Doctor Who: Shada
By Gareth Roberts
Original Script by Douglas Adams
Ace Publishing
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Cover Price: $12.99 (Kindle Edition)

In a rather captivating, though curious manner, you might find it astonishing that Gareth Roberts‘ adaptation of the Doctor Who adventure by Douglas Adams called Shada caused music to play in my head.

That sounds a little weird, of course. But when it comes to both Doctor Who and Douglas Adams, the strangeness should not only be expected by now, but mandatory par for the course.

Allow me to explain.

I have found, in my years of being an overly obsessive geek that the best adaptations of already established franchises inspire your mind to create the ambience of the universe you’re investing in. In all types of writing, a good author will not only be able to explain the scene to you, but totally immerse you in it: you can see the brightness (or gloominess) of the sky, you can almost feel the floors or walls of the setting, and you can smell the odors described, such as the scent of rain on a hot day”¦ or petrichor, for example…

The Cast Of Doctor Who
Written by Paul J. Slamoff
Art by Jaime Martinez Rodriguez
Colors by Dario Reyes
Cover Art by Joe Phillips
Bluewater Comics
Release Date: March 14, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Bluewater’s unauthorized The Cast Of Doctor Who takes a glance into the backgrounds of a few of the actors who have taken on the role of The Doctor through the years. Without a standard comic storyline, the book serves more as an introduction to the series, specifically designed for newer fans that are interested about the Classic Doctor Who series.

The comic book oddly only looks at four official Doctors (plus a fifth outside canon which we will get to later). I’m guessing this limited examination was restricted based on space available for the publication of the comic. Overall, the comic examines William Hartnell as the First Doctor, Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, and Matt Smith as the current Eleventh Doctor.

Some of you may remember last year about this time, just before Christmas, we wrote about an awesome Doctor Who and Star Wars mashup video done by Rick Kelvington. The video got a lot of attention online, quickly becoming a favorite among fans, and was even mentioned in Doctor Who Magazine. Now, Kelvington is back, with a brand new mashup of the two universes, where Jedi Knights and Time Lords meet.

Doctor Who: The Sun Makers
DVD
Directed by Pennant Roberts
Written by Robert Holmes
Starring Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, John Leeson, Henry Woolf, Richard Leech, Michael Keating
BBC
Release Date: August 9, 2011

Tom Baker‘s era tends to be the most favored among Classic Doctor Who followers – and justifiably so: the man spent 7 years in the role, longer than any other Doctor, embracing the role that would help redefine the series. From his era, recently released on DVD is The Sun Makers (finally available for rent on Netflix, along with a couple others I will be reviewing as well), first broadcast in 1977 during Season 15; and Tom Baker’s fourth season in the role.

As I write this post, I find myself quite envious of my TARDISblend co-host, Tom Cheredar, who was in attendance for the Doctor Who panel at San DIego Comic-Con this year.

In the famous Hall H, the panel began with grand fanfare, concluding with the Doctor Who theme blasting through the speakers as Matt Smith (the first ever Doctor to be nominated for a BAFTA Award) joined the stage — greeted with an almighty roar from the crowd… a beginning that gives a clear indication of how much bigger the 48-year old-series has become in the United States.

While David Tennant was a highly loved Doctor by U.S. fans, as a long-term fan I cannot recall a level of fandom appreciation for a current Doctor since the days of Tom Baker. It’s a clear indication that the series is currently in good hands, and that Smith is delivering not just to the expectations of showrunner Steven Moffat, but to fans on an international level as well.

Unfortunately Moffat was unavailable for the panel, but Smith was joined by his co-host Karen Gillan (who plays Amy Pond), producers Piers Wenger and Beth Willis, and writer Toby Whithouse.

First off, let’s get to some of the juicy tidbits about the upcoming episodes of Series 6 that was discussed by the panel…