Monster Invasion Magazines

The Anatomy of a Monster Invasion Magazine

Every standard issue of Doctor Who: Monster Invasion spanned exactly 24 pages. Each fortnightly issue came cover-mounted with a standard booster pack of trading cards (which could also be purchased as standalone loose packs at newsagent counters).

The editorial blueprint for the magazine focused on high-energy, visual features targeted at the next generation of young Whoniverse fans:

Card Collecting & Digital Integration

• Card Collection & Gameplay Strategy: In-depth feature sheets breaking down specific card abilities, deck-building advice, and how to effectively deploy newly released monster stats during real-world tabletop matches.

• Website Connection Hub: A dedicated instructional column guiding readers on how to utilize the special matrix codes packed inside the magazine. These guides showed players how to unlock hidden web-game zones and use a web camera to bring the rare holographic 3D Augmented Reality cards to life on screen.

• Alien Slamdown: A massive, head-to-head comparison feature that pitted iconic monsters, companions, and Time Lords directly against each other in a stat-versus-stat breakdown to analyse who would survive a clash in the arena.

Lore Guides & Character Files

• All-Time Top Ten: A fast-paced, countdown feature ranking the coolest, scariest, or oddest moments, monsters, and characters across space and time.

• Gadget's Gadgets: An inventive technical showcase breaking down the most advanced, powerful, or bizarre technology in the cosmos—from the Sonic Screwdriver to specialized alien weapons and spaceships.

• The A–Z of Aliens: An alphabetical encyclopaedia segment that systematically cataloged the lore, home planets, and weaknesses of every creature in the Doctor Who universe, acting as a handy cross-reference guide for the card collection.

• Episode Guides: Visual recaps and storyline breakdowns tracking the Matt Smith era television adventures, spotlighting key scenes that inspired the mechanics of the card game.

Puzzles & Interactive Activities

• Where's the Doctor?: A highly detailed, double-page search-and-find illustration column tasking readers with hunting down the Eleventh Doctor hidden amidst chaotic alien landscapes and crowded galactic battlegrounds.

• Doctor Who Puzzles: A packed activity section featuring time-themed crosswords, word searches, logical brain-teasers, and code-cracking puzzles.

Print Run History & Longevity

Compared to the massive three-year lifespan of Battles in Time, the Monster Invasion publication timeline was much more compact. The total print history of the franchise is broken down into two distinct phases:

• The Regional Test Run: Exactly 6 pilot issues were printed and distributed during the initial 2010 South West trial run to gauge regional audience engagement.

• The National Main Set: Once greenlit for the entire UK market in 2011 through to 2012, the magazine ran for a completed total of 52 standard issues before the series officially concluded.