Eight Days Of Dave - Day 5: Dr. Who Prisoners Of Time #11

DAVE SIM:

Hi Tim - I think what I'm going to do is just blather -- since this is our first time doing "after the issue" -- and leave it up to you if you want to run the whole thing all at once or dribble it out.  Issue 2 of The Strange Death Of Alex Raymond took about two and a half months. I hope I get faster but I'm not counting on it.

DOCTOR WHO: PRISONERS OF TIME #11 (of 12)

Okay. This is a funny story (I think). When we were still figuring out what I was going to draw Chris faxes me "STAR TREK! What about STAR TREK!?" Uh, yeah. Sure. Six degrees of separation from Al Williamson and Flash Gordon. Okay, 30 degrees. Maybe 50 degrees. But, still.  I'm in.  So I Google Image STAR TREK for reference because the disk with the photo reference hadn't come in yet. And I'm, like, WHAAT? It's the movie. I'm vaguely aware a new STAR TREK movie came out at some point.  STAR TREK MOVIE to me, I'm picturing THE WRATH OF KHAN. Once Deni and I split, that was it for my engagement with STAR TREK. And I'm going, "Who ARE these people?" It looked like a big goofy kid in a professional Spock outfit. Nice outfit, but, Dude, you're a big goofy kid. No offence. So, I just go looking for Shatner and Nimoy. Al Williamson Shatner and Nimoy and I find them. And part of me is thinking, "Uh, it's probably not Shatner and Nimoy he's looking for." A part I now listen to, but that was way early on. THAT'S not Spock!  I'LL draw you a SPOCK.

And Chris was really nice about it. He'd buy the cover and use it [pregnant pause -- it's not easy putting a pregnant pause in a fax, but Chris managed it] SOMEwhere. But, uh, the license is really the MOVIE STAR TREK. And my interior grown-up Dave Sim is going, "SEE? I TOLD YOU!" And, total attitude adjustment. Spock and Uhura are an item. They're what? SPOCK?! SPOCK IS AN ITEM WITH...ahem. Grown up Dave. Right. Very cute Uhura. That's a good way to "get around" juvenile Dave. Cute girl. "glamourpuss by stealth". So I did a cover of Spock and Uhura kissing. Because you Google Image Spock and Uhura kissing and you get a LOT of pictures. I don't know if that one will ever see print. I think Spock and Uhura kissing isn't...STAR TREK cover material.  I missed the point again in a different direction.

So, when DOCTOR WHO came up, this time I was ready. DOCTOR WHO? I'm on it, Chris!  Can do, chief!  Okay, GROWN UP DAVE -- don't do Baker. The one with the scarf. You say DOCTOR WHO to me and it's Baker with the scarf. Deni era again. He was probably ret-conned out of continuity fifteen years before every 21st century DOCTOR WHO fan was born. Dude, who's the guy with the Harpo wig and the scarf? We wanted a DOCTOR WHO cover. So this time I do my research.  There's ELEVEN of them? Ahem. There's eleven of them.  I knew that.  Are you kidding me? I'm a DOCTOR WHO cover artist. I know all this stuff. Best DOCTOR WHO? The latest one. No question.  Buries the other ten with five reruns tied behind his back. The new STAR TREK MOVIE is the best STAR TREK. The new SPOCK is the best SPOCK. Got it! Tick-a-lock! CLICK!

DOCTOR WHO number eleven! Google Image. Actually this guy IS great. He looks as if he was drawn by Neal Adams. The cheek bones. The hair, the moody eyebrows. I'm connecting with the 21st century by way of 1968! Coolness. The Tardis. Great texture. Like Dick Giordano channeling Klaus Janson. We are COOKING. with. GAS. NOW! Get the cover scanned and posted to the IDW ftp site.

Chris faxes back.  Uh...we're doing ALL of the Doctors. I was looking for Doctor No.5 for the cover of No.5. This is, um, Doctor NUMBER ELEVEN.

Oh. Right. You'll probably be needing this cover...uh...

Sometime mid-century, yes.

I'm kidding but, really, there's nothing more embarrassing than doing something embarrassing and knowing that you're only getting away with it because you're THE Dave Sim.  I was very happy with the way this one turned out, the girl and the Doctor. The other guy (the girl's husband, I think?) when I got home I found out the image I picked was about 75x125 pixels. It was like trying to do photorealism Lego or something. Sincere apologies to the actor and his fans. I hope it looks SOMEWHAT like him, anyway.