Illustration to accompany Doctor Who article.

In his Watching Doctor Who column, J.R Southall discussed both the habit of “retconning” in the world of Who and also the Literary Agent Hypothesis – a means by which to sidestep the contradictions and cosmetic weaknesses that sometimes crop up within long-running television and film series.

First companion Susan is depicted being menaced by both an original Mondasian Cyberman and 80’s Earthshock incarnation of the monsters. The “strange” juxtaposition of elements would become a regular occurrence in these illustrations and this particular combination was to illustrate the idea of past history and interpretation being an established possibility as the series continues.

The illustration was begun initially in pencil, followed by traditional inked linework. Once scanned, I finally coloured the piece on computer which was a new departure for me; not only giving some nice, effective effects and limitless colour possibilities, but also speeding up the process of producing print-ready artwork.