Art-Amundo

Sensational Slipcovers - by Andrew Ellard

3 December, 2004

If a picture paints a thousand words... why am I blathering on? Just take a look at the Series VI cover art while I drink my tea.

All done? Good. Obviously the cowboy theme established by Chris Veale's excellent Last Chance Saloon background has been adopted for the Rimmer and Lister shots that adorn the front cover. Lister is also, at last, represented on the spine - put all six spines so-far together and you'll have the full main-character compliment to date.

So, the big question - just who will be pictured on the Series VII and VIII DVD spines? Well, the former should be pretty obvious, as we're only one major crew-member shy of the complete collection, and she only joined the show in VII. As to the latter.. well, for now that's going to be our secret.

The cover blurb, for those who enjoy these things, reads:

Red Dwarf is lost and Lister can't remember where he parked it. Chasing their mother ship leads the crew through simulant hunting zones, hostile GELF space and a Wild West reality.

Once again there will be a 12-page booklet accompanying the release (possibly on the banjo). As you'd expect, it will include behind-the-scenes information that has gone uncovered in the main documentary, plus all the usual geeky stuff that's worth watching out for. The introduction page will also feature a Dwarfian limerick by fan commentator and WebBoard poet in residence Steve 'Captain Darling' Harris.

Oh, and a quick final point - Series VI's official release date has been set for February 21st. Make a note now, you will be tested later.

In the USA the DVD cover art has been adjusted to be more character-centric, marketing the show clearly as a comedy series to as-yet-uninitiated Yanks. And once again reddwarf.co.uk can bring you a first look at these designs. Hang on, I'll just grab my tea.

Aside from the larger Rimmer and Lister images, and their placement, the only significant change to Series V's design is the inclusion of Holly on the spine rather than the UK's Cat. For anyone paying attention this evens things up with the Series III spine, which showed the Cat in the US but Holly in the UK. As for Series VI, the biggest change is the with the Lister shots - for layout reasons the American cover has switched the spine and cover Lister shots.

There's also the small matter of the free collectors' cards - a bonus extra with the US discs that no other territory will replicate. Once again, each series comes complete with four character shots from the show. But here's a picture, just in case you live in Bridlington rather than Boston, or can't wait for the American release date of March 15th, 2005.

In other Stateside news, our American distributors have elected not to release Just the Shows in Region 1 - so here's hoping you all have mutli-region players. Finally, Australian fans please take heed that Series V is out now in Region 4. Are you still sitting there? What are you waiting for?!

More DVD Details will follow soon...

The upcoming Red Dwarf DVD releases are as follows:

Region	Location	Series	Date
2	Europe	Just the Shows 1	OUT NOW
2	Europe	V	OUT NOW
2	Europe	VI	Feb 21, 2005
4	Australasia	Just the Shows 1	OUT NOW
4	Australasia	V	OUT NOW
4	Australasia	VI	Feb/Mar 2005
1	USA & Canada	V & VI	Mar 15, 2005