The Vervoid Thread

[Lissa]

Orangapoid's are for life, not just for Christmas. Or throwing plastic rings at.

[Kinggodzillak]

'The gauge is almost at zero and that means the sky city is about to stop being a sky city and about to become just a city.'

[Andrew Curnow]

for Si for praising "Stage Fright" - it was one of only two episodes of that last OFAH series that I really enjoyed, and still makes me laugh. The simple gag of the singer who can't pronounce his 'r's is very cleverly done, and the 'undressing' scene is a classic. I remember laughing heartily when it first aired (although I have to admit I'd never heard Roy Orbison's version of "Crying" at the time, so I can never hear the song without thinking of the OFAH version).

[Rob McCow]

I can't believe how badly things went wrong for Mr.Trent D'arby. He's disappeared so far up his backside he's re-emerged through his own mouth. And that's not pleasant.

I see Lissa has caught one or three of the 200 coughs and colds that everyone's catching at the moment. Get well soon!

[Andrew Curnow]

There really are some excellent ongoing columns on the Vervoid aren't there - the guide to the strips (Spider God is one of the greats, indeed); Flash "not dead yet" Gordon; OFAH; Target; Blake's 7 (occasionally - hint, hint, Mr Hart). And although I'm not a music fan, I also love Si's MusicBox when it's somebody I've actually heard of!! As a website, botitoto indeed, very much so.

I've just been enjoying today's updates, and very good they are too - although I think "Class of 62" is eminently rewatchable (unless you're planning to watch it tonight, Si). It's another good, solid episode, and although not one of my favourites, the actual reunion sequence is very good.

[SiHart]

Blake's 7 (occasionally - hint, hint, Mr Hart).

I'll try and get at least one does this week, if I can- although with Dad's birthday and an interview at the end of the week that I need to prepare for, it might be tight. I will see what I can do! I'm just being a bit lazy at the moment and I'm sure once I get back down to it, I'll really enjoy it.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

Thanks for including some of my columns in your list of favourites Andrew - I'm certainly glad if the Music Box is appreciated, as it's my favourite one to do!

Si.

[Si Hunt]

Some great updates today actually. I enjoyed reading Lissa's witty peice about E-Petitions, and Ian's article on the "Myth Makers" novelisation is worthy of mention too. I recall this book being the dull looking one our library always had in stock. I never read it, but ..."a noise reminiscent of a camel in the last stages of dementia praecox" is certainly the oddest description of the TARDIS materilising that I've ever heard about!

Si.

[Rob McCow]

The next Blakes 7, Mission to Destiny has been looming like a cloud over Simon for about four months now.

The Myth Makers - what a wonderful book! I read this in it's double edition with the Gunfighters. It's one of the Hartnell historicals that got a first rate Target treatment, like The Massacre and The Aztecs, obviously written by someone who really cared about the story. Apparently Donald Cotton's original script for TMM was about 3 hours too long, so it's not surprising that the novel expands on the story!

[Si Hunt]

You can use the "Mission to Destiny" novelisation to help you - I spotted it on your bookshelf while I was laying awake early yesterday!

Si.

[Jon Masters]

The next Blakes 7, Mission to Destiny has been looming like a cloud over Simon for about four months now

Come on Si - that's one of my favourites from Series 1 (mainly coz its really Doctor Who)

The Vervoid is becomming a real twice weekly treat

[Captain Tancredi]

I'm glad people are still enjoying the Target pieces, especially as there's a bit more to write on the ones I'm reading now. It won't surprise anybody that I'm my own harshest critic and can hardly bear to look at anything I've written, so it does make a difference.

[Andrew Curnow]

I'm really enjoying them - partly for nostalgia, partly to get an adult perspective on them, having not read most of them since I was a teenager. "The Myth Makers" is an exception, although it's probably seven or eight years since I read it. It can't be that long until the 100th book/column.

[SiHart]

I think we're about 3 books away from book 100.

I didn't like the Myth Makers book when I was young (although I never read it until i was almost 12) but when i re-read it in late 2005 I thoroughly enjoyed it, because I got the jokes!

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

I don't know if I'm just vain, but I re-read all my old columns all the time!

Si.

[Captain Tancredi]

It can't be that long until the 100th book/column.

It isn't- basically I kept up my output while Lissa's computer was down so there's a bit of a gap opened up.

Looking at the e-petitions it's nice to see that the old dihydrogen monoxide one is still going strong although its finest hour was about ten years ago when a prominent New Zealand environmentalist was conned into campaigning for it to be banned...

[Si Hunt]

If anyone's wondering what happened to "Torchwood", I was naughty and didn't keep up during the "off line" months, but I'm going to pick them up when the missing episodes emerge on DVD over the next few months. Ditto "The Runaway Bride"!

Si.

[SiHart]

Good news! I have just watched Mish to Dest!!

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

Good news! I have just watched Mish to Dest!!

And lo the floodgates opened.

"I kept you waiting. There was a time when you wouldn't have accepted an insult like that from anyone."

[Jon Masters]

Good news! I have just watched Mish to Dest!!

Si xx

And it was worth the wait ! A great review for a nice story. The only weak bit of writing for me was when no -one - NO-ONE thinks to check the box with the isotope in before Blake leaves (although, like any MurdMys it has to happen I suppose)

And booo to The Deal - one of the worst DW comic strips ever (although some of those 7th Doc tie ins are pretty poor too)

BTW Steve, are you planning to do the back pages comic strips at any point ?

[Si Hunt]

Hurrah for Mish to Dest! We watched this a month or two back and it's a lovely little episode, albeit one that seems more suited to a different show than to "Blake" - maybe this is, as Si mentions in his column, because it was a Terry Nation idea canibalised from something else? I love the Campometer, to bad it had to be set to 'Bleak' this time.

Great column Si, as ever. The bit where you tell us which sets and actors came from Doctor Who is my favourite!

Si.

[SiHart]

Thank you Jon and Si for your kind comments. I was really pleased with this one because I got it done in just over 2 hours, including watching the episode itself. It's set what i hope will become a new precedent!

Si- I'm sure as we go on the Campometer will be pointing ever closer to Camp! I'm looking forward to that too.

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

BTW Steve, are you planning to do the back pages comic strips at any point ?

Maybe after I've reviewed 3-400 issues worth of Doctor Who comic strips! The chances are pretty much nil of me ever in my life writing any kind of reviews of the reprinted 'Strange Tales' style comic strips that they used to fill out Doctor Who Weekly in the early days. But... are there any back-up strips that you paticularly had in mind, Jon?

[Jon Masters]

But... are there any back-up strips that you paticularly had in mind, Jon?

I wasn't thinking of things like The Invisible Man or those one part stories ripped off from other comics, nor the long running Dalek Tapes or Cyberman strips ,but the ones at the back which were based on famous DW monsters or UNIT etc. They didn't last much beyond where you've got to now (issue 54 I think) but there were some clever little gems in there.

Off the top of my head things like Business as Usual (autons) , Yonder..the Yeti, Black Legacy, Star Tigers, Crisis on Kaldor were all pretty good - especially as they often had quite a downbeat ending (Business remains one of my favourite DW strips eve now)

[SiHart]

I liked the Time Lord themed ones like Black Sun Rising. Yonder, The Yeti is a great title!

Si xx