The DALEKS Are COMING...

The DALEKS copyright BBC TV and the Estate of TERRY NATION

RON TURNER (1922-'98), the comics artist famous for RICK RANDOM and numerous other strips, was responsible for nearly half of the 104 DALEKS pages which appeared on the back cover of TV CENTURY 21 from 1965-'67.  30 years later, MARVEL UK asked him to return to the strip for a 6-part adventure which started where the last TV21 Daleks story had ended three decades before.  These new episodes appeared in DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE #s 249-254, March-August, 1997.  The above strip is the last one from 1967.  Below is what happened next...

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Sadly, Ron passed away before he could complete the next part of the saga, DEADLINE To DOOMSDAY.  Two unlettered pages were published in DWM #276, which are presented below.  I'm not too sure if these pages are complete because, even allowing for a page-wide logo along the top of each strip, they each look a tier short* to me.  Just think - this was perhaps the last comic strip art that Ron ever produced.

(Update: *Apparently, Ron asked to be reminded of the page size, but mistakenly assumed that the dimensions he was given included the logo, so he reduced the height of the pages to accommodate it.)  

DON'T DARE CALL HIM A 'PRATT'...

I thought that as I'd devoted a fair bit of attention to the comics character FRANKIE STEIN in a couple of recent posts, it would be only fitting (and fair) to show the original character who inspired him.  Above is an AURORA FRANKENSTEIN plastic model kit, built and painted by myself.  This kit was re-released by REVELL not too long ago and should still be available in model shops to those of you who'd like to obtain your very own.  Price is around £19.99, but shop around if the option is available to you.

The 1970s Aurora box

Interestingly, although the actual model's face is clearly and unmistakeably based on that of BORIS KARLOFF as he appeared in The BRIDE Of FRANKENSTEIN, the face on the Aurora box art seems to be an amalgam of Karloff and GLENN STRANGE.  Note the extra big clamps or spikes, which only ever appeared on Karloff's test makeup before the finished look was decided upon.  (And, in case you were wondering, Karloff was born WILLIAM HENRY PRATT, hence the title of this blog post.)

The new Revell box