Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: brigadier, doctor who, jon pertwee, kickstarter

The Brigadier Meets Jon Pertwee In The Smell Of Death Graphic Novel

What if the Brigadier from Doctor Who was involved with a Hammer Horror film, undercover, and enlisted the help of the actor Jon Pertwee?

What if the Brigadier from Doctor Who was involved with a Hammer Horror type film, undercover, and enlisted the help of the actor who was playing the lead – a certain Jon Pertwee? That's the concept behind this new trademark-skating graphic novel being fundraised for publication later this year. The Smell of Death written by Barnaby Eaton-Jones, drawn by Miguel Guzman, graphic designer Robert Hammond and cover artist Adrian Salmon, has licensed the rights to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, from Doctor Who, but not to Doctor Who. Instead, they have the actor Jon Pertwee looking like, well, Jon Pertwee, I don't pretend to know the legalities in this one but Chinbeard Books publisher and writer Barnaby insists it is all legit, saying "This is an official spin-off, in the sense that we have the rights to use the Brigadier character, but we don't mention UNIT at all (as we currently don't have the rights to use them). It's a comedy/horror based around the premise of the Brig bumping into the actor Jon Pertwee, who's headlining the film he's been sent to investigate. It's just a bit of fun and, yes, it's a way to circumnavigate not being allowed to use the Third Doctor but it wasn't the *reason* for doing it. He'll be sufficiently different to be a character in his own right and not like the Third Doctor. It's my homage to Jon Pertwee, essentially, as well as Nicholas Courtney's Brigadier (and Hammer Horror too)." And that "I've got a lot of past form in licensing and reviving classic titles of yesteryear (The Goodies, Robin of Sherwood, Up Pompeii, Chelmsford 123, I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, The Tomorrow People, etc). I do it with respect and care".

The Haisman/Lincoln Estates – the writers who retained he rights to the Brigadier character – have allowed Chinbeard Biooks an official status for this project (courtesy of Andy Frankham-Allen). Chinbeard, in partnership with Andrews UK (and AUK Studios), have been putting out Doctor Who-related and cult TV memoirs and charity anthologies for a fair few years now; as well as writing new and official adventures for adapted  TV series like Robin of Sherwood and The Goodies. Their  most recent production was a joint full-cast 2 x CD and a softback novelisation of Children of the Circus (an official sequel to the Doctor Who television serial, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy – which featured all  of the surviving cast from that 1988 classic, courtesy of an official licence by the original writer, Stephen Wyatt).

The Smell of Death tells the story of a film being made of the same name, where aliens are the real power behind it all, with the film being distributed in order to take over the world.  The story also includes the character Perfect, who also  has her own three-volume set of graphic novels about her, from Chinbeard. A clumsy and but kind-hearted spy for MI6, who is teaming up with the Brigadier undercover, so find out what spooky goings-on have been happening behind the scenes. She's also been cast as the co-lead, opposite Jon Pertwee, in her screen debut… and even doing a simple take of a scene is catnip for calamity when Perfect is added into the mix.

The Smell Of Death is currently on Indiegogo and has raised £1,344 from 39 backers against a goal of £7,500.

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