Which other sci-fi or fantasy shows do you regard in the same league as Doctor Who and why?

What has made you such a huge fan and eventual contributor to the comic strip medium? 

How did you get involved in this mini-series project for Titan?

What do you regard as the Ninth Doctor's 3 biggest strengths?

And his 3 biggest weaknesses?

When Doctor Who was first brought back in 2005 could you really have imagined what a colossal hit it has gone on to become?

Does the Ninth Doctor regard Rose as anymore than a really close friend - (the TV show could be quite ambiguous at times)?

You have Captain Jack on the TARDIS crew in your story. Do you enjoy the slightly uneasy relationship that he has had with the Doctor, and why do you think the tension is there?

What was the main inspiration for the mini-series (apart from the lone TV season that featured Christopher Eccleston)?

Why do you think Doctor Who has endured for over half a century, and what makes it so suitable for other mediums than just the television?

Are the Daleks your favourite monsters, and if not which are// and if so why (delete as applicable)

Apart from your considerable fictional body of work, you have done some non-fiction. Which of these projects has been the most rewarding for you?

STORY - Robbie Morrison

ART - Brian Williamson, COLORS - Hi-Fi

LETTERS - Richard Starkings, Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt

COVER - Blair Shedd, DESIGNER - Rob Farmer

EDITOR - Andrew James, ASSISTANT EDITOR - Kirsten Murray

PUBLISHER -Titan Comics - 2015

Mysteries and paranormal events are unleashed in this new arc for the current TARDIS crew. With a rather brutal enemy overcome, the way is open for the Doctor to grapple with a rather more elusive entity which has some pretty radical methods for achieving its goal. A goal whose exact nature remains to be seen.

With Coal Hill School once again in the foreground for the confrontations to come, as well as the presence of old allies ' UNIT', there is an element of 'been there, done that'. But will something nasty rear its head?

This story is as complex in its own way as 'Swords of Kali', but reads in a more immediately accessible way that is also less demanding of the general reader. It remains to be seen if the concluding sections work as well as the set up that is presented here.

Rather interestingly we join the Doctor and Clara as they contend with a very large but also rather stupid adversary who barely makes the duo break sweat in achieving victory. In the process the Judoon (one of the RTD era's best creations) get a name check but don't manage to actually appear.

The adventure proper for the duo then begins, although relevant events have already been presented to the reader in the story's initial pages which certainly set a mysterious and unpredictable tone.

This story notably picks up quite a while after issue 5's conclusion as Danny Pink has gone to the great place in the sky - both literally and metaphorically - following TV Series 8's finale.

Clara at this point in her life is truly enjoying her travels with the Scottish-accented Gallifreyan. Yet she wants another spell at the comfortable (by comparison) day job of teaching. Before the wish can be granted, they must both respond to a problem at UNIT where a reality gate has run amok. Paul Foster, who happens to be the late father of one of Clara's pupils, was killed in a car accident, but had been working on the projects with the gate; scientific work that the Doctor is very critical of as he once again meets Kate Stewart.

By having key Who settings and supporting players recur, this is really the first in this Twelfth Doctor range to reflect the general make-up of the TV series featuring the current Doctor and his companion. 

Writer Robbie Morrison continues to impress me following his earlier work in the preceding set of issues. He is a great portrayer of individuals who have a certain identity and powerful emotions that flow from the trials and tribulations of their life choices. The key theme of loss and family ties is well conveyed and gives some weight to what could have potentially been a mere romp, - 'Swords' already set a standard for a lot of moving players but also telling more than just a plot heavy narrative. Hopefully Morrison maintains this quality for a good while yet.

Also welcome is some respite from the more outlandish settings and multiple time zones with the threat being focused on contemporary Earth, barring that rarely used practice of having a finale to a mostly un-told story.

I would rate, Brian Williamson, as a  competent artist for the line, maybe favouring a rather literal style, with little of the quirks or artistic licence of some other contributors to other Doctor Who titles of late. Perhaps less commendable is the choice of limited colour -- the story jumps around more than enough here but the colours don't quite match this diversity.

Nonetheless any weaknesses almost get eliminated by the end as the actual cliffhanger with the major villains revealed is striking and memorable. At the very least I hope for this story to match 'TerrorFormer's quality on the basis of the potential so far displayed, if 'Swords of Kali's level would prove a step too far.

**

Bonus Comedic Strips:

"Sewer Monster" has a clever use of the Doctor and Clara in conversation but only one of them actually appearing. Yet another creature from the RTD era is brought back by writer/artist AJ, but perhaps not necessarily the most fearsome one, despite the piece's title.

"The Partying of the Ways" is also nostalgic, whilst managing to be very strong in its principal role as a comedic mini-story. It again shows the fruits of the Colin Bell/ Neil Slorance partnership. Clara's relationship with her centuries old friend is explored to an extent, whilst also organically growing out of the somewhat chaotic scenario they find themselves in.

Writer - Cavan Scott,
Artist - Blair Shedd,

Color Flats - Jesse Durona

Letterer - Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt

Editor - Andrew James

Assistant editor - Kirsten Murray

Designer - Rob Farmer

Weapons Of Past Destruction - Part One

This brand-new adventure directly follows the Doctor's cathartic experience of ensuring that "Everybody Lives" despite the terrors of Blitz-torn London and some misguided nanogenes. Now he intends to show his younger friends the wonders of planet Excroth, at a time of 'enlightenment' and 'artistic freedom'.

But things are very much not to plan, as is often the way for the Last Of The Time Lords. And it would appear that powerful technology that once belonged to the Doctor's people has somehow emerged from the Time War and into the galaxies' black market instead. And this could mean that another major war could end in the most disastrous of ways...

This mini series will be with us for a number of months, and starts so strongly that I dearly wish we had a fully-fledged monthly title to join the others in the range. But some is better than none, and given Christopher Eccleston's determination to stay away from any Doctor Who projects this is one of the easier ways to get some new visual material that will remind people just why the very first series of modern Doctor Who was such a firm success.

Having the trio of the Doctor, Rose Tyler and Captain Jack Harkness was a smart move as onscreen they only had three adventures together before the sudden regeneration into Tennant's Doctor, and the abandonment of the 'un-killable' Jack,

This storyline really could not be any easier to follow, but that is quite welcome in an opening issue. In any case the characterisation and dialogue more than make up for the rather basic plot, and show a dynamic where the Doctor and Jack are clearly not comfortable with one another and both feel they offer more to Rose than the other. This story is designed to be read with the recent events of 'The Doctor Dances' in mind, so the 'chummy' camaraderie seen in 'Boom Town' is yet to be the order of the day.

Whilst the heady banter between the two seasoned time travellers works fine, there is room for improvement. Perhaps the wonderfully relatable Rose has been left with material that is a bit too 'old-school' in style, as she just asks questions relating to the oddness around her, with the odd pithy line thrown in to bring some levity to the drama. As many recall, she has by this point in the show proven herself to the Doctor unquestionably. Hopefully she gets to be more positively proactive in later events to come.

The ending sequence is believable enough given the characterisation that has been presented to the reader, and no doubt many will speculate just how apparent disaster can be overcome as the cliff-hanger ending throws a real game changer into play.

As Cavan Scott elegantly manoeuvres events and no doubt has a number of ways to bolster the story arc over the course of a generous helping of five instalments. There is a scattering of material which only leaves us with more questions, such as the effect of time on events, and why the technology of Gallifrey has come to be in this location and point in history.

The visual work from Blair Shedd is very strong indeed, with Jesse Durona's colours helping create a visual treat. I would venture that the end product is even more impressive than the sterling work done on the Twelfth Doctor line. As can be hoped for, these protagonists look and 'feel' very much like the wonderfully lively people presented on the small screen a decade ago. I almost forgot I was reading something that is trying to get noticed on the very competitive comic book market; instead I had  flashbacks to those Saturday nights when Doctor Who was finally back on UK TV screens and seemingly for the long term as well. All thanks to the brilliant efforts of Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and many others.

            What worked especially well for this reviewer was the decision to have a number of silhouette panels; a technique that I have seen sparingly in the past from various comic book lines. To me they fit the tone and themes of this story handsomely. Also the variety of panels, size of images, and use of different scales as required for establishing events and characters also manages to work most effectively.

BONUS HUMOUR STRIPS:

On offer is just the one story this time - entitled 'TARDIS Holiday'. This is notable in being done as two linked episodes that occupy the latter pages of the comic. AJ writes and draws another amusing piece, where his distinctive 3D artwork stands out in a comparatively simple story. The TARDIS crew - identical to that in the main story - have decided to go somewhere special to break up the usual fare of monsters and/or political intrigue. However achieving an end result that will please all three of them is far easier said than done. 

Writer Al Ewing, Artist Boo Cook,
Designer Rob Farmer, Colorist Hi-fi,
Letterer Richard Starkings And Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt,
Editor Andrew James,,
Assistant Editor Kirsten Murray
Released - March 2015

The employees and big wigs of SERVEYOUInc turn up to work expecting just another day at the office, on a world which would more accurately fit the description of an asteroid - except it is full of light, colour. A true embodiment of pizzazz. But individuality and creativity are looking like they might die out.

The sleeping giant that had briefly reared its head  in the science labs is loose and the entire playing board where the Doctor is involved has been reset. This malevolent entity is making a play for power, and the surrounding inhabitants that were utterly dependent on the galactic corporation can only react passively to this dark turn of events

And what of the TARDIS crew who have been going back and forth through time and space with grave fear that they are being stalked? And after the near Armageddon in the Solar System during their last adventure, can they expect any respite that common decency demands?

The answer is simple: No, and there are more trials and tribulations coming en masse.

But the Doctor won't react cagily like some. This time enough really is enough. Spurred on by the disturbing manipulation of Alice by the very-much-'alive' Talent Scout, the Doctor is taking the fight to SERVEYOUInc. Or whatever he finds down on the asteroid...

This latest instalment in the 11th Doctor range builds on the arc that has been so strong and noticeable up to now, (excepting the chronic instabilities of High-Watermark-Issue 6).

Red herrings have been scattered in the readers direction leading up to this latest edition, and it is very organically done when the reader is alerted to who the real enemy is for the Doctor and friends. The final pages and panels are especially riveting as the TARDIS crew have a seeming traitor in the midst, when that would be the last thing they would have come to expect by now.

After Warren Pleece's somewhat inconsistent efforts in the previous two issues, we are once again privy to the assured work of Boo Cook. This type of presentation is once again more than ideal - for my money anyway - and really sells the emotional stakes very well.  The sheer fury that the Doctor is trying to stop from erupting is never far away, even when he contrives to make light of the events and people he encounters.

The duo of ARC and Jones however continue to serve the plot first and foremost. They really have lacked the splendid rich character development of Alice, but perhaps there is a planned pay-off which still requires perseverance for these two unique individuals.

The dialogue is full of great moments. A few select gems of our leading rogue Gallifreyan being:

"I’ve made my calls and I’ve done my homework and today this day is the day it comes down. Today......I mean business".

"I’ve spent a thousand years living in a box and stealing most of my clothes. I’ve saved up" (when the Doctor is challenged over finances). 

And the dismissive " Whatever they've done, they’re just... monsters. That's all. Because they don’t have the imagination not to be monsters. They can’t think of any other way than cruel and cowardly".

Al Ewing has been a touch questionable in his consistency compared to colleague Rob WIlliams, but this issue is very strong work and now has convinced me that his earlier plotting choices were well-chosen and will pay off well.

This is an assured and swift read for any true fans of Matt Smith's era, and hopefully Doctor Who fans in general. I never felt like I was having to generate belief in the story, and I managed it in one sitting being left wanting more.  And with such a brilliant cliff-hanger to tantalise, 'more' is certainly coming with the force of a speeding bullet.

Bonus Humour 'Tag' Stories:

'Daylight Savings' is a perfectly respectable piece of fun from regular writer and 3D artist AJ. As the clocks move forward at the time of reviewing this issue, it is amusing to see the Doctor have his own issues with units that measure time. And some old 'friends' that were brought to life from Steven Moffat's vast imagination on several occasions make a suitably mechanical impression.

Marc Ellerby conveys a brilliant return to the much-loved quartet of Amy, Rory, The Doctor and River with 'Double Date'. The near-absurdities of age gaps and power relations not being as they should are brilliantly high-lighted with sharp banter and a dollop of awkwardness. The variety of colours for backgrounds help the 2-d sketches feel as lively as AJ's computer wizardry.

Nick Abadzis  works on the ongoing Tenth Doctor series from Titan Comics. He recently gave an interview to Martin Hudecek of Doctor Who News

How exciting is it knowing that there is a couple of other regular series being made with the Tenth Doctor's successors at the same time?

Where is the 10th doctor at in his timeline? And what impact does this have on the friendship with Gabriella - the new companion you have introduced?

Did you try and recapture David Tennant's sheer zest, and match it with the type of stories you tell?

Which time zone(s) have you set these stories in and why?

Are the 'cliffhangers' a big focus for you in the creative process of writing serialised Doctor Who?

Are there clear heroes and villains in your stories and why?

Is there a preference for having the Doctor or the companion drive the narrative in the stories?

Which other tv /film comic books have you done or might do one day?

What are your all time favourite comic stories or graphic novels? (e.g top 3, top 5)?

What would you say is the highlight of your comic book career so far?

Historical fiction has been important in your writing career thus far. If you had a working TARDIS to hand, which past events would you want to visit and why?

Have you used your own experiences of life in the USA to give life to your stories' characters and surroundings?

Doctor Who: Tenth Vol. 1 hits comic stores on March 25 and books stores on March 31.

Amazon UK Link

Anazon US Link

Writer: Robbie Morrison
Artist: Daniel Indro
Letterers: Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt
Colorist: Slamet Mujiono
Editor: Andrew James
Assistant Editor: Kirsten Murray
Designer: Rob Farmer

If the seventh issue of Titan Comics’ ‘New Adventures With The Tenth Doctor’ saga is any indication, then in the case of the Weeping Angels, the eponymous pinstripe coat-wearing time traveller simply cannot catch a break. Thankfully, the character’s struggle to succeed in the face of overwhelming odds isn’t reflected in the text’s quality, since Part 2 of his second comic-book story arc – “The Weeping Angels of Mons” – easily maintains the momentum which its predecessor gained in terms of action, Hammer-esque horror set-pieces and (for the most part) a compelling set of secondary characters.

That said, before delving any further into how these elements combine to form one of the more memorable graphic adventures produced by Titan to date, it bears recognition that those aforementioned supporting players might irk some long-term Who fans given that half of their time seems to be spent inquiring as to what the mythology of the Weeping Angels entails, leading scribe Robbie Morrison to take the opportunity to throw in no shortage of exposition-laden lines of dialogue extracted near-directly from “Blink” and the Angels’ subsequent TV serials. For the scarce number of readers who picked Issue 7 up as a result of nothing more than mild curiosity as to what Doctor Who’s narratives centre on, Morrison’s approach will doubtless provoke a sigh of relief in that he ensures that knowledge of these silent antagonists’ backstory is anything but a prerequisite here, but one has to imagine given the show’s dual longevity and overwhelming popularity (at present, anyway) that most who shell out cash for these miniature tales will find themselves echoing this reviewer’s bemusement at the need for such heavy-handed call-backs to episodes gone by.

At the same time, it’s extremely encouraging to see that the odd instance of needless exposition – and the fairly uninspiring setting, though that’s more a product of the tale taking place in 1916 than anything else – barely detracts from the overall reading experience in the slightest. Whilst he doesn’t leave those who missed Part 1 of “Mons” to completely fend for themselves, Morrison certainly appears to appreciate the need for notably brief yarns such as these to get down to business sooner rather than later, hence his opting to only dwell but fleetingly upon the plight of two Great War soldiers who became stranded on a 19th Century steam-train last issue (in a turn of events which has tragic results this time around) before reuniting us with the Doctor, Gabby and their newfound accomplice Jamie Colquhon – whose all-too-familiar first name is naturally dealt with by the ever-nostalgic Time Lord in a humorous aside – as they discuss with medics, corporals and other officials (each of whom benefit hugely from some intricate characterisation in spite of the relatively constrained running time) how long their not-so-angelic pursuers have spent feasting on the temporal energy of displaced World War One veterans.

Had these exchanges formed the bulk of this (for the most part) gripping issue, then given its scribe’s evident talent for writing dialogue which mimics that of the TV show, few of us would likely have complained, but even so, a few action-packed chase sequences break up the dialogue-heavy scenes in an electrifying manner on a number of occasions. It is here where the series’ resident artist, Daniel Indro, comes into his own, not least by showcasing his ability to depict shattering windows, advancing statues, frustratingly erratic light-bulbs and an all manner of obstacles placed in the TARDIS crew’s path in such a way that one becomes wholly aware of both the immensely unique beauty of the comic-book as a form of pictorial literature and its development to a point where those with sufficient experience can render beloved characters in an uncannily realistic light. Whereas some might dispute the extent to which the Titan version of Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor resembles his on-screen counterpart, then, no such questions of representational fidelity need to be asked of Indro’s marvellously authentic take on Tennant’s incarnation or his persistent adversaries.

Even if viewed in isolation, these consistently impactful contributory elements would be considered worthy of plaudits in their own right, yet as they come together on the page, the readership must surely come to realise that both Morrison’s rapidly developing (in spite of its exposition and the familiarity of its premise) period narrative and Indro’s increasingly accomplished accompanying graphics work best by far in each other’s company. As a result, much as Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor appears to be making waves on TV screens across the globe nowadays, in the region of his comic-book escapades, he still seemingly has plenty of work to do if he’s to catch up with his spectacles-donning predecessor in the foreseeable future.

Bonus Humour Strips Mini-Reviews:

AJ treats us to a strip which pays homage to both the days of the First Doctor - via a subtle twist on his contemplation of what it's like to "touch the alien sand" - and the Tenth's encounter with the Vashta Nerada in 2008 with Shadows on the Pier. This innocent skit prioritises excessive dialogue over impressive visuals in order to get across its gags over the course of just six panels, yet does so with surprisingly effortless aplomb.

Rachel Smith's A Rose By Any Other Name, meanwhile, threatens to drive any reader whose tolerance for text language is limited close to insanity by throwing in non-words such as "soz" and "jeeez", but on the plus side, its lighthearted spin on how Tennant's Doctor might have spent his time post-"Doomsday" (when he wasn't busy getting a "Runaway Bride" to the church on time, of course). Although Smith - evidently an enthusiast of 1960s rock - might lose UK readers in namechecking Janis Joplin and needn't have included 'To Be Continued...' (a tag which will more than likely confuse newcomers to the strip) beneath the final panel, hers is a delightfully surreal contribution which only serves to strengthen the final product.