Paper boy

In case you’re reading this in Britain on Saturday and the newsagents are still open, here are a couple of reasons to buy the daily papers.

The Daily Telegraph has a new Christmas Doctor Who short story by Paul Cornell (author of the TV episodes “Father’s Day” and “Human Nature/The Family of Blood”), called “The Hopes and Fears of All the Years”. It’s not comics, but it is illustrated by long-term Doctor Who comic strip artists Mike Collins and David Roach. You can also find the story online here, with one of the illustrations. But not this one. Note the pure Frank Bellamy shading on the sonic screwdriver!


The Guardian’s “Weekend” magazine section carries a two page strip by Simone Lia (author of Fluffy) about an aggressively virtuous woman and her (ahem) guardian angel.


Meanwhile, in the “Review” section, the regular feature “Writer’s Rooms” is given over to Posy Simmonds, who provides a half-page illustration and hand-written text. She reveals herself to be a fan of the brushwork of the late great political cartoonist David Low, and now that she mentions it I can see the influence on her own linework. (Click to make legible.)


I couldn’t find either of these on The Guardian website, though you’re welcome to have a search. But the “Comic” section is given over to a two-page Christmas puzzle picture by “Lorenzo” (possibly Lawrence Etherington), which can be found at the mostly empty DFC website.