Space is no longer the final frontier. The Darkness is coming and only the Time Warriors stand between it and Earth. Grab your copies today on Amazon!
🔥We are delighted to welcome a bit of Anarchy to this years guest list in the form of Theo Rossi!
🏍From Sons of Anarchy to Luke Cage and most recently the hit show The Penguin, Theo Rossi is covers a wide range of shows and most well known for his role as ‘Juice’ in Sons of Anarchy!
Photoshoots will be available soon!
📲Don’t forget to get your tickets https://www.tixr.com/groups/comicconireland/events/dublin-comic-con-spring-edition-2025-117373 before they sell out!
By Owen Quinn author
With a snap of our fingers we are jumping ahead to announce our first guest for DCC Summer Edition August 9th and 10th…none other than John De Lancie.
John de Lancie is best known for his role as Q in various Star Trek series beginning with Star Trek: The Next Generation and leading up to the third season of Star Trek: Picard in 2023.
With nearly 200 projects and shows to his credit, the role of Q covers several that John is recognized for. Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation, Voyager, Lower Decks, numerous video games, and most recently Picard are notable titles of his resume. John has had appearances on Days of Our Lives, The Six Million Dollar Man, Battlestar Galactica, The Twilight Zone, Mission: Impossible, Matlock and others. John has continued to be featured in The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, Invader ZIM, Charmed, Breaking Bad, Torchwood, StarCraft, World of Warcraft, and much more!
Photoshoots will be on sale soon!
Don’t forget you can get your tickets for Summer Edition now via https://www.tixr.com/groups/comicconireland/summer2025
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Photos copyright Columbia Pictures
I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.
When people start turning up dead, young Charley Brewster sees his new neighbour carry a coffin into their new home. Initial comments that he must be a vampire are confirmed when Charley sees his neighbour having sex with a woman but Charley witneses him about to bite her and his talon like fingers pull down the blind. Now on his new neighbour’s radar, Charley tries desperately to convince others that their neighbour is a vampire and responsible for the killings. Not even the police believe him and Charley is looking more insane with every day passing to his friends, Evil and girlfriend Amy. But when Charley’s mother invites Jerry in to their home he now has an open invitation to come to Charley any time he wants.
Jerry is everything a vampire should be in a movie. He is tall, willowy and good looking. with a killer smile and sense of humour. He can charm anyone including Charley’s mother who hopes something romantic might happen between them. He is so affable when in public and fits the yuppy profile of the eighties. Jerry eats apples and dresses like he is going to a fashion show.
With his roommate, Billy Cole, Jerry goes under the guise of renovating houses. But given he can only be reached at night, no one believes Charley over this successful business man. Jerry oozes sexuality making women fall for him with no effort required. But his vampire side is as vicious and murderous as the movies and books say. He visits Charley telling him to stay out of his way or will kill him and his mother. Charley stabs him through the hand with a pencil causing him severe agony. In retaliation Jerry trashes Charley’s car as a further warning.
Like the vampires of lore, he is affected by sunlight and crosses. He can transform into a bat which is how Charley first meets him while spying on his house from the bushes. But once night falls the world and his victims are his to command.
But when Charley brings movie star and television host Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) to Jerry’s house so he can prove he is a vampire, the story takes a whole new turn which is very much in Dracula lore. Amy is in fact the double of the love of Jerry’s life. While we never get to learn of Jerry’s origins, it is clear he is obsessed with reuniting with his lost love.
In order to weaken Charley’s position, abandoned now by Peter because he saw Jerry had no reflection, he, Evil and Amy are pursued along the night time streets. Here Jerry is a Terminator. His elegance is evident by the atylish long coat he wears as he walks purposefully along the streets not even breaking a sweat confident in the knowledge that he can outrun his prey. All he has to do is let them exhaust themselves and he will swoop in and take Amy for himself. It isn’t a case of patience for him; it’s a matter of fact. He is the apex predator and has been presumably so for centuries. Charley is not the first and will not be the last to go up agianst Jerry.
When he turns Evil in a dingy back alley, Jerry is so calm and alluring that Evil gives himself to him. Using his long coat as a cape of sorts, Jerry holds Evil close so gently it is almost lovingly before he bites him. To level the playing field he then sends Evil to kill Peter Vincent. Charley and Amy will then be left with no allies and Charley can be killed in Jerry’s own time.
His magnetism that is classic Dracula is never more evident than when he follows Charley and Amy in to a nightclub where he manages to get Amy on her own. With simple subtle dance moves he lures her into his orbit leaving Charley high and dry. The scene is so underplayed that it revs the sex appeal way up. You know by his movements tht Amy is not prey, this is a reunification of souls that death cannot stop from happening.
In the final battle Jerry goes full out vamp ass Peter and Charley storm his home to save Amy. When they kill Billy, Jerry is genuinely upset which gives him a layer of humanity beneath that fanged out ward appearance. He cares for those close to him. Billy was never a servant or watchdog like Straker was to Barlow in Salem’s Lot. Billy and he got on like roommates sharing a genuine bond of friendship. He is enraged and savagely tries to kill them both before Amy is restored to normal. As dawn breaks he flees to his coffin in the darkened basement not fearful of crosses and holy water, effective now because of Peter’s new found faith in himself. They smash the windows allowing sunlight to flood the basement setting Jerry alight. he explodes into ash.
Fright Night was a success and quickly became a cult movie. It is in no small thanks to the performances from the cast. But the movie works only if you have the right actor to play your vampire. Jerry was almost like one of the vampires from Buffy the Vampire Slayer; suave, confident and likeable. He is the perfect predator because you want to be in his company. He’s a human you are attracted to and want to spend time with. Chris Sarandon nails it on every level turning from friendly to lethal on the spin of a dime. He did cameo in the remake where Colin Farrell played Jerry and was killed by him.
But for fans everywhere there is only one Jerry Dandridge and that is Chris Sarandon. if you want to see how to play a vampire then Fright Night is the one to watch.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warrior and Zombie Blues
I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.
Long before Deanna Troi and Jadzia Dax on Deep Space 9, there was only one real woman for Worf. Her name was K’Ehleyr and she was very much the woman to challenge and pull away all of Worf’s Klingon traditions in a world that no longer needed those traits. She does not follow traditional Klingon ways much to Worf’s annoyance.
K’Ehleyr was feisty, sassy, unafraid of any male Klingon who sought to put her in her place and so very human. Her father was Klingon and her mother was human. She keeps her Klingon side under control while her human sense of humour has landed her in trouble before. She had a troubled childhood trapped between two worlds. Even her entrance is out of the ordinary as she is placed inside a torpedo shell in order to speed up her mission. Worf and she were old lovers and she debuted in the seond season episode the Emissary.
A Klingon cruiser has been in statis for many years and do not know there is between between the Klingon Empire and Federation now. To prevent them from attacking Federation outposts and ships, K’Ehleyr seeks the help Captain Picard.
It is clear K’Ehleyr and Worf have some unfinished business. Worf is far from pleased to see her when she arrives and says he has nothing to say to her. It doesn’t make it any easier when Picard assigns Worf to assist her. She doesn’t understand why Worf is so angry at her appearance now. They both blame each other for not giving their relationship a chance and as far as Worf is concerned it is a dead subject.
They butt heads constantly over the mission which is simply their unresolved feelings for each other boiling over. Worf drives her crazy with his new found optimism for solutions. Forming a bond with Troi, K’Ehleyr utilises the holodeck using Worf’s programmes. There they fight again but this time, they cannot hold their feelings back for each other and make love. It’s actually a beautifully done look at Klingon courtship and passion as K’Ehleyr falls under the influence of Klingon rituals as her heart melts for the man she loves. The soundtrack is exquisite as they fall for each other again.
Equally, seeing her in full combat mode as she kills the holographic opponents makes Worf realise that she is still as Klingon as he. However, it descends into chaos as their mating means they are bonded for life. Worf is furious when she refuses taking the stance that it doesn’t mean they fall back into ritual as she will not be his wife just because they have slept together. The meaningful part here is that she shouts at him that it is not her way even though it is his. She cannot believe he would have gone through with it despite the consequences to their lives and careers. She asks him to just feel something for once in his life that has nothing to do with ritual. They made love so just leave it at that.
When the mission is successfully concluded thanks to Worf, they part ways once more but this time they are changed. Worf is as stubborn as ever refusing to speak his feelings up to the last second. She turns on him for that. K’Ehleyr admits she almost married him the night before but was afraid of how powerful her feelings were. Worf finally admits that he will never be complete without her. This is such good writing as we feel for them despite the fact they are Klingon. Now as a fan, we wanted to see her back and maybe get a happy ending. If only life was that fair.
At this point it is season four and Worf has been banished and disgraced from the Klingon Empire in Sins of the Father. He discovers that not only does he have a brother he never knew but that the Duras family framed his father for collaborating with the Romulans to destroy the Khitomer outpost of which Worf was a survivor. The Council are aware of it but to protect an unstable empire from falling into civil war, Worf takes the disgrace. He is no longer recognised as Klingon or be acknowledged as one by any other Klingon. But K’Ehleyr is not just any other Klingon and as we know, is not big on Klingon tradition.
She returns in Reunion as ambassador to ensure Picard mediates in the succession of a new the current Emperor of the Empire as the current one is dying from poisoning. One of the two successors for the title are responsible and one of them is an old foe; Duras. However she has been keeping a secret of her own. She beams aboard with a child, Alexander. She has kept his existence from Worf and does not want their son to follow tradition. Worf will not acknowledge the boy as to do so would bring him into disgrace with his father. Worf and K’Ehleyr argue over how to bring him up. He also refuses to tell her what happened back on Kronos. She tells him that he is part of her and they almost take the marriage oath but Worf pulls back. He cannot allow either of them to share his disgrace. K’Ehleyr cannot even get answers from Picard. The man she knows would never give in to taking blame for something his family never did so what he is hiding drives her on. Undeterred, K’Ehleyr manages to find out which leads to tragedy. But before that she and Gowron have a face off which shows just how strong and unafraid of Klingons she is. This whole epeisode is filled with electric dialogue and K’Ehleyr’s facing down Gowron is one of them. She is a storng lady fileld with passion and loyalty and a deep running love for those she cares about.
Duras poisoned the Emperor and discovers K’Ehleyr has been asking too many questions. She faces off against the slimy Duras when she puts it all together.
Again there are moments that stand out in many fans’ memories and the events of Reunion stand out among the most heartbreaking ever. Worf and Alexander return to K’Ehleyr’s quarters to find her dying from multiple stab wounds. Her last actions are to tell Worf who killed her and ensure Alexander is safe. She then dies in Worf’s arms. Duras has stabbed her to death in an animalistic way to protect his secret. A frightened Alexander runs into a corner as Worf roars to the afterlife that his lover is coming to them. Cradling her slaughtered body, Worf tells his son to look upon death and never forget. He then kills Duras in revenge. He finally acknowledges his son and holds him as they both grieve the loss of the most important woman in their lives. I dare anyone not to reach for the tissues when we see Worf’s sentimental side.
In just two episodes K’Ehleyr made an impact that had devastating consequences but she would be happy that Worf has their son. Suzie Plakson would return to the show in different roles like Vulcan Dr Selar and in Star trek Voyager as Q’s girlfriend.
For so many spin offs, the success and memory of K’Ehleyr will never be forgotten.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.
Grant Grant is a man totally in love with his wife Starla. But one night Starla is not in the mood to be intimate with him. frustrated he goes to a bar and meets old girlfriend Brenda. They go to a field but any sex is interrupted when Grant sees an unusual object in the grass. It stings ihom in the chest and he stumbles home. Little does Grant know he has been infected with an alien parasite that slowly begins to transform him.
Long before he became the father of the Guardians of the Galaxy and the God of the DC universe, James Gunn was but a simple filmmaker who brought us Slither. It was a comedy horror that starred Michael Rooker and Nathan Fillion in a story of an alien attacking a small town. It is grotesque and gory but there is a sense of humour at the heart of the movie which is really a love story. In fact you could say that poor Grant’s love for Starla cannot be overwritten by his new alien persona. There is nothing Grant can do once infected but to follow his new urges. Part of him is still human because when Starla decides to be intimate with him, he refuses, knowing tendrils that pop out of his stomach will kill her. He does not want any harm to come to her. But he has a rival for her affections in the form of sheriff, Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion). He never understood why Starla married Grant and still holds a candle for her.
Over the following days, animals disappear and Grant finds himself back at Brenda’s house. unable to help himself he pumps her full of parasites and kidnaps her. Grant is chased by the police and is caught stealing a cow however he is now some sort of blob with tentacles.The more he eats, the faster he transforms. He evades capture and the posse finds Brenda in a barn swollen beyond all recognition sharing Grant’s same hunger for raw meat and plenty of it. She explodes spewing out hundreds of slug creatures that infect the posse and begin to take the townspeople over.
Every person turned reflects Grant’s emotions and Starla is central to them. He has become a gestalt, a creature that is one with his mind and work in unison. Their one overriding thought is his love for Starla. Some of the infected are absorbed by Grant to expand his being until he takes over the planet.
With the number and speed of the slugs, this will not take long. Grant makes his nest while drawing willing victims to himself for absorption. Starla faces him and it is clear that she is still his one true love. Pardy tries to kill him with a grenade but fails. Determined to get rid of his rival once and for all, Grant spears him with a tentacle but Pardy manages to push the other into a propane cannister. As the gas fills Grant, Starla shoots him destroying him in an explosion which causes the rest of his gestalt to die on the spot. But virtually the entire populace has been destroyed with just a few survivors.
Michael Rooker is great as the infected Grant and his attack on Brenda is uncomfortable to watch especially as he does it in front of her toddler son who is in a play pen. The alien slugs take over anyone without discrimination whether it be man, woman or child so the threat is very real. The scenes of the posse hunting the alien blob Grant as he kills a cow are well done and funny to watch.
In other articles on this site we look at victims of werewolves like Uncle Ted from Bad Moon who when transformed no longer distinguish between stranger and friends. Here despite his transformation, Grant never loses his love for Starla. It remains foremost in his mind. Despite his fate, Grant is a prime example of the power of love in the face of anything life throws at you.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Photos copyright Doctor Who
I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.
The Curse of Fenric is one of my favourite Doctor Who stories ever. It takes multiple genres and weaves it into a pseudo historical tale of epic proportions that towers over a lot of other stories even from the new era. It has monsters and villains galore giving a classic movie monster a new twist.
The Haemovores are vampires.
But these vampires are different from the versions we know that have appeared in the show over the years. The First Doctor, William Hartnell, faced Dracula in a robotic funfair while the eleventh faced vampires in Venice. In the fourth Doctor story, the State of Decay, we discover that vampires are ancient enemies of the Time Lords. These were giant vampires and fought a long and bloody war. The Time Lords built bow ships which pierced the chests of the vampires killing them. This history is hidden in every Tardis core in the event any Time Lord finds any survivors which the Doctor does in E-Space.
Here a single badly wounded vampire has survived and being cared for by three converted humans. The Three Who Rule are the captain, navigation and science officer of the spaceship Hydrax. They take peasants from the villages surrounding their palace and use them to feed themselves and the Great One. These three, Aukon, Camilla and Zargo are the traditional vampires. They drink the blood of the living, cannot stand sunlight and have telepathic abilities.
The Haemovores however have no fear of sunlight. In the Curse of Fenric, they are the remains of humanity from a future Earth soaked by pollution. They live in a world with an ocean of toxins and slime. They have been brought back through time by the formless Fenric as part of his revenge on the Doctor along with the very last Haemovore Ingiger more commonly known as the Ancient One. Upon summoning the Ancient One for the final battle, Fenric has complete disdain for him. His nournful comment that his word is dead brings forth contempt from Fenric who scorns him for being the worst evolution has to offer.
This brings up an interesting point as Curse of Fenric brings us three different types of Haemovores. We have the Ancient One who is large and bulky and can verbalise. He is a sympathetic figure as you can feel his sorrow at the world he has been born to. Could it be he was human before being turned into the Ancient One? His garb certainly gives the impression of a warrior of sorts evocative of Viking or Celt.
The other Haemovores are silent and hunt using fog and mist. It remains unclear if they generate this as a cover much like the legends or follow weather patterns. It is clear they have been living in the oceans for a while now given the garb of their victims. This is in part reflection of their environment in the future of chemical oceans. Their bodies are covered in barnacles from living under the sea and when they rise from the depths, they are dressed in various outfits all throughout history. Their faces in their original concept drawings were those of leeches with a sucker like mouth which would have looked like the Flukeman that Mulder and Scully faced in their second season. They can hunt underwater and attack two young evacuees from London, Jean and Phyllis.
The girls have been assigned with a Miss Hardaker who is very prudish and looks down on the girls. They are teenagers who are going through a sexual awakening just like Ace which is one of the themes in the story,
Once fed on, they emerge just like the traditional vampires. They are pale, create metal with their bare hands for some unknown reason, have fangs with elongated fingernails although why they need these is uncertain. It is implied that these nails slice the jugular located in the neck but for me it is more aesthetic appeal. They can speak and reason, taunt and scheme. Using their new found status the girls immediately murder the old busybody Miss Hardaker they have been staying with. But all three versions serve Fenric’s every whim.
As far as defences go, bullets do not seem to stop them. They overwhelm the British forces when they invade en masse. They attack the church where the Doctor, Ace and Reverend Wainwright (guest star Nicholas Parsons) are deciphering the Viking legends. From the church tower, Ace watches the vampires flood through the graveyard. The Doctor and Wainwright fight inside the church itself proving the vampires are not stopped by holy ground or crucifixes.
There is only one thing that stops them; complete and total faith in something or someone. This faith generates a psychic barrier that causes the Haemovores to drop to their knees in agony allowing their intended victim to escape.
For the Doctor it is his companions. He recites all of their names driving the vampires off. Wainwright had faith in God but children being bombed in cities has destroyed his faith which ultimately results in his death at vampire hands. This occurs when Jean and Phyllis taunt him about his lack of faith in the face of cities being bombed and children dying. How could he devote himself to a God that would allow this to happen? For Ace it is the Doctor and for her love interest, Russian soldier Captain Sorin, it is his duty to his country. While this works against the Ancient One too, he is also killed by the same gas he uses to kill Fenric when he sacrifices himself.
Having multiple levels of one species in a story is a wonderful means to explore them especially when this is the only time the Haemovores ever appeared. I know more about the Haemovires in one story that I know about companion Ryan in the Jodie Whittaker era. Incidentally Reverend Wainwright says that where they are is where Dracula came aground in the nook adding to the gothic atmosphere. At Fenric’s command, the Ancient One uses his psychic powers to destroy all the Haemovores as they has served their purpose. Ace watches in horror as the teenage girls dissolve into slime right before her eyes.
Legend says that when the ancient enemies meet in battle, nothing will be left alive. Maybe like all good monsters some Haemovores survived and returned to the sea where they still stalk and feed amid the mist. So if you are taking a walk along the beach and see a fog rolling i n, quickly turn back and begin reciting something you have complete faith in.
By Owen Quinn author
They say that every writer should wrote about their experiences but the problem with that is that if you don’t go anywhere or do anything then you can’t write about things. Now while I have never met an alien, zombie, time travelled or seen what lies at the bottom of our oceans, I can imagine and wrap it all up in a story. Like a good cake you add ingredients from your life time, experiences, human condition elements, to make it connect with the reader.
But when I say Marmaris Buggy Safari, anyone that has done it knows exactly what i am talking about. As well as the buggies, you can also hire a quad biker.
Now don’t make the assumption like I did that you are going to see any lions, tigers and bears…oh no! but the safari adventure lies in the terrain you will be driving through. A really exotic bird flew right out in front of us at one point which was the closest we got to any animal life bar the numerous cats.
So as an amputee I had to leave my leg behind as leg room as a passenger in one of the buggies meant taking my prosthetic off to be comfortable on the bumpy ride to come which the great staff took care off.
if you liaise with your hotel or one of the vendors to book your tickets or go online yourself but I can safely say you will have a ball. You will be picked up at your hotel and taken through the scenic landscape of Turkish mountains to the park. Once there you ill be debriefed, sign a couple of forms and be assigned a buggy.
Be aware that you should dress in old clothes and trainers as it will get very messy but that is all part of the fun. You will also need to purchase a bandana to cover your nose and mouth and a pair of goggles to protect your eyes. These cost extra but this wasn’t disclosed beforehand. so if you bring your own, you can save yourself some money. You can put your stuff in lockers and I would advise to bring nothing on the buggy ride not even a phone as you will be drenched to say the least.
Each buggy has a water tank and you can indulge in water fights along the way but we were too focused on staying in the buggy. Your moves are monitored and the staff take great care of you joining the buggies on the course to ensure participants safety.
Now while the beautiful 30 degree sunshine kept you sweltering it didn’t protect you from the ice cold water that you-drive through. Nor do you expect to drive through a massive mud puddle which covers you from head to toe. It is a virtual mud bath and the reason you need old clothes when taking part. You are literally drenched from head to toe in mud. I looked like walking diarrhoea and the goggles and bandana didn’t entirely protect me. I think I can still taste the Turkish mud to this day. But the craic was ninety.
You go for ages across the sun-baked terrain, stopping for a break where you can water fight if you wish. If like me, your leg was miles in the opposite direction then a water pistol would come in handy if you so wish. Each buggy holds two people so if you want to swop drivers you can do so during the trek.
The final part sees the convoy take off again with even more drenchings and mud baths before you are swallowed in a mass of foam before parking up, very wet and very muddy but with a big smile on your face.
This is a great excursion when you are in Marmaris. If you wish to shower and change clothes you can do so. We sat in the refreshment area and we bought the obligatory photos from the trek. The nice thing was you can download all the photos to your phone but we bought some too. I dried off in the sun in the refreshment area where you can enjoy drinks and food and meet the local cats.
This is a great trip out which is worth every penny. As I say you can bring your own goggles and bandanas and the drinks are reasonably priced. The staff do a lot for their guests and the interaction with the guests was great. As a disabled person I worried of I could do this even as a passenger but do not let that put you off. I wasn’t able to drive but if I go again i will certainly give it a go. I went go karting and it turned out I was able to do that and use my prosthetic to hit the brake.
Everything we did in Turkey was a therapy I never knew I needed and the buggy safari was just a part of it. It is fun for all the family and a laugh and a half.
On the way back to the hotel to get showered and changed the bus will usually stop off so you can get photos of the beautiful mountain high scenery of the land below. It is spectacular and a fitting end to a fun filled morning.
Book the Marmaris Buggy safari when you go; you will not be disappointed.
By Owen Quinn author
Character Options have long been producing good quality action figures for the Doctor Who and the latest addition is not only long awaited but a very welcome one.
The 25th anniversary story Remembrance of the Daleks cemented the return of the show as epic adventure back in the 80s but as we know the BBC didn’t care and just wanted it gone. Andrew Cartmel came in and along with John Nathan Turner brought the show back to a level fo quality story telling we had not seen in a while. It is a firm fan favourite as the seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and new companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) face a Dalek attack in London in the sixties. It is tied beautifully to the first episode An Unearthly Child. The mystery of the Doctor’s true identity is explored as we discover that the first Doctor was laying a very elaborate trap for the Daleks. We revisit the junkyard in Totter’s Lane and a lot of the action takes place in Coal Hill School where Ace fights a Dalek with a baseball bat and handles the same book on the French Revolution that the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan did in the very first episode. We got a fledgling UNIT of sorts, a story that dealt with racism and prejudice and scenes that are references to this day as recently as the 13th Doctor finale, The Power Of The Doctor which also saw Ace’s return to the show.
At the climax of the story the Emperor Dalek is revealed to be Davros himself encased in the cream and gold Dalek unit with a retractable top.
Now he is available as a stand alone action figure and a great addition he is too. I do have a problem with the packaging as it obscures part of the figure. This has been a problem for a while for me as seen with the History of the Daleks series and the recent Fugitive Doctor and Tardis set. We need to return to the days of a clear window where you can look at the figure in its entirety eg The Doctor and Tardis sets.
My other issue is the availability of these releases. B&M do not have a buy online option so to get your hands on any release and be there when the doors open first thing in the morning. if there are multiple stores in the area you may need to visit them all. But you are competing with collectors that will do the same thing, buy up all the stock and sell it on at sometimes extortionate prices.
But the actual figure itself is divine in its simplicity. I have always liked the gold and cream colour scheme of these Daleks. There is something elegant about them. This one comes with a retractable dome as in the episode which allows you to practice your rice pudding speech.
When the dome is closed it is visually beautiful right down to the last detail. When you allow Davros to show his face the figure still holds its own. His facial features and expression are intricately done evoking his character as well as reflecting the mass of wires that encased him as seen below in the photo.
This is a great figure and cracking addition to any collection so grab yours before it goes sky high on eBay.
By Owen Quinn author
Usually when someone writes about the passing of a celeb then it is to get hits but not me. I only write about those people that have been part of my life in this crazy sci fi and horror world I love so much.
And the sad news of the passing of the legend and I mean legend, that is Tony Todd is one such person. Everybody will talk about Candyman but for me that wasn’t the highlight. Not that I particularly want to meet a man with a hook for a hand any time but Tony seemed to be everywhere.
With that amazing silky voice and those eyes, he elevated even the most meagre horror movie to a new level. He had an intensity about him that sang from the screen no matter what the genre he appeared in.
While his Star Trek connections are well known and well loved especially as Worf’s brother Kurn in multiple episodes of both TNG and DS9 but especially his debut, Sins of the Father still stands as one of his best performances. I love the ending where he has no choice but turn his back on his brother and send him into disgraced exile to cover the crimes of another. Beautifully done without saying a single word. You can feel Kurn’s pain and anger as he is forced to sacrifice his brother for the sake of the Klingon Empire.
While he is perfect as the first Hirogen warrior, seven foot giant hunters that go up against Voyager, it is his portrayal of an adult Jake Sisko in the episode The Visitor that stands to this day as a fan favourite. When Captain Sisko is lost in time, Jake dedicates his life to finding a way to find his father and bring him back. He recounts the tale to a young writing student and a fan of his even though he has only ever written two books. It is a stormy night and the night he knows he will be able to save his father after decades of failure. He knows because somehow his father is tethered to him in time and only by Jake killing himself will the tether break and send his father back to the day of the accident and restore their timeline.
It is a disgrace sci fi is ignored in award ceremonies performance wise because the scenes between Avery Brooks and Tony Todd as Jake lies dying to save his dad are electric. it highlights the love between father and son in a way never seen before on Star Trek and is still as emotionally powerful today as it was back then. If you line up all the characters Todd has played in Trek, you can see his versatility and just how good he is at commanding the audience to look in his direction.
But for me the role I love him in was Reverend Zombie in the Hatchet 1 & 2 movies but in the second one he took centre stage as the slippery reverend that did illegal boat tours to the land of Victor Crowley in Honey Island swamp. It doesn’t matter if punters come back as long he gets their cash. But his performance is so good as the film reunites nearly all the horror iconic actors we know and love into a hunting party to bring down Victor Crowley and end the curse. We get to see Tony’s full on comic timing as literally Candyman goes against Victor Crowley. It is brilliantly done and Zombie is perfect as he realises he has underestimated Crowley played by Kane Hodder who also plays Crowley’s tragic dad as well as Jason Vorhees. It is the crossover you never knew you needed and Tony Todd revels in the whole thing. He holds it all together with a charm and mischievous wink to the audience so perfectly that you will never see the likes of this ever again.
Now he has died at the age of 69 and fans all across will watch something he was in. For me it will be the Visitor and Hatchet 2 but Tony Todd will always be alive for those of us that loved his work and those of you that were lucky enough to meet him will remember what a gent he was.
Rest easy sir. Your legacy will be around for a very long time.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.
Fenric is the last great villain of the classic era of Doctor Who. He appeared in the story the Curse of Fenric in season 26, the final season of the classic era. What was great about him was that he was behind everything in the seventh Doctor’s era from season 24’s Dragonfire and we never knew it.
The new era of Doctor Who have taken several ideas from classic Who, one of which is a running theme each season etc Bad Wolf or Donna Doctor but we know in advance that this is happening. When Andrew Cartmel took over as script editor of the show in its final days, he instilled the mystery of exactly who the Doctor was.
Suddenly we discovered that he had many adventures off screen which we were not privy to and knew more than we initially thought. The Doctor was suddenly a figure we didn’t know at all, keeping secrets and driving Ace bonkers with his covertness.
While a lot of fiction has expanded who and what Fenric supposedly is, we will stick to the television and novel versions to avoid complications.
With a story so drenched in myth and legend such as Fenric, the images evoked by the revelation of the Doctor and Fenric’s last meeting are conjured up in sentences that drag the viewer right into the scenario. But before we get to that, let’s see what we know so far.
Fenric is a sentient force similar to the Great Intelligence faced by the second and eleventh Doctors. He is evil, seemingly born from a time that was out of balance. At some point the Doctor managed to trap him in a flask like a genie in a bottle in an off screen adventure. It is clear the Doctor is wary of Fenric and the extent of his power yet for all this malevolence, Fenric is something that can be defeated by taunting his hubris and arrogance. He sees himself as superior to all forms of life which are his playthings to do with as he wishes. That’s a trait shared by many creatures such as him and seems to be a common cog in their downfall.
However, the thing about being ancient and apparently timeless is that with every defeat you have the time to scheme and learn. Being defeated by beings you once thought insignificant playthings is bound to be a shock to the system.
The battlefield shall stretch a 100 leageues and at the end of the day not one living thing shall be left alive. The ancient enemies will seek each other out and all shall die!
Such a shock that Fenric is royally pissed off to go to such great lengths for a rematch in which he can defeat the Doctor. Such is his power he can see across time and space much the same way as Time Lords can. Could it be Fenric is some sort of Gallifreyan demon from the Dark Times which is why it is so personal with the Doctor? Whatever it is, such is his power that he can manipulate people across eternity to manoeuvre them to where he needs them to be. He uses human frailties and weakness to ensure things come together.
To exist he needs a body and has chosen the crippled Dr Judson, creator of the Ultima machine to be his vessel for the battle with the Doctor. Millington is responsible for Judson’s condition as per the brilliant novelisation by Ian Briggs so Fenric plays on this to use the machine, not to break German codes but to break the chains keepng Fenric from possessing a body by translating the ancient Viking runes. Indeed it breaks the chains of disability also but the price for Judson is too high.
Millington like the others as it would turn out was descended from the Vikings who transported the flask containing Fenric’s essence and was obsessed with getting into the Nazi mind. His obsession with Fenric we can only assume was planted and goaded by Fenric’s influence. Nothing could be allowed to stop the return of Fenric so even their Russian allies were a threat to Millington. In some ways he was an acolyte for the entity, a helpless puppet much in the same vein as Fendelman in the 4th Doctor story Image of the Fendahl. It’s in their very being so they cannot help it.
While Fenric’s control over others is not as obvious, he is able to ensure they come together so he and the Doctor meet. Once he possesses Judson’s body he almost revels in being able to hear hs voice again. He talks about the quality versus quantity of death. He snaps at Millington for interrupting him and it is almost as if he needs to use a human voice to vent his hatred and anger about how the Doctor was able to imprison him.
As I said earlier, the writing here evokes us to places unseen and never dreamed of in the Doctor’s travels and this is the prime example. It is so rich, we see in our minds how Fenric was trapped. In the novel it is implied that it was in fact the first Doctor was responsible for this. Fenric revels in death and likes it fast or slow so something bad must have happened for the Doctor to step in.
For 17 centuries I was trapped in the shadow dimensions because of him, He pulled bones from the desert sands and carbed them into chess pieces. He challenged me to solve his puzzle. I failed. Now I shall see him kneel before me before i see him die.
This dialogue asks so many questions and fully stamps the seventh Doctor as a super master manipulator. Is Fenric a god? Did he reduce a civilisation to dust? Was there someone there the Doctor cared for? If he could retrieve bones from desert sands was Fenric defeated using the remains of his victims? Where are the shadow dimensions and how did he escape? There is an entire story here never before seen yet we see it clearly from just a few sentences of dialogue.
The seventh Doctor has gone down in history as a master manipulator intent on seeking out injustice and stopping it. Is it any wonder given he knew Fenric was coming for revenge and would use any means to do it? The Doctor knew Ace was what Fenric calls one of Wolves of Fenric when he heard about the time storm placing her on Ice World so she would meet the Doctor. The Daleks and Cybermen were all distractions from the main game but the chess set in Lady Peinforte’s study clued the Doctor in that Fenric was very much active and on the hunt.
That is what is eating away at Fenric; he could not solve the Doctor’s riddle on the chessboard. Now amid all this chaos and room full of nerve gas bombs, Fenric has set up a chessboard to win but he knows he cannot and uses subterfuge. Ace sees the solution straight away and tells what she thinks is Sorin the answer. The chess pieces join forces solving the impasse. But Fenric has jumped bodies and possessed the Russian killing him instantly. Now that he has won the game, he will unleash his fury upon the world while the Doctor watches helplessly.
Sorin and his men are all descended from the Vikings who transported Fenric in the flask and have been manoeuvred here to this time and place. Fenric takes his body destroying Ace’s love for him before revealing that the baby in the camp Ace rescued was in fact her own mother and created her own future by saving both the baby and her grandmother by sending them to London before the vampires invade. Ace would grow up hating her mother but loves the baby causing hard emotions within her that torment her all her life. Fenric is so twisted that he takes great delight in seeing pain and suffering, what he calls the sound of dying.
His wolves extend from across time and he draws back the vampiric Haemovores that will be what man evolves into when the Earth is a wasteland of toxins and chemical destrucion. These too are victims of Fenric and are of no consequence to him. Indeed bringing the future to the past could have lethal consequences for the timeline but he doesn’t care. Even the dead and dying are his toys to feed his amusement. The Ancient One also known as Ingiger has been brought back and seemingly tasked to be his main puppet here firstly by killing Ace. When they first meet, Fenric seems to have control over him. Fenric comments another of the wolves of Fenric have arrived to play their role. The Ancient One says his world is dead and Fenric snaps it is no loss if he is the best evolution has to offer.
It seems the Ancient One is the last of the Haemovores as the rest have all died out due to starvation. There is no compassion or feeling for anyone or anything,just the fulfillment of his own desires. Fenric will use Millington’s plan to bomb Moscow with poisonous gas, sit back and suck in the death and destruction as the world tears itself apart in flame. This will also trigger the polluted Earth that brings forth the Haemovores. Virtually everyone is dead now and Fenric just intends to spread the nerve gas to the rest of the world using the World War as a springboard. That way he triggers the Earth the Haemovores come from long before it should be.
Fenric is so above the rest of us in his deluded mind that he gets the Ancient One to kill all the other Haemovores via telepathic signal. They dissolve on the spot including the recently turned human vampires. Fenric fails to see the pain the Ancient One cafries. Not only is the future Earth dead, the Ancient One has now been forced to murder the last of his species. However the Doctor does and uses it to save the day. He knows that the fury of the Haemovore will make him dangerous and take that anger out on Fenric. Fenric cannot see that he no longer has a hold over the creature because by forcing him to commit genocide and making it clear just how much contempt he holds the Ancient One and his like the being will not allow history to repeat itself. If he kills Fenric, then the future Earth will never happen and humanity will be spared such a horrible fate.
It is fitting then that it is the Ancient One that kills Fenric by trapping him in a test chamber where the last Haemovore smashes a gas cannister and kills them both. It isn’t clear if Fenric is dead or if killing the body plunges him back to drifting in the void as a formless entity.
The twelfth Doctor with companion Bill would face Fenric again in comic book form this time involving Vikings, the Flood from the Waters of Mars and Ice Warriors. In the Wolves of Winter which acts as a prequel to the Curse of Fenric, the formless entity’s scheme is grander and intent on changing the future in which he is defeated. It also sees the return of the Great One and we meet the Vikings mentioned in the television story.
Fenric is still out there and elevated the Doctor from simple time traveller to galactic guardian who now sees the universe through eyes that sees evil as much more than a chuckling villain twiddling their moustache.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 