Tor.com is excited to announce the Twelve Doctors of Christmas, an event that will play out right here on the site starting on December 26th!
For the past few years, a Christmas hasn’t gone by without the Doctor around, dealing out hugs and destruction in equal measure. So we and a host of special guest writers are taking the holiday to celebrate the many men (and one woman) who we know of as The Doctor.
Who are these special guests? Oh, you know…awesome people.
On December 26th, U.K. author George Mann will be celebrating the First Doctor, William Hartnell!
George is the the author of The Affinity Bridge, The Osiris Ritual and Ghosts of Manhattan, along with the original Doctor Who audiobook The Pyralis Effect. You can find him talking often and entertainingly about the show on his blog.
The First Doctor of Christmas by George Mann
On December 27th, Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist and children’s book author Nick Abadzis will be celebrating the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton!
Nick won an Eisner Award for Best Teen Graphic Novel in 2008 with his work Laika, a story about the Russian puppy who ended up becoming the world’s first space traveler. He has an extensive bibliography of comic strips, graphic novels, and children’s books, and is a big fan of the Doctor Who. (Keep an eye on his post for a special visual treat!)
The Second Doctor of Christmas: The Mystery of a Cosmic Hobo (or, Bow Ties Are Cool!) by Nick Abadzis
On December 28th, Paul Cornell will be celebrating the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee!
Paul is a noted novelist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and all around clever gent, but Doctor Who fans will know him best as the writer of the Hugo-nominated new series episodes, “Father’s Day,” “Human Nature,” and “The Family of Blood.” More dedicated Who fans will also be familiar with Paul’s extensive bibliography with Big Finish and as the creator of popular spin-off companion Bernice Summerfield.
The Third Doctor of Christmas by Paul Cornell
On December 29th, Nicholas Whyte will be celebrating the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker!
Born in Northern Ireland and holding British and Irish citizenship, Whyte works as the Brussels representative of Independent Diplomat, a nongovernmental organization that “aims to promote justice and conflict resolution by enabling governments and political groups disadvantaged or marginalised by lack of diplomatic capacity to engage effectively in diplomatic processes.” Aside from monitoring the European Union on behalf of ID’s clients, Whyte is also project leader on their work with Moldova. As a fan of the show, Nicholas brings a very interesting perspective to the Fourth Doctor!
The Fourth Doctor of Christmas: Born to be an Alien by Nicolas Whyte
On December 30th, artist Pia Guerra will be celebrating the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison!
Pia won an Eisner Award in 2008 for her illustration work on the multiple award-winning Vertigo comic series Y: The Last Man, which she co-created with writer Brian K. Vaughan. Her next project was illustrations for the original mini-series Doctor Who: The Forgotten, which chronicled the Doctor’s life through the perspective of the Tenth Doctor, written by Tony Lee.
The Fifth Doctor of Christmas: Shifting into Fifth by Pia Guerra
On December 31st, writer Josiah Rowe will be celebrating the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker!
Josiah is a news editor for the extremely informative Doctor Who News site, which compiles news on the TV shows, spin-off books and audio, and keeps tabs on the many, many people who have worked on the series over the decades. Josiah brings a comprehensive perspective on who is possibly the most controversial Doctor ever.
The Sixth Doctor of Christmas: The Joy of Six by Josiah Rowe
On January 1st, author Seanan McGuire will be celebrating the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy!
Seanan is a prolific writer whose work spans the fantasy (both urban and non), romance, and science fiction genres. Her essay “Mathematical Excellence: A Documentary,” appears in the essay collection Chicks Dig Time Lords. Here, she expounds on the Seventh Doctor.
The Seventh Doctor of Christmas: The Tea is getting Cold by Seanan McGuire
On January 2nd, Steve Mollmann will be celebrating the Eighth Doctor, Paul McGann!
Steve is a prolific reviewer whose coverage of the Eighth Doctor Big Finish audio adventures for Unreality SF makes him an ideal candidate to illustrate the life that the Eighth Doctor has been leading ever since his brief and Eric Roberts-strewn television movie appearance in the mid-1990s. You can also catch Steve’s work by picking up the Star Trek collections The Next Generation: The Sky’s the Limit, Corps of Engineers: What’s Past, and Myriad Universes: Shattered Light.
The Eighth Doctor: His Humanity Proven by Steve Mollman
On January 3rd, noted SFF critic Graham Sleight will be celebrating the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston!
Graham has an extensive backlog of reviews and critical essays regarding science fiction and fantasy works. He’s currently putting the finishing touches on The Doctor’s Monsters, an original examination of the creatures and monsters from the last five decades of Doctor Who.
The Ninth Doctor of Christmas: The Walking Wounded by Graham Sleight
On January 4th, Brooklyn burlesque queen Nasty Canasta (link is mildly NSFW) will be celebrating the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant!
Nasty Canasta performs original burlesque shows in New York City and recently debuted a Doctor Who-themed showcase featuring many aspects of the show, including a self-built life-size TARDIS!
The Tenth Doctor of Christmas: Because I’m Clever by Nasty Canasta
On January 5th, we have two separate takes on the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, from editors Lynne M. Thomas and Tara O’Shea, as well as comics writer and Boom Studios! editor-in-chief Mark Waid!
Lynne M. Thomas and Tara O’Shea curated and released Chicks Dig Time Lords in early 2009, an essay collection from female viewpoints including Elizabeth Bear, Carole E. Barrowman, Lisa Bowerman, Mary Robinette Kowal, Catherynne M. Valente, and many more regarding the Doctor and his (then 10) incarnations. Here, they reveal what they think about Eleven!
The Eleventh Doctor of Christmas: Chicks Dig the Eleventh Doctor by Tara O’Shea and Lynne M. Thomas
Mark Waid’s comics career is long, varied, and littered with a host of amazing runs on established properties like Fantastic Four, 52, The Flash, as well as with original material such as Empire and current series Incorruptible. Along with his already incredible workload, he is the editor-in-chief of Boom Studios! He’s also a recent convert to Doctor Who and gives us an impression of Eleven that you’ll identify with the character forevermore.
The Eleventh Doctor of Christmas: Fezzes Aren’t Cool by Mark Waid
On January 6th, Tor.com blogger Jason Henninger will be celebrating Twelfth Doctors!
Jason Henninger is a Doctor Who fan, Tor.com blogger, and the person you most want guarding your back in an alliterative firefight. Jason will be running through Doctors That Very Briefly Were, whether they appeared in spin-off material, commercial products, or straight-out parodies.
The Twelfth Doctor of Christmas: The Twelfth Doctors by Jason Henninger
In addition to the aforementioned perspectives, we’ll also be featuring posts on Doctor Who music from Jason Heller, Ryan Britt‘s take on Doctor Who fashion and time travel mechanics, a rundown on DIY Who crafts from Ruth X (Cthulhu Chick herself!), a review of this year’s Christmas episode, and more!
It’s Doctor Who every day on Tor.com as we enter 2011!
TARDIS image from Wikimedia Commons photo © zir.com
