Review Fix Exclusive: Richard Dinnick Talks ’Lost in Space: Countdown to Danger’ And More

Review Fix chats with comic book writer Richard Dinnick, to find out all about the nifty new “Lost in Space” comic book. Inspired by the classic ‘50s sci-fi romp, Dinnick lets us know what makes it a cool addition to the series lore.

About Richard Dinnick:

Richard Dinnick is a writer of television scripts, books and comics. He is the creator of new crime drama, Surface Tension for Chrysalis Vision and of Legendary Comics’ Rob (a new twist on the Robin Hood mythos). He has written on several television shows, including the forthcoming final series of “Thunderbirds Are Go!” for ITV and Amazon Studios. He is writing the tie-in comic for Netflix’s hit show “Lost in Space”—also for Legendary Comics—and has several Titan Comics’ Doctor Who series under his belt for the 7^th, 12^th and 13^thDoctors. Richard has also written several books for BBC Books includingDoctor Who: Underwater War, Doctor Who: Myths & Legends and Doctor Who: The Missy Chronicles.

About Lost in Space: Countdown to Danger: 

Thirty years in the future, en route to a distant colony, the Robinson family finds itself thrown off-course when their ship crash-lands on a mysterious and dangerous planet. On this strange new world, they encounter a hostile environment and an enigmatic alien robot. In order to survive, the Robinson family must rely on their training, and they’ll discover that no matter how lost they are, their family is their home. The new graphic series offers readers the chance to explore new missions, not aired on television, as our heroes struggle to survive in an unknown world full of new creatures, unexpected visitors, and new danger.

Review Fix: What inspired this comic?

Richard Dinnick: The short answer is the amazing TV show! Robert Napton at Legendary approached me about writing the comic and I jumped at the chance. I loved the original show and I was fascinated to see how the reboot would work. When I read the scripts, I was blown away and I wanted to do my utmost to live up to the quality of the script writing.

Review Fix: How is it different from your previous work?

Dinnick: I have worked more in TV and books than in comics so it is different to my usual gig. That said, I have been working on Doctor Who tie-in comics for Titan since early 2017, so I guess that’s similar because you’re not creating your own characters; you’ve got ones that already exist to play with. But this did feel different because I think the show has more mature themes to it and the characters are very human ones. With my own creation for comics, Rob (a fresh twist on the Robin Hood mythos), the characters are very human with no special powers. So, a few similarities and a few differences.

Review Fix: What makes this comic special?

Dinnick: I totally loved working on the comics because the characters are so well written on TV and brought to life with such sympathy and realism by the brilliant cast. Having Kevin Burns (the executive producer) overseeing my work, making fantastic suggestions and then liking my work has been a true honor. The whole team I’ve worked with has been amazing and it’s been a really lovely experience.

Review Fix: What was it like to work with Zid?

Dinnick: Astounding. He’s so incredibly talented. His work is so life-like. Honestly, if I hadn’t written the scripts, I’d think that he was drawing the art from stills from an unaired episode of the show. But as the episode doesn’t exist, you have to marvel at his skill. An incredible talent. 

Review Fix: How has your previous work prepared you for this?

Dinnick: I love working in SF, in TV and in comics – so this is the perfect blend. I think my Doctor Who work has served me well and my own IP – the aforementioned Rob and my new crime TV drama, Surface Tension– have given me a great understanding of character and what makes for an impactful story.

Review Fix: What creators do you think have influenced you the most?

Dinnick:I loved Stan Lee and felt his loss very acutely. I always try to add his sense of warm and humor to any comic script I write. He realized that the person behind the mask was infinitely more interesting than the superhero wearing it. The mask just gives you another “in” because at the end of the day, we all wear masks of one sort or another. I’m also a big fan of Mark Millar: his ability to push boundaries and challenge preconceptions of comic book stories is something I’d like to emulate. 

Review Fix: How do you want this series to be remembered?

Dinnick: As being the natural partner to the TV show because if people think of Lost in Space the comic as highly as they do Lost in Space the TV show, then I will be very, very happy.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Dinnick: There are three more volumes of Lost In Space to come and we have some truly amazing things coming up.  Can’t say anything about the contents but I think fans of the show will be blown away and very happy.

For me, I have some Doctor Who projects on the go and my own Rob is coming soon from Legendary Entertainment and a couple of TV ideas are going out to broadcasters in the New Year. So fingers crossed. And my latest TV work will be shown in 2019 – an episode of Thunderbirds Are Go. 

And I’d love to write an actual episode of Lost In Space… 

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Dinnick: Just to reiterate what an honor it’s been to work with Robert and Kevin on Lost in Space â€“ to meet the cast and have them say nice things and for some of them to even follow me on Twitter. Thank you to the entire team at Legendary and on the TV show. You rock.