A Doctor’s Dozen

The HijiNKS ENSUE Store is all new looking and such, and all ladies shirts are $5 off! 

It’s hard to mature and mellow out about nitpicky geek stuff (like who’s playing “Who”), and just let events unfold naturally when you’ve publicly voiced so many INCREDIBLY SPECIFIC AND EXTREMELY IMPORTANT OPINIONS about such things in the past. Oh well. I guess I’m the boy who cried LOUD TV OPINIONS.

This starts our latest mini storyline where Joel explores whether you can just be a fan and trust geek creators to do their jobs, or if geekdom requires fan intervention to function.

COMMENTERS: We’ll be dancing around this idea over the next 3 or 4 strips, but I’ll go ahead pose the question: Do you feel like you need to be an active participant in your geekeries of choice, or are you happy being a passive observer?

The 2013 DIGITAL FANCY SKETCH DRIVE is still going! Check out the details and order yours HERE.

MY WIFE KEEPS MAKING AWESOME STUFF! In addition to having her own photo restoration business, my wife has also started making super cool, ultra geeky jewelry on Etsy. You can see her Tetris necklace and more geeky creations in her shop, but she just announced her Harry Potter inspired Quidditch necklace. Look at those bludgers! 

quidditch necklace

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theragingcelt· 97 weeks ago

You know when I first saw an interview with Matt Smith, I thought, “he’s too young and he cuts his hair like like he’s fronting a “Flock of Seagulls” tribute band. He’s going to be awful.”
As history proved, I was wrong.
I’m willing to cut the Moff some slack and let him do his voodoo.

4 replies · active 96 weeks ago

Chaucer59's avatar

Chaucer59 · 96 weeks ago

I disagree. I think Matt Stone sucked. Worse Doctor since that blond guy who took over after Mark Baker.

Peter Capaldi will be an improvement. Unlike Stone, he can act. Still, he’s no Chiwetel Ejiofor or Idris Elba.

I want to see a real shake up. It’s time for the Doctor to experience a gender change.

90percentgeek's avatar

90percentgeek · 96 weeks ago

I can’t figure out if you’re trolling or just ignorant. Do you mean Peter Davison who took over from TOM Baker? Peter Davison – that blonde guy as you put it – was one of the more revolutionary Whos, and the original “Oh he’s too young to be the Doctor” actor. He’s also David Tennant’s father in law and the inspiration for a lot of the 10th Doctor’s quirks.

As for Matt Stone – do you mean Matt Smith? The person referred to in the comment you’re replying to? Matt Smith has been a brilliant Doctor and to suggest he can’t act suggests you don’t know what acting is. I suggest you look it up. And maybe look up Doctor Who while you’re about it as you don’t seem to have a clear idea of what you’re talking about.

Chaucer59's avatar

Chaucer59 · 96 weeks ago

Not trolling, child, just made the mistake of trying to write under the influence of pain medication. Yes, Davison, Tom Baker, Matt Smith (Matt Stone is the South Park guy–I know that–sorry). Look, it’s a simple matter of taste. De gustibus, you know? I found Davison intolerably bland, and I wasn’t alone in that. The audience under Davison and Colin Baker plummeted. If Tennant based his idiosyncrasies on Davison’s, he managed them one hell of a lot better than dear old Dad-in-law, IMHO. As for Matt Smith, I thought he was a snore in the beginning, but I tried to give him a chance. He got some really stellar scripts, but I think they would have been ten times better with Tennant still driving the sonic screwdriver–so to speak. As for your opinion of Smith’s acting, it’s just that: your opinion. I find him bland and uninspiring. As I said: de gustibus. Look it up. I’m glad Smith’s out. I just hope Capaldi does a better job.
Mike V.'s avatar

Mike V. · 96 weeks ago

>It’s time for the Doctor to experience a gender change.

Already been done! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do-wDPoC6GM

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thehappysmith· 97 weeks ago

Not to be reflexive, but I enjoy consuming the media that I enjoy consuming. I don’t write the media I consume; I write, but not for my own consumption. The handful of things about which I am specifically a huge fan I am mainly a fan of BECAUSE I feel like I can just sit back and enjoy them. Maybe there are things I’d do differently, but that’s just the point: I’m enjoying what someone else is making for me. Really, as a maker myself, I have to admit: I make things for me and hope other people like them. I assume the people who make the things I love are in the same boat: they make things they love, and hope other people will, too. I dig that. I enjoy what other people make without wanting to edit their vision; I don’t want them to edit mine.
I do get nervous around big changes: a new Doctor, Dan Harmon getting the boot on Community, Futurama coming back after an extended absence, the redevelopment of Star Trek, any form of X-Men anything, the secret sneaking fear that somewhere someone in Hollywood is trying to think of a way to profit off of Calvin & Hobbes… I mean, it’s human nature to worry about the things we’re emotionally invested in. But we shouldn’t take it too far, and, as fans, I think we often do.
When there’s a change I really DON’T like (I admit it, I didn’t like The Wrath of Khan II and don’t like the tenor of the new movies much) I just go back and enjoy the things I always enjoyed before. Still great episodes of a tv series to watch, books to read, movies to enjoy…everything new doesn’t have to be as perfect as what came before, but if I trust the people in charge then mostly I figure it will work out. So instead of thinking, “Oh Buddha this is going to be awful I hate this,” I think, “I hope this is good but I trust they’ll figure it out because they’ve done right before.” Sometimes (Dan Harmon getting booted from Community) they don’t. Oftentimes they do, at least partially. But it’s long been true that even a cack-handed “re-imagining” of something isn’t going to wreck the good stuff that came before it. ST:TOS is still awesome even if I’m not a fan of the current movies.
We’ll get a new Doctor. Capaldi certainly wasn’t on my radar as a potential selection, but have they ever steered this ship so badly wrong that the series was forced to shut down production forever and all existing copies of the previous episodes were burned? Unless I’m way behind on the news this morning, I’m pretty sure the answer’s no.
To me, being a fan (in non-sports contexts) is something that brings me joy and pleasure. If it brings me worry and heartache, I think I’m doing it wrong.
Aetheling's avatar

Aetheling · 97 weeks ago

I saw the Doctor Who announcement live in London. Just throwing that out there. I also think Capaldi will be a great Doctor, even if he is another Scot. It’ll be nice to have an older grump back instead of the furious, slightly hyperactive cheeriness of Tennant and Smith. He’s great in The Thick Of It and In The Loop.

1 reply · active 97 weeks ago

Adam's avatar

Adam · 97 weeks ago

Yes, I do believe that Joel has a moral obligation to watch “In The Loop” now. Right. Now.

Joel, let me help you understand: you know how game of thrones is with blood? Okay, that’s how “In The Loop” is with foul language. The most floridly foul language you’ve ever imagined. It will change the way you think of the English language forever. GO. NOW. Yes, it is on Netflix.

Ali's avatar

Ali · 97 weeks ago

For a couple days I was upset that Capaldi is another middle-aged white guy when they could have cast a woman and/or a person of color…but I’ve mellowed out like Joel. I’m probably going to be more upset by Moffat than anything Capaldi does as an actor.

4 replies · active 96 weeks ago

Toon's avatar

Toon · 97 weeks ago

I’m actually pretty sure Capaldi will do an excellent job. And like you, I expect to be more upset by Moffat’s work than Capaldi’s.

But I’m _still_ mildly angry that they cast another white guy.

Bemmie's avatar

Bemmie · 96 weeks ago

Here i’m just hoping they cast the best person for the role, if that person happens to be a purple polka dotted leprechaun, fantastic, I’m keen to see what this Doctor can do, and for him to show us why he was the best.
Hotsauce's avatar

Hotsauce · 96 weeks ago

The thing is, there are a lot of really good actors. There is no one “best person” for any role. There are a lot of people who would do different, interesting, enjoyable things with The Doctor, or any other role. So “I don’t care what color they are, as long as it’s the best person for the role” is a little facile, as it ignores the fact that there are a LOT of people who, on some level, don’t care whether it’s the best person for the role as long they’re the right color. It also ignores that there are a lot of people out there who very rarely see someone who looks like them given interesting, popular roles, and that maybe that’s not okay.
Debs's avatar

Debs · 97 weeks ago

Every time they changed the Doctor I freaked, and every time I love the new guy. I thought your suggestion was awesome, but I have learned to have faith. If he sucks, all I need to do is wait for the next one. I guess I am more passive in my fandom.
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Jeremy Thomas· 97 weeks ago

I’m an columnist for an entertainment news portal site that focuses a fair amount of attention on geek culture, so I would say that I kind of have to be active for the sake of my writing career. Even if I wasn’t though I would be active in other ways.

What I’ve found is that you have to pick and choose which geektivities you are going to be active in and let some go. If I was an active participant in discussions around all my fandoms, I would pretty much never do anything else. And then die from lack of food and eating. So some I am active about (Doctor Who, TT roleplaying, comics, film, music) and some I just enjoy on my own.

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Didu· 97 weeks ago

Now that Capaldi is the Doctor, I find myself wishing they’d change the showrunner too, to Armando Iannucci. More bollocking, less mystery girls wrapped in sexism, please.

But yeah, opinions. I’ve never been that active about my fandomy thoughts online, save occasional commenting here and some ancient LJ ranting. These days I’m content with expressing my views (or god forbid, “feels”) on tumblr by reblogging something about something and tag-bombing the shit out of it. Pretty much anything I have got to say has been said already, so I’ll just find the post most fitting my take on things.

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anxiety.junkie · 97 weeks ago

Nobody has addressed the most important point of this comic, IMO.

I have a rule – it’s either mint or it’s food, not both at the same time.

Now, if you have some Trefoils…

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gabepuratekuta· 97 weeks ago

There are only three things I’ve learned: You don’t cross the streams, you don’t build a TNT cannon out of wool and you don’t touch another persons Thin Mints
Orion M's avatar

Orion M · 97 weeks ago

I am sad it is not Tilda Swinton.

…with that said, I have no issue with Capaldi, really. Other than that he’s not Matt Smith and not Tilda Swinton. I hope Moffat has a good plan. These last three seasons were sometimes uneven, but the payoff’s been pretty epic so far.

(I would be very unhappy with a return to the Davies days. I actually find most of those episodes borderline unwatchable at this point. And I won’t even get started on how disappointing I found Torchwood.)

(…this is all, of course, just my opinion. But it is there!)

3 replies · active 97 weeks ago

Ceri's avatar

Ceri · 97 weeks ago

That’s a very important point you’ve made there, and one that’s been grinding my gears for a while now – what’s with the sudden Moffat-bashing? He used to be The Saviour a few seasons ago, and now suddenly people say his writing sucks. Compare any RTD-written episode to any Moffat ep, and I’ll guarantee Moffat comes out on top. I’m not saying I’ve loved every episode or storyarc he’s ever written, but at least he’s not turning The Doctor into Jesus every season finale.
I have a theory: Moffat writes great episodes, but not season arcs; Davies was the other way around.
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whereismyface· 97 weeks ago

Dude’s fairly misogynistic, as it turns out. You don’t have to google far to see the accusations against him, and the connected essays on how it negatively impacts his writing.

There may be other charges levied against him too, I’m not sure. This is just the chatter I’ve picked up on.

Toon's avatar

Toon · 97 weeks ago

… Tilda Swinton. *wistful*
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doctorfurious· 97 weeks ago

I used to be pretty passive about my Trek. But either as I age and gain (hopefully) experience, or as the people behind the wheel of Trek keep steering it into lightposts, I find myself armchair quarterbacking more and more.
Toon's avatar

Toon · 97 weeks ago

I’m almost never a totally passive consumer of my favorite media, but sometimes I feel more motivated to share my reactions with the world at large and/or create fanworks of some kind, and other times I’m content to only talk about it when the subject comes up.
's avatar - Go to profile

Matthew · 96 weeks ago

My geekery of choice is twentieth century literature. I’ve been talking about books so hard, I got interviewed by Publisher’s Weekly and public radio.
zathael's avatar

zathael · 96 weeks ago

Its hard. I don’t have anything against this Peter Capaldi fellow. But I wish they’d gone for someone other than a white male. I wish they’d done a woman or a person of color. Or both. But I get the feeling that Moffat, for all his talent, is a bit of a misogynist. He wrote a for radio “what if the Doctor were a woman” where she spent the entire episode flirting and mussing with her hair. So I had little hope he’d go for a woman.
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Wesley · 96 weeks ago

I sit back and relax. I tend to judge, yeah, but mostly only after I’ve actually seen something.

This is mainly for my own health.. when I’m not actually involved in creating something, spending energy on thinking how it could have been better is just energy wasted and the Nerd rage that will eventually come from it when they choose to do something that isn’t my idea (not that they could have known) just isn’t worth it. Stress is bad, mmkay?

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moffattbooks· 96 weeks ago

I’m inconsistant…one day I’m perfectly fine with something, the next, I’ll rage over the stupidest of thing depending how the day went. Normally I don’t care just as long as my geek river keeps flowing. It thins to a trickle, then I Nerd Rage and bring my Wrath upon the Internet….sadly to say my opinion counts for nothing on several levels so I just shrug my shoulders and look for something else I enjoy.
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Zupdog · 96 weeks ago

I’m outraged – they should give the job to a woman or a coloured, even if they can’t act, instead of giving it to well renowned actor who everyone knows will do it great.

Actually, I think I’ll start watching Doctor Who because of Capaldi, he kicks ass.

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moffattbooks· 96 weeks ago

I feel bad for Ferguson, he’s about hard core of a Who fan having the cast on his show multiple times…can’t they just let him cameo once or would that cheapen the roles?
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Chibiyagi · 96 weeks ago

Has Josh been playing The Last of Us?
Also, my only thing with Peter Capaldi as 12 is that it’s the whole BBC incestuous casting all over again. Other than that, I think he’ll be fantastic. Any number of people could play the Doctor and they can all be amazing for different reasons, no reason to get all butt-hurt and start fighting.
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hijinksensue· 93 weeks ago

My “stick” size? I am not familiar with this term.

 

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