask where were the Celestials during all this as they were sitting in the Andes with yet another judgement to make on the future of mankind. The Marvel Universe is sure a dangerous place to live what with these Monitors, Celestials and Galactus consuming life everywhere it is a wonder any survives.

An inexpensive buy if you come across a copy and most of the 100 issue series is worth a read.

Dick Turpin and the Vengeful Shade (Time Bomb Comics)

Continuing my exploration of the British small comics press I picked up a copy of Dick Turpin and the Vengeful Shade by Steve Turner (w) and Roland Bird (a) which is a prestige format full colour one-shot or "done in one" story however you like to describe it.

The story features Dick Turpin in an incarnation that is somewhat different to the norm and isn't really either a brave or likeable character nor is he much more than a puppet throughout this story which starts with a robbery gone wrong and a vengeful spirity that's out to kill when the miscreants and their victims take shelter.

Described as a "locked in a room murder and mystery" it's a wee bit ore than that and highly entertaining with it. With a good script and professional artwork this is a comic worth picking up if you fancy something a little different from the norm.

I have previously picked up Brawler #1 and have taken part in the Kickstarter for Brawler #2.  They also have a new title out which I'll be checking in due course. 

Rating: 4 Stars Recommended.

Available from: getmycomics.com

Strontium Dog: The Starlord Years (Rebellion)

 

Although overshadowed by Judge Dredd Johnny Alpha comes a close second as an all time favourite in 2000AD even if the bastards did kill him off in a story I have yet to read. However in the meantime Rebellion have finally released a collection of Strontium Dog's earliest adventures from the short lived Starlord comic.

Starlord actually outsold 2000AD but was dropped after just 22 issues as the format was so expensive to produce and ended up merged with 2000AD. It is from this particular issue I started collecting 2000AD and became a fan of not just Dredd but also everyone's favourite mutant Johnny Alpha and his Viking side-kick Wulf. And lets not forget the Gronk....as if we could!

Most of the action takes place in outer space as Johnny & Wulf track down wanted criminals facing abuse & discrimination where ever they go though at least one grateful star pilot apologises. You also get introduced to Johnny's sister and niece. The background to the story of Johnny Alpha is yet to come.

This hardback edition collects all of Strontium dogs stories fro Starlord, the Starlord Summer Special and the Starlord Annuals. I only have a couple of issues of the comic itelf plus one annual and the summer special so most of the content was new to me and with Carlos Ezquerra's art is a welcome addition to any British comic fans collection.

Rating: 5 Stars Of course it comes highly recommended!

Available from: 2000ad.com

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Doctor Who Annual, Calendar & Diary 2021

 

One of the things that I always liked getting at Christmas were the Annuals, mostly comic one's (Wham! & Smash! were my favourites) but relatives used to give Blue Peter Books or even Doctor Who ones on occasion.  

Of course being an old git I've been watching the Doctor's adventures since 1963 and now no longer have relatives that give me annuals I have to buy them for myself not there are many to choose from. Even 2000AD gave up on them and does it's 100 page special instead. 

Doctor Who has been gone from strength to strength despite the moans of some hardcore fans. I have have some beefs with the scripts. Too much "wokeness" for me. I just want to be entertained not preached at about complex issues that have two sides to the argument that are far from resolved. I try not to let it spoil the story and remain not just a solid fan of the programme but of Jodie who I think plays a great Doctor. 

The latest Doctor Who Annual is very much a children's book as it should be going through the latest seasons programmes, characters and looks at at the Time Lord Victorious multi media story line. I'm not sure how many kids would be able to afford the numerous comics, magazines, books and CD's involved. At least the BBC animation is free on You Tube.

Still whether a child at 6 or 60 I'm sure it will make it's way into a few Christmas stockings!

Meanwhile there's the choice of calender's. I chose the multi Doctor one:

And finally there's the Tardis Pocket Diary for less than a fiver! Couldn't resist!