Doctor Who and the Asylum

I recently read this adventure about the Second Doctor and the first time the Daleks were introduced to the Who universe. It was interesting to read about a more serious Doctor with a hint of his mischievousness that we see today.

Somehow, the Daleks seemed a lot more menacing on paper than they do on television.

The first episode of the 7th series aired on Saturday (yet I will not be able to watch it until Friday, so I am trying to avoid spoilers) and it was called Asylum of the Daleks which made me think of the song by Fun Boy Three.

Red and Black Week: Dalek

Welcome to my third contribution to Sophistique Noir's Red and Black Week. This was going to be a different post, but life got in the way, so instead you are treated to a photo of my red and black dalek, attacking a glue stick to give a sense of scale. He doesn't have a name yet, though I've had him since christmas, and he regularly trundles round my desk saying exterminate when turning a corner.

And to finish, here is a part of my Doctor Who book collection. There's a lot of black and the barest hint of red in there. (Apologies for the quality; it was either fuzziness or glare so I went for the former)

A picture is worth a thousand words?

I am a comic convert. They are a stereotype of geeks (and I don't like the negative implications of that word either, though I like the actual word - why not say geek and imagine a cool knowledgable cultured person?) and in the past i've thought they're nice for a quick read but not worth searching out.

Growing up I loved collecting Meg Cabot's books and my copy of Avalon High was well-loved. So when a sequel was announced, I duly bought it as soon as it came out.

Yet after reading the book in about half an hour, I felt disappointed and let down. The story didn't seemed to progress much, especially compared to the first book, and as a 16 year old whose only income was pocket money, £8 seemed a lot of money.

(Note: I have searched on the internet and it turns out there are two further 'manga' books that I missed after becoming disillusioned with the first.)

I spent my childhood devouring thick fantasies such as The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, with the occassional glance at comics such as Peanuts, so maybe the attraction of this particular genre passed me by...

I have recently begun to read 'Vampire Knight' and I have now bought Volumes 1 to 5 and to my mind it is worth the money. It's a different slant to the now overhyped 'Twilight Vampire' and the characters are beautifully drawn. It's also interesting to read into the emotions and how the picture is set up to get the story.

I do read manga faster, but it's a nice experience to slow down and really look at the story. I'm looking forward to the upcoming Doctor Who/Star Trek Crossover Comic due out in October. Though a novel containing my two favourite series would be even better...