Title: Doctor Who Magazine: Eighth Doctor (Comics)
Media: Comic
Approx length: 4 volumes of 200 to 250 pages each, or 109 issues. (DWM 244-353)
Where to find it: The easiest way to read these comics would be their collected volumes. Otherwise you would have to track down individual issue of Doctor Who Magazine. There are four collected volumes: Doctor Who: Endgame, Doctor Who: The Glorious Dead, Doctor Who: Oblivion, Doctor Who: The Flood. They are all available on eBay and similar websites, but as of right now they are fairly expensive. Unfortunately, like a lot of other Wilderness-era Doctor Who expanded universe content, there are no legal avenues for purchasing digital editions of these comics. If you are having trouble tracking down a copy please contact me!
What is it, in summary?: Since its founding, Doctor Who Magazine has had an ongoing comic strip with its own storylines and sometimes even comics-only companions. The Eighth Doctor comics ran from 1999 to 2005 with new companions, adventures and both new and returning villains. There are some references to previous eras of the Doctor Who Magazine comic strips and to the 1996 TV movie where the Eighth Doctor is introduced, but neither are necessary to understand the comics. Basically, as long as you are familiar with the basic premise of Doctor Who, you should be able to enjoy these comics.
What do you love about it?: The stories are fun, the writing is strong, and there are some great characters. Their take on the Eighth Doctor is great, making the charming time traveller into a nuanced character with flaws and vulnerabilities. I also nominated three companion characters: Izzy Sinclair, a young science fiction fan from the 1990s who is also coming to terms with her own sexuality, Fey Truscott-Sade, a very cool female British spy from the 1930s, and Destrii, an outgoing, flirtatious and morally grey alien.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: I’m planning on requesting Izzy and prompting for stories about her. I would love to see something exploring her character after everything she goes through in canon. I would also love to see more adventures with the Doctor or perhaps even a romance with Fey or Destrii.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfill your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Sure! The TARDIS Wiki shows which companions are in each story. If you’re only interesting in requesting/writing some companions and not others, then you can probably get away with only reading the stories they appear in: https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Eighth_Doctor_comic_stories#Doctor_Who_Magazine
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): There are some depictions of child abuse in an important character’s backstory, most prominently featured in “Oblivion”. There is also depictions of some depictions of racism in “Bad Blood” and “The Flood”.
Doctor Who Magazine: Eighth Doctor (Comics)
Media: Comic
Approx length: 4 volumes of 200 to 250 pages each, or 109 issues. (DWM 244-353)
Where to find it: The easiest way to read these comics would be their collected volumes. Otherwise you would have to track down individual issue of Doctor Who Magazine. There are four collected volumes: Doctor Who: Endgame, Doctor Who: The Glorious Dead, Doctor Who: Oblivion, Doctor Who: The Flood. They are all available on eBay and similar websites, but as of right now they are fairly expensive. Unfortunately, like a lot of other Wilderness-era Doctor Who expanded universe content, there are no legal avenues for purchasing digital editions of these comics. If you are having trouble tracking down a copy please contact me!
What is it, in summary?: Since its founding, Doctor Who Magazine has had an ongoing comic strip with its own storylines and sometimes even comics-only companions. The Eighth Doctor comics ran from 1999 to 2005 with new companions, adventures and both new and returning villains. There are some references to previous eras of the Doctor Who Magazine comic strips and to the 1996 TV movie where the Eighth Doctor is introduced, but neither are necessary to understand the comics. Basically, as long as you are familiar with the basic premise of Doctor Who, you should be able to enjoy these comics.
What do you love about it?: The stories are fun, the writing is strong, and there are some great characters. Their take on the Eighth Doctor is great, making the charming time traveller into a nuanced character with flaws and vulnerabilities. I also nominated three companion characters: Izzy Sinclair, a young science fiction fan from the 1990s who is also coming to terms with her own sexuality, Fey Truscott-Sade, a very cool female British spy from the 1930s, and Destrii, an outgoing, flirtatious and morally grey alien.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: I’m planning on requesting Izzy and prompting for stories about her. I would love to see something exploring her character after everything she goes through in canon. I would also love to see more adventures with the Doctor or perhaps even a romance with Fey or Destrii.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfill your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Sure! The TARDIS Wiki shows which companions are in each story. If you’re only interesting in requesting/writing some companions and not others, then you can probably get away with only reading the stories they appear in: https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Eighth_Doctor_comic_stories#Doctor_Who_Magazine
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): There are some depictions of child abuse in an important character’s backstory, most prominently featured in “Oblivion”. There is also depictions of some depictions of racism in “Bad Blood” and “The Flood”.