During today's panel at the New York Comic Con, IDW made the official announcement that Doctor Who will be returning as a monthly comic book series in January featuring the Eleventh Doctor as portrayed on screen by Matt Smith.
With Tony Lee continuing on as writer from the previous series featuring David Tennant's Tenth Doctor, Doctor Who #1 finds the Doctor and his current TV companions, Amy Pond and Rory Williams, battling holographic spam and 'friending' requests on a planet that's hours from destruction by an alien race. Artist Andrew Currie draws the first issue, with Tommy Lee Edwards offering covers on each issue. Also, Eisner Award winning Fables superstar Mark Buckingham also offers an incentive cover for issue #1, and will provide interior art on an upcoming issue, as well. Kelley Yates will also provide an incentive cover for issue #1, featuring a die-cut gatefold image that allows fans to open the TARDIS and see the Doctor inside.
Joining IDW's Doctor Who comic book series for art duties is Richard Piers Rayner (Road to Perdition), who draws a run-in between The Doctor and Jack the Ripper in issues #2-4. Artists Matthew Dow Smith (Doctor Who, Starman) and Chris Samnee (Thor: The Mighty Avenger) will also be featured for special story arcs.
IDW's new ongoing comic book series will reportedly feature holographic spam fighting Mad Max-esque mercenaries, Victorian Jack The Ripper suspense, penalty shoot-outs against Vikings and Cybernetic Space Pirate Dinosaurs among the Eleventh Doctor's various adventures. According to an article posted on IDW's website, Doctor Who editor Denton J. Tipton remarks "There's going to be something for everyone in this story. For example, fans of the classic series should be on the look out for a classic Doctor Who villain!"
"I could tell you who they are, but I'd have to kill you," added Tony Lee. "Let's just say we've been given special dispensation to use them, and we have a killer story -- in all senses of the word!"
With the Daleks rumored to be off the table for the television series in 2011, perhaps those cuddly exterminating mutant machines will return to plague the Eleventh Doctor after all. Whatever happens, though, there's only one word that sums up my feelings about this news...
GERONIMO!!!