Doctor Who Magazine
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| Doctor Who Magazine | |
|---|---|
| Editor | Clayton Hickman |
| Categories | Science fiction television |
| Frequency | 4 weekly |
| First Issue | 12 October, 1979 |
| Company | Panini Comics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | Panini listing |
| ISSN | 0957-9818 |
Doctor Who Magazine (abbreviated as DWM) is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Its current editor is Clayton Hickman.
Contents |
[edit] History
Officially sanctioned by the BBC, the magazine began life as Doctor Who Weekly in 1979, published by the UK arm of Marvel Comics. The first issue's cover date was 17 October, with a cover price of 12p; however, due to the practice of forward dating magazine covers to provide greater longevity on the shelves, its actual release date was 12 October.
The magazine moved from weekly to monthly publication with #44 in September 1980, becoming Doctor Who (the tagline A Marvel Monthly was not part of the name, but simply a description which appeared on many of Marvel UK's monthly titles at that point) and a cover price of 30p. The title changed to Doctor Who Monthly with #61 and Doctor Who Magazine with #85 in February 1984. In 1990 it started appearing once every four weeks (13 times a year). Despite the BBC discontinuing production of Doctor Who in 1989, the magazine continued to be published, providing new adventures in the form of comic strips. The television programme was revived in 2005, providing a new generation of fans which the magazine is seeking to attract.
Originally geared towards children, DWM has grown into a more mature magazine exploring the behind-the-scenes aspects of the series. Due to its longevity, it is seen as a source of 'official' and exclusive information, sharing a close relationship with the television production team and the BBC. In 2006, however, it lost its exclusivity when BBC Worldwide launched its own comic, Doctor Who Adventures, aimed at a younger audience.
DWM is now published by Panini Comics, which purchased the title along with the rest of the Marvel UK catalogue in 1995. Panini has begun to digitally restore and reprint older DWM comic strips in graphic novel format. Six volumes have been printed so far: two featuring the comic strip adventures of the Fourth Doctor, one with the adventures of the Fifth Doctor, and three (of a planned series of four) focusing on the Eighth Doctor. Panini also published a one-shot magazine-format reprinting of the complete Ninth Doctor strips in 2006.
[edit] Content
DWM features an ongoing comic strip starring the current incarnation of the Doctor, though for a period between 1989 and 1996, when the series was off the air, it featured previous Doctors. Notable writers and artists who have worked on the strip include John Wagner, Pat Mills, Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Mike McMahon and John Ridgway. Selected stories from the strip were also reprinted in North America by Marvel Comics. Supporting characters that have crossed over from the comic strip to other spin-off media include Frobisher, the shape-changing companion of the Sixth and Seventh Doctors; Abslom Daak, the Dalek Killer; and the villainous Beep the Meep.
Other regular features of the magazine include the news section "Gallifrey Guardian", which has run since nearly the beginning of the magazine; the letters page "DWMail"; reviews of television episodes (in "After Image") and merchandise (in "Off The Shelf", known for a time as "Shelf Life"); the "Matrix Data Bank" page, where readers' Doctor Who questions are answered; the "Time Team", which involves four fans watching every Doctor Who story in order from the beginning; and a regular column by new series showrunner Russell T. Davies.
The format has changed over the years, but the news, letters, reviews, and comic strip have all been present consistently since the early 1980s.
The magazine also features interviews with the cast and crew of the television show (including the classic episodes), and reports from the set of the current series, written by Benjamin Cook or Jason Arnopp. The behind-the-scenes stories of all of the classic-series episodes have been documented in Andrew Pixley's "DWM Archives", and detailed analysis of certain significant serials are covered in "The Fact of Fiction", usually written by former DWM editor Alan Barnes. "Off the Shelf" is currently written predominantly by Vanessa Bishop and Matt Michael. Previous reviewers include Dave Owen, Craig Hinton (who went on to write Doctor Who novels), and Gary Russell, who subsequently became the magazine's editor.
[edit] Editors
- Dez Skinn (1979-80) (22 editions)
- Paul Neary (1980-81) (26 editions)
- Alan McKenzie (1981-85) (48 editions)
- Cefn Ridout (1985) (9 editions)
- Sheila Cranna (1985-88) (30 editions)
- John Freeman (1988-92) (49 editions)
- Gary Russell (1992-95)
- Gary Gillatt
- Alan Barnes
- Clayton Hickman
[edit] See also
- Dreamwatch
- Category:Doctor Who comic strip characters
- Doctor Who Adventures
- Doctor Who - Battles in Time
[edit] External links
