u/PhantomQuest

One for the Big Finish (edit: or EDA novels, or the comics!) fans - which of the Eighth Doctor's seemingly many, many companions is your fave?

I'm still pretty early on in my Eighth Doctor listening, so I've only really encountered Charley, but I love her being an Edwardian adventurer - it's so refreshing after 20+ years of NuWho mostly giving us "girl from 21st century London" (with only "group from 21st century Sheffield" really mixing it up!).

Who do you rate as Eight's premier companion, and why?

Basically header. Some Doctor/Companions work incredibly well together, leaving their marks as a definitive combo. Others never seem to gel properly, or become as memorable a pairing. For example, I'd say Seven and Ace are iconic; Seven and Mel, less so.

Which pairings do you think didn't work as well as they could have?

I meaaaaan… Dave, we love you, but please only return if it ties the loop on bigeneration. The show needs a shot of something brand new.

'Til they're ninetyyyyy…!

You wait years for a new X-Men movie, and then potentially 100s come along at once!

Make of this what you will, and take it as a "somewhat sourced rumour" for now, but I think trying to drag Tennant back again would actually kill the show, not revive it. It would be an admission the show can't move on, that it's repeating it's glory days, and has nothing new to offer viewers.

I still have my PS copy of BOF4, but for ease/laziness I was thinking of grabbing the digital version for PC. The reviews on the Steam release are pretty iffy though, while the ones on GOG are pretty good, which surprised me - I'd have thought it was the same package on both platforms, with the same problems.

Does anyone know if there's any actual difference in the digital release on each platform that makes the GOG version better (beyond being DRM-free), or is it going to have the same problems the Steam reviews complain about?

I (UK seller) sold a bit of video gaming kit last week to a buyer in (Republic of) Ireland for just over £100. I'm a private seller, not a business, and all my listings are set to "no returns accepted".

This morning, I get a return request, with the only reason given being "changed my mind". I've declined the return request and repeated what I put above - private seller, no returns, etc. So far, I've had no further contact (but it's only been a couple of hours as I type this).

FIRST QUESTION: Does anyone know if I'm covered by the recent changes to international sales, where eBay sorts it out and I don't lose the sale value, or could this guy cause trouble?

I suspect the guy is trying to do a scam, and send back either an empty box or a broken version of the item sold (which was in immaculate condition, tested, and fully working days before it sold). I took photos for myself of the item's serial number just in case, but not sure if that would be enough to protect me if it does progress further.

SECOND QUESTION: Is eBay basically cooked now, when it comes to selling any bit of tech, or anything above, I dunno, £30? It seems as though every buyer is a scam artist trying to claim bogus refunds, lost items, or "not as described", and eBay does little to nothing to protect individual sellers. 🤬

Original Showrunner/writer off, supposedly still moving forward with new team.

Until it actually gets off the ground though, there's always the back issues to re-read…

(Deleted original post as story updated while I was typing!)

I'm waaaaaay behind on "core" Black Panther runs - still at the start of Coates' run - but I just read Black Panther: Intergalactic, the Imperial spinoff, and it seems Shuri has>! animal shapeshifting powers now, transforming into a murder of crows amongst other forms.!<

When and how did this change come about, and if I'm reading from the start of Coates, how far off am I from reading it?

Personally, I don't mind spoilers, but please tag for others who do!

Oh, wait, actually 11 covers. Per issue. On every single Midnight book.

From Popverse:

"Marvel says it plans to limit the Marvel Midnight books to 10 variant covers and a main cover. Any additional variants would be store-exclusives."

"Marvel says they want to make sure they're 'fun' and 'additive' and not merely gaming collectors."

Y'know what really helps with not gaming whales collectors? Not doing one shy of a dozen covers on every single issue of a new imprint.

I'm extremely skeptical that these Midnight books will connect with audiences anyway - they just seem grimdark for the sake of grimdarkness - but flooding the market with 33 covers each month (plus extra store variants! 🙃) across the three titles and then claiming that that's actually showing restraint feels like an especially low move from Marvel.

Two new stories in the works, set between season 19 and 20 of Classic Who!

In the season four premiere episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, "Valles Marineris", there's a fun little Doctor Who Easter egg. At the start of a command crew meeting, there's this exchange:

Pike: This is an unusual mission. We are to face a category ten interstellar squall, something we rarely see in the Alpha Quadrant.

Pelia: I-I've seen one once, a long time ago, but not from this close. I think I was in a phone box at the time…

Given how many times the Doctor has shown companions some awe-inspiring cosmic spectacle from the doors of the TARDIS, and how there's already been a TARDIS cameo in Star Trek, this is certainly a deliberate nod. And Pelia has previously mentioned hanging out with a time-travelling Doctor! I love these little cross-fandom hat tips! 😂

Russell Tovey has told Radio Times that The War Between the Land and the Sea is FINALLY going to appear on Disney+ for international viewers, but not until 2027.

Two things here: one, that still might not be official, given he's an actor and not production side, but it's the first positive update on the show on months. And two, if it DOES stream on Disney+ next year, that could release any blocks on main Doctor Who production that may still be in effect as a result of the co-production deal (an unconfirmed but long-suspected situation), as Disney would have fulfilled its contractual obligations by finally airing everything produced as part of the deal. Fingers crossed, on both fronts!