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Doctor Who

 

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Doctor Who Magazine Specials - 1980 - 1996

From 1980 through to 1996 a variety of seasonal specials were released in connection with Doctor Who Magazine by Marvel UK. The formatting varied widely over the years, with early issues reprinting comic strips from past issues of Doctor Who Weekly, and the exact titles shifted between being Summer, Winter, Spring and Autumn Specials, as well as some Anniversary Specials celebrating significant anniversaries of the TV show Doctor Who. 

 

Below are the Specials that were published.

 

Click on the Dates to take you to the Full Magazine for you all to read.

(As and when I get them done)

Doctor Who - Summer Special - June 1980

With a cover heading of 'Doctor Who Summer Special: The Best of Doctor Who Weekly', this first Summer Special offered no new material except for a cover by Dave Gibbons. Its material had all been seen before in the pages of the parent magazine. 

 

This was the first of many reprintings of the popular comic strip compilation of 'The Iron Legion', Marvel Comics' first Doctor Who comic strip story. Unlike most subsequent "reprintings" — including the one in the 1985 Summer Special — this one was al monochromatic reprint rather than a colourized adaptation. 

 

This standard sized magazine was printed in June 1980 and had a cover price of 40p (UK)

Doctor Who - Summer Special - June 1981

With a cover heading of 'A Marvel Summer Special - The Very Best of Doctor Who', this second Summer Special offered no new material. Its contents had already appeared in the pages of the parent magazine.

 

While the Summer 1980 special relied on the reprinting and compilation of comic strip stories, this issue was more prose oriented. This standard sized magazine was printed in June 1981 and had a cover price of 45p (UK). The cover images are from Warriors' Gate, Full Circle and Nightmare of Eden.

 

CREDITS

  • Editor: Alan McKenzie

  • Design: Diverse Hands

  • Consultant: Jeremy Bentham

  • Advertising: SH Space sales

  • Colour: Cheamworth Ltd.

  • Distribution: Comag

 

This Third Special is the first of the Marvel specials to offer all-new material.

 

This Special offered the concluding half of the comic strip story 'Skywatch-7' which appeared in DWM 58. The creative team on the strip had missed their deadline and no space was available in the main magazine by the time they had finished it. The most expeditious option was to print the conclusion in this issue.

 

This standard-sized magazine was printed in November 1981 and had a cover price of 45p (UK). The cover images features The Fourth Doctor, Adric and a Zygon from Terror of the Zygons

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Alan McKenzie

  • Design: Jimmy Ross and Steve O'Leary

  • Consultant: Jeremy Bentham

  • Production: Tim Hampson and Nigel Balloch

  • Advertising: SH Space sales

  • Distribution: Comag

Doctor Who - Winter Special - November 1981

Doctor Who - Summer Special - June 1982

This fourth Special (again offering all-new material) was printed as an irregularly extra large issue in June 1982 and had a cover price of 55p (UK). The cover images featuring The Fifth Doctor from his photo-call, a Voc Robot fromThe Robots of Death and the Third Doctor being menaced in Invasion of the Dinosaurs

 

Includes two new comic strips alongside the usual features and articles about the Doctor Who TV show. Neither strip involves the Doctor, instead both are new adventures of characters the Doctor met in the Doctor Who Monthly Issue 57-58 story 'The Freefall Warriors'.

 

The photographs of John Friedlander arrived too late to be included in the article that ran in DWM 57, so by popular request were printed in this feature.

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Alan McKenzie

  • Contributing Editor: Jeremy Bentham

  • Design: Roger P. Birchall

  • Production: Tim Hampson

  • Colour: Cheamworth Ltd

  • Typesetting: London Composition

  • Distribution: Comag

  • Publisher: Stan Lee

  • Advisor: John Nathan-Turner

Doctor Who - Winter Special - November 1982

This fifth Special (again offering all-new material) saw a return to the more standard magazine size and was printed in December 1982. It had a cover price of 60p (UK).

 

The cover images feature the Fifth Doctor from Snakedance, the Second Doctor from The Power of the Daleks and the Third Doctor being brought before the Draconians from Frontier in Space

 

As well as the usual features and articles based on the TV series Doctor Who, the special included a humorous strip by Tim Quinn and Dicky Howett:

 

Credits:

  • Non were given for this issue

Doctor Who - Summer Special - June 1983

This sixth Special saw a return to reprinting material from the regular Doctor Who Magazine title, albeit with a new cover illustration and presented by way of a linked narrative by Alan McKenzie

 

This standard-sized publication was printed in June 1983 and had a cover price of 60p (UK).

 

The artwork was by Steve Dillon and Steve O'Leary and featured an all-new cover showing the Fifth Doctor alongside Abslom Daak fighting the Daleks, even though the two characters never met (well not for many years yet to come!)

 

Credit

  • Editor: Alan McKenzie

  • Design: Jimmy Ross & Steve O'Leary

  • Consultant: Jeremy Bentham

  • Production: Tim Hampson & Nigel Balloch

  • Advertising: SH Space sales

  • Distribution: Comag

  • Publisher: Stan Lee

 

This seventh Special saw a return to all-new material, this time by way of celebrating the series' twentieth anniversary. There was a Producer theme to the contents, which contained interviews with all the series producers.

 

Once again this was an irregular, large sized issue. It was printed in December 1983 and had a cover price of 95p (UK).

 

The cover featured an assortment of images including: the Fifth Doctor andKamelion from The King's Demons; the Garm from Terminus; an astronaut fromThe Ambassadors of Death; a Silurian from Doctor Who and the Silurians; andDavros from Genesis of the Daleks

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Alan McKenzie

  • Assistant Editor: Roger P. Birchall

  • Contributing Editor: Jeremy Bentham

  • Design: Rahid Khan

  • Production: Tim Hampson & Alison Gill

  • Production Assistant: Jeanette M. Sweetland

  • Distribution: Comag

  • Financial Controller: Robert W. Sutherland

  • Advertising: Sally Benson

  • Publisher: Stan Lee

  • Adviser: John Nathan-Turner

Doctor Who - Winter Special - November 1983

Doctor Who - Summer Special - June 1984

This eighth Special was a merchandise-themed issue.  Once again published as an irregular, large sized issue, printed in May 1984 and with a cover price of 95p (UK).  The cover used a publicity shot of the Sixth Doctor

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Alan McKenzie

  • Assistant Editor: Roger P. Birchall

  • Feature Writer: Gary Russell

  • Design: Jane Hindmarsh

  • Production: Tim Hampson & Alison Gill

  • Production Assistant: Jeanette M. Sweetland

  • Financial Controller: Robert W. Sutherland

  • Advertising: Sally Benson

  • Publisher: Stan Lee

  • Adviser: John Nathan-Turner

Doctor Who - Winter Special - December 1984

This ninth Special was, (like DWM 67), dominated by the magazine's popular Archive feature, selecting for retelling one story from each Doctor with the additional improvement of a fact-file feature on the "Making of...".

 

Returning to a regular-sized issue, this Special was printed in December 1984 and had a cover price of 95p (UK). The cover used a publicity shot of the First Doctor in the TARDIS.

 

Credits

Editor: Alan McKenzie

Assistant Editor: Roger P. Birchall

Design: Jane Hindmarsh

Feature Writer: Richard Marson

Archivist: Jeremy Bentham

Production: Tim Hampson

Advertising: Sally Benson

Publisher: Stan Lee

Adviser: John Nathan-Turner

Doctor Who - Summer Special - June 1985

Doctor Who Summer Special 1985 was unique in the early days of the Marvel special issues ofDoctor Who Magazine. With a squarebound spine, rather than staples, It was dominated by an all-colour adaptation of the Fourth Doctor comic 'The Iron Legion' and the backup strip 'K9's Finest Hour'. Because of this, many have considered it more of a graphic novel than a special issue. 

 

This regular-sized, (almost) full-colour issue, was printed in December 1984 and had a cover price of £1.20 (UK). The cover featured new artwork by Dave Gibbons that was finished by John Higgins.

 

Credits

  •  Andy Yanchuscolorist

  •  Cefn Ridouteditor

  •  Dave Gibbonsartist

  •  Frank Millerpenciler

  •  John Higginsinker

  •  John Wagnerwriter

  •  Pat Millswriter

  •  Paul Nearyartist

  •  Steve Moorewriter

  •  Terry Austinletterer

  •  Walter Simonsonartist

Doctor Who - Winter Special - December 1985

This eleventh Special was a Third Doctor / Jon Pertwee-themed, regular sized issue, printed in November 1985. It had a cover price of £1.00 (UK).

Text was written and researched by Richard Marson and Patrick Mulkern.

Advisers for this issue were Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks.

 

The cover used, showing the Third Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith and Aggedor, is from TV Episode - The Monster of Peladon.

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Sheila Cranna

  • Assistant Editor: Penny Holme

  • Design: Jimmy Ross and Steve O'Leary

  • Consultant: Jeremy Bentham

  • Production: Tim Hampson & Nigel Balloch

  • Advertising: SH Space Sales

  • Distribution: Comag

  • Publisher: Stan Lee

Doctor Who - Summer Special - June 1986

This twelfth Special was a historical-stories-themed, regular-sized issue, printed in June 1986. It had a cover price of £1.10 (UK).

 

Text was written and researched by Richard Marson and Patrick Mulkern.

 

Advisors for this issue were Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks.

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Sheila Cranna

  • Assistant Editor: Penny Holme

  • Art Editor / Design: Steve Cook

  • Production: Allison Gill

  • Advertising: Sally Benson

  • Adviser: John Nathan-Turner

  • Publisher: Stan Lee

Doctor Who - Winter Special - December 1986

This thirteenth Special was a Fourth Doctor/ Tom Baker-themed, regular sized issue, printed in November 1985 and had a cover price of £1.10 (UK).

 

Text was written and researched by Richard Marson and Patrick Mulkern.

 

The cover artwork of the Fourth Doctor and K9 was by Alister Pearson

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Sheila Cranna

  • Assistant Editor: Penny Holme

  • Art Editor / Design: Steve Cook

  • Production: Alison Gill

  • Advertising: Sally Benson

  • Adviser: John Nathan-Turner

  • Publisher: Stan Lee

Doctor Who - Autumn Special - September 1987

Doctor Who - 25th Anniversary Special - November 1988

This fifteenth special from Marvel comics (cover marked 'Souvenir Issue') was a regular-sized, perfect-bound issue with a thicker cover and better quality paper. It was printed in November 1988 and had a cover price of £2.25 (UK). 

 

The cover had a montage of all seven Doctors. It used colour images of the First and Second Doctors taken from The Three Doctors and The Five Doctors. Celebrated Doctor Who's 25th Anniversary with articles and interviews, plus the illustrated prose story Scream of the Silent, and a humourous strip by Tim Quinn and Dicky Howett

Ever wondered what happened at the Auditions for the Seven Doctors?

 

CREDITS

  • Editor: Louise Cassell

  • Designer: John Freeman

  • Production: Alison Kingwill

  • Advertising: Donna Wickers

  • Magazine Group Editor: Sheila Cranna

  • Publisher: Stan Lee

This is the only special issue to be explicitly called an 'Autumn Special'.

 

This fourteenth Special from Marvel comics was a design themed, regular sized, perfect bound issue. with a thicker cover and better quality paper.

 

It was printed in September 1985 and had a cover price of £1.95 (UK).

 

Text was written and researched by Patrick Mulkern, with an extended thanks to the Doctor Who Production Department. The cover used showed the Seventh Doctor from the episode Dragonfire.

 

Credits:

Editor: Sheila Cranna

Assistant Editor: Penny Holme

Art Assistant: Gary Knight

Production: Alison Gill

Adviser: John Nathan-Turner

Publisher: Stan Lee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Doctor Who Magazine 10th Anniversary - October 1989

This sixteenth Special from Marvel comics was a regular sized, perfect bound issue with a thicker cover and better quality paper, printed in October 1989. with a cover price of £2.50 (UK).

 

The cover showed a variation using the same stock photo of Tom Baker posing with a Dalek, as used on the cover of DWM 1.

 

Credits:

  • Editor/Designer: John Freeman

  • Paste-Up: Jacqui Papp

  • Production: Julie Speller

  • Advertising: Julie Hughes

  • Adviser: John Nathan-Turner

  • Magazine Group editor: Sheila Cranna

  • Inspiration: Dez Skinn

  • Writers this Issue: Jeremy Bentham, David Howe, Peter Anghelides, Justin                                       Richards, Andrew Pixley, Dominic May, 
                                    David Auger, Adrian Rigelsford, Paul Travers and 
                                    Tim Hunter.

Doctor Who - Summer Special - July 1991

Returning to a bumper comic format, this special was staple bound with a new cover by Lee Sullivan and priced £2.25 (UK).

 

This special included what was at the time, as the preface put it, "perhaps the most complete guide to Doctor Who locations ever published."

 

Credits:

  • Cover: Lee Sullivan

  • Senior Editor: John Freeman

  • Editor: Harry Papadopoulous

  • Copy Editor: Sophie Heath

  • Design: Gary Gilbert

  • Production: Mark Irvine

  • Adviser: John Nathan-Turner

  • Excelsior: Stan Lee

  • Editorial Director: Paul Neary

  • Managing Director: Vincent Conran

  • Other Feature Writers:    John Nathan-Turner, Gary Russell, 
                                               Guy Daniels, Richard Bignall, Gary Downie, 
                                               Liam Rudden, Timothy Robins and Sophie Aldred.

Doctor Who - Winter Special - UNIT Exposed - November 1991

The Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special of 1991was centred on UNIT. Most of the features in the issue were written as if they were articles in the fictional magazine The Metropolitan, to which Sarah Jane Smith was a regular contributor.

 

Coming at the same time as the BBC declared it was resting the television series following Survival, Derrick Sherwin in the introduction, openly declares his intension to submit the proposal for a new UNIT series firmly rooted in reality.

 

Once again a bumper comic format, this special was staple bound with new cover artwork (and poster), priced £2.25 (UK).

 

Credits:

  • Editor: John Freeman and inspired by a fanderson Convention Booklet for UFOria 2

  • Sub-Edited by: Sophie Heath and Harry Papadopoulos

  • Monitored by: Louise Cassell

  • Designed by: Peri Godbold

  • Adviser: John Nathan-Turner

  • Production Co-ordinated by: Mark Irvine

  • Editorial Director: Paul Neary

  • Managing Director: Vincent Conran

 

Doctor Who - Holiday Special - August 1992

A special based around popular Doctor Who companion Sarah Jane Smith, with some articles written as if coming from within the Doctor Who universe, such as an unofficial biography of Sarah Jane. Also includes three short prose stories, Girls' Night In, Playtime and Fond Memories, the last of which was written by Nicholas Courtney, who played the Brigadieralongside Lis Sladen's Sarah Jane, plus a comic strip, City of Devils, starring Sarah and K-9.

 

Creators

 

  •  Annie Parkhouseletterer

  •  Gary Russelleditor, writer

  •  John Freemaneditor

Doctor Who - Winter Special - November 1992

This twentieth Special has a tag-line 'The Definitive Guide to the Time Lords of Gallifrey' and uses this as a theme throughout.

 

Once again a bumper comic format, this special was staple-bound with new cover artwork (and poster), priced £2.50 (UK).

 

Themed around the Doctor's people, the Time Lords. Though depicted on the cover, neither theMaster nor the Rani appear in the comic strip Flashback. The strip's antagonist, the Time Lord Magnus, sometimes mistaken by readers for an early incarnation of the Master, was confirmed in Doctor Who tie-in novels to be the War Chief, who appeared in the TV story The War Games.

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Gary Russell

  • Design: Peri Godbold with Gary Knight

  • Transgrams: Louise Cassell

  • Production: Julie Pickering & Chris McCormack

  • Promotions: Fiona Moscatelli

  • Advisor: John Nathan-Turner

  • Senior Editor: John Freeman

  • Editor-in-Chief: Paul Neary

Doctor Who - Summer Special - June 1993

This twenty-first Special has a tag-line 'The Definitive Guide to Thirty Years of the Daleks' and is so themed throughout.  Though included on Steve Whitaker's cover, Davros does not appear in the issue's comic strip, Bringer of Darkness.

 

The artwork by Steve Whitaker was also used as a cover for DWCC Issue 6

 

Once again a bumper comic format, this special was staple bound with new cover artwork (and poster), priced £2.50 (UK).

 

Credits:

  • Assistant Editor: Marcus Hearn

  • Design: Peri Godbold

  • Nyder: Louise Cassell

  • Production: Julie, Chris & Mat

  • Promotions: Fiona Moscatelli

  • Advertising: Jane Smale

  • Editor-in-Chief: Paul Neary

Doctor Who - Winter Special - December 1993

The Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special of 1993 was a celebration of the 30th anniversary of Doctor Who. It was bigger than other issues of Doctor Who Magazine at that time, and included a retrospective on the entire history of the programme.

 

This bumper special (priced £3.25 (UK)), was staple bound with a new, specially staged photograph.  The wrap-around cover photograph featured a Dalek, Cyberman, Tetrap and theSeventh Doctor in a quarry!

This title was a design tribute to the Radio Times Doctor Who 10th Anniversary Special 1973.

 

The cover marked Doctor Who's thirtieth Anniversary by heralding the official thirtieth anniversary logo on the cover (a logo used across all merchandising 1993-94)

 

Credits:

 

  • Editor: Gary Russell

  • Associate Editor: Marcus Hearn

  • Designers: Peri Godbold, Paul Chamberlain, Ed Lawrence, Gary Gilbert, Gary Knight, Mark Cox

  • Consultants: Andrew Pixley, Adrian Rigelsford, David J. Howe

  • Front Cover Photograph: ARAB

  • Production: Julie Pickering, Chris McCormack, Mathew Hyde

  • Promotions: Fiona Moscatelli

Doctor Who - Summer Special - July 1994

Two magazines in one! The flip half of this Special focusing on the genesis of Doctor Who and its flip side looking at the end of an era with Sylvester McCoy's story (TV): Survival.

 

With Doctor Who having, at the time of publication, been off the air for just under five years, this special was themed around the beginning and end of the series, with articles on the show's first and last stories, and a flip cover showing both the first Doctor and the seventh (last at that time) in the first and last TV stories

 

The Seventh Doctor half of this issue has page numbers ended with ‘B’.

This special (priced £2.95 (UK)) was staple bound, with cover illustrations byAlister Pearson

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Gary Russell

  • Assistant Editor: Marcus Hearn

  • Design: Peri Godbold

  • Everything Else: Paul Vyse, Si Christopher, Ed Lawrence, Helen Nally & Warwick Gray

  • Production: Julie Pickering & Mark Irvine

Doctor Who - The Age of Chaos Special - October 1994

DOCTOR WHO - AGE OF CHAOS:

Published as a magazine format, (some sources incorrectly describe it as graphic novel) in 1994, it ran the Colin Baker-scripted strip which had originally been planned as part of a US Comic release.

The four-part limited series, which would have been the first original WHO strips for US comics since the sixties DOCTOR WHO AND THE DALEKS movie adaptation, had been put on hiatus, and subsequently cancelled, when the G92 line started to run into trouble in late 1993.

The four chapters were reworked here into one continuous story, removing the chapter breaks by tweaking the artwork.

This comic wasn't widely distributed at the time (WHO had been off-screen for several years and Colin Baker's sixth Doctor for almost a decade) and is fairly hard-to-find now.  To date, it's never been reprinted.

The cover, by Alan Davis, was originally planned for the first issue and used in the PR for the limited series. 

Doctor Who - The Dalek Chronicles Summer Special - August 1994

A Doctor Who Magazine Summer Special was the official title of the Marvel UK reprint of TV Century 21's 104-part comic epic, The Dalek Chronicles.

 

The reprinting tried to remain faithful to the original by prefacing the strips with what appeared to be a newspaper ripped from the 21st century.

 

The Chronicles themselves were thus the "stories behind the headlines".

Although Doctor Who Magazine had printed occasional segments of the Chronicles from its very earliest issues, this magazine was the first occasion on which the entire TV Century 21 run had been reprinted. The issue remains the only source for the entire run, outside the original TV 21 issues themselves.

 

The work is often considered a stand-alone graphic novel. However, unlike The Age of Chaos, Dalek is, by indicia if not by common wisdom, the second DWM 'Summer Special' of 1994

 

Credits:

Editor: Gary Russell
Assistant Editors: Marcus Hearn & Warwick Gray
Designer: Gary Gilbert
Production: Julie Pickering & Mark Irvine
Front Cover: Ron Turner
Special Thanks: Bruce Campbell & Andrew Pixley

Doctor Who - Winter Special - December 1994

This special was a tribute issue to Robert Holmes and looked at the life and work of the writer responsible for sixteen Doctor Who stories.

 

Priced £2.95 (UK), it was staple bound with a cover illustration by Colin Howard.

 

Millenium is incorrectly spelt in the title of the comic strip and throughout!

 

Though on the cover, the Sontarans do not appear in the comic strip,Plastic Millenium.

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Marcus Hearn

  • Associate Editor: Warwick Gray

  • Consultants: Andrew Pixley & Martin Wiggins

  • Designer: Gary Gilbert

  • Production: Mark Irvine & Irfan Yunis

  • Group Editor: Gary Russell

Doctor Who - Summer Special - July 1995

This special was a special issue that focussed on the sixteenth Season of Doctor Who and the episodes that made up the Key to Time, which was the first series to have a story arc running through all the episodes.

 

Priced £2.99 (UK), it was staple bound with a cover illustration by Paul Campbell.

 

Credits:

  • Editor: Gary Russell

  • Associate Editor: Gary Gillatt

  • Designer: Paul Vyse

  • Assistant Designer: Ed Lawrence

  • Magazine Group: Gary Gillatt, Marcus Hearn, Scott Gray, Alan Barnes, Philip MacDonald

  • Production: Julie Pickering, Mark Irvine & Andrew Parslow

  • Circulation Manager: Yvonne Taylor

  • Promotions Manager: Chris McCormack

  • Art Director: Helen Nally

  • Editorial Director: Paul Neary

  • Financial Director: Caroline Aubrey

  • Managing Director: Richard Maskell

  • Chairman: Jim Galton

Doctor Who - Spring Special - February 1996

This special was focussed on the Dalek movies by Amicus Films and Peter Cushing's role as the Doctor. Priced £2.99 (UK), it was staple bound with a cover illustration by Paul Campbell.

 

There is nothing in the magazine to suggest that it's the Spring 1996 issue. Indeed, indicia copyright is 1995. Release date is confirmed by the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club.

 

Credits:

 

  • Editor: Gary Gillat

  • Assistant Editor: Alan Barnes
  • Designer: Paul Vyse
  • Production: Mark Irvine & Andrew Parslow
  • Promotions Manager: Chris McCormack
  • Art Director: Helen Nally
  • Managing Editor: Alan O'Keefe
  • Managing Director: Richard Maskell
  • Main Writer: Marcus Hearn

Doctor Who Movie Special - May 1996

This special was a one-off tie in to the launch of the Doctor Who Movie.  As a stand alone Special it had none of the characteristics of previous Marvel Comics releases.  Priced at £1.99 (UK), and aimed a much younger readership than the regular Doctor Who Magazine, it was aimed at new as well as regular viewers of the series. It was a staple bound full-colour, heavy paper quality title featuring the new Doctor Who logo on the cover.

 

Contents

  • Doctor Who The Movie told in words and pictures throughout this Special interspersed with ‘snippets’ reflecting the Doctor's adventures old and new.

  • Doctor Who: The Story so Far...

  • Monster Mash’

  • Meet the Eighth Doctor: Paul McGann

  • Meet the Master: Eric Roberts

  • Meet Dr Grace Holloway: Daphne Ashbrook

  • Enter TARDIS!

  • The Time-Traveller's Guide to the Galaxy

 

​CREDITS

  • Editor: Gary Gillatt

  • Assistant Editor: Scott Gray

  • Designer: Paul Vyse, Peri Godbold and Dan Rachael

  • Written by Alan Barnes and Gary Gillatt

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