New Doctor Who, New (Old) Companion?

So, we recently got the trailer for everyone's favourite new Christmas tradition; Doctor Who. If you've not seen it yet, here's the link. Go on, go watch it. I'll be here when you get back.

Right, watched that? Remember her? She was the (quite frankly; utterly wonderful) Soufflé Girl, Oswin Oswald, from last season's opening episode "Asylum Of The Daleks". A performance that left many people, myself included, saying "Amy who?"

I'm going to assume you've seen the aforementioned episode and I can discuss it further without anyone crying "WAAAAHHH! Spoilers!" at me.

Now, Clara/Oswin's appearance in AOTD came as a real surprise to us, the viewers. Previously we'd been told Jenna-Louise Coleman would be playing the Doctor's next companion, Clara Oswin, after the Pond's departure and that she'd debut in the imminent Christmas episode. Going into the season with this information meant that her appearance so much earlier than expected knocked us off-balance. The dénouement of the episode revealed that not only was she in fact no longer human, and had been converted into  a Dalek, but she then died.

'nuff said

This year's Christmas episode is set in Victorian London, hundreds of years before AOTD, and we have Oswin appearing again, this time as Clara Oswin. The easy and simple explanation is that Clara is Oswin's ancestor. That would be plausible, tidy and neat, wouldn't it? But it wouldn't be fun, and it certainly wouldn't be Moffat enough. We expect more. Smith and Coleman's little exchange regarding her *definitely* playing a different character seems a huge clue.

Stephen Moffat's sinister volcano lair, where he plots Who-fans' torment

So, with that in mind, here's my theory on the new companion and where I think they might be taking the new season...

Each season has a theme, an over-arching plot that threads it's way through the episodes and takes us to the big finale. Previous years had the words Bad Wolf appearing across time and space, two years ago we had Amy's Crack (ho, ho) and last year we had the Doctor's inevitable death.. What if this year's big plot device is the companion herself?

Imagine, if every episode, the Doctor met a Clara/Oswin, in a different time and place? He's already met her in the future. He's about to meet her in the past. Why couldn't the mystery of this woman be the crux for the season? Her existence across time and space could be a threat or even the key to overcoming the real threat. It's too early to say who this season's Big Bad will be. The Daleks seem a safe bet, given the circumstances of Oswin's introduction but somehow they feel a bit overplayed now. Who else is an established Doctor Who adversary that uses time travel? *cough*The Master or the Cybermen*cough*

I might be majorly off-target with this, but wouldn't it be cool if this was where they were going?

Comic Review (Well, it makes a change from all the Superheroes...) - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #1

So, this week sees the release of the most pre-ordered comic in the world, this month at least. IDW’s latest licenced property is the hugely popular cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and by the looks of pre-orders, it’s going to be HUGE. Take that, Marvel NOW and DC New 52!

Curious about  the hub-bub surrounding the franchise, and wondering why it had garnered such high pre-orders, I came to this book from a position of utter ignorance.  I’m aware that this book is eagerly awaited by kids and adults alike, its’ source material being a cartoon of such popularity that the earth vibrates with a communal “SQUEEE!” every time a new episode airs.

Coming from one of the story artists for The Powerpuff Girls (Another cartoon that transcended superficial gender & age-group boundaries) the cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has been a huge hit for a franchise that hadn’t seen any new episodes on TV for almost 20 years and ultimately spawned this new comic book.

However, prior to picking this up, I had no idea why some ponies were pegasi, while others were unicorns. I had no idea what a cutie mark was, nor why some ponies wore clothes & accessories while others went au naturel, but none of that mattered in the slightest. What I found was a fun, smart, self-aware comic that has as much to offer the older more cynical readers as it does younger ones. I found the same feeling of light-hearted fun as I got from  (The much-missed) Tiny Titans and that’s no bad thing.

Written by Katie Cook, with art by Andy Price, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic takes its’ name straight from the cartoon and carries the same feeling of light-hearted fun with just enough humour that works for all ages. Cook’s webcomic Gronk (www.gronkcomic.com webcomic fans!) has a very sharp eye for the absurdity of modern life seen through an innocent’s eyes, coupled with the wit of a much savvier personality than that of the main character. I must admit, Katie’s name being attached to the book was what caught my eye. Ever since her self-published, insightful, seminal work on Domesticated Animal Psychology “Fuck you, Box” I’ve enjoyed her work and eagerly awaited her next project.

Your MLP Writer, in Pony form

As a first issue it ticks all the right boxes; the premise, status quo and core are cast introduced quickly and concisely. The issue feels self-contained enough to be satisfying,  but has a cliff-hanger to bring you back for the next issue. Too often I feel that many new series treat their first issue as just part of a larger story and assume you’ll be back for explanations in later issues (DC New 52, I’m looking at you here…) but here we’ve got a perfectly paced and packaged parcel of Ponies.

We meet the younger siblings of the main characters, then the leads themselves and within a page of meeting each, it becomes clear as to what differentiates each. While some may cry “Archetypes!” that’s no bad thing in a book like this. Better to have clearly defined personalities than vague ones, surely?

“But, Dapper Dan!” I hear you cry “What actually happens in this issue?!” Well, in brief; the plot is a (surprisingly dark) body-snatchers affair with the leads slowly realising strange things are a-foot/hoof in the land of Equestria.

It’s hard to overstate how well Price has performed here. His work on the facial expressions really gives the book life. Exaggerated and over the top, funny and well-executed nonetheless.

One other aspect of MLP:FIM (Sorry for the acronym, but it’s a long title to keep typing) that I really enjoyed was that the issue features visual and plot-related pop-culture references coming out the wazoo. Cook and Price #(As I’m guessing these details were a collaborative effort) have worked overtime in cramming the splash pages and panels full of visual gags.

Two words for you: Magnum. Pony.

This would have been hilarious even without the cutie mark

OK, one more; Three words for you: Blues. Brothers. Ponies

They’re on a mission from Dog

For the OCD fans among you, there’s a TON of variant covers for the book, some exclusive to specific stores, like Larry’s Comics, and some standard alternate covers available at most retailers. Gotta Catch ‘Em All! (Wait… No… Wrong franchise…) I suspect Midtown Comics “Derpy Hooves” cover will prove quite popular.

In closing, to answer your questions:

Yes, you should pick this up, especially if you have younger kids who like the show, or if you or  anyone you know misses Tiny Titans.

Yes, I am going to watch an episode or two of the show to see what it’s like.

No, I don’t have a favourite Pony*


*Yes I do, it's Rainbow Dash