- cross-posted to:
- doctorwho
- cross-posted to:
- doctorwho
In 1980, Doctor Who Weekly, published by Marvel Comics UK, included a new comic book strip by Pat Mills, John Wagner, and Dave Gibbons, edited by Dez Skinn, Star Beast. Pat Mills is best known as the founder of 2000AD and co-creator of Judge Dredd, Punisher 2099 and Marshall Law; John Wagner is his Dredd co-creator and the longest-serving creator on that character. Dave Gibbons is best known as the co-creator of Watchmen, Give Me Liberty, and Kingsman and the creator of The Originals. And Dez Skinn, former Marvel editor, publisher of Warrior, Captain Britain, Marvelman, V for Vendetta, Starburst, Comics International and much more. David Tennant is quoted as saying that the Doctor Who Weekly strips were “better than the telly at that time” and he read Star Beast as a kid.
And tonight that 43-year-old comic book story has been adapted into the 60th anniversary returning Doctor Who starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate, written by Russell T Davies, with Miriam Margoyles as Beep The Meep. Pat Mills will be telling us a lot more about what went down then, in his new book Pageturners: How To Create Iconic Stories From The Creator of 2000AD as an e-book tomorrow, on the 26th of November, after Doctor Who and the Star Beast has broadcast, with the paperback on sale at the same time. All paying subscribers to his Substack will also get a download link to the book tomorrow founding members will receive a signed paperback copy.
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I gobbled up Doctor Who Weekly in the same way I devoured Marcel UK’s Star Wars comic and I still have all my collection.
And why no John Wagner credit when he is named as a co-writer in the comics?
So yes, The Star Beast is based on the Marvel UK Doctor Who Weekly comic published in 1980, and we talked about that a lot yesterday. But why no mention of the co-writer credit for John Wagner? Well, Pat Mills says, “Even though they were under absolutely no obligation to do so, Bad Wolf very generously paid Dave Gibbons and myself for the return of The Star Beast. In fact, they also offered to pay John Wagner, too, as both our names were on the comic writer credits. But John declined as he explained he had not co-written The Star Beast or been involved with the story.” At the time, Mills and Wagner often shared credits to stories for continuity’s sake, even if only one or the other had written them. They are the Lennon and McCartney of comics.
Writing credits at the time were a bit… “messy” - John Wagner and Alan Grant were writing the majority of 2000AD together but they didn’t share credits - it went to one of them or a pseudonym so it wasn’t obvious that it was the same two guys beavering away in the background.