Doctor Who and Networking: Who's There!

Designer Tara Reich as Idris from "The Doctor's Wife"

I, of course, had had nothing to do with Brian's accomplishment. In one of my triumphs of networking, I had hit Westfield Comics' branch on the west side of Madison (check out Manager Bob Moreau's blog) on Free Comic Book Day in May - which turned out to be where Brian had set up his TARDIS. (Many were the fans who took photos that day, often posing next to or coming out of the Doctor's time machine.) Conversation ensued, I took my own photos, and we stayed in touch. Which is what networking is all about, come to think of it. Brian kindly invited me to join in the fun of the premiere event, and it was a delightful mix of longtime fans and, yes, people who were seeing the show for the first time. (I can't quite imagine what the latter group must have made of it; from time to time throughout the party that followed, I'd find myself encountering one or another fan trying to summarize briefly the history of a series that began in 1963. Best advice I could come up with: Start with the first season of the show's restart in 2005. Thank you, BBC America and DVDs!) And the networking went on, including meeting a designer whose eye-catching re-creation of a costume in one of the season's best episodes is only one of her accomplishments. (She showed me photos of some of her other Doctor Who-based outfits, many inspired by the show but not copied from it: wonderful!)

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Even the TARDIS Came to Free Comic Book Day!

TARDIS, Brian Bull

As always seems to happen in the fun that fills Free Comic Book Day, I came away with notes and photos and comics and books too numerous to deal with quickly. In fact, my current goal is to limit myself to one or two comments per day over the next few days, if only to get myself back to some sort of schedule on this blog! But the most time-sensitive note would seem to be that concerning "Wisconsin's ice-fishing TARDIS entry" in the "Where's the TARDIS?" contest. Though a conversation with the TARDIS' host, Brian Bull, elicited the information that he works for Wisconsin Public Radio, I confess that the name hadn't clicked as one I should recognize until just now - "Oh, wait! That Brian Bull? The one whose reports I hear on WPR?" Well, yes. That's just how full my brain was by that point May 7. (You know how it is: You connect a person with their surroundings, and this guy was most clearly identified with a blue Police Box and ... Never mind.) This TARDIS had landed in front of the East Side branch of Westfield Comics just in time for Free Comic Book Day - and many people were taking the opportunity of being photographed emerging from it.

The point is that Brian was in the midst of a campaign that ends soon! So do not delay: Go here and click "Like." I gather that's all it takes. (I don't understand the ins and outs of all this, I confess. But time is of the essence; I do know that.) After that, you can follow his links to see photos of the work it took for him to put together his special entry. And, hey, can you go ice-fishing out of the bottom of The Doctor's TARDIS? That's something we haven't seen - but the season isn't over yet.

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