First Doctor comic stories

First Doctor comic stories refers to the comic strips devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, using the likeness of the First Doctor William Hartnell. The strip was launched in Polystyle's TV Comic on 14 November 1964, less than a year after the television series began broadcasting and was the first original spin-off media from the show.[1] This strip began what has become known as the 'Polystyle era': running from 1964 to 1979.[2] The First Doctor starred in this strip running parallel with his appearance on the television show, ending in December 1966, after which TV Comic began creating strips for the Second Doctor. The franchise to print a regular comic strip passed to Doctor Who Magazine (then Doctor Who Weekly) in 1979, and was opened up to multiple franchises in the mid-2000s. During this time, the First Doctor has made various guest appearances as well as starring in some one-off comic strips.

Polystyle comic strips (1964-1966)

History

TV Comic, according to Doctor Who historian Jeremy Bentham, 'had grown up in the wake of commercial television. Just as publications like Radio Fun had blossomed during the golden years of the wireless so TV Comic began catering for young readerships who watched and liked children's programmes on ITV.[3] TV Comic - despite only having previously featured spin-offs of ITV programmes, decided to pitch for Doctor Who with the BBC, and despite initial reticence from the channel, eventually struck a deal.[4] The strip launched in issue 674 with a cover date of 14 November 1964; hitting the shelves - according to Doctor Who comics historian Paul Scoones - on 8 November 1964.[1] This means that the Doctor Who comic strip in TV Comic was officially the first spin-off media from the show - the first novelization Doctor Who in an exciting adventure with the Daleks not being released until later the same week on 12 November.[1] One immediate difference from the TV show was that the Doctor would be referred to in-strip as 'Doctor Who'.

There were other differences too. The rights to use Doctor Who applied 'then, as now' only applied to the likeness of the actor playing the Doctor and the TARDIS, and the portrayal of any other characters - be they companions or adversaries - would have been a separate negotiation and an increased cost, even prohibitive for companions who would appear in every installment.[4] Accordingly, the Doctor was given new companions in the first strip, "The Klepton Parasites", two grandchildren Gillian and John. Regarding Doctor Who foes, the situation was very similar. During the First Doctor period of the TV Comic strip, only the inhabitants of Vortis from "The Web Planet" (1965) - the Zarbi and Menoptra - made it into a story. The Doctor's greatest adversaries - the Daleks - could not appear for another reason. This was that creator (Terry Nation) had 'a separate copyright' for the creatures, and had negotiated a deal with TV Century 21 (aka TV21) comics around the same time for their own strip; and copyright could 'only be held by one company at any one time' for the same format.[5] "The Daleks" strip appeared in issue 1 of TV21 (23 January 1965), and ran for one hundred and four installments, each a page long, ending in issue 104 (14 January 1967).

Writers and Artists

Artists: There were three artists during the TV Comic First Doctor period. Neville Main was the first to draw the First Doctor (and thus to draw any incarnation of the Doctor).[6] Main drew the first 9 stories (46 episodes) of the TVC strip, plus one single episode strip for the 1965 TVC Holiday Special and two single episode strips for the 1965 TVC Annual 1966. Bill Mevin took over for the middle of the run, producing 7 stories (28 episodes) for TVC between October 1965 and April 1966.[7] He also produced one of the two single episode strips for that year's TVC Annual 1967 released some months after his tenure came to an end due to illness.[8] These strips were produced much earlier in the year (April) ready for the more complex print procedure, hence the appearance in the table below which makes it look as if Mevin returned to the script some time later. After Mevin's relatively short tenure, the TVC strip was taken on by John Canning who produced 8 stories (36 episodes) plus two single episode strips for the 1966 TVC Holiday Special and one of the two single episode strips for the 1966 TVC Annual 1967.[9] Canning was thus the last of the three artists to draw the First Doctor for TVC, and, furthermore, would go on to kick off the Second Doctor run which began late December 1966.[10]

Writers: The situation with the scripts is more complex. Writing in 1982, Jeremy Bentham, the first researcher of Doctor Who comic strips, believed these strips to have been written by the artists who drew them. Thus in 'those days the notion of a strip having a separate writer was strictly the prerogative of American comic books'.[4] However, this view was later revised. John Ainsworth, another comic strip historian, said in an interview: 'There's quite a mystery surrounding around who actually wrote the scripts for the early Hartnell Doctor Who strips, or indeed, all the Hartnell Doctor Who strips. It was thought that the artists wrote them, but, after talking to [...] one of the artists, Bill Mevin [...] he doesn't know who wrote them but he knows he did actually work from scripts someone else provided'[11] In the same documentary, Mevin confirmed this saying, TVC strips were 'a production line [...] a conveyor belt. I'd get a script and I'd draw it'.[12] Later research by Paul Scoones in The Comic Strip Companion: 1964-1979 (2012) clarified some aspects of script production. In an overview, Scoones notes: 'Writers and artists were seldom named on the strips, which presents a challenge when trying to credit stories', and while all the artists have been identified, some of the writers 'unfortunately remain unknown'.[13] The first writer Scoones identifies is David Motton with the fifth story of the Neville Main tenure, and a couple more Main strips soon thereafter.[14] This information comes from Motton himself, as indicated in a footnote from Scoones regarding correspondence with the writer between March and May 2012.[15] Motton would go on to script another couple of stories the following year for the TVC Annual 1967 (released September 1966). As these strips were produced earlier in the year, during the change over between the second and third artists Mevin and Canning, Motton ended up writing for all three of the First Doctor artists.[16] Scoones goes on to possibly identify a second writer, Tom Tully from a third writer, Roger Noel Cook.[17] During correspondence with Scoones between February and March 2010, Cook writes he took over the strip from 'a freelance scriptwriter called Tom - I can't for the life of me remember his last name'. Scoones goes on to suggest from further information given by Cook that this was 'Tully, a prolific comic strip writer', adding he later confirmed this with Motton.[17] However, it remains unknown which stories Tully may have written, and indeed if there were other writers involved in the Main and Mevin periods. In an online errata, Scoones subsequently withdrew and corrected this claiming, writing:

"It was Thomas Woodman, not Tully, who worked on the strip. Tully was writing for Valiant in 1965 and worked on strips for Battle and 2000AD until the late 1980s. David Motton appears to have got Woodman and Tully mixed up in his recollection. Roger Noel Cook has subsequently confirmed that the ‘Tom’ whose surname he initially couldn’t recall was Woodman. There is no evidence that Tully worked on the Doctor Who strip."[18]

With respect to Cook, he took over the scripting at the same time that Canning took over the artwork, this 'marking the beginning of a four year collaboration' for TVC on a number of strips.[17] And once again, just like Canning, Cook would go on to work on the Second Doctor run, beginning late December 1966.[10]

Style: Bentham describes Main's output thus: very simplistic in style, consisting of basic line illustrations drawn in a very cartoonish way. During his 45 week stint on the strip he never quite captured the likeness of Hartnell [...] He was, however, quite an inventive storywriter.[4] Of course, given the information above, we now know the stories were not by Main at all.

List of comic strips

The list below is of all the First Doctor comic strips that appeared in TV Comic (TVC) as well the yearly TV Comic Holiday Special (TVCHS) and TV Comic Annual (TVCA). The order is that designated by the publication date, as integrated by Paul Scoones.[19]

#[a]Title[b]CompanionsFeaturingPub.IssuesEp#DateFormatWriter[c]Artist[c]
01"The Klepton Parasites"Gillian/JohnKleptonsTVC674 - 6831014 Nov 1964 - 16 Jan 1965B&W?Neville Main
02"The Therovian Quest"Gillian/JohnTheroviansTVC684 - 689623 Jan - 27 Feb 1965B&W?Neville Main
03"The Hijackers of Thrax"Gillian/JohnTBATVC690 - 69236 - 20 Mar 1965B&W?Neville Main
04"On the Web Planet"Gillian/JohnZarbi/MenoptraTVC693 - 698627 Mar - 1 May 1965B&W?Neville Main
05"The Gyros"Gillian/JohnTBATVC699 - 70468 May - 12 Jun 1965B&WDavid MottonNeville Main
06"Prisoners of Gritog"Gillian/JohnTBATVCHSHS 19651May 1965Duo?Neville Main
07"Home to Hamelin"Gillian/JohnPied PiperTVC705 - 709519 Jun - 17 Jul 1965B&WDavid MottonNeville Main
08"Moon Landing"Gillian/JohnTBATVC710 - 712324 Jul - 7 Aug 1965B&W?Neville Main
09"In Reverse"Gillian/JohnTBATVC713 - 715314 - 28 Aug 1965B&WDavid MottonNeville Main
10"Lizardworld"Gillian/JohnTBATVC716 - 71944 - 25 Sep 1965B&W?Neville Main
11"Prisoners of the Kleptons"Gillian/JohnTBATVCAA 1966 #11Sep 1965Colour?Neville Main
12"The Caterpillar Men"Gillian/JohnTBATVCAA 1966 #21Sep 1965Colour?Neville Main
13"The Ordeals of Demeter"Gillian/JohnTBATVC720 - 72342 - 23 Oct 1965Colour?Bill Mevin
14"Enter: The Go-Ray"Gillian/JohnTBATVC724 - 727430 Oct - 20 Nov 1965Colour?Bill Mevin
15"The Frog People"Gillian/JohnTBATVC728 - 731427 Nov - 18 Dec 1965Colour?Bill Mevin
16"A Christmas Story"Gillian/JohnSanta ClausTVC732 - 735425 Dec 1965 - 15 Jan 1966Colour?Bill Mevin
17"In Search of the Didus"Gillian/JohnTBATVC736 - 739422 Jan - 12 Feb 1966Colour?Bill Mevin
18"Space Station Z-7"Gillian/JohnTBATVC740 - 743419 Feb - 12 Mar 1966Colour?Bill Mevin
19"Plague of the Black Scorpi"Gillian/JohnTBATVC744 - 747419 Mar - 9 Apr 1966Colour?Bill Mevin
20"The Trodos Tyranny"Gillian/JohnTrodsTVC748 - 752516 Apr - 14 May 1966ColourRoger Noel CookJohn Canning
21"The Secret of Gemino"Gillian/JohnTBATVC753 - 757521 May - 18 Jun 1966ColourRoger Noel CookJohn Canning
22"Guests of King Neptune"Gillian/JohnTBATVCHSHS 1966 #11May 1966Duo?John Canning
23"The Gaze of the Gorgon"Gillian/JohnTBATVCHSHS 1966 #21May 1966Duo?John Canning
24"On the Haunted Planet"Gillian/JohnTBATVC758 - 762525 Jun - 23 Jul 1966ColourRoger Noel CookJohn Canning
25"The Hunters of Zerox"Gillian/JohnTBATVC763 - 767530 Jul - 27 Aug 1966B&W[Roger Noel Cook]John Canning
26"The Underwater Robot"Gillian/JohnTBATVC768 - 77143 - 24 Sep 1966B&WRoger Noel CookJohn Canning
27"Deadly Cargo"Gillian/JohnTBATVCAA 1967 #11Sep 1966ColourDavid MottonJohn Canning
28"The Pets"Gillian/JohnTBATVCAA 1967 #21Sep 1966ColourDavid MottonBill Mevin (add note)
29"Return of the Trods"Gillian/JohnTrodsTVC772 - 77541 - 22 Oct 1966B&WRoger Noel CookJohn Canning
30"The Galaxy Games"Gillian/JohnTBATVC776 - 779429 Oct - 19 Nov 1966B&W[Roger Noel Cook]John Canning
31"The Experimenters"Gillian/JohnTBATVC780 - 783426 Nov - 17 Dec 1966B&W[Roger Noel Cook]John Canning
Notes
  • a ^ The order here is taken from Scoones.[19] This order follows publication date. However, it is worth noting that the strips for the TVC Holiday Specials and TVC Annuals would have been produced long before publication, with the annuals, some time before. For instance, the stories "Deadly Cargo" and "The Pets" for the TVC Annual 1967 (released September 1966) were most likely drawn in the April of that year when artist Bill Mevin was handing over to John Canning.[20] ADD NOTE WITH MORE INFO BELOW
  • b ^ The naming here is taken from Scoones.[19]
  • c ^ ^ The names of the writers and artists are taken from Scoones, who writes: 'Writers and artists were seldom named on the strips, which presents a challenge when trying to credit stories. The creators responsible for most of the stories have been identified but others unfortunately remain unknown'.[13] The columns for 'Writer' and 'Artist' follow Scoones in placing possible/doubtful attributions in parenthesis; however, where Scoones cannot identify a creator he leaves this information blank, a question mark is used here to ensure it does not appear that the information is missing.

World Distributors comic strips

World Distributors issued Doctor Who annuals from 1966 (as well as one special). Most of their content was short stories. However, they did also have some comic strips, increasingly so as the years progressed. During the period of the First Doctor, however, there was only one strip, in the annual for 1967.

#TitleCompanionsFeaturingAnnual YearDateFormatWriterArtist
01"Mission for Duh"NoneTBA1967September/October 1966TBATBATBA

Doctor Who Magazine comic strips

Doctor Who Magazine
#TitleFeaturingWriterRelease Date
1"Operation Proteus"SusanTBATBA
2"Food for Thought"Ben and PollyTBATBA
1"Flashback"The Seventh Doctor and BennyTBAWinter 1992
2"Are You Listening?"Steven and VickiTBASummer 1993

Doctor Who Yearbook
#TitleFeaturingWriterRelease Date
1"A Religious Experience"TBATBA1994

Non Parodic
#TitleFeaturingWriterRelease Date
1"Timeslip"TBATBATBA
2"Funhouse"TBATBATBA
3"Time and Time Again"Jamie and ZoeTBA1967

Both (Non Parodic/Parodic)
#TitleFeaturingWriterRelease Date
1"Happy Deathday"TBATBATBA
2"Death to the Doctor!"TBATBATBA

See also

References

General

  • Ainsworth, John, "Behind the Frame" [I: Polystyle strips (1960s)] in Doctor Who Classic Comics [Issue 1], 9 December 1992, pp. 20–21
  • Ainsworth, John, "Frame Count" [I: First Doctor Polystyle strips] in Doctor Who Classic Comics [Issue 1], 9 December 1992, p. 19
  • Bentham, Jeremy, "Doctor Who Comics"/"Comics Checklist" [Polystyle First Doctor] in Doctor Who Monthly (Issue 62), March 1982, pp. 15–18; 23
  • Hearn, Marcus (director), Stripped for Action - The First Doctor documentary feature with John Ainsworth (Comics Historian); Alan Barnes (Former Doctor Who Magazine Editor); Jeremy Bentham (Comics Historian); Gary Russell (Former Doctor Who Magazine Editor); Bill Mevin (Comics Artist), on Doctor Who: The Time Meddler (DVD), 16 mins., 2008
  • Scoones, Paul, The Comic Strip Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Doctor Who in Comics: 1964-1979, Prestatyn: Telos, 2012

Specific

  1. "Scoones (2012), p. 16
  2. "Scoones (2012), p. 11
  3. "Bentham, "Doctor Who Comics" (March 1982), p. 15
  4. "Bentham, "Doctor Who Comics" (March 1982), p. 16
  5. "Bentham, "Doctor Who Comics" (March 1982), p. 17
  6. "Scoones (2012), pp. 23-61
  7. "Scoones (2012), pp. 62-75
  8. "Scoones (2012), p. 91
  9. "Scoones (2012), pp. 77-96
  10. "Scoones (2012), p. 100
  11. Stripped for Action (2008), 00:07:01-00:07:24
  12. Stripped for Action (2008), 00:07:24-00:08:27
  13. "Scoones (2012), p. 14
  14. "Scoones (2012), p. 43
  15. "Scoones (2012), p. 44
  16. "Scoones (2012), pp. 90-91
  17. "Scoones (2012), pp. 78-79
  18. https://paulscoones.wordpress.com/the-comic-strip-companion-1964-1979-errata/
  19. Scoones (2012), p. 7
  20. "Scoones (2012), p. 90
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