Doctor Who Comic Writer Who Inspired New Episode Got No Comics Royalties
The new episode of Doctor Who is inspired by a comic book which unfortunately did not offer the creator any royalties.
Warning: Spoilers for Doctor Who’s “The Star Beast” (the comic and the episode)!
The latest episode of Doctor Who is inspired by a comic strip, one that one of the original writers recalls never received royalties from the comic book publisher. “The Star Beast” marks the first official story episode for David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor, as well as the televised canonization of Beep the Meep, who originally made its first appearance in “Doctor Who and the Star Beast,” a 1980 comic strip.
One of the writers of that comic strip, Pat Mills, wrote about not receiving royalties from the publishers of the aforementioned Doctor Who comic strip in a post on X. Not only did he not receive royalties for the original comic strip, but Mills would later go on to confirm that he did not receive royalties from the reissue that those same publishers, Panini, would release years after the fact.
I've nothing but praise for the BBC, Bad Wolf, Russell, David Tennant and the production crew on Star Beast. They were all brilliant. But the original comic publishers –no surprise– don't come out of it so well. I didn’t get a bean in comic royalties. https://t.co/efXf6RgzzR
— Pat Mills (@PatMillsComics) November 26, 2023
Mills’ situation is tragic, and unfortunately, not unique, as this is yet another reminder of the level of disrespect that writers within the comic book industry have dealt with, and for some, continue to deal with.
Pat Mills Was Not Paid Royalties for Writing Doctor Who Comic
Does that include the Panini reissue pic.twitter.com/o2bJq5oCcN
— Jason Fleegle (@FleegleJason) November 27, 2023
“Doctor Who and the Star Beast” was written by Pat Mills and John Wagner, with art from Dave Gibbons and editing from Dez Skinn and Paul Neary. Very similar to the Fourteenth Doctor’s “The Star Beast” episode, this comic strip follows the Fourth Doctor meeting Beep the Meep, a cute and cuddly creature being chased by the Wrarth Warriors. Readers eventually learn that the furry Beep isn’t as cuddly as it originally appears, as it reveals the aggressive, violent nature it has been harboring all along as a secret antagonist.
The TV episode loosely adapting the story put a new spotlight on the original comic, giving Pat Mills the opportunity to speak about his disappointment with the publisher he worked with. “I’ve nothing but praise for the BBC, Bad Wolf, Russell, David Tennant and the production crew on Star Beast,” Mills ensures to clarify. “But the original comic publishers – no surprise – don’t come out of it so well.” On the matter of the Panini re-release, Mills had no idea such a reissue existed, as they didn’t so much as send him a copy, let alone royalties.
“Typical Comic Publishers,” Says Doctor Who Writer
What may be most telling about Mills’ words is that he says not receiving royalties from Panini makes them “come out of it as just typical comic publishers.” That may be the most bittersweet element of it all, the fact that this isn’t an isolated incident or a unique situation, but instead an all-too-common occurrence within the comic book industry. The creator of Fables was recently vocal about accusing DC of both under-reporting and being late to report royalties, while Alan Moore’s famous disputes with DC over royalties has led to fans calling him “inexplicably angry” with the industry. The new Doctor Who episode has merely provided another story exposing an ever-growing problem with the comics industry.
