Alongside entertaining myself and friends by depicting ‘all-new’
confrontations with the Daleks, Sontarans, Ice Warriors and Zygons, I also
created a fair few original monsters for my “Doctor Who” to battle. However in
the beginning I was still heavily influenced by the BBC science fiction series
and as a result, many of my ‘own’ adventures were based upon what I had
watched on either television or VHS video.
“The Mutant Rampage”, a seven-page
reimagining of the first ever Dalek story, is a good example of this. To begin
with its name was actually taken from the working title of the Skaro-based television
production - “The Mutants”. Whilst its plot, the tale of two races, one living
in a technologically advanced city whilst the other survives on the fruits of
the land, is straight out of Terry Nations’ storyline as well. Even the
Canabalsans, the large jelly like inhabitants of the planet Danos in the year
3029, are little more than oversized Kaled mutants – the creatures which
operate the Dalek travel machines.
Following on from this I wrote/drew “The Maddening”
a simple two-page tale of the TARDIS being struck by asteroids in the time
vortex causing the (first) Doctor to suffer a head injury. Upon recovering the
Time Traveller becomes a homicidal maniac and attempts to murder his companions.
Once again this is very similar to the two-part television adventure “The Edge
of Destruction”, where the Time Lord (and to a larger extent a scissor-stabbing
Susan) appears to want to harm his ‘friends’.
It therefore wasn’t until “The
Treemen of Tremolius”, two-thirds of the way through my first drawing phase,
that I finally created a couple of aliens I’d actually call ‘my own’; and even
then they were… inspired. The first was a dragon-like creature called the Glasmhmore,
a fearsome looking yet ultimately timid monster, who was possibly based upon
my love of the Drashigs from the Jon
Pertwee television story “Carnival of Monsters”. The second, long before Groot
and Marvel Comics’ Guardians of the Galaxy motion picture, was the Treemen (and
women) of Tremolius. These walking talking tree-people were almost certainly
inspired by the Ent, Treebeard, following multiple viewings of the VHS video release
of “The Lord of the Rings”; a 1978 animated fantasy film version of J.R.
Tolkien’s famous book trilogy. Neither were terribly successful though and
neither would ever make a return appearance in my “Doctor Who” Mooretoons.
However I still had plenty of other sources of inspiration for my monsters,
such as toys, vegetables and even snooker players..!?!
Who is the woman in the last panel? is it Victoria? I must admit when I first read it I read what she is saying as "He's game" I though we were going to get a bit of hanky panky for a second (might have been a precursor for the new series (we never had any naughtyness in the TARDIS in my day you know)).
ReplyDeleteRoger, That is meant to be Barbara Wright, who has been 'beautified' by the Treemen. In brief Barbara was tortured by the Sontarans, and having escaped to Tremolius was in a bad way. As a result the Tree Women re-energise her hair and make-up etc to look more... alluring. You are though actually spot on with your comments as she's actually thinking "So that's his game", having been lured to a secluded spot by her amorous rescurer. Fortunately, once Ian Chesterton manages to pull the Doctor's leg from out of the Glasmhmore's jaws, the duo rescue their fellow time-traveller before any 'naughtiness' takes place :-)
ReplyDeleteAhh. I was going on the costume thinking it looked like a victorian dress top, I could make a childish joke about him having "wood" or a threesome with Kate Bush and Twiggy but I'm better than that!
ReplyDeleteNo. She's naked and that's supposed to be her hair covering her modesty. I was a young teenager.
ReplyDeleteAhh... and you say I'm the one who leaves pithy comments on blogs :-)
Ha ha! point taken. perhaps it's just as well you didn't colour this one in. Mind you i cant say a lot myself as I remember I spent a fair amount of my early teenage years drawing pictures of "Carla" from Captain Kremmen.
ReplyDeleteI must confess I'm starting to think I should just simply post up my musings on my really old drawings as they attract far more hits than my current stories!?! Ah... the lovely Carla, animated by no less than Cosgrove Hall Films; especially topical as they're just about to redo Danger Mouse :-)
ReplyDeleteWith Alexander Armstrong doing the voice! not David Jason, I can see why they picked him as I thik his voice might fit but why not David, he's still alive so why replace him, Terry Scott will of course need a replacement (I just hope they don't pick Joe Pasquale!!). Loved Dangermouse and Cholton and the Wheelies as a child, Cosgrove halls studios used to be in the Albert Dock across the mersey from me in Liverpool.
ReplyDeleteI am reading your new strips you know, and enjoying them, It's just that the Dr Who stuff brings back so many memories. Besides I already spend more time talking to you than the wife she's starting to get jealous! (joke).
Cheers Roger.
LOL. Actually I've had a few really good suggestions Ref breaking the way I do most of my cartoons side-on, on some of the other forums I post. So I'm planning on trying a few new things over the next couple of months. Glad you're enjoying them :-)
ReplyDelete