Doctor Who treats fans to more sci-fi humor

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• Publication: The Washington Times
• Date: 2007-11-17
• Author: Joseph Szadkowski
• Page: C08
• Language: English

The comic book permeates all levels of popular culture. This sporadic feature reviews some recent examples from the world of digital video discs (compatible with DVD-ROM-enabled computers and home-entertainment centers) and also includes a recommended sequential-art reading list to extend the multimedia adventures.

Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series (BBC Video, Not Rated $99.98).

Britain's reinvigorated Time Lord returned for a third season of sci-fi hijinks in 2007 with actor David Tennant back for another round as the Doctor, adding his frenetic and bubbly style.

A DVD set compiles the fun, and within six discs, viewers get the entire 14-episode run, including the Christmas special "The Runaway Bride," offering a glimpse of the Doctor's new female companion for the 2008 season.

For those unaware, the show was resurrected brilliantly by Russell T. Davies in 2005 and starred a problem-solving extraterrestrial who chose a female human companion named Rose Tyler to travel the galaxy in a souped-up police call box called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space).

Mr. Davies and his team's infectious blend of humor, science fiction and heartbreak paid homage to the Doctor's heritage and firmly established him as the pre-eminent thinking man's action hero.

This year's season saw the Doctor hurting at the loss of Rose (she is happily living in an alternate universe) and finding Martha Jones, a medical student who quickly became infatuated with him.

The 2007 season featured another wonderful set of shows and a colorful cast of characters, including the legendary Daleks, the Face of Boe and the misunderstood mercenaries, the rhino-headed Jodoon. It even had an appearance by a legendary playwright in "The Shakespeare Code," easily one of the best shows on the set.

The best extras: The new Doctor Who DVD sets consistently pack an unbelievable amount of bonus content onto the discs, and the third series is no exception.

Highlights abound on every disc and include optional audio commentaries with various creators and actors and video diaries from Mr. Tennant on every episode, along with coverage of a live event devoted to the beautiful orchestral score of Doctor Who called "Music and Monsters."

Of course, the sixth disc, always most coveted by the fan, offers 2 1/2more hours' worth of Doctor Who confidential companion guides, which deliver roughly 15-minute behind-the-scenes documentaries for, again, every episode.

Read all about it: American audiences finally get the chance to easily read the sequential-art exploits of the Doctor with a new initiative from IDW Publishing. Not only are reprints from the British Doctor Who Magazine going to be available this December as Dr. Who Classics ($3.99 each), in color, but a new series starring the latest Time Lord arrives in January as the monthly Doctor Who ($3.99 each).

Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Rated PG-13, for Blu-ray-compatible home entertainment centers $99.98.)

Director Sam Raimi's trio of epics devoted to comicdom's legendary Web Slinger arrives in Sony's high-definition format and mostly looks fantastic. However, it will leave a bitter taste in the mouth of fans looking for reasons to invest in a Blu-ray player.

Each of the films builds to an astounding, angst-ridden crescendo as Peter Parker juggles his responsibility as Spider-Man against being a normal, flawed human. Love and loss dominate his thoughts during the movies as he also must contend with the Green Goblin, Doctor Otto Octavious, Sandman and Venom.

I think the first effort - the exploration of Parker's transformation into the hero - is best for its emotional weight while the second rivals "The Empire Strikes Back" for impact and intensity.

The last movie could be criticized for too many villains and too much weeping, but no one could argue that the combined might of the trilogy clearly brought the vision of Stan Lee's fragile hero to life and is a rousingly satisfying experience for the comic-book fan.

Best extra: Is Sony out of its multimedia-encompassing mind? It wants consumers to embrace the Blu-ray format and then offers a pathetic selection of extras for a boxed set devoted to one of the most lucrative movie franchises in the history of the company.

Viewers get two versions of Spider-Man 2, the second providing a better narrative with a couple of well-placed expository scenes. The third film does offer bonus content in a two-disc set, spearheaded by a couple of optional commentary tracks and about 120 minutes of high-def featurettes.

Sony, please do not dare push the Spider-Man Trilogy: the Super-Duper Definitive High Definition Collectors Edition next year, or I may throw my PS3 out of a window.

Read all about it: Marvel Comics has been the publishing home of numerous Spider-Man monthly titles since 1962, but it is reprinting a dandy collection with the hardcover "Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 5" ($54.99) next month, offering classic 1960s Parker angst. Specifically, keep watch for issue Nos. 41 to 50 and Annual No. 3 of the regular series drawn by John Romita Sr. and written by Stan Lee.

Zadzooks! is on the Web. Read an extended version of his column, which includes a review of "Robot Chicken, Season Two: Uncensored" (video1.washingtontimes.com/zadzooks). Call 202/636-3016; fax 202/269-1853; e-mail or write to Joseph Szadkowski, The Washington Times, 3600 New York Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002.

GRAPHIC: The famed Time Lord leads Martha Jones on new adventures in "Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series" DVD set. [Courtesy of BBC Video]

The Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard features a new roof by architect Norman Foster (top). Landscape designer Kathryn Gustafson strolls among the reflections of a water sculpture on the floor of the courtyard (above). The roof (below) has a curved metal framework that dips and crests over the courtyard. [Above and Below photograph by J.M. Eddins Jr./The Washington Times; Top photograph courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum] William T. Wiley's art, on view at Marsha Mateyka Gallery, displays densely layered, abstract-figurative images. Some of his paintings, such as "Landscape in Runes & A Green Zone" (2007, above, shown in part) and "The Deciders" (2007, top), are commentaries on war. Other works, like "Choosing Things Over Time" (2007, right), lament the pursuit of riches at the expense of time for self-knowledge in a modern technological society. [3 Photographs, NO CREDIT] Maryland Opera Studio members Andrew Adelsberger and Claire Kuttler (above) perform in the world premiere of "Later the Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper." [NO CREDIT] Visit Fairfax President C. Arnie Quirion says the agency has generated $21 million for Fairfax County from tourists' hotel stays, shopping and dining.[Photo by Bert V. Goulait/The Washington Times] A menu screen reveals that the Daleks are back in "Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series" DVD set. Homage is paid to the Doctor's heritage and establishes him as a thinking man's hero. [Courtesy of BBC Video]

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• APA 6th ed.: Szadkowski, Joseph (2007-11-17). Doctor Who treats fans to more sci-fi humor. The Washington Times p. C08.
• MLA 7th ed.: Szadkowski, Joseph. "Doctor Who treats fans to more sci-fi humor." The Washington Times [add city] 2007-11-17, C08. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: Szadkowski, Joseph. "Doctor Who treats fans to more sci-fi humor." The Washington Times, edition, sec., 2007-11-17
• Turabian: Szadkowski, Joseph. "Doctor Who treats fans to more sci-fi humor." The Washington Times, 2007-11-17, section, C08 edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Doctor Who treats fans to more sci-fi humor | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_treats_fans_to_more_sci-fi_humor | work=The Washington Times | pages=C08 | date=2007-11-17 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 November 2024 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Doctor Who treats fans to more sci-fi humor | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_treats_fans_to_more_sci-fi_humor | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 November 2024}}</ref>