Sunday
31Jan2010

Doctor Who - Tenth Doctor Chronology List

NOTE: As Doctor Who Magazine has published more comic strip adventures that I need to look over, this list is still a work in progress. But it's MOSTLY complete, I promise.

The following is part of my Doctor Who Guide and is a list of the Tenth Doctor's adventures in chronological order. I have not included the younger audience stories from Doctor Who Adventure Magazine or the Doctor Who Storybooks, primarily because they are more simplistic stories intentionally written to easily fit between whatever adventures you want (depending on which companion is with the Doctor).

The order of these stories is based on what I think makes the most sense considering publication, remarks made within the story itself, the companion present, and, in some cases, the Doctor's state of mind.

When referencing TV stories, I note the season and episode number, separated by an "x" symbol. So, for example, the first episode of Season 2 would be designated as "2x01."

If you are interested, you can also check out the Tenth Doctor Annotated Chronology (coming soon) which features some minor spoilers as it points out the links each adventure makes to other stories.

 


Children in Need 2005 Episode - Mini-episode done for BBC Children In Need charity broadcast on November 18th 2005. Written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Euros Lyn,  Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler. This adventure leads directly into "The Christmas Invasion."

"The Christmas Invasion" - Doctor Who Christmas Special 2005. Written by Russell T. Davies and directed by James Hawes. Featuring the Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler and Mickey Smith.

"New Earth" - Episode 2x01 of the new Doctor Who series. Written by Russell T. Davies and directed by James Hawes. Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler.

"Tooth and Claw" - Episode 2x02 of the new Doctor Who series. Written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Euros Lyn. Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler.

* "The Betrothal of Sontar" - Comic strip adventure by John Tomlinson and Nick Abadzis from Doctor Who Magazine #365-367. Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler.

* "The Lodger" - Comic strip adventure by Gareth Roberts from Doctor Who Magazine #368. Featuring the Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler and Mickey Smith.

* "Down the Rabbit Hole" - Comic strip adventure by Davey Moore from Doctor Who Annual 2007.  Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler.

* "F.A.Q" - Comic strip adventure by Tony Lee from Doctor Who Magazine #369-371. Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler.

* "The Futurists" - Comic strip adventure by Mike Collins from Doctor Who Magazine #372-374. Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler.

* "Interstellar Overdrive" - Comic strip adventure by Jonathan Morrison from Doctor Who Magazine #375-376. Featuring the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler.

Click to read more ...

Saturday
16Jan2010

Kistler's History of Doctor Who - Fifth Doctor

This is part of my series of essays concerning the In-Depth History of Doctor Who.

Coming Soon: Chronology of the Fifth Doctor's Adventures.

It was 1982. The 19th season of Doctor Who was about to begin and things were going to be quite different in the 80s. We now had a new scarf-less, cricket playing Time Lord, the first true Doctor of what some have called the "costume era" of the show, when our hero seemed far less willing to change his clothes from time to time. 


NEW BEGINNINGS

When last we'd seen the Doctor, he had teamed-up with his arch-enemy the Master to save the universe from its own death throes. Though they succeeded, the Master had turned on his ally and used the chaos to hold the universe hostage. The Doctor foiled his schemes but in the process he wound up falling over a hundred feet to the ground below. Surrounded by his friends, he had reached out to "the Watcher", a projection of the man he was yet to become. And then, as if had happened before, he regenerated, his body rebuilding itself into a new form with a new face.

 The new TV adventure "Castrovalva" was the Fifth Doctor's true debut and we saw a side of the Time Lord we hadn't been exposed to very much, that of a vulnerable man. Due to the severe all-around damage he had suffered from his deadly plummet to the ground, the Doctor was having a very difficult time regenerating. He wandered around the TARDIS for several minutes, unraveling the scarf he'd been wearing during his previous death.

When his young companion Adric finally found him, his memories were still scattered and he was not sure of himself. He simply smiled to the boy, as if meeting him for the first time, and introduced himself.

FIFTH DOCTOR: "Ah! Welcome aboard! I'm the Doctor ... Or at least, I will be if this regeneration works out."

The Fifth Doctor wandered around, trying to get his bearings. This was a great concern for new companion Teegan Jovanka, who had only stumbled into the TARDIS by accident during the previous adventure "Logopolis" and was still coming to terms with the idea that Adric, Nyssa and the Doctor were all aliens. The further revelation that the Doctor could change his appearance and aspects of his behavior yet still be, at his core, the same man was a bit much for her. Yet Nyssa explained to Tegan (and to anyone in the audience who shared the concern) that despite appearances, this was still the Doctor and he just needed time to settle into his new form.

As always, the Doctor was startled by his new appearance. Finding a full-length mirror near the TARDIS's wardrobe room, the Fifth incarnation looked at his new youthful face with concern and possibly disappointment, muttering, "That’s the trouble with regeneration. You never know what you're going to get!"

Wandering through the wardrobe, the Fifth Doctor found a recorder that had belonged to his second incarnation. Dismissing the instrument, he outfitted himself in what looked to be a stylized version of a casual cricketing outfit. Just as producer Jonathan Nathan-Turner had made Tom Baker wear question marks on his collar during the previous Doctor's final season, Peter Davison did the same.

Finally, he reached the Zero Room, a place in the TARDIS we had never heard of before but which he expalined was a safe zone where one was shielded from all outside influences, including radio transmissions, energy fields and background radiation. This reminded TV audiences that though he was superior to a human being in many ways, the Doctor was also vulnerable to subtle things we did not percieve or detect as interference. Along these same lines, the Third Doctor had mentioned a deathly allergy to aspirin and the Ninth Doctor years later would suffer great psychic pain from entering a room that had belonged to a terrified, inhuman child.

In the calming atmosphere of the Zero Room, the Fifth Doctor's true personality became more apparent. He spoke to Teegan and Nyssa openly and honestly as a man who was laid back and good-humored but also clearly in charge. He explained that he just needed to spend some time here and that the two of them, working with Adric, would be able to pilot the TARDIS for a little while without him. But things were not to go smoothly, since Adric had been kidnapped by the Master.

By the end of "Castrovalva", the Fifth Doctor had proven to his companions (and to many in the audience) that he was still the clever Time Lord he'd always been, foiling another plan of the Master's as he rescued Adric. The Master escaped capture but the Doctor was in too high spirits to let that bother him much. He was healthy again and looking forward to the future. As he and his companions journeyed back to the TARDIS to begin the new season in full force, the Fifth Doctor reached into the inner pocket of the jacket and produced a piece of celery that he then stuck on his lapel.

Jonathan Nathan-Turner had no real reason behind this decorative vegetable. He just felt that the Doctor should have something strange with his outfit and apparently dressing him in a cricketing outfit with question marks on his lapel just wasn't odd enough. Thus, the Fifth Doctor walked around with a celery on his coat that no one in the stories seemed to really question. This was another reason why some people criticized Turner's run as the "costume era."

Fun trivia note: Davison hates celery and couldn't stand it when in "Castrovalva" he had to eat the vegetable in a scene that took several takes.

A few years later, in his last adventure, the Fifth Doctor finally did come up with a reason for the celery when his latest companion Peri Brown asked about it.

PERI: "Doctor, why DO you wear a piece of celery?"
THE DOCTOR: "Safety precaution. I'm allergic to certain gases in the praxis range of the spectrum."
PERI: "So how does the celery help?"
THE DOCTOR: "When the gas is present, the celery turns purple."
PERI: "And then what happens?"
THE DOCTOR: "… I eat the celery. If nothing else, I'm sure it's good for my teeth."

Many years after that, in the audio play "The Judgment of Isskaar" produced in 2005, the Fifth Doctor was palling around with a girl named Amy who remarked on his question mark collar.

AMY (impressed): "So you know where we are this time? ... You should write a book or something."
DOCTOR: "And give away all my secrets? I like to retain a certain hint of mystery."
AMY: "Hence the symbols on your collar. 'I'm the Doctor! I'm the man of mystery!' "
DOCTOR: "You know, you got a lot more sarcastic since we first met."
AMY: "I got a good teacher."

So now, let's talk about this new actor who was in the star role.

 

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Saturday
24Oct2009

CRAZY SEXY GEEKS: Episode List

UPDATED!

We were away for a little bit, but now we're back. Each week, watch as fun geeky topics are discussed on "Crazy Sexy Geeks: The Series". Watch as we talk to people on the street and celebrities such as Tim Gunn, Rob Zombie, Amber Benson, Emma Caulfield, Edward James Olmos, Miracle Laurie and others. Topics range from discussing the best time travel story to delving into what makes a good film adaptation and whether or not more female super-heroes should wear pants.

Here are the episodes that are up so far. Enjoy!

 

Relaunch Trailer

Women Super-Heroes - Why are there so many great super-hero women and yet they aren't getting the spotlight when it comes to movies and TV? GUESTS: Amber Benson (actress, comic writer, filmmaker, novelist).

Remakes, Reboots & Sequels - Have we lost original ideas or is there something good about doing a reboot? And what's the real difference between doing a sequel, reboot or remake? GUESTS: David A. Mack (novelist, screenwriter), Edward James Olmos (actor, director), Rob Zombie (music artist, director).

Comics Without Spandex - Curious about comics that have nothing to do with super-heroes? There are plenty out there. GUESTS: David W. Mack (comic writer/artist), Emma Caulfield (actress, comic writer), David Petersen (writer/artist), Unshaven Comics, Deftoons Comics, Spike (comic artist/writer).

Super Hero Fashion! - What are the links between fashion and super-hero comics in this new day and age? And what's so cool about the Bloomingdale's DC Comics Fashion show? GUESTS: Tim Gunn (fashion consultant, creative director at Liz Claiborne), Batman, Catwoman. Featuring the DC Comics fashion show at Bloomingdale's NYC.

Horror Movie Debate! - Hosts Alan Kistler (hey, that's ME!) and Graham Skipper debate Freddy vs. Jason, Aliens vs. Predators, Michael Myers vs. Remake Michael Myers, and just what it is that makes these movie monsters so entertaining.

Wonder Woman Debate! - I go around asking different folks whether or not they think Wonder Woman's costume is impractical and she should really wear pants. GUESTS: Tim Gunn, Miracle Laurie (actress), Emma Caulfield, Gene Ha (comic artist), Alayna Lemmer (digital painter), Beth Horn ("Venom" of American Gladiators), Jennifer Widerstrom ("Phoenix" of American Gladiators) and others!

Wednesday
23Sep2009

Kistler's Final Crisis Timeline

NEWLY UPDATED!

For your enjoyment, here is a timeline of the Final Crisis issues and tie-ins in rough chronological order. This is part of my Crisis Files and deals specifically with the third and final crisis.

 

And now the LEGEND:

Black lines connect the issues that are either part of the main storyline or which I think should be read in order to fully understand/appreciate the events of the main series.

Dotted lines show those stories that are related to the main series and add extra insight. However, these stories aren't, in my opinion, required reading by any means.

Blue shows Superman's path when he was transported into the 31st century, not returning to the present until Final Crisis 6. It's just to help you have a visual idea of where and when he was during some of the story.

Click to read more ...

Saturday
12Sep2009

Kistler's History of Firestorm

Before we begin, I want to thank writers Michael A. Burstein and Bob Greenberger for their invaluable/helpful contributions to this article and its research. Thanks guys, seriously.

 

OUR HEROES IN A NUTSHELL

With rare exception, the power of Firestorm is such that it's meant to be wielded not by one heroic person but by two working in conjunction.

It began when a teenager named Ronnie Raymond was caught in a nuclear explosion along with Professor Martin Stein. Rather than being atomized, the two were fused into a super-powered being who could fly, fire energy blasts and rearrange matter at will: Firestorm, the "nuclear man." With Ronnie as the dominant personality, Firestorm became a formidable super-hero and for a time he served alongside the Justice League of America as its youngest member at the time.

Eventually, it was discovered that the nuclear explosion which created Firestorm had been intended to turn Martin Stein into a fire elemental. Ronnie's presence had been accidental and disrupted the process. When Stein at last received the power he was always meant to have, he became an elemental and used his great powers to find a new life in the stars. Ronnie was left on Earth, powerless and human. Later on, Stein gave the young man a portion of his cosmic power, allowing Ronnie to now become Firestorm all by himself at will. Without the guidance of Professor Stein, Ronnie now had a harder time operating as a super-hero but still gave it his best. Eventually though, he was killed in battle.

But energy cannot be destroyed. And so, even with Ronnie's death, the power of Firestorm didn't simply go away. Instead, it journeyed outward until it found a new host: teenager Jason Thomas Rusch. After merging with a variety of different people to help activate and stabilize his powers, Jason now fuses with his girlfriend Gehenna whenever he needs to become the nuclear-powered super-hero. Like Ronnie before him, he has served alongside the Justice League and has gained a mentor in Martin Stein, who has recently returned to Earth and is once again a normal human being. What will happen to Jason next remains to be seen, but he's having a fun time while he's at it. 

A lot of heroes have trouble at times balancing between their two lives. They’ll be on a date and then a super-villain will tear through the city and they have to think of some excuse to give their friends or co-workers about why they suddenly need to leave, etc. Well, imagine how much more difficult it would be if you not only had to balance your own double-life, but also the life of another person entirely.

That's the basics. Want the full story? Read on ...

Click to read more ...