Candy Jar Books has announced the list of additional contributors to Timeslides: The Doctor Who Art of Colin Howard.
Plus, the book, available now at special pre-order prices, begins with a foreword by the Sixth Doctor himself, Colin Baker!
As with Klakk!: The Doctor Who Art of Chris Achilleos before it, Timeslides features a chapter made up of fans enthusing about the titular artist’s extensive Doctor Who work.
These include:
- Former Doctor Who Magazine editor, John Freeman, who introduces Colin’s portfolio.
- Dalek scribe, Rob Shearman, who lovingly recalls Howard’s early submissions to his fanzine.
- Gary Russell, ex-editor of DWM and Doctor Who Classic Comics; his 1995 novel, Invasion of the Cat-People, sported a cover by Colin, putting their feline friends front and centre.
- Graphic designer, Lee Binding, guiding you through the family tree of Doctor Who artists.
- Matthew Doe, Specialist in Production Used Doctor Who Artefacts and Props – and owner of the original DWM #167 painting.
- Margaret Hope, BBC Children’s Books Design Manager from 1992 to 1999, taking you behind the scenes at BBC Worldwide.
- DWM’s Jamie Lenman, who remembers Colin’s advice and kindness when starting out as an artist.
- Nick Abadzis, writer of Titan Comics’ Tenth Doctor range, arguing that Howard’s paintings are “a vital link in the evolution of [Doctor Who] art from its pulpy origins to a thriving, sophisticated realm of print and industry in its own right.”
- Martin Geraghty, sharing not only his thoughts on working on recent missing episode animations like The Macra Terror and Shada, but also his own character design for Victoria Waterfield, which Colin turned into a background portrait for The Evil of the Daleks.
- Neil Cole, curator of the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi, which now includes an original piece by Howard.
- Lovarzi’s Doctor Who site editor (and DWC writer), Alex Skerratt, an avid collector of the much-loved VHS range.
- Sci-Fi Bulletin Editor, Paul Simpson, recalling his first glimpse of Howard’s work in Peter Haining’s The Key to Time.
- Fellow artist and friend, Lee Sullivan, who reflects on the creative outbursts of the so-called “Wilderness Years”.
- Pete McTighe, writer of Kerblam! and Praxeus, as well as the sleeve notes in the Doctor Who: The Collection Blu-ray sets.
And I’ve edited Timeslides and was bullied profusely into providing this quote to tie into the announcement (by which I mean, I begged Shaun Russell, Head of Publishing at Candy Jar, to let me contribute something myself):
“To me, it’s no surprise whatsoever that, as soon as I reached out to find contributors to Timeslides, a wealth of lovely fans replied saying how honoured they’d be to write their own celebrations of Col’s art. Mind you, I know it took Colin by surprise when he read their submissions; he’s very modest about his considerable talents and until recently, when he attended some conventions and screenings with his wife, Michelle, he didn’t seem to realise how beloved his work is.
“That, of course, is a sign of the kind of man he is. He’s always looked up to his peers like Jeff Cummins, Andrew Skilleter, and Pete Wallbank – not forgetting his artistic hero, Chris Achilleos – but appears to have overlooked the fact that, yes, he has a huge number of fans too! And I’m overjoyed to say that not only am I one myself, but that I’ve also been lucky enough to chat to Colin about his paintings: from his VHS designs to his book and magazine covers; from his DWM Archive illustrations to his private commissions; and much more besides!”
Colin Howard says:
“Ever since I was a little kid, Doctor Who has been the most important television show to me, with its incredible menagerie of monsters and aliens. In the mid ‘70s, I also fell in love with Christos Achilleos’ wonderful art covers for the Doctor Who novelisations, which began to inspire my own art and imagination. I then pledged to myself that I would try to follow in my art hero’s Rotring and airbrush footsteps, and strive to become a Doctor Who cover artist in my own right.
“Timeslides tells the story of how I was able to realise that long-held childhood ambition. So a massive thank you to Shaun, Philip, and Candy Jar Books for making that dream come true.
“Now is your chance to own this collection of my VHS work and other Doctor Who cover art, published together with their surviving concept sketches, for the very first time in a lavish format I never believed would ever become a reality for me.
“Come take a journey with me, through my Timeslides…”
The book, available as limited edition hardbacks and paperbacks, features Colin’s paintings as originally intended – uncropped and uncluttered by logos, captions, and other text – and often presented alongside never-before-seen material, including the sketches he sent to the BBC throughout the 1990s to pitch cover designs.
And it’s the perfect time to purchase your copy because anyone ordering now can still take advantage of a special pre-order price. The cost of the paperback version will increase from £14.99 to its RRP of £17.99 when released by Candy Jar.
Here’s the blurb:
Colin Howard’s art graced the covers of around thirty VHS releases, and for the first time ever, they’re collected together in Timeslides: The Doctor Who Art of Colin Howard.
Join Colin as he opens his personal archive and takes you on a tour of his Doctor Who universe – from iconic videos to book covers, from illustrations to private commissions. Featuring original sketches, unpublished designs, and a fascinating commentary, Timeslides takes you further behind the scenes than ever before.
Colin discusses the lack of reference material in a pre-internet world, achieving the high level of detail everyone expects from his stunning pieces, his ongoing battles with Multiple Sclerosis, meeting his definitive Doctor Who companion and making her a promise, and much more.
Timeslides: The Doctor Who Art of Colin Howard is available now!
