Fear of the Daleks - part one

 

PREVIEW

In 2010 following the release of the 8th Doctor action figure (at the time, only available in The 11 Doctors boxset) we asked: imagine it's 1996 again. The TV movie has just aired to great audience reception both in the UK and in the USA. A whole new series goes into production!

K-9 & Company: Home Front Part Two

 

INSPIRATION

For all its faults, I love K-9 & Company as a concept. Thankfully it was re-explored as The Sarah Jane Adventures but I really wanted to investigate (no pun intended) what a K-9 & Company series could've been like. 

I think it's been mooted elsewhere (possibly in SJA) that Sarah wrote books based on her adventures.

CAST

Our Sarah Jane figure here is the School Reunion version. I thought she'd be best as she represents that post Doctor Who/ pre SJA era. K-9 is from either that Sarah Jane figure or the S2 Rose. Her superfan-cum-Zygon is a S1 Primeval Connor, obviously turning into a classic wave 1 Zygon.

The rest of the bookshop queue is made up of Grandma Conolly, Steven from Primeval and Draco Malfoy from The Deathly Hallows.

Sarah Jane's publisher is Lester, the Downing Street security is Ryan and the Raasp warrior is a Predator (all from Primeval).

SCRIPT

The script was completed on 7 April 2012 but then rewritten into a two-parter on 6 Feb 2013. The monsters were originally called the Wrath, perhaps borrowed from the Wraath Warriors from the comic Star Beast.

SHOOTING

By the time this story came to be made, I'd stopped making the AFT in order to focus on my career but with Jodie Whitaker about to make her debut, I wanted the AFT to be part of the celebration of that.

The entire thing was shot on 5 Aug 2018 starting with the bookshop scene, Sarah Jane's hallway, the publisher's office, Whitehall Street, Sarah Jane's office and the exterior of No10.

You will perhaps recognise Sarah Jane's hallway from the 11th Doctor story The Uninvited. It was also used in Playtime, an 8th Doctor adventure.

The publisher's office is actually a set I made for The X-File's, Scully's living room.

The bookshop was originally used for the 8th Doctor section of The 11 Doctors (which will be reposted later this anniversary year.)

EDITS

Editing was completed on 25 Sept 2018.

The Raasp spaceship is the missile from a vintage Star Wars Y Wing Fighter, using footage from my AFT Silver Surfer story with some digital texturing added in photoshop.

CONTINUITY

It's early days for Sarah and K-9. She's still living at the house in Croydon as seen in The Five Doctors (rather than her Ealing home in The Sarah Jane Adventures). Her attitude to the Doctor and her time in the TARDIS suggests this is before she's whisked off to the Death Zone.

Sarah Jane's new book "The Mummy From Mars" is obviously based on Pyramids of Mars. The other books she mentions are based on Terror of the Zygons, Monster of Peladon, The Seeds of Doom and Genesis of the Daleks. Harold Sutherland is obviously based on Harry Sullivan.

The Brigadier is in Geneva at the time, as mentioned in her phone call.

TRANSMISSION

Both episodes were posted together on 25 Sept in the run-up to Jodie Whitaker's debut as the Doctor. They were re-posted here on 12th and 19th August 2023.

NEXT TIME:

Look out for a special preview this week!

K-9 & Company: Home Front Part One

 

Batgirl: Hunter/ Prey part three

 

INSPIRATION

This one was a case of being inspired by the release of figures. First of all in 2004, Takara released a 2 pack of Batman and Batgirl. I was blown away by the superb figures and outstanding articulation.

Batgirl in particular was very inspiring in her slinky sexy look. I've always been a sucker for female superheroes and began to wrack my brains for a story for her.

Then Takara made their Aliens v Predator figures and the story became obvious. Back in 1991, Batman had faced off against the Predator. Now it's Batgirl's turn.

CAST

The Takara figures are joined by two Lannard Corps cops as the warehouse security guards and Batgirl's cop mate Joe is a Chap Mei 'Cops & Robbers' policeman.

The Batski boat seen at the start of part 2 is from Batman Returns. The Alien egg in the last frame comes from the Takara alien figure.

The Predator's aerial is the weather vain from the Saga Bespin Luke Skywalker figure while the power unit is from Lannard's space corps figures.

SHOOTING

It took ages to get this story off the ground. Early plans had included using video animation to take advantage of Batgirl and Predator's superior articulation but all this held the story up. 

Eventually in late April 2006, I put together a group of paper backdrops and buildings that could be moved around to form different streets and shot several stories back to back (including stories for Spiderman and Catwoman)

Rather stupidly and annoyingly, I didn't check any of the photos I was taking and many of them were blurry. By the time I realised, the sets were already in the recycling. Since most of the blurry shots are action shots, I think I just about got away with it.

EDITS

The story went through very few edits from original draft to finished piece. Early versions of the script showed the Predator ship crashing and referred to Batman being called away to Metropolis to explain why Batgirl is here alone. In the end I decided there was no reason why Batgirl couldn't just carry the story without him being mentioned.

As was usual at the time, the story was presented as individual images. For this re-presentation, they've been edited together into a proper comic format. This was done on 30 Nov 2022.

TRANSMISSION

I don't have a record of when Batgirl v Predator was originally posted but it would have been some time in late 2007. It was re-presented between 22 July and 5 August 2023.

CONTINUITY

My AFT superhero stories existing in their own universe and don't link to any DC or Marvel continuity though Batgirl's cop friend is inspired by a character (called Joe) from the Batgirl Year One comic series.

The fate of that alien egg was picked up on a couple of years later in the licence busting Batman v Daredevil: A Stranger In Gotham. 

Sadly, the Superman v Supergirl story I'd planned using the Takara figures (test image left) never happened but the other superhero stories were Spiderman: Target, Catfight In Gotham (and a sequel!), Hulk Unleashed and Silver Surfer: Sunburst. Which would you like to see next?