Thursday 31 July 2014

Doctor Who And The Guardians Of The Galaxy

Guardians Of The Galaxy is likely of interest to Doctor Who fans who like the space opera side of it, the teeming universe with beautifully rendered aliens and people painted funny colours side by side, where someone could be abducted from Earth and spend years bouncing around occupied space getting in trouble.

It’s very much the Dan Abnett and Lanning version of the Guardians. Abnett in particular has written lots of Doctor Who spinoffs, often in the space opera end of the setting.

It’s full of crowd scenes like the Star Wars Cantina, The Rings Of Akhaten or the cut scene I wish we’d gotten when we visited the Shadow Proclamation. (Yes, I’m still bitter six years on.)

Rocket Raccoon fits the Russell T Davies theory of audiences engaging with animal-like alien characters easily: the design and effects work for Groot and the makeup for Gamora and Drax could be distracting at times, but (partially because he’s done so well, and partially because he’s such a nuts idea) Rocket is just Rocket. I put the effects achievement aside and just see the character.

While there’s a lot of gunplay and blowing stuff up, the heroes also think and talk their way out of some problems. (And into others.)

Oh, and there’s evil bald blue Karen Gillan.

Monday 28 July 2014

The First World War

War was declared 100 years ago today, starting over four years of fighting, and its repercussions echoed down the century and on.

As the war is generally regarded as a bloody fiasco, it’s a rare topic for adventure stories - compare the number of WWI and WWII RPGs and adventures, and their genre.

Timemaster included this now freely available adventure in its original rules, which focuses on the war in the air which has acquired some sense of adventure and romance. Other stories suited to a less bleak story would include the famous Christmas truce (which the Doctor visits in one of the IDW comics) and the urban legend of the Angels of Mons, in which a fictional story (by influential horror and fantasy author Arthur Machen) quickly grew to be believed.

Friday 25 July 2014

Titan Comics 10.1 and 11.1

The other news of the week is the first issues of Titan Comics’ series for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. Not the first time a Doctor has had a monthly, but I believe the first time previous regenerations have.

Siskoid already reviewed them here and here, and all I would add is the 10 is an interesting setup and 11 is a nice single issue...

So I’ll talk about them gamewise.

Deep Breath is coming to cinemas

The first adventure for the Twelfth Doctor. Countries besides us not yet confirmed. When the big 3D anniversary special did it, it was big, and in 3D. Is Deep Breath that big, and is it in 3D? We shall see.

Friday 18 July 2014

Nelson Mandela

A lovely and touching Google Doodle to celebrate what would be his 96th birthday.

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

As an inspiration, perfect. As a Celebrity Historical, too soon.

Wednesday 16 July 2014

So you meet your parallel universe self...

And they are so much cooler than you...

... happens to the star of You Me & Her thirty times.

That has to give a person issues.

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Votes for women was only the beginning

Emmeline Pankhurst celebrated with Google Doodle on the, er, 156th anniversary of her birth. The Suffrage movement was a sea-change in politics here, with plenty of drama and action. And altering history so it failed... well, that change probably would not last much past the Great War, but changing the balance of equality could really mess with social history for the century since.

Meryl Streep is to portray Mrs. Pankhurst on film soon, but for Doctor Who, perhaps go for the Up The Women version played by Sandi Toksvig in an an enormous hat.

Monday 14 July 2014

A hint of things to come?

If true, spoilers... for the new title sequence.

According to Bleeding Cool, the leaked scripts include a credit that the titles are based on an original idea by Billy Hanshaw.

Which is one of those great CGI artist fans who made a title sequence and put it online.

So we have a Doctor who wrote and drew for fanzines in his teens, and a title sequence based on fan art.

Nice.

Friday 11 July 2014

Tuesday 8 July 2014

50 Years Of Doc Who

A video showing suitable-ish activities by the suggested American Doctors from this list.

I still prefer some of mine. Harrumph. (Especially Terry O’Quinn as Nine.)

But it’s nice work. And Gene Wilder certainly does wear some suitable hats.

Pandora: apparently not a Time Lord.

Remember my early thoughts about Pandora in DCs New 52? Looks like she isn’t really like that. Oddly, she appears to be a Crimson Avenger version of Zealot from Wild C.A.T.S. judging by the warpaint and guns. While also being the literal Pandora. Her adventures do not generally involve moving through time, being at just the right moment to see or do something, and moving on.

The classic mysterious wandering Phantom Stranger is also apparently an ex ultimate villain too. And so is the Question. Huh.

Still, we have Silver Surfer to be our Doctor Who comic from the Big Two.

Sunday 6 July 2014

Need a recurring monster?

I think an RPGnet thread called Make Up a New Doctor Who Monster might be helpful. More theory than practice so far, but we shall see.