The new Titan mini-series also marks a return for former Doctor Who Magazine editor John Freeman, who oversaw the Seventh Doctor’s comic-strip adventures between 1988 and 1992. He describes returning to the character as “like slipping on a pair of old shoes I’d left in the back of a cupboard and finding they still fitted.” John recalls that the highlights of his original tenure included “Sylvester McCoy’s determination to help us get an artwork cover right by hanging off scaffolding at Elstree. Luckily no one from Health and Safety spotted him!”
John is also proud of bringing new talent on board, including “writers like Paul Cornell and Scott Gray, artists like Richard Piers Rayner, Mike Collins, Lee Sullivan and John Ridgway. Persuading [Doctor Who script editor] Andrew Cartmel to write for the comic was a definite plus. Not that he needed much persuasion – it was his idea!” John’s enthusiasm for the new project is obvious. “Richard Dinnick’s script on the back-up story is a joy, utterly in keeping with the period of the show when The Greatest Show in the Galaxy aired, and Jessica has been writing, drawing and gaining much deserved kudos for her comics work for some time now.
“Richard’s got a good ear for dialogue. Given how few pages the back-up runs to there’s a heck of a lot going on, including developing the background of Mags and her family.”