Pop Culture Safari!

Pop links: Vintage spookiness from Lee and Sinnott, Stan reads Poe, "Dark Knight" ideas lifted from Englehart?

Read "The Witch in the Woods" by Stan Lee and Joe Sinnott.

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More Stan Lee: Here he is reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven." I'm not sure why.

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From 20th Century Danny Boy: Comic writer Steve Englehart makes a compelling argument that "The Dark Knight" movie lifted many ideas from the "Dark Detective" mini series he created with the late artist Marshall Rodgers, including the deep-sixed by DC Comics script for "Dark Detective III."

War of the Worlds is 70

Orson Welles' notorious radio production of H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds" was broadcast 70 years ago today, scaring the beejeezus about of all sorts of people, who though Martians were really invading Earth. If you've never heard it, you should. It's lasting testament to the combined power of radio and the human imagination. TV and movies have just never been able to top the images our minds can come up with when provided with the right words and sound effects.

You can download MP3s of the broadcast all over the Web. Or listen here.

Doctor Who to regenerate

So, it looks like David Tennant, one of the all-time best Doctor Who leads if you ask me, is handing over the keys to the TARDIS during the show's next season. I hate to see him go. He was one of my faves, right up there with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.

But, with the show back and more popular the ever, finding an apt replacement shouldn't be too hard. Naturally fans are already coming up with lists of actors they'd like to see play the role. And the UK's Guardian has come up with a pretty good list here, including Bill Nighy and Stephen Fry, either of whom would be great, and a couple of women: Joanna Lumley and Alex Kingston.

I'd love it if they brought back Baker. Why couldn't the Doctor regenerate as one of his old(er) selves? It'd be great!

Halloween Pop! The Mummy movie poster

Best History of Comic Book Sites on the Web

The Grand Comic Book Database
An ambitious and glorious attempt to catalog every comic book in existence. Pay a visit and do searches by character, writer, publisher, artist. View story titles and view comics covers. The best, and most important, comics site on the Web.

Don Markstein's Toonopedia
A huge site featuring information on hundreds of different comics characters from throughout the history of publishing, plus info on various creators and publishing companies.

Comics Research.org
A resource site for people who have a scholarly interest in comic books (don't we all?), featuring detailed bibliographies on books about comics history, creators, characters and more. Very interesting and well done.

Michigan State University: Comic Art Collection Home Page
Regarded as the best library collection of comic books and related materials in the United States, the MSU site allows you to browse through an electronic catalog of its holidings. A great way to find titles of books written about the history of comics, particular creators and companies. This is the place to start if you're writing a paper or book related to comic book history.

Classic Comic Books
A thoroughly researched and very detailed guide to some of the most important characters and series of the Golden and Silver Ages of comics.

Super Marketing: Ads from the Comic Books
Ever order a batch of Sea Monkeys and wonder where their clothes and tiny crowns and tridents were?

The Gorilla Age of Comics
Sure, you've heard about the Golden Age, the Silver Age, maybe even the Bronze Age of comics. But people went, um, ape over gorillas in 1950s and 60s sci-fi comics. Learn all about it here.

Crime Comic Books of the 40s and 50s
Info about and cover scans of these hardboiled comics of the past.

Super Hero Foods
A humorous look at all the ways buff superheroes have been used over the years to sell junk food. Includes videos and pics of vintage ads.

Best Books About the History of Comic Books

Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book

Give Our Regards to the Atomsmashers! Writings about Comics

Baby Boomer Comics

The Silver Age of Comic Book Art

Sense of Wonder: A Life in Comic Fandom

The Golden Age of Comic Fandom

The Steranko History of Comic Books

All in Color for a Dime

Alter Ego: The Best of the Legendary Fanzine

Commies, Cowboys, and Jungle Queens: Comic Books and America, 1945-1954

Comic Book Nation : The Transformation of Youth Culture in America

The Fawcett Companion

The Warren Companion

The Comic Book Makers

Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code

Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades

The Comic Book Book

DC: Sixty Years of the World's Greatest Comics

The Photo Journal Guide to Comic Books

Comic Wars: How Two Tycoons Battled over the Marvel Comics Empire--And Both Lost

The Classic Era of American Comics

Best Disney Sites on the Web

Disney: Official Site
Information about everything Disney related: Theme parks, movies, TV shows, shopping, etc.

The Disneyland Collectibles Reference
Pictures and details on more than 1,000 items related to Disney's original theme park.

Disney Information Guide
An informal, unbiased guide to visiting Disneyland. Up to date info on how to get the most out of your trip. Plus Disneyland related rumors and gossip.

A Visit to Yesterdayland: The Discontinued Disneyland
A nostalgic look at park attractions of the past.

Disneyland Postcards
A huge selection of vintage postcards chart the ever-changing look of the original magic kingdom.

Disney Comics Mailing List
No-graphics site for the mailing list. Includes historial information on Disney characters in the comics and links to more information.

Buy Carl Barks Disney Comics: Gemstone Back Issues
You can get back issues of Gemstone's revived Disney Comics line from Amazon.

Jacob's Disney Comics Web Site
Featuring info and art by Donald Duck artist Carl Barks and Mickey Mouse artist Floyd Gottfredson.

A Guidebook to the Carl Barks Universe
Dedicated to the famed Duck artist. Include artwork, information and a bibliography.

Grimble Gromble's Carl Barks Page
More art samples, including some rare material.