If I see one “are you afraid” reference, I’m out of here.
The Dark #1
AAM Markosia (2013)
WRITER: Chris Lynch
ARTIST: Rick Lundeen
Doctor Who is a show with spinoff potential. Between fan works (including a few ideas I’ve come up with, one of which I actually made a story for back in my younger years), Big Finish productions, novels, comic back-up stories, and even the relaunch we have seen proof that the places that the Doctor travels can be as interesting as the adventures he has while he’s there. Not every spinoff worked, but it could be execution to blame rather than the idea itself, or maybe it only worked one time.
I need something to discuss tonight, so coming upon this video by WhatCulture’s “WhoCulture” YouTube channel was good timing. In it, presenter Elle Littlechild (for some reason I love that name) brought us a list of “10 Doctor Who Spinoffs Fans Want In The Whoniverse”, Russell T. Davies’ project to bring the shared universe idea to Doctor Who more than he did with Torchwood (which has fans but I’m not among them) and The Sarah Jane Adventures , which I wish I got to see more than one episode and a bunch of clips for.
The title may be misleading, and I hope it’s accidental. Fans don’t always agree on everything. While the louder and possibly more plentiful voices are against the Timeless Child nonsense, it does have its supporters. I like the Daleks! miniseries they did a few years ago, but not everyone else was on board. It would probably more accurate to say that this is what the people at WhatCulture in general or the WhoCulture contributors specifically would like to see get their own story. I do not speak for the fans. I speak for me. So what I’d like to see may or may not line up with them. Let’s see their countdown and I’ll review it.
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Waiting for their playdate with the Muppet Babies and Flintstone Kids.
Sonic Super Special #9: Sonic Kids 2
Archie Comics Publications (1999)
WRITER: Michael Gallagher
COLORIST/SEPARATIONS (FIRST TWO STORIES) Joshua D & Aimee R. Ray
LETTERER: Vickie Williams
EDITOR: J.F. Gabrie
“Zoneward Bound”
ARTISTS: Sam Maxwell & Harvey Mercadoocasio
“My Secret Garden”
ARTISTS: Manny Galan & Jim Amash
“Eve Of Destruction”
ARTISTS: Art Mawhinney & Rich Koslowski
COLORIST: Barry Grossman
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In the last installment we looked at the third revision writer’s guide bios on the three Enterprise crewmen who got to be in the opening credits. This time we’ll look at the rest of the cast.
Even Star Trek: The Next Generation had recurring characters in the closing credits. I don’t remember if Guinan ever got to be in the main credits, but if she did I don’t think it was her early appearances. The supporting cast is also important, especially in a show set on a starship that travels around the universe doing science stuff, protecting the worlds and colonies of the Federation, and having adventures at every corner. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy can’t do everything. They aren’t Tom Paris.
While there are only two pages we get five characters with a history. The two men share one page and the three girls the second, due to more info on Scotty and Sulu than on Uhura, Nurse Chapel, and Yeoman Rand. Chapel and Rand I can understand, as there were a lot of episodes where the only reason Majel Barrett had anything to do was that she doubled as the ship’s computer, a benefit of sleeping with the showrunner. Oh shut up, they were married! Grace Lee Whitney could be gone for multiple episodes as she had so little to do. She would later earn a command rank, so we all start somewhere. Admittedly even I was ready to chock it up to Gene’s reported casual sexism, seeing as Uhura was on often enough that she should get as much written about her as Scotty and Sulu, but I don’t know for certain if that’s in play here with her.
If you think that means this will be short, the part with the main three took a page each and by the time I was done was all one article. So I’m betting I can at least fill this one. Let’s get reading.
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I wonder if the DC version of Sarge ever dealt with Catwoman?
Sarge Steel #4
Charlton Comics Group (July, 1965)
“Kiss Of The Cat”
CREATOR: Pat Masulli
WRITER: Joe Gill
ARTIST: Dick Giordano
LETTERER: Jon D’Agostino
JUDO INSTRUCTION COMIC: Frank McLaughlin
At a club, Sarge is approached by a goon for Lynx, a woman who likes to walk around with big cats, and is also leader of a group of thieves that keep showing up at places Sarge is helping with security. (It’s a coincidence, not a plot point.) Sarge travels to her island base, gets by the cats, and finally takes her down.
What they got right: While there isn’t much to summarize, the story itself fills the page count well enough. Our criminals are clever, but Sarge is also your typical noir detective with a metal hand.
What they got wrong: It is a huge coincidence that Lynx runs into Sarge three times, only one of which is for fun. The others are thefts and thus Sarge ends up getting involved. It was a normal world story until Sarge borrowed “jump jets” (just call it a jetpack) from his government contacts.
What I think overall: I’m still not sure why DC would buy this character with the others, unless they just got all of Charlton’s characters in a lot or something. Not that it’s a bad comic, because it’s quite good for fans of this mystery style. However, it certainly isn’t in league with what DC was doing when they got it.
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