The Fantastic Four and Doctor Who

[Mister Mets]

Recently I got caught up on Ryan North's Fantastic Four. It's really good, but a lot of the stories feel like it could be done as Doctor Who stories, like a town reliving the same day over and over again, or the secret of a small town where an elderly woman has decades-old protection from Doctor Doom. Dan Slott's earlier run had the eternity gate which is pretty much a Tardis.

For anyone who reads Fantastic Four, and watches Doctor Who, do you feel the same way? Does it bother you? Is it largely inevitable in series about explorers who can go anywhere, and who have time-travelled since Issue 5?

For me, it seems like an obvious choice, though I don't mind, because while some of these could be Doctor Who comics with minor changes, they would be good ones.

[ChrisIII]

Do you mean like the Pertwee era stories where the Doctor was stuck on Earth, and a lot of episodes dealt with weird stuff going on in small British towns?

Other eras have done that too of course, but not quite as frequently.

[markhyperion]

Recently I got caught up on Ryan North's Fantastic Four. It's really good, but a lot of the stories feel like it could be done as Doctor Who stories, like a town reliving the same day over and over again, or the secret of a small town where an elderly woman has decades-old protection from Doctor Doom. Dan Slott's earlier run had the eternity gate which is pretty much a Tardis.

For anyone who reads Fantastic Four, and watches Doctor Who, do you feel the same way? Does it bother you? Is it largely inevitable in series about explorers who can go anywhere, and who have time-travelled since Issue 5?

For me, it seems like an obvious choice, though I don't mind, because while some of these could be Doctor Who comics with minor changes, they would be good ones.

I would say a good portion of FF history could work as Dr. Who stories. I think its exactly shat you said. Adventurer stories using gadgets, time travel, space travel, alien races what have you.

Aka...The Simpsons did it.

I feel like there was even a whole 5 part arc for Siminson where they fought Hitler in a mechanical suit from the past which is like Dr who.

[Digifiend]

Honestly, Marvel's done a blatant Doctor Who pastiche before. Slott's Silver Surfer run where he travelled the stars with a companion called Dawn Greenwood.

[ARkadelphia]

Recently I got caught up on Ryan North's Fantastic Four. It's really good, but a lot of the stories feel like it could be done as Doctor Who stories, like a town reliving the same day over and over again, or the secret of a small town where an elderly woman has decades-old protection from Doctor Doom. Dan Slott's earlier run had the eternity gate which is pretty much a Tardis.

For anyone who reads Fantastic Four, and watches Doctor Who, do you feel the same way? Does it bother you? Is it largely inevitable in series about explorers who can go anywhere, and who have time-travelled since Issue 5?

For me, it seems like an obvious choice, though I don't mind, because while some of these could be Doctor Who comics with minor changes, they would be good ones.

The last issue felt very much like a Twilight Zone episode to me

[Mister Mets]

Honestly, Marvel's done a blatant Doctor Who pastiche before. Slott's Silver Surfer run where he travelled the stars with a companion called Dawn Greenwood.

Slott's very open about that. I thought it was interesting that North's F4 run seems to have bigger Doctor Who vibes than his did.

Do you mean like the Pertwee era stories where the Doctor was stuck on Earth, and a lot of episodes dealt with weird stuff going on in small British towns?

Other eras have done that too of course, but not quite as frequently.

I was thinking more Steven Moffat (writer of four of the most acclaimed stories from the Russell T Davies era; showrunner from 2010-2017.) It's not the small town stuff, as much as the general vibes from some of the stories (like aliens who view time differently viewing the Fantastic Four as enemies), or quirky moments like characters being forgotten, or being unable to say words with certain letters.

The last issue felt very much like a Twilight Zone episode to me

I could see that. I guess the difference is that the Fantastic Four show up to save the day when weird stuff starts happening.

[ChrisIII]

Simonson actually did a few illustrations for the Doctor Who comic in the mid 80s (Which were color reprints of the Doctor Who magazine comic strip, and featured some extra articles). Although I read he never saw the show.

There was also a bit in West Coast Avengers where Hank Pym wore an outfit clearly inspired by the Fourth Doctor for a time.


Chris Claremont's Excalibur of course had a bunch of references.

[leokearon]

Marvel UK actually printed Doctor Who stories back in the '80's and early 90's, it was there that Death's Head encountered him which caused Death's Head to become the size he is today

[ChrisIII]

Alan Moore did some work on those too. However his Cybermen were hilarously out of character.

[Digifiend]

Marvel UK actually printed Doctor Who stories back in the '80's and early 90's, it was there that Death's Head encountered him which caused Death's Head to become the size he is today

Yeah, Marvel launched Doctor Who Magazine as Doctor Who Weekly in 1979 (it got it's current name in the mid 80s). Panini took it over in the late 90s when they bought Marvel UK, and Panini has had the UK licences for both DW and Marvel ever since. The 80s US comic was reprints from the UK magazine.

[Gaastra]

Well, dr who has dropped in the marvel universe from time to time also like dropping death's head off at fantastic four headquarters and background cameos in later books. Plus, the tardis is in age of ultron so guess he has been to the movie universe also.

[Quill-Han-Vos]

Some 80's FF issues set in the Negative Zone (#251-256) were also a blatant riff on Doctor Who by John Byrne (a fan of the show, he's canadian AND english after all).

[ChrisIII]

There's actually an issue of his photocomic Star Trek New Visions where they encounter a character similar to the Doctor and beings similar to the Daleks, but the twist is the Daleks are the good guys and the Doctor's the villain.

Kind of would be interesting if he'd ever give Doctor Who a similar treatment, especially since many of the black and white stories only exist (for the moment anyway, if they're recovered) as photographic stills in the first place.

[Digifiend]

There's 97 missing episodes, but a few dozen have been remade using animation and soundtrack recordings (the soundtrack exists for all of the missing episodes).

[ChrisIII]

It'd be interesting if he'd make original stories using what he did with TOS, or even what WHO itself kind of did with Name of the Doctor, putting Clara and the Great Intelligence into stock footage of the classic series.


Same episode also hinted at a Second Doctor/Eighth Doctor team up in some place with palm trees.