Tuesday 3 November 2015

Vintage Doctor Who Target Book Covers - season three

...and straight after season two comes season three. 

When Target reprinted the original three novelisations, they commissioned new artwork from artist Chris Achilleos. His covers were very much in the style of comic book artist Frank Bellamy's cover for the Radio Times which promoted the Jon Pertwee story 'Day of the Daleks'. Colourful comic strip artwork against a white background with a stippled 'banknote' portrait of William Hartnell thrown in. The photo reference of Hartnell that Achilleos used on both 'Doctor Who and the Daleks' and 'Doctor Who and the Zarbi' was the same for each - a detail from a shot of the Doctor being menaced by the Celestial Toymaker from the adventure of the same name. 

In the early days, we didn't really care that such 'mistakes' were made - picture references from the wrong stories being used on the wrong covers. Indeed, we didn't even know of the pictures' origins in the first place. But these days, we are a little more fickle. Put it down to old age. 

I've set the record straight now and used that shot of William Hartnell on my cover for 'Doctor Who and the Celestial Toyroom'. I may be lax in keeping to this rule on other covers but I felt it necessary to do for old times' sake...