READ: Doctor Who: The Complete History

A decade! That's how long the Nu Who has been going for. Back in 2005, when Christopher Eccleston stepped into the T.A.R.D.I.S in his leather jacket, Dr Who was reborn. Or should that be regenerated?

I grew up with Who, and one of my oldest memories of the whole thing was my mam and dad taking me and my bro to Blackpool for a Dr Who exhibition. I remember being in a set of the T.A.R.D.I.S (I think it was about Peter Davison era (my favourite Dr Who classic incarnation) and then, out of no where a Dalek came towards me screaming "Exterminate!" and I hid under the control panel of the T.A.R.D.I.S so it couldn't get me. For lots of people Dr Who is an accessible entry to Sci-Fi with a mix of PG rated horror and top drawer sci fi stories. It's just over 50 years old now - as we were informed by the massive celebration last year and it has a vast history - both of actors who've been in it, the aliens introduced, the stories - some memorable, some forgotten or lost and of course the multiple actors who have played the Doctor.

So now, we have a brand new partwork from those people who brought you the Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection - but this time Dr Who is getting the treatment. If you have read my review of Judge Dredd The Mega Collection or have even subscribed to it, you will know what to expect. For those of you who haven't here comes the info. The Doctor Who Complete History partwork is a fortnightly collection chronicling Dr Who form his humble beginnings back with the original series up until Peter Capaldi's latest incarnation of the Doctor. Each issue is a beautiful hardbacked book covering some episodes and history of Dr Who. Issue one retails at £2.99 and features the in depth look at four episodes - Gridlock, Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks, The Lazarus Experiment and 42 from David Tenant era Who. The book is a high quality hardback with full colour throughout. It goes into great detail over each episode - the story, post productions and actors and lots more besides. The collection grows into an encyclopaedia of Dr Who information, and, the whole collection, when put together, has an awesome display of the Doctors down the spine. As usual with these books, the issue orders are completely different to the book numbers - so don't expect to get book one with issue one and book two with issue two.

Each fortnightly tome builds into the complete collection of around 80 books altogether. For those who don't fancy traipsing to the shop every 14 days you can subscribe to get it delivered to your door, and they offer a number of subscriber gifts to go with it. As well as getting a free issue, you also get some other swag too - T.A.R.D.I.S bookends, a Dr Who Wallet, a limited edition Dr Who print (of the first Doctor judging by the picture), Dr Who travel mug and an exclusive Big Finish Audio drama for online subscribers only. For the people who prefer cash, the issues cost £9.99 per fortnight, but the second issue is at the special price of £6.99. If you want to subscribe you can visit http://www.dwcompletehistory.com/subscription-gifts for more information of plump for the telephone and ring 0844 412 9964. If you buy an issue there's also a postal form to fill in if you'd like to go that route too.

Issue one features stories from David Tennant's 10th Doctor, issue 2 is 3rd Doctor Jon Pertwee. Peter Capaldi is selected to feature in issue 3 as the 12th Doctor and we go back to his roots with the First Doctor, William Hartnell in issue 4. So it's quite a bounce around - but then it is all timey wimey stuff, isn't it?

This looks quite an in depth, definitive look at the Doctor and his 50 year legacy. I might subscribe and see what it's like, but I can definitely say it is another high quality release from Hachette.
 

Until next time

Paul 

What I'm talking about:  Doctor Who : The Complete History

Where do I go to find out more? http://www.dwcompletehistory.com

 

 

READ: Judge Dredd : The Mega Collection

Back at the turn of a new decade when the 80's had finished and the new 90's was coming into view, I was at secondary school. I was getting a bit too old for The Beano and The Dandy, and it was hard come by for any of the American comics like X-Men and The Avengers. Although I was particularly fond of getting Uncanny X-Men and The Flash comics as regularly as possible, the local newsagents in my local towns were terrible at getting the issues regularly. I didn't stand a chance when it came to crossover issues! I was getting older and I needed something to satiate my comic need!

 

After a brief obsession with Dan Dare and The Mekon, I stumbled upon Judge Dredd in the more adult 2000AD magazine that was regularly available at my local newsagents. I started reading and was immediately hooked on Megacity One and Joe Dredd's iconic look and style. Some of the magazines artistry was amazing... like I had never seen before. Meanwhile my friend and I had been running an RPG club at school and he had found a Judge Dredd Role Playing Game which we loved playing. Our computers had the Judge Dredd computer game too but luckily we hadn't been subjected to the Stallone fronted Judge Dredd movie that I would rather forget.

 

At the same time all this happened, someone somewhere decided to release a magazine called the Judge Dredd Megazine: The Law In Order. I remember issue one having a gold Dredd badge and I carried it around with me thinking that, like Stallone, "I am the law!". The magazine, in black and white, reprinted the stories from the original 200AD comics from the very beginning. I remember the Megazine being a very thick tome and great value for money.

 

Judge Dredd had been created within a year of when I was born so I will always have an affinity for this lawman.  I was lucky enough to meet Pat Mills, who worked on 2000AD and Judge Dredd, in 2014 at the last Sci Fi Weekender in Wales.

 

But now, in 2015, there is a new thing in town - and this is the latest collection for Judge Dredd fans - Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection. Spanning 80 issues (RRP £9.99 every fortnight) the hardbacked comics explain the stories and major events in Megacity One. Issue one is at a special reduced price and includes a leaflet which opens out into a poster. Issue 2 will be available at the special price of £6.99.

 

The hardbacked books feature a specific set or sequence of stories but also some extra bits including extra stories, sketchbook prints and galleries. These stories are grouped thematically, unlike the Megazine which is running stories in chronological order. The presentation of stories differs dependent on artists and stories it was lifted from and each book has it's own title. Issue one's is America, followed by Mechanismo in issue two and three is The Apocalypse War. If you collect all of the issues the hardbacked books they all create a rather fetching picture of Dredd in action. I'm told that the issues also include out of print stories that are exclusive to this collection.  

 

Subscribers are well looked after too - and for those of the collector elite check this out : you can get six limited edition prints if you want to upgrade your subscription for an extra £1 per issue. The gifts you get from the subscriptions are: discount issue two, issue three free, a replica Judge Dredd badge, Judge Dredd tin coasters, Judge Dredd Metal bookends (goes well with the series) and, if you do it online, a free Judge Dredd takeaway coffee mug (which I think is a really weird thing to give to a subscriber, but it seems a good quality ceramic one).

 

This is a quality collection, no doubt about it, and great for Judge Dredd fans and collectors alike. It costs £9.99 an issue so it's going to be a fortnightly thing - so that's around £20 a month (£21 if you are a premium subscriber). If you are a true Dredd fan and have a lot of comics and magazines it might be a bit expensive to get this, and may have already most of the stories. But, if you are new to Dredd or want to have a spectacular collection gracing your shelves, this could be something to look into. Now, excuse me while I go dig out my copy of Judgement on Gotham, gotta love the Batman Vs Judge Dredd stories.

 

Until next time

Paul 

What I'm talking about:  Judge Dredd : The Mega Collection

Where do I go to find out more? http://www.judgedreddcollection.com/