Upcoming Doctor Who DVD Releases for 2012

Here are some details and trailers for additional Doctor Who  DVD releases for 2012

There are only three remaining complete stories to be announced on DVD:

053 The Ambassadors of Death
056 The Mind of Evil
080 Terror of the Zygons

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Death to the Daleks

UK release date: June 18, 2012
US release date: July 10, 2012
A power failure in the TARDIS draws it off course, and the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith end up stranded on the bleak planet of Exxilon. They soon meet members of an Earth expedition in a similar situation.
The humans are searching for a rare mineral, but first they must find out what is draining their power and avoid what’s inside another grounded spaceship – the Doctor’s oldest enemies, the Daleks…

Special Features
• Commentary – with actors Julian Fox (Peter Hamilton), Dalek operator Cy Town, director Michael E Briant, assistant floor manager Richard Leyland, costume designer L Rowland Warne and special sounds maestro Dick Mills. Moderated by Toby Hadoke.
• Beneath the City of the Exxilons – Cast and crew look back on the making of this story. With actor Arnold Yarrow, Julian Fox, Michael E Briant, Richard Leyland, L Rowland Warne and fan and Dalek voice artist Nick Briggs.
• Studio Recording – A rare glimpse into the production of a Third Doctor story.
• On the Set of Dr. Who and the Daleks – Behind the scenes on the first Dalek film in 1965.
• Radio Times listings (DVD-ROM)
• Programme subtitles
• Production information subtitles
• Photo gallery
• Coming soon trailer
• Digitally remastered picture and sound quality

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The Krotons

UK release date: July 2, 2012
US release date: July 10, 2012
When the TARDIS arrives on the planet of the Gonds, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe discover a world ruled and enslaved by the Krotons. The brightest Gonds are always chosen to serve as companions of the Krotons and are never seen again.
The Doctor and his companions decide to put a stop to their rule – but in doing so, inadvertently unleash the true power and terror of the Krotons instead…

Special Features
• Commentary With actors Philip Madoc (Eelek), Richard Ireson (Axus) and Gilbert Wynne (Thara), assistant floor manager David Tilley, make-up designer Sylvia James, costume designer Bobi Bartlett and special sounds designer Brian Hodgson. Moderated by Toby Hadoke.
• Second Time Around Faced with William Hartnell’s deteriorating health but with a popular TV programme on their hands, the Doctor Who production team hit on the idea of ‘regenerating’ the show’s hero. This documentary looks back over Patrick Troughton’s tenure as the Second Doctor.
• Doctor Who Stories – Frazer Hines (part one) Actor Frazer Hines reminisces about his time on the series in an interview originally recorded in 2003 for the BBC’s Story of Doctor Who.
• The Doctor’s Strange Love Writers Joseph Lidster and Simon Guerrier take an affectionate look at The Krotons.
• Radio Times Listings (DVD-ROM)
• Programme Subtitles
• Production Information Subtitles
• Photo Gallery
• Coming Soon Trailer
• Digitally Remastered Picture and Sound Quality

Click to pre-order

The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

UK release date: July 30, 2012
US release date: TBD
Although Ace hates clowns, the Doctor decides to take his companion to the Psychic Circus on the planet Segonax. There they find a group of scared performers who live in fear of the sinister and creepy Chief Clown.

But what is so dangerous about this particular circus, why is there such a small audience and will Ace be able to overcome her fear before it’s too late?

Special Features
• Commentary With actors Sophie Aldred (Ace), Jessica Martin (Mags) and Christopher Guard (Bellboy), writer Stephen Wyatt, script editor Andrew Cartmel and composer Mark Ayres. Moderated by Toby Hadoke.
• The Show Must Go On Cast and crew look back on the making of this story.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes.
• Model Effects Unused model effects shots originally intended for the story.
• The Psychic Circus A music video set to a song written by Christopher Guard and featuring vocals by Christopher Guard, Jessica Martin and TP McKenna. Produced by Mark Ayres.
• ‘Remembrance’ Demo Two scenes from Remembrance of the Daleks re-scored by Mark Ayres.
• Tomorrow’s Times – The Seventh Doctor The on-going series looking at the press coverage of Doctor Who reaches the Sylvester McCoy era. Presented by Anneke Wills.
• Victoria Wood Doctor Who sketch from Victoria Wood – As Seen on TV.
• Radio Times listings (DVD-ROM).
• Programme Subtitles.
• Production Information Subtitles.
• Photo Gallery.
• Coming Soon Trailer.
• Digitally remastered picture and sound quality.

Click to pre-order

Planet of the Giants

UK release date: August 20, 2012
US release date: TBD
The TARDIS doors open while the ship is still in flight by accident. Although they have arrived back on Earth in the 1960s, a time they have been trying to return to since they all met, the travellers soon realise that something is very wrong.

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan discover that they have all be reduced in size and the world they are now exploring has dangers at every turn…

Special Features
• Commentary with vision mixer Clive Doig, special sounds creator Brian Hodgson, make-up supervisor Sonia Markham and floor assistant David Tilley. Moderated by Mark Ayres.
• Episode 3 and 4 Reconstruction Originally shot as a four-part story, the final two episodes of Planet of Giants were edited into a single episode for transmission. Using the original scripts, newly recorded dialogue and animation, this feature gives viewers and idea of how the original four-part version might have appeared.
• Rediscovering The Urge to Live The team behind the reconstruction explain how it was put together.
• Doctor Who Stories – Suddenly Susan Carole Ann Ford talks about her role as the Doctor’s granddaughter and the first companion in the TARDIS in this interview originally recorded for 2003’s The Story of Doctor Who.
• Verity Lambert Tapes – Part Two Doctor Who’s original producer looks back on her time on the series in the second part of this interview recorded for The Story of Doctor Who
• Prop Design Plans (DVD-ROM only – to be viewed on PC/Mac).
• Radio Times Listings (DVD-ROM).
• Programme Subtitles.
• Production Information Subtitles.
• Photo Gallery.
• Coming Soon Trailer.
• Digitally remastered picture and sound quality.

Via TardisNewsroom

Quick review-Earth-2 #1

By James Robinson and Nicola Scott

The second wave of DC’s New 52 started this week with World’s Finest and Earth-2, both establishing the multiverse that DC has promised since Infinite Crisis back in 2005. I did enjoy the Golden Age which established an alternate version of the DCU in the 1940′s and bled into Starman and the JSA comics that arrived much later. I’m also a big fan of Robinson’s Starman, but not so much of his Justice League or Superman work that came afterwards. As such, I was not sure what to expect with this issue but what I got is… strange.

Earth-2 opens with a fight for survival against a horde of parademons from Apokalypse (Darkseid’s homeworld). This is also how the New 52 Justice League of America reboot started, so I was kind of confused. In Earth-2, it appears that only three superheroes are left standing; Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, along with Supergirl and Robin as back-up. The parademons appear to be unstoppable and the massive towers that control Darkseid’s armies are replaced as quickly as they are taken down.

Luckily Batman has a cunning plan (like Blackadder) and assaults a tower while the Robin provides covering fire from the Batwing and Superman battles a wave of parademons alongside Wonder Woman. Where’s Supergirl? Guarding a series of nuclear missile sites set to fire should the heroes fail. Batman introduces a virus to the tower and the control signal to the parademons is halted, but not before Wonder Woman and Superman are killed by Steppenwolf. Batman also dies in the tower’s explosion. Supergirl and Robin fly into a weird portal into the pages of World’s Finest and… that’s about it.

Yes, the first issue of a new series introduces and kills its main cast then shunts the supporting characters over into another comic.

Al Pratt (the Atom of the JSA) also has a brief cameo as a Sergeant guarding one of the nuclear missile sites. Not much development is given to him other than the fact that he is short and cranky yet beloved his soldiers. Then he gets killed too.

Five years later, the focus shifts to Alan Scott (also known as the first Green Lantern in the pre-New 52 universe) who is a sort of sleazy corporate suit and Jay Garrick who is a cloying loser who helps his ex-girlfriend Joan pack for her trip to a new life on the other side of the country.

So… a strange comic.

Batman attacks an Apokalyptian Control Tower with covering fore from Robin

The artwork by Scott is great in the action sequences. There was a lot of build-up to this series focusing on the redesigns of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman and they all look fantastic on the page. But… they’re already dead first month in! I’m thinking that the ‘real’ leading cast will slowly be revealed as Alan Scott becomes Green Lantern and Garrick takes on the mantle of the Flash, but they are already so unappealing that I’m not sure that I’ll stick around to see.

Earth-2 is a bold attempt on DC’s part to recapture some of its lost potential from the pre-Crisis world prior to 1985. The Justice Society of America was the first superhero team of DC Comics, uniting the biggest names in their publishing world under one title. Revived in the pages of Flash’s monthly book, the JSA were re-introduced as older heroes from a parallel world. This concept was further developed in Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway’s amazing All-Star Squadron comic that spawned several spin-offs ranging from Infinity Inc. to Young All-Stars.

Of course that all came to a sad end when the Multiple Earths were blended into one.

The All-Star Squadron

Along with Geoff Johns, James Robinson is responsible for bringing back interest in the JSA so I am sure that, given time, he will have similar success with Earth-2.

However, I was very let-down with this issue as it killed off all of the interesting characters and tied into another comic for the continuing story of Robin and Supergirl! The narration is also very clunky and the dialog uninspired (‘Die, human!’).

For the start of the second wave of the New 52, this does not fill me with hope.

I want OMAC back, a much more fun and innovative comic.