Hey U Guys caught up with the actor at the Critics Circle Awards in London. After chatting up all Jones has on his plate right now, they asked the big question. You can check it out around the 3:50 mark, but Jones said he will be coming back to Captain America. He seemed very happy about it which is always a good sign. Of course at this stage there are no details on whether it will be in flashbacks or we’ll be seeing his robotic form that was teased in The First Avenger. Whenever more info hits we’ll have it for you. What do you think about Jones’ return? Do you hope he’s more than a scientist this time around?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Toby Jones Set To Play Arnim Zola Again In Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Besides a great story by Scott Tipton, David Tipton and Tony Lee, J.K. Woodward has been providing some spectacular artwork. Woodward took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his his art influences, his love for the two shows, and what’s in store for the rest of the series.

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CBT - You drew the cover for Issue 1 of Star Trek/Doctor Who Assimilation2 as your pitch which led to you being chosen. When you were doing that, did you try to capture both shows and what this series was offering? What were you thinking when you were trying to come up with that image?

J.K. Woodward -

There were 3 things that immediately sprang to mind when I first heard about this project. 

1. Sontaran/Klingon Alliance

2. Borg-assimilated Daleks

3. The Enterprise D and the TARDIS in a time vortex together. 

I felt 1 & 2 were too story specific for a project where I haven’t seen a script yet, so I went with 3. I painted Patrick Stewart and Matt Smith later because I felt they may want to see how I handle likenesses. I later composited the 2 paintings to create a cover.

I later got around to painting 1 & 2 as a raffle prize for 2 signings I did. 

CBT - You have a very unique style with the art in your books, penciling and then painting. Who are you inspirations when it comes to comic books or art in general?
J.K. Woodward -

My first painted influence came from Bill Sienkiewicz. I discovered Moonknight around ’82 and I thought he was doing some very innovative stuff with just pen and ink. I particularly remember a done-in-one story called “Hit it” that just blew me away. I followed his work on New Mutants and immediately took note of the painted covers. Then Elektra Assassin, Daredevil:Love and War, and eventually Stray Toasters! WOW! Stray Toasters!!! This was incredible. It showed me anything could be accomplished in a story telling medium and it opened my eyes to a new world of art. I became obsessed as a painter and wanted to learn it all. oil, water colour, acrylic, photography, gouache and eventually exploring digital media. I explored fine art and hung a lot of work in galleries in L.A. , Boston and Frankfurt Germany. This steered me away from comics for a while until I decided to group a painted series in a saddle stitch format with prose written over it. What I published was  was essentially a comic and I became interested again in creating sequential art using what I’ve learned over the years. That’s when I discovered Alex Ross and became inspired by realism more than the surrealism I’d been doing for years. That pretty much brought me to what I do today.

CBT - I’ve heard you say you are a fan of both Star Trek and Doctor Who in other interviews. First I have to ask, who is your favorite Doctor and Captain? You really nailed the Doctor Who vibe with the ancient Egypt scenes. When you were working on this series did you watch any particular episodes for reference, use pictures of the cast, or something else entirely?
J.K. Woodward -

Favorite Captain. I want to say Kirk because he represents a simplistic ideal to which every man secretly aspires to; punch the guy and get the girl. However, there is a more evolved sensibility that I aspire to and that can be found in Picard. Picard has a wisdom, reason, and maturity that I admire. But all Starfleet captains have amazing problem solving skills and I enjoy watching them conquer a challenge every episode. Its really hard to pick but if I have to, I’d say Picard. …(pardon the pun) by a hair.
Favorite Doctor. I grew up with Tom Baker so in a sense, he will always be the “real Doctor”. However, some of may favorite Who memories are with Tennant’s run. In fact, I hated Matt Smith when he came around. I thought, “Who the hell is this guy? who the hell does he think he is? Where’s Tennant?”. Then I saw the “Rebel Flesh” and that turned me around. I was impressed with Smith’s range as an actor and started to take notice of the schitzo nature of this doctor. He went from being emotionally devastated, (“He had a heart! and you stopped it!!”), to playful banter with his doppleganger. He just started to become a lot more interesting at that point. For now, the 11th is my favorite.

I watched all of them and my studio was wallpapered with printouts of all the characters, taken from screenshots of the episodes, at different expressions so that I’d always have a reference of how the various actors handled different emotional states visually. I also payed close attention to things like Picard’s shirt tug, or Riker’s Captain Morgan stance near Data’s station on the bridge, or the way the Doctor ran around kind of T-Rex style with his hands up as if he were wading through waist deep water at all times. These subtle idiosyncrasies are not necessarily always noticed when there, but they are missed when they are not, so including them helps to keep these characters real and moving in your mind when you look at these static panels. I want to try to make it feel as much like you’re watching the show as possible.

CBT - This crossover has been the subject of countless fanboy discussions and fanfic stories. Did you feel pressure taking this job considering how invested those two sci-fi camps are in the respective shows, or was it more about being able to actually do it and have some fun with it?
J.K. Woodward -

Nervous? Well, yeah, sure at first. But then I realized, “Hey, I’m a fan of both, and I respect both properties as much as anyone. I’m the best man for the job.” After that I got to know the others involved and knew they were the same, and just enjoyed this opportunity. I take great care with the work I do on this job, but it is definitely a labor of love.

CBT - This series is all you from covers to interior art, so you’re the best person to ask. There was a little Easter Egg in Issue 1 with the Tom’s Bakery sign on 4^th street. Was that your doing and can we expect more of that for both the Who and Trek sides in the remaining issues?
J.K. Woodward -

That was my little contribution and there will be many more as we go on. I like to make these things a little more interactive. I sometimes wish every fan of the book could be in on it with me; that somehow they could just hang out in the studio with me and talk Trek and Who with me. I think by dropping in those Easter eggs, I achieve that on some level.
BTW, there were 2 more in that exact scene. I’ll give away 1 since I think it’s only legible on the original art. It may have printed too small, but in the panel where they walk into the bar, I put slightly altered episode names to reflect menu items on the specials chalkboard by the door. They include:  “A Good Quiche Goes To War”,  “The Impossible Hot Wings”, “The Rebel Wrap”, and “Day of the MoonPies”

CBT - The cover to Issue 3 is very interesting. You have Tom Baker, Captain Kirk, and Spock with some of the old style Cybermen. I’m sure you can’t really say much about it, but is that just a nice cover or should we expect a little more with those characters?
J.K. Woodward -

First, I just want to say that this cover is probably the most fun I’ve had since doing the Star Trek/Legion of SuperHeroes cover. Who would’ve ever dreamed that I would get paid to illustrate the TARDIS parked next to the Galileo?!?
Now as far as that issue goes, you’re right, I don’t want to give away too much…..Well, let me just say this; With the exception of the issue 1 cover which was designed before I saw a script, I have never illustrated a cover that did not reflect the story inside.

CBT - What issue are you working on now and can you tease anything coming up in the remaining 7 issues?
J.K. Woodward -

I’m just finishing up 4. I’ll probably be starting 5 when this interview is published. I can tell you that any and all setup ends early in issue 2 and its nonstop action from here on in with the Doctor and the TNG crew interacting together. These issues are everything I could have hoped for in this crossover!

CBT - This seems like it would be the ultimate dream job for many people, but do you have something else you’re dying to do?
J.K. Woodward -

There are lots of projects I’d like to do, projects I’ve created myself or in collaboration with others. This is something I’m exploring now. I can’t really reveal too much now, but I can say that one of them will debut in Mike Norton and Tim Seeley’s creation, Double Feature.
But working with other peoples properties? There are 2 that come to mind right away.

1. ElseWorld’s Finest: Batman Beyond and Space Ghost

2. The Imperial God: Star Wars/Star Trek

CBT - And finally, what’s next for you? Do you have anything in the works we should be looking out for?

J.K. Woodward -

Well hopefully another Fallen Angel mini series. I’ve been working with Peter David on Fallen Angel for more than 5 years. 3 years as an ongoing series and then 2 minis after that. In the last mini the city of Bete Noire (Bete Noire is to Fallen Angel as Gotham City is to Batman) was destroyed and more than half of the reoccurring characters were killed presumably.  A lot of fans(myself included) thought that was the end , but after speaking to Peter recently I learned differently. Its simply the beginning of a different story.

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A very special thanks to J.K. Woodward. All pictures are from his website, which you can check out by clicking here. You can look around and find out more about his work and how to purchase pages from this series and other original sketches. Star Trek TNG/Doctor Who Assimilation2 continues later this month with issue #3 of 8.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Exclusive: J.K. Woodward Talks Star Trek TNG/Doctor Who Assimilation2 And More

It’s almost that time of year again, The Doctor and crew are about to materialize into our living rooms this Autumn. The first official Doctor Who convention is well under way in Wales at the Millenium Center and we’ve gotten some new information and a look at the new series trailer.

The trailer takes us back to the old west where The Doctor, Amy, and Rory are in a bit of trouble with what appears to be a gun-slinging robot. If you notice, that is indeed Mark Williams. He is probably better known as Arthur Weasley.

Also, a few days ago we got word that The Doctor would be getting a new companion. If you follow the show at all this won’t be a surprise, but now we know who it is. Jenna-Louise Coleman will be joining The Doctor this Christmas and start her journey into the 50th Anniversary season in 2013. Show runner and head writer Steven Moffat teases her introduction- “Who she’s playing, how the Doctor meets her, and even where he finds her, are all part of one of the biggest mysteries the Time Lord ever encounters. Even by the Doctor’s standards, this isn’t your usual boy meets girl.”

As well as the trailer and new companion picture we have heard a few confirmed tidbits of information about the next series. If you like to go into it with no prior information this is your stop. There isn’t anything ground breaking being spoiled but there are a couple of pieces of info that would be surprising if you didn’t read it first. Last warning.

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You’re still here so that means you want to read it. Here it is:

•There will be five episodes and a Christmas special this year, eight episodes next year.
•There will absolutely definitely be Daleks somewhere in those first five episodes.
•Amy and Roy will last be seen in episode five.
•That episode also features The Weeping Angels. Moffat promises that not everybody will come out of the encounter alive – and he says that he means it this time. Which is pretty much him confessing that he’s a terrible liar.
•Jenna-Louise Coleman’s new companion will first appear in the next episode, which is the Christmas special.
•She hasn’t started filming yet. She did her audition with Matt Smith and apparently Moffat liked that she was higher energy and faster-talking than Smith is.
•There are lots of new monsters in the next series.
•Every episode in the new series stands alone but there is an arc, quietly, behind them all and the last episode will be made to feel “really special” by everything that’s gone before.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Doctor Who Series 7 Trailer And News Round-Up

The 8-issue crossover is called Star Trek:The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2. This is the fist time the two sci-fi juggernauts have officially crossed paths, and fans of both camps should be more than pleased. The story will be written by Scott and David Tipton (Star Trek comics) and Tony Lee (Doctor Who comics) and will feature full painted art by J.K. Woodward. There will, of course, be variant covers as well as a rare wraparound photo cover for the first issue.

Comicbookresources.com spoke with writers Scott and David Tipton about the upcoming 8-issue event. For the full interview you can click here. They were very vague, trying not to reveal too much about the highly anticipated event, but they did spill a few interesting tidbits. Below are just a few snippets of interest.

When asked how they decided to go with the Next Gen fleet as opposed to the classic, or J.J. Abrahams version:

It was mutually agreed by all concerned, including us, that the best fit for this particular story was Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D. I think “Next Generation” is tonally a better match for “Doctor Who” in a lot of ways. Plus, with the success of the “TNG” broadcasts on BBC America and the fact that this year is the 25th anniversary of “TNG,” the stars seemed to be in alignment. There was never any discussion of using the new re-imagined Kirk and Spock movie crew. Honestly, I think it’d be too soon. They deserve the opportunity to find their own identity.

The Assimilation2 should be read Assimilation Squared. Much to my, and probably most fans, pleasure, The Doctor and Data will have at least one scene of interaction. There will
probably be some cameos/Easter eggs but they have been very careful not to go overboard. And finally, and most importantly, if it is the hit it is surely going to be there will more than likely be some sort of follow-up in the near future.

I think this is lining up to be a great event and can’t wait to turn to the first page and see how the two worlds collide. It’s great to see Patrick Steward appearing in Doctor Who in some form as well.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Info And Art From IDW's Doctor Who/Star Trek Crossover Assimilation2