Doctor Who Ongoing

Doctor Who Ongoing, Doctor Who: Ongoing, Doctor Who: The Ongoing Series and simply Ongoing are all names the American publisher IDW Publishing have used to market what is most properly called Doctor Who (2009) — a monthly comic book launched in July 2009.

Its notability derives from the fact that it is the first truly ongoing, original Doctor Who comic book series printed in the United States — and, indeed, the world. It began with a run of several stories featuring the Tenth Doctor set somewhere after Planet of the Dead, and will continue, in 2011, with stories starring the Eleventh Doctor.

Ongoing and original
The series' main claim to fame is the fact that it is both ongoing and original. Whilst Marvel's 1984 Doctor Who, Doctor Who Classic Comics, and IDW's own Doctor Who Classics were all ongoing, they all reprinted previously-published material. And though IDW's Doctor Who (2008) had in fact begun as the ongoing title Doctor Who (2008), this plan was scrapped in favor of releasing a "series of miniseries", forcing that title to become retroactively known as Agent Provocateur. Doctor Who (2009), by contrast, both publishes original material, and has, as of March 2010 already published three distinct stories. Moreover, the title offers a largely inter-connected narrative with occasional stand-alone stories, in a practice common to both  21st century US comics and the BBC Wales version of the parent programme.

The name
The cover and indicia titles are simply Doctor Who. This name is again confirmed on the publisher's page of issue #1, where readers are welcomed to "the first issue of Doctor Who". According to the strict conventions of US comic enthusiasts, this means that its technical title is Doctor Who (2009), to distinguish it from Doctor Who (2008) and Doctor Who (1984). However, it is solicited to comic shops and marketed on the IDW website as Doctor Who Ongoing for easier identification. Nevertheless, except for this title, all of IDW's other Doctor Who content — save for the brief 2007 flirtation — has been published under indicia titles which include the story title. For example, The Time Machination is legally known as Doctor Who: The Time Machination. This is the only periodical, as of 2009, to be legally known as simply Doctor Who in the United States.

Content overview
Whereas previous original IDW releases have been mini-series or standalone one-shots such as The Time Machination, Doctor Who Ongoing, as the title suggests, is intended to be a true monthly series, in keeping with 21st century American comic book conventions. Initially written by Tony Lee, IDW announced in February 2009] that it was planning the series to run for at least 18 issues. The company re-iterated this commitment at the New York Comic Con and in the publisher's page of issue #1. On both occasions, they claimed that the 18th issue, scheduled for publication in December 2010, will feature the start of original comic book adventures featuring the Eleventh Doctor.

However, in February 2010 IDW modified its schedule slightly, with the Tenth Doctor's adventures now scheduled to end with issue #16, scheduled for publication in December 2010, with the Eleventh Doctor storylines beginning in 2011.

Initially, then, the series is focusing on the adventures of the Tenth Doctor, pairing him with both new characters created for the comic book and occasional returning companions. Beginning with issue #6 (published in mid-December 2009), the Doctor began travelling with two companions created for the comic book, Matthew Finnegan and Emily Winter. Newly-married Martha Smith-Jones appeared in a story begun at the end of issue #8, and will likely remain in the book until at least issue #10.

At least the first ten issues form a coherent narrative arc made of four stories, all of which happen consecutively to the Doctor. Judging by author Tony Lee's hints in issue #1, the general plan is for the first sixteen issues to be mostly interconnected, although he has hinted elsewhere that at least one of the stories may be somewhat less "connected".

In a Newsarama interview, Tony Lee said, "We do have stand alone stories set on colony worlds, Lovecraftian horrors in Oxford, UNIT in modern day Greenwich, and a two parter set in the TARDIS." In order, these last three descriptions referred to what became Final Sacrifice, Don't Step on the Grass and Tesseract.

According to an old tradition in the American comic book industry, IDW also plan to offer annuals under the title, starting in 2010. These annuals will have higher page counts than monthly issues, and contain multiple original short stories. They should not be confused with British annuals more commonly associated with Doctor Who.

Setting for the Tenth Doctor
Exact placement for the Tenth Doctor stories is slightly vague. Author Tony Lee wrote in a publisher's column: "When is this set? Whenever you want. That's the joy of time travel.  For me, though, it's set during the year of the specials.  Maybe after Planet of the Dead, perhaps after The Waters of Mars.  Either way, the clock's ticking for the Tenth Doctor.  Tick tock, tick tock‚ and soon that door will knock four times"

- Tony Lee

Lee has given subsequent opinions that seem to shunt the stories after The Waters of Mars. In an interview with Comic Book Resources, he said that the Tenth Doctor's adventures in the ongoing are most likely set directly before The End of Time. Lee confirmed that this is where he personally sets them in his Newsarama interview. This view is supported by the Doctor's first scene in The End of Time, which revealed that following The Waters of Mars, the Doctor had many adventures.

As of issue #8, however, the books themselves do not particularly avail themselves of so precise a placement. Dialogue throughout the series confirms that the stories firmly take place after the "he will knock four times" prophecy first heard in Planet of the Dead. But the stories are vague enough through Tesseract to allow for readers to believe they are set either before or after The Waters of Mars.

Availability outside the US
It has not yet been announced whether Doctor Who Ongoing will be available outside of North America in issue form, however graphic novel omnibuses have been announced for UK publication in 2010.

Tenth Doctor

 * 1) Silver Scream (2 parts)
 * 2) Fugitive (4 parts)
 * 3) Tesseract (2 parts)
 * 4) Don't Step on the Grass (4 parts)
 * 5) Final Sacrifice (4 parts)