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Doctor Who Magazine Comic Collections #1-2
Doctor Who - The Fourth Doctor Anthology
When Doctor Who Weekly launched in 1979, it was the iconic Tom Baker incarnation of the immortal Time Lord who graced its very first comic stories. Now, Panini Comics presents the complete collection of Fourth Doctor comic strips, taken from the early years of Doctor Who Weekly and Doctor Who Monthly! Featuring 16 wild and witty tales, including "The Star Beast," the classic story that inspired the first of the three new Doctor Who special anniversary episodes, airing in November, this collection sees the Doctor encounter robotic centurions, deceptively furry and cuddly space tyrants, deadly psychic vampires, and a whole lot more!
- GenresDoctor Who
322 pages, Paperback
Published February 13, 2024
7 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Dave Gibbons
655 books257 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Dave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything". He also was an artist for the UK anthology 2000 AD, for which he contributed a large body of work from its first issue in 1977.
Gibbons broke into British comics by working on horror and action titles for both DC Thomson and IPC. When the science-fiction anthology title 2000 AD was set up in the mid-1970s, Gibbons contributed artwork to the first issue, Prog 01 (February 1977), and went on to draw the first 24 installments of Harlem Heroes, one of the founding (and pre-Judge Dredd) strips. Mid-way through the comic's first year he began illustrating Dan Dare, a cherished project for Gibbons who had been a fan of the original series. Also working on early feature Ro-Busters, Gibbons became one of the most prolific of 2000 AD's earliest creators, contributing artwork to 108 of the first 131 Progs/issues. He returned to the pages of "the Galaxy's Greatest Comic" in the early 1980s to create Rogue Trooper with writer Gerry Finley-Day and produce an acclaimed early run on that feature, before handing it over to a succession of other artists. He also illustrated a handful of Tharg's Future Shocks shorts, primarily with author Alan Moore. Gibbons departed from 2000 AD briefly in the late 1970s/early 1980s to became the lead artist on Doctor Who Weekly/Monthly, for which magazine he drew the main comic strip from issue #1 until #69, missing only four issues during that time.
He is best known in the US for collaborating with Alan Moore on the 12-issue limited series Watchmen, now one of the best-selling graphic novels of all time, and the only one to feature on Time's "Top 100 Novels" list. From the start of the 1990s, Gibbons began to focus as much on writing and inking as on drawing, contributing to a number of different titles and issues from a variety of companies. Particular highlights included, in 1990, Gibbons writing the three-issue World's Finest miniseries for artist Steve Rude and DC, while drawing Give Me Liberty for writer Frank Miller and Dark Horse Comics. He penned the first Batman Vs. Predator crossover for artists Andy and Adam Kubert (Dec 1991 - Feb 1992), and inked Rick Veitch and Stephen R. Bissette for half of Alan Moore's 1963 Image Comics series.
Works other than comics include providing the background art for the 1994 computer game Beneath a Steel Sky and the cover to K, the 1996 debut album by psychedelic rock band Kula Shaker. In 2007, he served as a consultant on the film Watchmen, which was adapted from the book, and released in March 2009. 2009's Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars Director's Cut for the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms featured hand drawn art by Dave Gibbons.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Dave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything". He also was an artist for the UK anthology 2000 AD, for which he contributed a large body of work from its first issue in 1977.
Gibbons broke into British comics by working on horror and action titles for both DC Thomson and IPC. When the science-fiction anthology title 2000 AD was set up in the mid-1970s, Gibbons contributed artwork to the first issue, Prog 01 (February 1977), and went on to draw the first 24 installments of Harlem Heroes, one of the founding (and pre-Judge Dredd) strips. Mid-way through the comic's first year he began illustrating Dan Dare, a cherished project for Gibbons who had been a fan of the original series. Also working on early feature Ro-Busters, Gibbons became one of the most prolific of 2000 AD's earliest creators, contributing artwork to 108 of the first 131 Progs/issues. He returned to the pages of "the Galaxy's Greatest Comic" in the early 1980s to create Rogue Trooper with writer Gerry Finley-Day and produce an acclaimed early run on that feature, before handing it over to a succession of other artists. He also illustrated a handful of Tharg's Future Shocks shorts, primarily with author Alan Moore. Gibbons departed from 2000 AD briefly in the late 1970s/early 1980s to became the lead artist on Doctor Who Weekly/Monthly, for which magazine he drew the main comic strip from issue #1 until #69, missing only four issues during that time.
He is best known in the US for collaborating with Alan Moore on the 12-issue limited series Watchmen, now one of the best-selling graphic novels of all time, and the only one to feature on Time's "Top 100 Novels" list. From the start of the 1990s, Gibbons began to focus as much on writing and inking as on drawing, contributing to a number of different titles and issues from a variety of companies. Particular highlights included, in 1990, Gibbons writing the three-issue World's Finest miniseries for artist Steve Rude and DC, while drawing Give Me Liberty for writer Frank Miller and Dark Horse Comics. He penned the first Batman Vs. Predator crossover for artists Andy and Adam Kubert (Dec 1991 - Feb 1992), and inked Rick Veitch and Stephen R. Bissette for half of Alan Moore's 1963 Image Comics series.
Works other than comics include providing the background art for the 1994 computer game Beneath a Steel Sky and the cover to K, the 1996 debut album by psychedelic rock band Kula Shaker. In 2007, he served as a consultant on the film Watchmen, which was adapted from the book, and released in March 2009. 2009's Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars Director's Cut for the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms featured hand drawn art by Dave Gibbons.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 4, 2023
(Synopsis) - When Doctor Who Weekly launched in 1979, it was the iconic Tom Baker incarnation of the immortal Time Lord who graced its very first comic stories. Now, Panini Comics presents the complete collection of Fourth Doctor comic strips, taken from the early years of Doctor Who Weekly and Doctor Who Monthly!
(Review) - This was an absolute joy to read through these collections of stories, I have wanted to read these comic strips for a very long time especially because of "The Star Beast" and getting to see the origins of Beep the Meep who i have been a fan of since my first experience of him fighting Colin Bakers Doctor in big finish, and then it was announced that they were adapting the star beast story for the 60th anniversary so I had to get this collection to experience the story so i could see where it all began and how faithfully they adapted the story. "Which side note they did a perfect adaptation of" I also had a fantastic time with the other stories getting to see my favourite classic Doctor Tom Baker go on adventures, for example the iron legion, a story that needs to be adapted next where you have the roman empire trying to conquer the galaxy one planet at a time, but also to see the evolution of the story as the magazine went from Doctor who Weekly to monthly and the art styles changed and stories got longer because they had more time to develop them. To me it was all completely fascinating and such a fun dive into a world I love with a Doctor I adore! So i can't recommend this one enough such a joy honestly, I hope they do more for the other Doctors.
5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
100/100 GingerPoints 🔥🔥
(Review) - This was an absolute joy to read through these collections of stories, I have wanted to read these comic strips for a very long time especially because of "The Star Beast" and getting to see the origins of Beep the Meep who i have been a fan of since my first experience of him fighting Colin Bakers Doctor in big finish, and then it was announced that they were adapting the star beast story for the 60th anniversary so I had to get this collection to experience the story so i could see where it all began and how faithfully they adapted the story. "Which side note they did a perfect adaptation of" I also had a fantastic time with the other stories getting to see my favourite classic Doctor Tom Baker go on adventures, for example the iron legion, a story that needs to be adapted next where you have the roman empire trying to conquer the galaxy one planet at a time, but also to see the evolution of the story as the magazine went from Doctor who Weekly to monthly and the art styles changed and stories got longer because they had more time to develop them. To me it was all completely fascinating and such a fun dive into a world I love with a Doctor I adore! So i can't recommend this one enough such a joy honestly, I hope they do more for the other Doctors.
5/5 Stars GoodReads ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
100/100 GingerPoints 🔥🔥
December 7, 2023
Some stories in this collection aged better than others, and overall it's a mixed bag, but if you happen to be that sort of fan who loves to dig deep (like me) then this collection from the earliest days of Doctor Who Magazine will be an enjoyable curiosity to you.
Very few of these stories feel like actual Doctor Who, though, and more like 2000 A.D., and looking at the list of artists and writers who worked on them, it's probably no surprise that they do. Also, it's funny how they kept the character of Sharon around for the longest time, never able to figure out what to do with her until they finally decide to ditch the companion and let the Doctor travel on his own.
What I only would have wished for this collection: Less heavy, glossy paper that doesn't make my shoulders hurt while holding the book inside my hands. And an editorial would have been nice, supplements that would have put the comics in the context of their original publication. Especially the latter is a pity and a missed opportunity.
Very few of these stories feel like actual Doctor Who, though, and more like 2000 A.D., and looking at the list of artists and writers who worked on them, it's probably no surprise that they do. Also, it's funny how they kept the character of Sharon around for the longest time, never able to figure out what to do with her until they finally decide to ditch the companion and let the Doctor travel on his own.
What I only would have wished for this collection: Less heavy, glossy paper that doesn't make my shoulders hurt while holding the book inside my hands. And an editorial would have been nice, supplements that would have put the comics in the context of their original publication. Especially the latter is a pity and a missed opportunity.
March 7, 2025
Simply wonderful!
As others have noted, and I certainly felt the same, due to the creative team on this book it retained a 2000AD flavour, but I liked that. Also, due to its nature as an anthology series, some stories are more forgettable than others, but as a collective I am glad to own this comic. It really is a varied and creative compilation, even some of the shorter entries are quite clever and fun.
Reading these Fourth Doctor adventures, I can see the latent potential of what I am certain to enjoy in Doctor Who comics. For one, we can revisit beloved characters of bygone eras, if you enjoy a particular doctor there are plenty of stories out there. Secondly, the comic book medium elevates the sci-fi concepts of Doctor Who in ways that live-action sometimes can't. Of course, part of the charm of classic Who is the practical effects, its costumes and its limitations, but comics can bring any alien world or imaginative technology to life with unlimited creativity.
Doctor Who is supposed to be able to take us anywhere in space and time, and this delivers on that. I would love to see a similar anthology for other classic Doctors too, surely those are in the works???
As others have noted, and I certainly felt the same, due to the creative team on this book it retained a 2000AD flavour, but I liked that. Also, due to its nature as an anthology series, some stories are more forgettable than others, but as a collective I am glad to own this comic. It really is a varied and creative compilation, even some of the shorter entries are quite clever and fun.
Reading these Fourth Doctor adventures, I can see the latent potential of what I am certain to enjoy in Doctor Who comics. For one, we can revisit beloved characters of bygone eras, if you enjoy a particular doctor there are plenty of stories out there. Secondly, the comic book medium elevates the sci-fi concepts of Doctor Who in ways that live-action sometimes can't. Of course, part of the charm of classic Who is the practical effects, its costumes and its limitations, but comics can bring any alien world or imaginative technology to life with unlimited creativity.
Doctor Who is supposed to be able to take us anywhere in space and time, and this delivers on that. I would love to see a similar anthology for other classic Doctors too, surely those are in the works???
April 13, 2025
Doctor Who weekly was first published in 1979. The comic strips contained in this collection are the complete Tom Baker strips from Doctor Who weekly number 1 from 1979 through to Doctor Who monthly number 60 from 1981.
I remember reading these first time round and I loved having a publication about my favourite Time Lord.
They are beautifully recreated here, the artwork is crisp and clean and looks even better than when first published. a lot of care had been taken to make sure this looks good.
As for the stories themselves, they are a bit of a mixed bag. it contains some classic stories such as The Iron Legion and The Star Beast which was more recently the inspiration for the David Tennant story of the same name on TV when he returned to play the Doctor in the 60th anniversary specials.
Some of the stories are pretty mad and divert quite dramatically from what we saw on TV at the time but on the whole though quality can vary it's a good collection and for those who read them first time round a bit of a trip back in time without the need of a TARDIS. And the artwork is really well reproduced.
I remember reading these first time round and I loved having a publication about my favourite Time Lord.
They are beautifully recreated here, the artwork is crisp and clean and looks even better than when first published. a lot of care had been taken to make sure this looks good.
As for the stories themselves, they are a bit of a mixed bag. it contains some classic stories such as The Iron Legion and The Star Beast which was more recently the inspiration for the David Tennant story of the same name on TV when he returned to play the Doctor in the 60th anniversary specials.
Some of the stories are pretty mad and divert quite dramatically from what we saw on TV at the time but on the whole though quality can vary it's a good collection and for those who read them first time round a bit of a trip back in time without the need of a TARDIS. And the artwork is really well reproduced.
December 16, 2023
Frequently comes across more like the Fourth Doctor wandering into a 2000 AD story than something matching the tone of the TV show at the time - but with the likes of Wagner and Mills writing, at least it's prime-era 2000 AD. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...
December 28, 2023
This was a present - and a very lovely one at that. It’s notable for the fact that a. It’s got The Star Beast in it and b. It brings the Mills / Wagner / Gibbons partnership together in full force. There’s also stuff from Dez Skinn, who used to come into the comic shop (and be a bit weird). However, a very enjoyable read on a rainy afternoon in a coffee shop, recovering from horrible Christmas.
March 5, 2025
What a joy to relive the comic strip adventures of classic Doctor Who. I had not read them all before, so I did not expect how tense and grim some were.
Would you like a jelly baby?
Would you like a jelly baby?
October 11, 2024
Never really liked the fourth doctor too much on TV but these comics are really, really great fun
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews