Target Cover Competition - Group 27

[Paul Clement]

[Pip Madeley]

What on Earth is that Castrovalva cover all about?

[Rob McCow]

Destiny for me! Warriors was second. Although it fits in nicely with the theme, it's not terribly imaginative.

So Destiny, with the Doctor shocked at the enormous fart he's just done that's obscuring the Daleks.

What the heck is up with the Castrovalva cover? Purple?!?!?

[Paul Clement]

I had a pretty simple choice here.

Castrovalava is an exceptionally dull cover and the likeness of Davison looks a little odd, as if he is gritting his teeth.

Destiny of the Daleks lacks a little in the imagination stakes and comes across as being somewhat dull.

There are some good likenesses on the Five Doctors cover but also a couple of poorer ones. Again, the cover also looks a little dull too.

Silurians (or Cave Monsters) isn't the best of Achilleos' covers, but still remains the second best one here.

Warriors of the Deep on the other hand, looks excellent. Simple and terribly effective and intriguing in ways the story completely fails to be.

[Wayne]

Warriors does look good, but the classic Cave Monsters gets my vote.

[SiHart]

Destiny gets my vote simply because it was the first DW book I had read to me and I chose it on the strength of the cover. I love it!

I would have voted for Warriors otherwise. It's a great, atmospheric cover.

Si xx

[Dirk Gently]

I have fond memories of the 5 Doctors but the artistic nature of the Warriors is excellent & gets my vote. I think when they did the cover they were trying to make up for some of the images left behind after the episodes went out.

[Stuart Wallis]

The Cave Monsters for me. I just like it.

5 Doctors - is that the fourth Doctor in the middle, as played by Christopher Lloyd?

"HAAAAH! Romana! I've got to get you back to the future! And behind the bike shed!"

[Andrew Curnow]

Castrovalva - marginally less dull than the original photo version, although the colour scheme appears to be the work of a madman. Only Skilleter's badly-rendered video artwork used a design that made for a good cover, whereas this book one is just.... no, no, no.

Destiny of the Daleks - one assumes Skilleter had photographic references for his Tom, because it's a superb painting; so surely he had some for the Daleks too? So why are they so bad? It annoyed me even when I got the book for Christmas in 1979, and I'm afraid it niggles me now. But the Tom is superb, I repeat!

The Five Doctors - Pertwee's hair is too, too white (never mind a giant lightbulb, now he looks like a cotton bud); Troughton & Hurndall look drunk; Davison is OK-ish although a little pouty; and Tom appears to be using Peter Pratt's Master eyeballs for the occasion. Yes, there are five Doctors in it, but couldn't the cover be a tad more exciting than this?

The Cave Monsters & Warriors of the Deep - the latter is more atmospheric and moody (and once featured in an episode of Albion Market) but the former is headily nostalgic, and is an iconic image. Plus I love all those superfluous volcano-y bits. So it's a vote for Cave Monsters!!

P.S. I'm never sure how to spell 'Skilleter' so I've gone for definite consistency rather than dogged accuracy - that is to say, if I've got it wrong, I've got it wrong every time!

[SiHart]

The Daleks on the cover of Destiny look better than the ones in the actual story!

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

Admittedly I haven't seen Destiny since... oh crikey, maybe as long as 10 years, but I really don't remember the Daleks looking tatty in it. I know the photos from the filming show them being walked, and having no balls on their behinds (stop sniggering at the back there!) but on-screen do they really look shabby?

[SiHart]

It's true... they look worse and tattier in Resurrection. I was playing on the old myths.

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

Oh Si, for shame!

[Jonno]

Cave Monsters for me - one of the iconic covers in the range and I have fond memories of reading the book 30-odd years ago.

Has anyone else noticed that our 5 choices here have all come out on DVD over the last year and a bit?!

Oh, and Andrew used the words "Castrovalva" and "dull" in the same sentence! *snigger*

[Andrew Curnow]

You're on fine form today, Mr S!!

[Larry]

Warriors of the Deep for me

[Lord President]

One of the least inspiring set of covers so far!

Warriors does exactly what it says on the tin.
Cave Monsters - ditto
5 Docs - Bad Tom Baker and what is going on with Pertwee's dandylion clock hair?
Destiny - Bad Daleks and Baker picking a spot!
Castrovalva - Could it be any duller?

I had to go with Cave Monsters as it has a great Pertwee!

[Dave Tudor]

The covers for Castrovalva and The Five Doctors (which is a video cover, anyway) are both pretty dull. I found myself torn between the others, mostly because of the nostalgia factor, all three being books I enjoyed immensely as a kid. However, for me, 'Destiny', with Tom apparently suffering with a nasty mouth ulcer, and 'Cave Monsters', with its massive-lava-spewing-shouldered Pertwee, just lose out to the excellent 'Warriors' cover, a book which I enjoyed so much that for many years, I thought the television story from which it was adapted was an absolute classic.

[Dino]

Destiny of the Daleks because it looks like Tom Baker has just realised he's offended the three Daleks with a tasteless remark...

[Wayne]

Hurrah for Silurians 1. I love that cover!

[Ralph]

Yay! Silurians won and I didn't even vote!

Yes Yes I know we're judging covers....

[Lord President]

Hurrah for Silurians 1. I love that cover!

Me2 :wayne