As part of the 2021 Comic-Con @Home event put on by Comic-Con International, Titan Comics presented a panel focused on their popular Doctor Who comics! Moderated by Forbidden Planet TV’s Andrew Sumner, the panel consisted of Eisner Award-nominated writer Jody Houser, colorist Enrica Eren Angiolini, and editor Jake Devine.
Doctor Who: Missy
Most of the panel was focused on Titan’s most recent Doctor Who series, Missy, as all of the panelists had a hand in bringing this series to life! Jody Houser spoke about how they wanted to make this series an event and put Missy right at the center of the story. Missy had been used in a few Titan projects previously, but never as the main character of the story that they were telling. Jake Devine mentioned how this story also serves as Titan’s marking of the 50th anniversary of the Master’s first appearance on the TV series!
Lots of work went into making this special series, though it’s clear all involved had lots of fun working on it, too! When writing the script, Jody talked about how she wanted to make sure that she could “hear” Michelle Gomez speaking Missy’s lines. Rewatching episodes or even just clips of Missy’s time on the show was very helpful to her to keep the character fresh in her mind She also mentioned how, since Missy is the main character here, she gets to do more of what she wants rather than simply having Missy fill the role as the antagonist.
Enrica Angiolini, the colorist for the series, also spent some time discussing Missy’s new outfit for these comics. As (spoilers!) Missy takes on the role of the Doctor in this run, she and Jody both wanted Missy’s outfit to have a bright and fun color palette- quite similar to the 13th Doctor’s actually. Jody did wonder if anyone’s working on a cosplay of this version yet! Enrica also mentioned how she will go back and rewatch or use references if a scene in the comic is somewhere that has been seen before in the show.
Doctor Who: Missy issue #4 will be released in comic book stores July 28, 2021. And if you’re someone who likes the collected editions, the full series will be available as one book in October 2021!
Getting into Doctor Who
The panelists also took some time to talk about their own introductions to Doctor Who. For Jody Houser, her introduction came in the form of the Doctor Who movie with the Eighth Doctor and Eric Roberts’ Master- though she had friends that had watched the PBS runs of the show so she knew some of the basics beforehand.
Enrica Angiolini’s introduction to the show was similar to being aware of the show because of friends and having seen posts and videos about Doctor Who online. When she got the job with Titan Comics, though, she sat down and binge-watched the show before starting work on The Road to the Thirteenth Doctor– finishing the then-current run of the show in just about a month and a half!
Editor Jake Devine was also introduced to Doctor Who through the 1996 movie, though he said he only saw glimpses of it. But with parents who are big fans of the show, Jake started watching when the reboot started in 2005 and has been hooked ever since!
As for the panel’s moderator Andrew Sumner, his first Doctor was, well, the First Doctor! However, after a particularly scary episode of the Second Doctor’s run that resulted in the classic hide-behind-the-sofa reaction, he stopped watching the show for a little while. But later on, a classmate invited him to watch another episode with the Third Doctor and he got back into it. There was a bit of joking dismay at realizing how much time had passed given the rest of the panel’s introduction to the show!
Tips for Breaking Into Comics
The panel also took some time to talk about recommendations and tips for those who would like to work in the comics industry. For writers, Jody Houser recommended working on small, short stories to get a feel for how the comics format works. She compared writing comics to “learning to tell a story in freeze-frame.”
“You really need to learn to drill down into what’s important in the story and what you actually need to show because you’re really learning to tell a story in freeze-frame. As opposed to, you know, like writing a script for a movie or a TV show.” – Jody Houser
For those looking to get into the visual side of comics, Enrica Angiolini stressed the need for practice and patience! She recommended that, once events start up again, talking to those in the industry at cons and listening to what they have to say. Being open to feedback is also very important! Enrica also suggested finding collaborators online to work on small projects together which will lend itself to practice and the ability to show that you can commit to a project and see it through to the end.
Jake Devine said that it’s also very important to be organized for any part of making a comic series. As an editor, he looks at how well deadlines are met even on tight schedules. He also said that it is important to have a passion for the comic medium, too!
It was also discussed how important it is to be a pleasant person to work with. Enrica said that it’s ideal to be nice, good, and quick at your job. Jody agreed, adding that you want to be nice so that people will want to work with you. Comics are about collaborative storytelling so it is important to appreciate those that you work with.
“I’ve been told once by some friends who are also in the industry that there’s three qualities that are crucial to being a comic artist. You have to be nice, you have to be good, and you have to be fast. In order to succeed you have to have at least two of those. You can’t just be nice, you can’t just be quick, you can’t just be good… You have three, that’s amazing, but at least you have to be professional and nice and quick or good and quick.” – Enrica Eren Angiolini
What’s To Come for Doctor Who at Titan Comics
Rounding out their time, the panel discussed what they’d like to work on next under the Doctor Who umbrella. It was generally agreed that they’d all like to do something more with River Song! Jody Houser in particular mentioned how she would like to do some solo River adventures similar to what Big Finish has been doing with the character. Jake Devine floated the idea of possibly doing something with the Melody Malone character after the release of The Ruby’s Curse. Enrica Angiolini agreed with wanting to do something with River. However, she added that she’d love to do something with Amy Pond as well as those are her two favorite companions.
Unfortunately, the time was not quite right for any new announcements about what Doctor Who stories we can expect from Titan Comics in the future. However, it was confirmed that there will be more Doctor Who comics to come as soon as this year and will involve all of the people on this panel. Jake Devine had this to say:
“Look forward to many more Doctor Who stories to come! We’ve just had Missy, so there’ll definitely be other characters we’ll see in the future. Plenty of other Doctors- I would love to do Ninth and Eleventh because those are two I haven’t done… So keep your eyes peeled!”
Check out Titan Comics’ Missy out now and watch the full panel here. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more about what’s next for Doctor Who at Titan Comics.
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