WHO ART

As every telly-addict knows, 23 November 1963, saw the first recorded visit to earth of a Time and Relative Dimension in Space (Tardis) cunningly disguised as a Police Box, when the iconic TV series, Doctor Who debuted on the BBC.

Almost a year after Doctor Who premiered, the Time Lord began a parallel series of adventures in the pages of TV Comic and he has continued to appear in comics for every one of the successive 47 years, gaining his own title in 1979 with Doctor Who Weekly, and is still going strong today in Doctor Who Magazine.

The rich heritage of British comic-book art represented in the pages of these various publications (as well as books and annuals) are currently being celebrated at London's Cartoon Museum in an exhibition DOCTOR WHO in COMICS: 1964-2011 which features art by a pantheon of British comic greats including Frank Bellamy, Martin Geraghty, Dave Gibbons, Dave Lloyd, John Ridgway, Andrew Skilleter and Lee Sullivan who specially created this piece – 'The Usual Suspects' – for the exhibition...

There are some fascinating time-travelling anomalies like the fact that during the wilderness years when BBC TV was 'Who-less', his comic personae (multiple Doctor stories were not uncommon) were still enjoying all manner of exploits often in the company of characters from the series like Sarah Jane-Smith, the Brigadier and K-9 as well as exclusively comic-book compatriots such as his first black companion, Sharon, created in pen-and-ink twenty-five years before the flesh-and-blood Mickey or Martha Jones joined the Doctor on screen.

There there are the ever-present, ever-menacing enemies: The Master, the Cybermen, Davros and, of course ("EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"), the Daleks...

From Dalek Omnibus, 1976, Artist unknown

Clearly, this is an exhibition aimed at the Doctror's legions of faithful followers, but anyone with an interest in half-a-century of British graphic art will not want to miss this truly fabulous collection of over one hundred pieces of classic Who-art of which these are just a few examples...

TV Action and Countdown, 28 October 1972
by Dennis Hooper

Promotional image for Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks
1975, Artist unknown

'City of the Damned' by Dave Gibbons
Doctor Who Weekly, 12 December1979

'Tides of Time' (detail) by Dave Gibbons
Doctor Who Monthly, 1982

'Voyager' (detail) by John Ridgway
Doctor Who Magazine, 1994

'The Crimson Hand' (detail) by Martin Geraghty, David Roach, James Offredi
Doctor Who Magazine, 2010

The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2011, Martin Geraghty

The exhibition DOCTOR WHO in COMICS: 1964-2011 remains on show until 30 October

The Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HH

Telephone: 0207 580 8155
Email: info@cartoonmuseum.org
Check at www.cartoonmuseum.org for details of special events

OPENING TIMES:
Tuesday-Saturday: 10:30–17:3; Sunday: 12.00–17:30
(Closed on Mondays including Bank Holiday Mondays)

ADMISSION
£5.50 Adults; £4 Concessions; £3 Students with valid student ID
Free to Under-18s, Art Fund Members and Friends of the Cartoon Museum
Children 12 or under must be accompanied by an adult

Images: © BBC © Doctor Who Magazine.Panini UK

Click on the 'Dr Who' tag below for previous Who postings on this blog