tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163141447241149534.post8392146636115565561..comments2024-01-18T09:21:21.157-08:00Comments on Disciples of Boltax: Death’s Head Review: Doctor Who Monthly #173: Party Animals & The Incomplete Death’s Head #1-12Jimtronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18138709079942253485noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163141447241149534.post-13016408542965881672023-01-15T22:41:57.172-08:002023-01-15T22:41:57.172-08:00When Death’s Head II proved a runaway success for ...When Death’s Head II proved a runaway success for Marvel, the demand went out for more, and quickly, from Marvel US. Editorial Director Paul Neary was, initially, reluctant to republish the original Death’s Head, fearing it would dilute the impact of the new character created with Dan Abnett and Liam Sharp, so I suggested adding a framing sequence that featured Death’s Head II, and worked up the outline idea Dan Abnett utilised with his usual aplomb, Simon Coleby - by then, the regular Death’s Head II artist - drawing the new pages.<br /><br />Back then, of course, Marvel UK also published Doctor Who strips under licence, and longtime Death’s Head readers will recall how the Seventh Doctor provided the plot device used to bring the bounty hunter - sorry, peacekeeping agent - down to size, literally, from his giant form seen in Transformers comic, where he first appeared, to a more manageable height, pitted as he would be against Dragon’s Claws and other human-sized foes.<br /><br />So, for me, it made perfect sense that the Seventh Doctor would be manipulating Death’s Head II, following events in the story “Crossroads in Time”, first published in Doctor Who Magazine 135, written by Simon Furman, with art by Geoff Senior, Richard Starkings suggesting the use of the Master’s Tissue Compression Eliminator to bring Death’s Head down to size.<br /><br />The framing sequence enabled Death’s Head II to feature on some covers in the series, to help boost sales.John Freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09275476513933849893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163141447241149534.post-13586637092616363122011-12-14T09:43:29.637-08:002011-12-14T09:43:29.637-08:00Regarding Anyonymous' points above: I've a...Regarding Anyonymous' points above: I've always felt that part of the appeal of Death's Head's character is the way he's infringed on so many copyrights. Surely that befits a time-hopping character like him? It also points up how fun Marvel Comics could be back then.<br /><br />Incidentally, his nature as a dimension-and-time-hopping character means that if he ever does come back long-term I don't it'll take much explaining - it could be the version of him from the What If...?, or any number of other realities.<br /><br />One final thing: Fans of Transformers, fans of Death's Head and fans of writer James Roberts (there should be some overlap there, yes?) should have a read of his TF novel Eugenesis, available for free online. Not only does it star DH in a pretty big role, but it also gives the truth to that description of him disappearing in 'the gravity well of a collapsing planet'.Alexander Smithhttp://www.bromptonrhodes.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163141447241149534.post-4044188586597591822011-12-10T10:36:00.486-08:002011-12-10T10:36:00.486-08:00they also have a very brief cameo at the end of th...they also have a very brief cameo at the end of the first Dr Who / Death's Head crossover, which I suspect was a deliberate lead into Party Animals. <br /><br />andros.tempestAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163141447241149534.post-91743290827867172382011-12-10T09:04:05.240-08:002011-12-10T09:04:05.240-08:00Regarding the future Doctor and companion Ria in P...Regarding the future Doctor and companion Ria in Party Animals, they were from the Audio Visuals series of unofficial fan audio Doctor Who adventures, the final season of which was produced by Gary Russell who wrote the strip and presumably this was a deliberate nod to the series (and a back door way of canonisation). Their appearance is based on their audio actors Nicholas Briggs and (I think) Heather Barker. As far as I know this is their sole appearance in licensed Who stories, though in the late 1990s the Who comic strip did a story where the Doctor seemingly turned into this incarnation, but it was later revealed to be a set-up.Tim Roll-Pickeringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12589024696145675963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163141447241149534.post-32034037979635900692011-12-09T13:45:04.602-08:002011-12-09T13:45:04.602-08:00Haven't read past the end of the original Deat...Haven't read past the end of the original Death's Head series myself, but Andros Tempest's list of possible manipulators suitable for a Marvel DH revamp just made me realize how awesome it would be if IDW somehow got permission to do a more Transformers-centric revamp that retcons his being manipulated by Heinrad in an attempt to toss him into the Beast Wars and stop Shokaract after judging that he was the key to defeating Unicron centuries earlier/later. <br /><br />I reiterate, I have no idea what I'm talking about. Gotta' save up for these trades sometime. But I did read all but the last issue of Incomplete, and agree that working Hob in was clever. Not unlike what Furman used to do with throw-away concepts from the US TF book come to think of it... <br /><br />-BumblevivisectorAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163141447241149534.post-17842117338335912912011-12-09T08:59:54.277-08:002011-12-09T08:59:54.277-08:00well with the conclusion of this and Death's H...well with the conclusion of this and Death's Head II you do technically have the possiblity of a returned Death's Head via several means. <br /><br />1. his original body, now time jumped into the past, makes its way to the mainframe and the two are recombined. <br /><br />2. the Deux ex machina mind wipe thing didn't take, Death's Head at some point remembered his encounter with his future self, and avoided their first encounter thus creating a paradox version that could coexist. <br /><br />I've never read this series, as to be honest I got sick of Death's head at this point. The Body in question had not wowed me, since it contradicted a lot of established continuity, and Death's Head II had proved to be an ugly badly plotted mess. <br /><br />That said I was still a Dr Who fan, so I feel I may have missed out by not getting this after all. <br /><br />The idea of the 7th Doctor manipulating Death's Head is actually in keeping with the 7th Doctor's motivations in both the comics and the TV show. He tended to play the big game, moving pieces about time like a chess player. More so than any other Doctor. It was even implied in Silver Nemesis, that he had been doing this much longer than even the audience were aware. It was certainly a theme continued in stories like Curse of Fenric and Ghost Light. <br /><br />I have issue however with using the Doctor as the get out of jail free card for this story. He isn't a Marvel owned character, long term they are going to have to gloss over even this story if they ever resurrect Death's Head. It would have been far better to have used a new force created just for this story, or better still and existing time related Marvel villain (or hero) it isn't like there aren't plenty who would fit the bill. Kang, Immortus, the Time Variance Authority, the Tomorrow Man, Dr Doom, Read Richards, Nathaniel Richards, Merlin, Saturnyn, Roma, the Technet, the list goes on. Plus didn't Marvel UK also create their own version of the Time Broker for the Death's Head II on going series who could easily have fit the bill? <br /><br />No instead they have to muddy the waters further by having a character they clutched from Hasbro's claws, motivated by one owned by the BBC! <br /><br />Un-Be-liev-able! <br /><br />Andros.tempestAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9163141447241149534.post-57649986775006294232011-12-08T11:05:50.847-08:002011-12-08T11:05:50.847-08:00It's been a while since I read this, but I see...It's been a while since I read this, but I seem to remember thinking that this was a way to bring back the original Death's Head as well, if they ever wanted to use him again. I can't remember how, though, but apparently his personality has been copied into that mainframe or something? It felt that way to me, anyway, when I read it.Hanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03442388706616569265noreply@blogger.com