Doctor Who comic stories A variety of " Doctor Who " comic stories have appeared from 1964 to the present . The range of releases , since 1963 , reflects the range of stories told and makes " Doctor Who " the longest running comic strip based on a television series in the world . History . The 1960s . The first comics based on " Doctor Who " appeared in " TV Comic " and in " Doctor Who " annuals . " The Dalek Chronicles " , which did not feature the Doctor himself , appeared in " TV Century 21 " and others featuring the Dalek s appeared in the Dalek annual s . The 1970s . With the advent of the Third Doctor , the home of the " Doctor Who " comic strip changed from " TV Comic " to " Countdown " . After that publication failed some two years later , the strip returned to " TV Comic " , where it remained until Polystyle lost the license to Marvel UK . The Fourth Doctor was the final incarnation to debut in a Polystyle publication . While there were some Polystyle Fourth Doctor stories that were original , in fact the majority of Polystyle stories involving the Fourth Doctor were merely reprints of earlier Second and Third Doctor stories , with Tom Baker ' s likeness superimposed on top of the Doctor who had originally appeared in the adventure . This makes the placement of the very latest Polystyle adventures awkward for anyone who today wants to try to establish a chronology of the Polystyle events . In 1979 , with the publication of the first issue of " Doctor Who Weekly " , the Doctor ' s adventures passed into the hands of people more influenced by American comic books than British cartoon strips , and thus their style radically altered . By the end of the decade , the only venue left for cartoon — and occasionally even avant garde — strips were the pages of the various World Distributors annuals . The 1980s . The adventures of the Fourth , Fifth , Sixth and , finally , Seventh Doctor appeared in " Doctor Who Monthly " and " Doctor Who Magazine " ( " Doctor Who Weekly " under a different name ) . Comics also appeared in " " Doctor Who " annual " . The 1990s . The comics actually outlived the original series , which had ended in late 1989 . Comics in " Doctor Who Magazine " and " Doctor Who Yearbook " featured the adventures of past Doctors , and later the Eighth Doctor , who took over the main strip starting in 1996 . A short " Radio Times " feature in 1996 also featured the adventures of the Eighth Doctor . A new publication , " Doctor Who Classic Comics " reprinted older stories , mainly from the 1960s and 1970s in their original colour form . The 2000s . The adventures of the Eighth Doctor continued until 2005 with the debut of the first new " Doctor Who " season and the Ninth , then Tenth Doctor . New magazines " " and " Doctor Who Adventures " , as well as the " " Doctor Who " annual " and " Doctor Who Storybook " featured new stories , the former of which continue to do this day . Meanwhile , Panini began the publication of a series of graphic novels re - printing older , and the more recent stories from the pages of " Doctor Who Magazine " . In 2007 the American company IDW was the first American comic - book publisher to produce original Doctor Who comic books in the US , starting in early 2008 with the release of " Doctor Who : Agent Provocateur " . The adventures of the Tenth Doctor ran as regular releases ( with variant editions ) , alongside mini - series releases including an anniversary mini - series featuring each of the former Doctors as well as collected volumes and annuals . The 2010s . IDW continued into the 2010s with the Eleventh Doctor comics that also ran as regular releases ( with variant editions ) , alongside mini - series releases including an anniversary mini - series featuring each of the former Doctors as well as collected volumes and annuals . The license ran to the close of 2013 culminating in the 50th anniversary . Additionally , IDW brought forth the first - ever " Doctor Who " crossover in any medium , the 2012 Star Trek : The Next Generation / Doctor Who event series " Assimilation² " . In 2014 , Titan Publishing Group took over the US license . They released new comic series featuring the , and Doctors . The War Doctor was also featured in the second year of Doctor Who : The Eleventh Doctor , as well a miscellaneous other comic stories . These were later compiled into a UK edition called Doctor Who Comic . They also published mini - series featuring the and , the latter later extended to an ongoing series . Following the success of these four series , new series featuring the and Doctors were published . In 2016 , Titan started a tie - in mini - series for the 2016 TV Christmas special . Comic strips also continued to feature in Doctor Who Magazine and Doctor Who Adventures . Original companions . The comics have introduced a number of new companion s , notably including John and Gillian , Sharon Davies , Frobisher , Abslom Daak , Izzy Sinclair , Destrii , Majenta Pryce , Heather McCrimmon , Gabby Gonzalez and Alice Obiefune . Other information . Promotional mini - comics have been given away free with multi - packs of crisps and snacks . A newspaper strip was considered during the early 1990s ( and sample work done ) for a run in a national newspaper . Other comics have appeared various other merchandising ( like collectible cards in ice lollies , and as slide shows for projectors and viewmasters .