This week at your comic shop – 5/23/2012

For the complete list of this week’s comics, click here.

Not sure where your local comic shop is? Try comicshoplocator.com!

(note: all information including ad copy is from the publisher)

If you can’t make it to the shop, just click on any of the images below to be taken to an online retailer. I don’t get any referrals for these sales, I’m just doing my bit to spread the word on some neat products.

Hulk Smash Avengers #4 (of 5)

Hulk Smash Avengers #4 (of 5)
By: Jim McCann, Agustin Padilla, Lee Weeks
A five-part, weekly punch-fest that explores the ever-evolving relationship between the Gamma Goliath and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!Mr. Fixit Hulk vs. the ’90s-era West Coast Avengers: Iron Man, Wonder Man, Mockingbird, Tigra and Hawkeye!

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Batman Incorporated #1

Batman Incorporated #1
By: Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham
Batman, Incorporated makes its NEW 52 debut with an all-new first issue!

The series hits the ground running as Batman and Robin face off against the assassin Goatboy! Leviathan’s sinister mission revealed!
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Doctor Who Shada Audio CD

Doctor Who Shada Audio CD
By: Douglas Adams
An unabridged reading of Gareth Roberts’ brand-new novelization of Douglas Adams’ never-transmitted 1979 TV adventure ‘Shada,’ which starred Tom Baker as the Doctor and Lalla Ward as Romana. Cancelled during production due to a BBC strike, ‘Shada’ was never completed for broadcast and has never been novelized until now. It is therefore well and truly a ‘lost’ Doctor Who story – now found!
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Pop Dark Knight Rises Bane Vinyl Figure

Pop Dark Knight Rises Bane Vinyl Figure
Inspired by the urban and stylized character designs of today’s designer toys, Funko presents a new take on the characters of this summer’s highly-anticipated Batman film with their POP! The Dark Knight Rises Vinyl Figures!

These 3 3/4″ tall figures of Batman, Catwoman, and Bane feature Funko’s unique design, rotating heads, and articulation. Because these figures will look great on your desk, collect all three!

Window box packaing.
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Amazing Spider-Man #686

Amazing Spider-Man #686
By: Dan Slott, Stefano Caselli
In this perilously penultimate issue of ‘Ends of the Earth’ Inferno: Earth rages! We promised the End of the Earth . . . and this is it, Jocko! Guest staring: a doomed planet.
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All Star Western #9

All Star Western #9
By: Justin Gray, Moritat, Jose Ladronn, Jimmy Palmiotti, Patrick Scherberger, Dan Green
A tie-in to ‘NIGHT OF THE OWLS!’

Concluding Jonah Hex’s battle with The August 7! Discover what the Court of Owls was up to in Gotham City circa 1880! Nighthawk and Cinnamon hunt down killers and fall in love in this issue’s backup story.

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Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom Volume 2

Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom Volume 2
By: Jim Shooter, Roger Robinson, Agustin Alessio, Diego Bernard, Roger Robinson, Agustin Alessio, Fred Benes, Agustin Alessio, Wes Dzioba, Michael Komarck
Ruthless power broker Tanek Nuro has hacked into the operating system of the universe. With no limit to his monstrous ambition and only Doctor Solar in his way, a new Big Bang is about to begin! Plus, the mind-blowing origin of the Man of the Atom is revealed: how did a middle-aged physicist come to command the fires of creation? Everything you knew–and everything you didn’t–is about to cross the event horizon! Collects Doctor Solar #5-#8.

* One of comics, true iconic characters!

* Industry legend Jim Shooter returns to the character he re-defined in the 1990s!

“Two stories, one great book.” –Comic Book Interviews.com

“I’m more taken by the series now than I was with its first four wonderful issues.”–Comic Attack.net
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Elric The Balance Lost #10

Elric The Balance Lost #10
By: Chris Roberson, Francesco Biagini, Francesco Mattina
An Unmissable Issue! The four incarnations of the Eternal Champion – Elric, Hawkmoon, Corum, and Eric Beck – find themselves facing off in a war against an ancient enemy from the Champion’s past as this final arc hurtles toward its explosive conclusion. But this enemy’s not done playing our heroes yet! Join legendary fantasy author Michael Moorcock and New York Times bestseller Chris Roberson (iZombie, Stan Lee’s Starborn) in this critically-acclaimed fantasy series being called ‘one of BOOM!’s best!’
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Venom Circle Of Four Prem HC

Venom Circle Of Four Prem HC
By: Rick Remender, Lan Medina, Stefano Caselli
Flash Thompson’s secret identity is in the hands of the villainous Crime-Master, and the only way to take his life back is to go rogue – but Captain America and the Red Hulk are out to shut him down! On the run, Flash may have no choice but to ally himself with his newest enemy, Jack O’Lantern! Then: Hell is spreading across the Earth, and the new Ghost Rider is responsible – but what price is she willing to pay to save mankind? X-23, Venom and Red Hulk must defeat their worst enemies to buy Ghost Rider time. Mephisto offers a deal that the heroes might not be able to refuse – but can Ghost Rider’s ragtag team work together to stop Blackheart, or will her decision rip them apart? This oversized edition comes packed with exclusive extras, including preliminary artwork by Tony Moore, script pages and more! Collecting VENOM (2011) #10-14 and #13.1-13.4.
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Space Family Robinson Archives Volume 4 HC

Space Family Robinson Archives Volume 4 HC
By: Gaylord DuBois, Dan Spiegle
With the help of an advanced group of alien beings, a little ingenuity, and a lot of luck, the Robinsons have managed to traverse dimensional rifts and vast swaths of space to make their way back to our solar system! But something has gone wrong! Their time-shift mechanism has malfunctioned and sent them careening into Mars! With repairs to their ship underway, the Robinsons notice that this isn’t the Mars that they know, but Mars from untold ages ago! Join the Robinsons as they come face to face with Martians! Will they survive Mars and make it back to the present, or be forever lost in time? Collects the Space Family Robinson Lost in Space comics from #23 to #31 and March of Comics #320.
* Includes the beautiful, original painted covers by George Wilson!
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Strikeforce Morituri TPB Vol. 03

Strikeforce Morituri TPB Vol. 03
By: James D. Hudnall, Mark Bagley
The war against the Horde is over, and mankind is victorious – so what do the Morituri do now? As the Earth heals from its lengthy occupation, the surviving Strikeforce members must come to terms with their own looming mortality, even as new and deadly dangers arise on the post-war planet – including a group of Morituri-empowered assassins targeting the Prime Minister, and a secret conspiracy threatening to sunder Earth’s united government. And what is the sinister hidden agenda of the alien VXX199? The epic sci-fi sensation of the ’80s concludes here! Collecting STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI #27-31 and STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI – ELECTRIC UNDERTOW #1-5.
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DC Super Powers Turquoise Previews Exclusive T-Shirt

DC Super Powers Turquoise Previews Exclusive T-Shirt
DC Comics’ heroes spring into action on this vintage-styled blue t-shirt!
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Rogue Trooper Tales Of Nu Earth GN (s&s) Vol. 01

Rogue Trooper Tales Of Nu Earth GN (s&s) Vol. 01
By: Dave Gibbons, Cam Kennedy, Ian Gibson Brett Ewins
Nu-Earth, a planet ravaged by war, its atmosphere poisoned by chemical weapons. In this battle-scarred landscape, the Norts and the Southers fight where only the Genetic Infantrymen can survive unaided. Rogue is one such soldier and these are his tales… When three members of his unit are shot on a mission, Rogue pulls the bio-chips from their bodies and inserts them into his gun, backpack and helmet. Thus equipped Rogue, and his wise-talking buddies, make the most fearsome unit on Nu-Earth.
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Mighty Thor By Matt Fraction TPB Vol. 01

Mighty Thor By Matt Fraction TPB Vol. 01
By: Matt Fraction, Khoi Pham, Olivier Coipel
What is the Worldheart? Plucked by Thor and his companions from the deepest roots of Yggdrasil – the World Tree, split in twain – the cosmic seed is now the most coveted object in Odin’s possession. But the Silver Surfer – herald of Galactus, devourer of worlds – recognizes the Worldheart as the one object that could forever sate his master’s apocalyptic appetite. Now, the Surfer has come to Asgard to claim a prize Odin will not surrender without a fight – and Thor is caught in the middle. Will he entrust the Worldheart to the Surfer for the betterment of the universe, or choose instead to fight to the death for the glory of Odin? Collecting MIGHTY THOR #1-6.
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Secret Avengers #27

Secret Avengers #27
By: Rick Remender, Renato Guedes, Alan Davis
AVX TIE-IN!

Captain Marvel reborn to unite all Kree! Captain Marvel, The Protector and Ms. Marvel vs The Avengers!

Who is Minister Marvel and why has he drawn the Phoenix to the Kree homeworld?
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Aquaman #9

Aquaman #9
By: Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado
Aquaman and Ya’Wara star in part three of the epic ‘The Other League.’ Perfect jumping-on point for readers to join the series!

More secrets are revealed about the team Aquaman belonged to before the Justice League. Plus: Mera learns a startling truth about Arthur’s past from Shin.
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Mighty Thor #14

Mighty Thor #14
By: Matt Fraction, Pepe Larraz, Walter Simonson
How far will Donald Blake go to regain what he’s lost? What really happens in your room at night after you fall asleep? How can Thor fight a foe that’s not there?
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Adventures into the Unknown! Archives Volume 1 HC

Adventures into the Unknown! Archives Volume 1 HC
By: Edvard Moritz, King Ward, Mac Elkan, Fred Guardineer, Al Feldstein, Leonard Starr, Al Ulmer, Paul Reinman
The first ongoing horror comics anthology, Adventures into the Unknown! is finally collected into a series of deluxe hardcovers! The pre-Code delights found in this debut volume include inventive, exciting tales like “The Living Ghost,” “Kill, Puppets, Kill,” “The Affair of Room 1313,” and the ongoing “True Ghosts of History” feature-and contributions from Golden Age greats Fred Guardineer, Al Feldstein, Leonard Starr, Edvard Moritz, and others! Adventures into the Unknown! Archives Volume 1 reprints the first four issues of the popular, long-running horror anthology, which ran from 1948 to 1967.

* Foreword by Bruce Jones!
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Batman Batmobile Kit

Batman Batmobile Kit
Fans of the legendary Batman will clamor for this replica of the ultimate weapon in the super-hero’s legendary arsenal: the Batmobile! This kit includes a replica of Batman’s famed Batmobile and a full-color 48-page book about the Batmobile through the ages.
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Spider Slaughter Inc SC

Spider Slaughter Inc SC
By: Donald Cormack, Stephen Bryant
For the first time anywhere – the last Spider pulp novel ever written is published as an actual Spider novel! A criminal genius has created an organization to sell murder where innocents are fingered for the crimes. When Nita Van Sloan is framed for murder, the Spider must infiltrate the cartel in disguise and clean house!

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Batman The Dark Knight #9

Batman The Dark Knight #9
By: Judd Winick, David Finch
‘NIGHT OF THE OWLS’ continues here!

Guest-writer Judd Winick joins artist David Finch for the return of Red Robin! Red Robin is back in Gotham City just in time to face off against Talon and The Court of Owls!
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Journey Into Mystery #638

Journey Into Mystery #638
By: Kieron Gillen, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Stephanie Hans
Exiled part 4 of 5!

Gods made mortal, with mutants their only hope for survival! Undead cannibals on the loose, San Francisco turned inside out by forbidden magic!

A thrilling mythological mystery adventure in the Mighty Marvel manner, the most epic crossover of 2012! (Not counting that one where As fight Xs)
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Batman Bat Signal Kit

Batman Bat Signal Kit
As The Dark Knight Rises on July 20, 2012, the Dark Knight’s fans can call upon Batman himself with this replica of the Bat Signal, which lights up to project the iconic winged Batman symbol onto nearby walls. The kit includes a replica of Batman’s Bat Signal and a full-color 48-page book filled with Bat-history.
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Fantastic Four #606

Fantastic Four #606
By: Jonathan Hickman, Ron Garney, Mike Choi
The Fantastic Four travel to Wakanda. The Return of Black Panther to the pages of the F4. What happens when the world completely runs out of Vibranium?
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Flash #9

Flash #9
By: Francis Manapul
Continuing the debut of Gorilla Grodd in DC Comics – The New 52!

The Flash travels to Gorilla City for the first time! Who are the Runners and what do they mean for The Flash and the Speed Force?
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Hulk #52

Hulk #52
By: Jeff Parker, Carlo Pagulayan
General Ross is being haunted by ghosts from his past . . . but WHOSE ghosts are they? Red Hulk wants answers, but so do . . . RAIZO KODO and THE FORGIVEN?!?!

Does salvation lie in the hands of the LEGION OF MONSTERS?
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Lone Ranger Chronicles Ltd Ed HC

Lone Ranger Chronicles Ltd Ed HC
By: James Reasoner, David Palumbo
THE FIRST EVER COLLECTION of NEW Lone Ranger prose stories! The masked ex-Texas Ranger and his Native American companion Tonto fight injustice in the Wild West! Stories include meetings with The Cisco Kid, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, as well as the origin of Tonto and the origin of Silver! Authors include Spur Award winner Johnny D Boggs, James Reasoner, Alex Award winner Mel Odom, Anthony Award winner Bill Crider, Matthew Baugh, Tim Lasiuta, Joe Gentile, Paul Kupperberg, Denny O’Neil, Kent Conwell, David McDonald, Thom Brannon, Troy D. Smith, Chick Dixon, and Richard Dean Starr.
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I Vampire #9

I Vampire #9
By: Joshua Hale Fialkov, Andrea Sorrentino
‘RISE OF THE VAMPIRES’ aftermath. Great jumping-on point for new readers!

The new leader of the vampires is Andrew Bennett?! The vampire pilgrimage to their new homeland begins here. Many new characters and stories will be introduced along the way.
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Showcase Presents Sea Devils TPB Vol. 01

Showcase Presents Sea Devils TPB Vol. 01
By: Robert Kanigher, Russ Heath
In these stories from SHOWCASE #27-29 and SEA DEVILS #1-16, the Sea Devils battle creatures beneath the waves including The Octopus-Man, the Undersea Ghost, The Flame-Headed Watchman and more.
This title collects
Showcase #27-29, Sea Devils #1-16

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Steve Ditko Archives HC Vol. 03 Mysterious Traveler

Steve Ditko Archives HC Vol. 03 Mysterious Traveler
By: Steve Ditko
Five years before his breakthrough as the co-creator of classic super-heroes such as Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, Steve Ditko was turning out some of the best work of his career. Mysterious Traveler collects stories from Tales of the Mysterious Traveler and This Magazine Is Haunted and reprints over 210 full-color pages of Ditko in his early prime. These are thrilling stories of suspense, mystery, haunted houses, and unsuspecting victims that have never been properly reprinted – until now!
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Comic Book History Of Comics GN

Comic Book History Of Comics GN
By: Fred Van Lente, Ryan Dunlavey
For the first time ever, the inspiring, infuriating, and utterly insane story of comics, graphic novels, and manga is presented in comic book form! The award-winning Action Philosophers team of Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey turn their irreverent-but-accurate eye to the stories of Jack Kirby, R. Crumb, Harvey Kurtzman, Alan Moore, Stan Lee, Will Eisner, Fredric Wertham, Roy Lichtenstein, Art Spiegelman, Hergé, Osamu Tezuka — and more! Collects Comic Book Comics #1-6.
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Captain America #12

Captain America #12
By: Ed Brubaker, Patrick Zircher
Patrick Zircher joins Ed Brubaker for ‘System Failure’ Ex super-villains in Witness Protection murdered! The return of an old villain and an old lover! Can Cap solve this mystery before he himself becomes a target?
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Foot Soldiers TPB Vol. 01

Foot Soldiers TPB Vol. 01
By: Jim Kreuger, Michael Avon Oeming, John K. Snyder III
JUSTICE was the age of heroes. EARTH X, their twilight battle. But when ALL the heroes are gone, who will fill their shoes? JIM KRUEGER’S cult-favorite heroes return in a very special collection featuring art by MIKE OEMING and pinups and stories from PAROBECK, ROSS, MIGNOLA, SALE, SIMONSON and more. Collects FOOT SOLDIERS #1 – 4
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Captain America And Hawkeye #631

Captain America And Hawkeye #631
By: Cullen Bunn, Alessandro Vitti, Patrick Zircher
In the depths of an underground city, Stegron’s dream becomes a nightmare! Cap ‘goes Mezozoic’ and he’s set his carnivorous sights on Hawkeye! And what’s freakier than creepy little kids? Creepy little dinosaur kids!
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Doctor Who’s Chris Eccleston ‘My conscience is clear’

When Doctor Who returned to the small screen, it was with some surprise that accomplished actor of stage and screen Christopher Eccleston was chosen to play the Time Lord. Beating out the competition of Sir Derek Jacobi (who is rumored to have attended a publicity shoot) and Bill Nighy (who was actually announced as the Doctor by mistake), Eccleston brought a level of credibility to the program, demanding that viewers recognize the importance of Doctor Who and the part that it plays with young people.

Leading up to the premier, Eccleston spoke at length about the importance of communicating to the younger generation using good solid storytelling and had great hopes in Russell T Davies in pulling this off. He also spoke about how as a child he could not relate to the RADA-style Doctors as they were of a different social background that he could not relate to. He cited that his Doctor would be more ‘street level’ rather than a high society and his roughed up leather jacket and black trousers backed this notion up.

A deeply scarred version of the Doctor, Eccleston’s incarnation was tired and worn from events that had occurred off-screen and on, developing a modern view of the Doctor as a man who had fought monsters and tyranny for generations, leaving him alone and shattered. A short period into the new series, there was some friction on the set due to several complications, leading to the announcement of his departure.

Despite all that, Eccleston is still proud of his achievement as the Doctor and he is more than comfortable with his decision to leave in 2005.

Ninth Doctor Who – Christopher Eccleston

 

Via STV:

Christopher Eccleston feels ”hugely grateful” to kids who like talk to him about his ‘Doctor Who’ career.

The 48-year-old actor left the BBC One show in controversial circumstances in 2005 after just one series of portraying the ninth Time Lord, but Christopher insists his ”conscience is completely clear” following his departure from the sci-fi programme.

He said: ”My conscience is completely clear. I’ve lived my life, particularly my working life, on the basis that I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror about the way I behave. It wasn’t a bold move, it was an entirely natural one.

”I’m hugely grateful to the children who to this day come up and talk to me about the show.”

There are some contradictory theories about why Eccleston left. Some say that the quality dropped off severely (witness the farting aliens in Alien of London and the rushed shoddy production of fill-in stories such as Boomtown). Other stories say that Eccleston felt that the program was going in a direction that he did not agree with, prompting him to leave early.

Most confusing of all is the story in RTD’s ‘A Writer’s Tale’ Eccleston had only planned to film one series anyway and the BBC published the story to drum up interest in a new actor taking on the part.

We’ll likely never know the truth, but Eccleston remains a fan favorite incarnation who was just as instrumental as RTD in the BBC Wales’ program’s success. The fact that children still come up to him to talk about Doctor Who is heartening… so long as no members of the media broach the taboo subject!

Doctor Who – The Five Companions

The Five Companions

By Eddie Robson
Release date: December 2011
Special release X

“When we have defeated the Rutans, we will reduce the Daleks to a footnote in the pages of history.”
“Well, uh, good for you.” 

Steven Taylor is lost. Once the leader of the Elders, he has found himself in a strange hostile world populated by Daleks. Before he can break into a run or plan a counter-attack, he is rescued by another former companion of the Doctor’s Ian Chesterton, now an old man. The two adventurers struggle to unravel the mystery of their predicament, but are unaware that other former time travelers are nearby. Sara Kingdom encounters Polly, whom she warily accepts as a friend rather than a foe, but both recognize that they are in dire peril when a dinosaur roars into view. In the heart of what appears to be a maze of death, Nyssa of Traken is urged to continue her work on reversing the process that brought the Daleks into this Death Zone, where the Daleks, Sontarans and other monsters battle each other for the entertainment of a mad Time Lord.

One of the weirdest and most fanciful of Big Finish’s releases, the Five Companions is set alongside the Five Doctors, the 20th anniversary special starring Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Peter Davison (and featuring Richard Hurndall and archive footage of Tom Baker). During that story, the Fifth Doctor apparently took a mis-step while using the teleport device given to him by the Time Lord High Council. The miscalculation lands him in the middle of a nest of aliens who are fighting a never-ending war. Additionally, a few of his old traveling companions have also been pulled from their time streams and are stranded in a Death Zone made up of a Sargasso of spacecrafts.

The Five Companions is a bit of fun, really, and the only full cast audio outings for Purves, Marsh, Wills and Russell. There is a lot of fannish material thrown around as Steven recounts his life as leader of the Elders (where he was left at the close of the Savages) and Ian cheerfully talks about his life with Barbara and how she cajoled him out of retirement back into teaching (a reference to Ian’s aborted return in Mawdryn Undead when he was later replaced by the Brigadier). Even Polly gets to weave some post-Faceless Ones tales about her and Ben. Sara Kingdom only hints at her complicated existence when Steven exclaims that she should not be alive.

It’s more of a meeting of continuities than characters!

But thankfully the story is about more than just story lines and fictional continuations of these beloved characters and how their lives continued after they parted ways with the Doctor. It’s about the Doctor not appreciated his companions or acknowledging the impact they had on him at the time. It’s a celebration of the traveling companion, and it’s only right that some rather obscure choices were made in this respect. The eras of the first and second Doctor are still somewhat hazy to modern fans and even to some followers of the original program. Choosing Steven Taylor, Sarah Kingdom and Polly, three companions whose adventures are mostly lost to viewers, was a bold move.

Aneke Wills, William Russell, Jean Marsh, Peter Purves and Sarah Sutton

The Doctor is quite playful in this story, dashing away from a platoon of Sontaran soldiers when they are distracted and later lashing together an escape ploy that could transport them all to safety or explode. This fits in perfectly with the modern dizzy Fifth Doctor portrayal that Davison has taken on in the Big Finish stories. He appears to be distracted much of the time, dangerously so, yet he always manages to save the day. He often congratulates himself on this skill as well.

Peter Davison (The Doctor) in Terminus

The Five Companions is a touching story as each of the characters has a moment with the Doctor in which he or she comes to a realization about their time together. Polly discounts her contribution to the fight against monsters to making the tea, but the Doctor points out that it was Polly who faced the Cybermen at Smowcap base and challenged their lack of emotional range. The Doctor realizes that he never voiced his appreciation of her bravery… and seems rather sad and sincere. Steven seems to be on the verge of blaming the Doctor for deserting him on the planet of the Elders, but the Doctor insists that he knew Steven would make the best of it.

And even though Ian is a very old man, he has the courage of ten young men. Bemused, the Doctor realizes that Ian has faced more horrors than any of them and always came out on top. The brave and brilliant Nyssa shines as the voice of reason, even though Ian would rather charge headfirst into peril, and it is her ingenuity that saves the day in the end. Cold and cunning, Sara Kingdom takes down several foes, but is astonished when Polly uses her stiletto heeled shoe as a weapon against a Sontaran. Posh bird indeed!

A holiday present to the fans, the Five Companions is very ropy and the plot is so thin that it barely serves as the framework of a video game, but as a partner to the Five Doctors, it’s a lot of fun.

Released as a special CD or download, The Five Companions is only available to subscribers… so go to the site and subscribe today!

Click on the link to visit the Big Finish sale page