The DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE SUMMER SPECIAL is here!

Okay, strictly speaking it's called Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #46 - Toys, but it has "Summer" as the cover date, it's a Special, and Summer Special trips off the tongue much better. 

This time, the 100 page special focuses on Doctor Who licensed products such as toys and games, covering their entire history over six decades. This isn't a mere listing of products, but a detailed insight into the background of the items, and the people and companies involved in making them happen. 

Comics aren't included because they were amply covered in a previous special two years ago (see here) but there is one strip from the Give-A-Show Projector Set shown. Superbly illustrated throughout with numerous photographs of various items, press clippings, advertisements and suchlike, this is a must-have for anyone interested in Doctor Who toys. Published by Panini UK and available now for £5.99.

Also out from Panini this week....

INCREDIBLE HULKS #10. On sale 20th April! FINAL ISSUE!

76 pages of gamma-charged action! Three awesome stories! £3.99!

So what happens when Marvel's two green heroines finally meet? Trouble! She-Hulk and Gamora team up! By John Layman and Otto Schmidt!

Also: an untold tale revealed at last! Joe Fixit battles the West Coast Avengers! By Jim McCann and Agustin Padilla!

Plus: The Maestro now has the power of a god! Don't miss Contest of Champions by Al Ewing and Rhoald Marcellius!

Featuring material first printed in Guardians Team-Up #4, Hulk Smash Avengers #4 and Contest of Champions #10.

WOLVERINE & DEADPOOL #10. On sale 20th April!

76 pages of claw-popping action! £3.99!

Wolverine is recruited by SHIELD to battle a monstrous enemy – and wait till you see who it is! By Tom Taylor and Marcio Takara!

Also: Deadpool wants to avenge his parents – by killing Sabretooth! A savage new story begins by Gerry Duggan and Matteo Lolli!

Featuring material first published in All-New Wolverine #8 and Deadpool #6, 8-9.

AVENGERS UNIVERSE #10. On sale 20th April!

76 pages of Earth’s Mightiest heroes! £3.99!

A new adventure! Deadpool, Rogue and Quicksilver encounter Hank Pym – and Ultron too! By Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz!

Also: The All-New Avengers encounter the all-new Wasp! Plus: the search for Nova's father begins as the team heads into deep space! By Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar!

Featuring material first published in Uncanny Avengers #9 and All-New Avengers #9-10.

Dalek colouring book (1965)

A new and surprising fad at the moment is the popularity of colouring books for adults, sold on the theory that they're therapeutic stress relievers. There's even a Doctor Who one out but it's not the first of course. Back in 1965 Souvenir Press in association with Panther Books published a colouring book to tie in with the first Doctor Who movie starring Peter Cushing. Paint and Draw the Film of Dr.Who and the Daleks was a 64 page A4 softback, with glossy card covers and pulp paper interiors. An early item of Doctor Who merchandise.

The story was told as a sequential comic strip of sorts, but with each 'panel' taking up a full page. The uncredited illustrations were closely based on frames from the film, with a short caption underneath as the narrative. Some pages also featured dot-to-dot elements as part of the story.

Here are a selection of pages from the book. I was never that interested in colouring books so, as you can see, I only made feeble attempts at colouring a few Daleks in pencil. That said, I was grateful for anything Dalek-related and I obviously treasured this book for it to have survived the last 51 years.  

There was also a Dalek Painting Book around this time too, which I also had, although I discarded that one decades ago.