Comic book cover conventions: World of trouble

Best Comics News and Review Sites on the Web

Newsarama
Good site for the latest news from the major comics' publishers. Also see: The Comics Continuum.

The Comics Journal
Online home for the influential critical journal. Gives a peek into the latest print issues, plus occasional full articles and "audio archives" featuring interviews with top writers and artists. They have a great message board too.

Comic Book Resources
One of the more extensive comics news sites on the Web. Includes the excellent and very funny column Oddball Comics, which features unintentionally hilarious art from comics of the past, and a groovy section featuring sound files of superhero cartoon shows. "Spider-man, Spider-man, does what ever a spider can..."

Superhero Hype
This site does a nice job of tracking all the buzz about the increasingly popular superhero movie genre.

Comics Worth Reading
One fan's thoughtful commentary on the latest comics from major and independent publishers alike.

Comic Monsters
Dedicated to horror and monster comics of all stripes (and even those without stripes).

Beach Boys and Brian Wilson - Best Sites on the Web

rec.music.artists.beach-boys
A Usenet forum dedicated to Brian and the Beach Boys.

Brian Wilson.Com
The Beach Boy leader's official site, including news, store and message board.

Beach Boys CDs

Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A.

Surfer Girl/Shut Down, Vol. 2

Little Deuce Coupe/ All Summer Long

Today/ Summer Days

Pet Sounds

Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary CD+DVD

The Pet Sounds Sessions Box Set

The Beach Boys in Concert

Smiley Smile/Wild Honey

Friends/20/20

Sunflower/Surf's Up

Carl & The Passions - So Tough / Holland

15 Big Ones/Love You

M.I.U. Album/L.A.

Keepin' The Summer Alive / The Beach Boys

Good Vibrations Box Set

Christmas With the Beach Boys

Brian Wilson CDs

Brian Wilson

I Just Wasn't Made for These Times

Live at the Roxy Theater

Imagination

Orange Crate Art w/Van Dyke Parks

Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live

Gettin' in Over My Head

SMiLE

What I Really Want for Christmas

Pet Projects (songs produced by Brian Wilson)

Beach Boys DVDs

The Beach Boys - Endless Harmony

The Beach Boys - The Lost Concert

Beach Boys An American Band

Brian Wilson - I Just Wasn't Made for These Times

Brian Wilson presents SMiLE

Best Toy Car Sites on the Web

Corgi: Official Site
Order online, information about collecting, news, latest series (which they call "ranges"). Also see: Vintage Corgi/Dinky Toy Catalogues for tons of drool-inducing photos.

Hot Wheels: Official site
Information on the latest cars and paraphernalia, collectors club info.

Matchbox Toys: Official Site
Info and pictures of the latest releases, history of Matchbox cars.

Shabbir Malik's Matchbox Page
A wealth of information on the history of Matchbox cars with a guide to reference books/price guides and useful links.

Best Beatles Sites on the Web

What Goes On: Beatles News
Good site for the latest news, TV and magazine alerts, updates on releases, etc.

rec.music.beatles.moderated
Intelligent discussion among knowledgeable fans.

Beatles Ultimate Experience: Press clippings
A collection of clippings/interviews from the 1960s.

What's Goes On: The Beatles Anomalies List
An in-depth guide to sonic oddities--glitches, mistakes, rough edits, etc.--in the Beatles' recordings. Does somebody really say "Hit me with a pizza" in the background of "Across the Universe"?

The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations
A look at how the mono/stereo, American/British versions of the Beatles' official release vary in sound.

Beatles at the Bootleg Zone
Excellent database providing information on unofficial Fabs' releases.

Beatle Money
Facts about the Beatles' ill-fated business/record company, Apple Corps.

John Lennon FBI Files
Author John Weiner presents information culled from the FBI's 1960s and 70s surveillance files on the late Beatle.

Paul McCartney: Official site
The latest news, a bio, discography and more.

The Get Back Sessions
A handy site for tracking down the best bootlegs from the 1969 sessions that led to the Let it Be album.

Beatles CD discography

Please Please Me

With the Beatles

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles for Sale

Help!

Rubber Soul

Revolver

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Magical Mystery Tour

Yellow Submarine

The Beatles ("The White Album")

Let It Be

Abbey Road

Past Masters, Vol. 1

Past Masters, Vol. 2

Live at the BBC

Anthology 1

Anthology 2

Anthology 3

The Beatles 1

Let It Be... Naked

The Capitol Albums Vol. 1

The Capitol Albums Vol. 2

Love

Beatles DVDs













Recommended Books about the Beatles

Best Movie Serial Sites on the Web

Flash Gordon
Great historical resource on the 30s and 40s movie serials based on Alex Raymond's famed comic strip.

The Serial Squadron
Extensive site with info on movie serials and radio series, including info on different characters, news about what's newly available on DVD and much more.

The Prisoner TV series Best Sites on the Web

The Prisoner: Information, Rarities, Photos and More
Great resource for fans of the classic Patrick McGoohan series. Includes an episode guide, reviews and information on Prisoner DVDs. Includes photos of Portmeiron, the unusual Welsh location that served as the Prisoner's bizarre Village.

The Prisoner Appreciation Society
Headquarters for the British-based Prisoner fan club, which holds regular conventions and publishes a magazine. The site includes historical information about the series and news updates.

alt.tv.prisoner
Usenet home for fans who want to discuss the series.

Best Old Time Radio Sites on the Web

Old-time Radio Logs
A huge list of logs recording the episodes and airdates for classic radio programs. A wonderful resource for collectors of old broadcasts.

The OTR Plot Spot
Offering concise, non-spoiler descriptions of individual episodes of famed old-time radio series.

alt.radio.oldtime
Usenet group for fans of OTR.

Best DC Comics Sites on the Web

DC Comics: official site
Online home to the publishers of Superman, Batman and many more. Includes news about upcoming comics, animated online comics, info about characters and more.

DC History
A very nice collection of timelines that detail the real-life publishing history of DC Comics from the beginning.

Toy Otter
Offering a wealth of information about DC Comics action figure lines from various manufacturers. Lots of pictures.
Also see: The Complete Guide to Batman-related Toys.

Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics
A huge site dedicated to DC history, including indexes of comics titles and an enormous cover scan gallery.

Infinite Atlas
A detailed guide to the pre- and post-Crisis on Infinite Earths' DC Universe. You know, Earths 1-3, etc. The page details significant happenings and mentions of all these worlds in DC's comics throughout history.

DC Comics Fortress of Memorabilia
Our own extensive image collection of off-beat and classic DC Comics-related memorabilia.

The World's Finest
A nice site dedicated to the Warner Bros. cartoon versions of Batman, Superman and the Justice Leage, featuring news, program schedules and episode guides for "Batman: The Animated Series," "Superman: The Animated Series," "Batman Beyond" and "Justice League."

Debut date set for Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

The new show by "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon is set to debut Feb. 13 on Fox. It'll air at 9 p.m. following the network's "Terminator" spinoff, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles." Not the greatest time slot, as The Hollywood Reporter notes.

The "Dollhouse" shift to Friday is certain to provoke a despondent cry from Whedon fans, especially after having watched "Firefly" wither away on the same night. Fox could have given the series a premiere behind "Idol" before shifting it to Fridays -- something the network has done a few times to boost sampling of new shows. And if that weren't unlucky enough, "Dollhouse" premieres on Friday the 13th.

Pop links: Super trial, comic book library, new DC figures, Doctor Who ABC's, Ditkomania

A January 2009 trial date has been set in the case between the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel and DC Comics over rights to the character.

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Take a peek at the Michagan State University's comic book collection.

With about 240,000 comics and books about comics, the collection is larger than that of the Library of Congress.

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Here's a look at some cool upcoming figures in Mattel's DC Classics line. Doctor Fate rules.



See DC Universe Classics action figures at Amazon.

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Let's review the ABC's of Doctor Who.



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See an awesome array of Steve Ditko art, in honor of the artist's recent 80th birthday.

New comics

Here's what looks good to me this week. Click the links to order from Amazon and support this site!

DIANA PRINCE WONDER WOMAN VOL 03

NEW TEEN TITANS ARCHIVES VOL. 4

SHOWCASE PRESENTS WONDER WOMAN VOL. 2

ESSENTIAL HULK VOL. 5

TOMB OF DRACULA OMNIBUS VOL. 1

ASTERIX OMNIBUS VOL. 10

DISNEYS DUCKTALES GOLD ODYSSEY

TINTIN HARDCOVER BOXED SET

UNCLE SCROOGE #381

WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES #696

WILL EISNER READER

New trailer for Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse"

This just turned up...

Kinks reunion in the works?

Ray Davies is working on new tunes for a possible Kinks reunion album, the BBC reports.

"It depends if there's good music. We want good new music. I'd like to do it as a more collaborative thing than we used to do."

In September, Davies said any reunion would also depend on the health of bandmate and brother Dave, who suffered a stroke in 2004. But Dave is currently well, the singer said.

Good morning America!

And congratulations President-Elect Obama!



I'm a happy man today.

Now back to pop culture...

Exotic singer Yma Sumac dies

The New York Times has an obituary.

Ms. Sumac created a sensation as an otherworldly chanteuse who sold millions of records, appeared onstage and in movies, filled European concert halls and fetched $25,000 a performance in Las Vegas. Most critics and musicians heard four octaves in her voice — compared with two for the average singer — though she claimed she could cover five. But few doubted a vocal ability that many experts thought belonged in opera.

Don't forget to vote!

Or, maybe on the other hand, Megan Fox is Wonder Woman

UPDATE: The general consensus seems to be that the Wonder Woman site referenced here isn't legit. The photo is certainly photo shopped. That doesn't necessarily mean Megan Fox isn't in the running. But it also doesn't mean she IS. At any rate, somebody spent a lot of time on that site. Not sure why. But it was an interesting effort.


That's what this site says today anyway. Yesterday, I speculated Jennifer Lopez had got the part.

After a several day's tease, pieces of a poster depicted on this site were peeled away, revealing Megan Fox as the Amazon superhero.

Still no word as to whether this is at all legitimate or, if it's not, why anyone would bother.

We'll see, I guess.

Is Jennifer Lopez the new Wonder Woman?

UPDATED: HERE

Ok, I've become a bit obsessed about this whole thing. It's my old reporter instincts, I think. I wanna figure out what's up.

The other day, I came across this site, which looks to be part of a viral marketing campaign for the upcoming live-action Wonder Woman movie.

Doing some searching around the Web, I ventured on the Wonder Woman Wikipedia entry, which contains a section on the in-production film. Although it's since been edited, that section briefly mentioned that Warner Bros would be posting an official film Web site in October (when the site I mentioned above appeared) and that Jennifer Lopez was rumored to be the lead.

A check of the Jennifer Lopez Wiki entry lists "Diana" in "Wonder Woman," out in 2010, as among her film roles.

So...

This could all be a load of bunk, or a scoop. We'll see.

New DVDs, CDs: Star Wars prequel, Get Smart, Howdy Doody, Dylan, Girl from U.N.C.L.E., more

A look at this week's new releases:

DVDs

Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

Star Wars Trilogy

Get Smart (2 Disc Special Edition)

Popeye the Sailor: 1941-1943, Vol. 3

Batman - The Complete Animated Series


Get Smart - The Complete Series Gift Set

Route 66 - The Complete Second Season

The Howdy Doody Show- 40 Episode Collection

CDs

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs - Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006 Bob Dylan (1-disk edition)

At the BBC-Earbook Paul Weller

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Original Soundtrack

The Golden Age Of American Popular Music Volume 2 Various Artists

Break-A-Way: The Songs Of Jackie Deshannon 1961-1967 Various Artists

Nineteen Sixty Six: The David Axelrod & HB Barnum Sessions Little Willie John

Dalek Halloween costume

Indulge me a moment, because I'm pretty danged proud of this: A homemade Dalek Halloween costume my son and I built this year.



This was a major project, taking the better part of a weekend. The toughest part was figuring out how the heck to get started. A friend had some great ideas: a chopped-up swim noodle for the "sensor disks" around the Dalek's body, and a laundry basket for the head. We used those.

At first, we thought we'd try a cardboard body. But while scouring a second-hand building supply warehouse for odds and ends to incorporate into the costume, I spotted a plastic garbage can. We didn't get the can there (they were all too grungy), but found a nice one at Ace Hardware. In fact, it couldn't have been better. Not only was it old-school Dalek gray, it had a rounded lid--just the right shape for a Dalek head.

Naturally, a toilet plunger was the only way to go for the Dalek's hand, while my son thought a whisk would make a great blaster.

And then there was the "eye" sticking out of the mask. For that, I cut up one of those floater things you find in toilet bowls. Not our toilet bowl. It's one of the items I picked up at the second-hand building materials place.

With all those pieces, some foam rubber to pad the inside of the head, spray paint, wire, bolted-on shoulder straps and lots of really toxic adhesive, we had ourselves a Dalek.



In fact, we'll have a Dalek for quite some time to come. This thing is practically indestructible. But it looks pretty neat just standing there empty. And if my 5-year-old daughter is looking for a costume idea once she gets a little bigger, it's available.



For comparison sake, here are some "real" Daleks:

Don't forget to vote!

Tomorrow!

Pop links: TARDIS door not closed for Tennant, who IS Wonder Woman?, that's Green HORNET doofus!,

Although he's stepping down as Doctor Who, actor David Tennant doesn't rule out future appearances on the show.

"Who knows what might happen in the future?" he told BBC Breakfast. "The door isn't necessarily closed forever."

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Are we one poster tear away from finding out the identity of the actress playing the live-action Wonder Woman?



I'm still hoping it's not Sarah Palin...

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Oh oh! Could this verbal snafu cost Obama the election?

“When it comes to the economy – when it comes to the central issue of this election – the plain truth is that John McCain has stood with this President every step of the way. He hasn’t been a maverick, he’s been a sidekick.He’s like Kato to the Green Lantern. Ya’ll remember that, those of you who are over a certain age.”

Sigh...

I'm still voting for him though.

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Speaking of the election, Golden Age Comic Book Stories has an endorsement.

Wonder Woman movie actress: More observations

UPDATED HERE!

Here's a look at the whole-screen image on the Wonder Woman site I just posted about. If you look closely at the brick wall on the lower-lefthand corner, you can see a "Batman: Dark Knight"-style Joker face.

I'm thinking this likely is an official site. But, then again, maybe the rest of the poster will come off and it'll be Sarah Palin.

Time will tell...

Movie Wonder Woman to be revealed

UPDATED HERE!

Came across this site in my Web wanderings today. Looks like it's a teaser for the upcoming Wonder Woman film, revealing day-by-day (or is it week-by-week? I don' know, I just found it today) the face of our favorite Amazon. Will it actually depict the actress to play her? And when will the last piece of the poster come off? Is it even official? Stay tuned.

In the meantime, here are the images displayed on the site to date:

Pop links: Boris Karloff on Shindig, a double dose of Welles, Addams Family DVD bargain

Lots of great Halloweeny stuff on Classic TV Showbiz today:

See Boris Karloff on Shindig, 1965.

Watch "The Night America Trembled," Edward R. Murrow's 1957 look at Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" panic.

Hear Orson Welles' radio adaptation of "Dracula."

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Deal alert: Amazon is offering The Addams Family Complete Series DVD set for $26.99 today only. That's a $42.99 savings.

Halloween Pop! House of Frankenstein movie poster

Halloween Pop! Creature with the Atom Brain movie poster

Best Comic Strip Sites on the Web

Comics Revue
Web site for a magazine that republishes classic runs of comic strips including Flash Gordon, Prince Valiant, Tarzan and the Phantom.

Windsor McKay
A brief bio and some illustrations by the "Little Nemo" creator and early animator.

Walt Kelly
Biographical information about the Pogo artist/philosopher.

The Official Pogo Website
A classic strip featured each week, plus biographical info on Walt Kelly, info on Pogo books and more.

George Herriman
A nice tribute to the "Krazy Kat" creator with illustrations and bibliography.

Creators Syndicate
Featuring Spider-Man, Blondie, Apartment 3-G, Barney Google, Flash Gordon, Dennis the Menace, Mandrake, Mutts, the Phantom, Prince Valiant, Zippy and more!

King Features Syndicate
Featuring Liberty Meadows, B.C., Heathcliff, Archie and more.

United Feature Syndicate
Featuring Alley Oop, Get Fuzzy, Nancy, Peanuts, Tarzan, Ripley's Believe It or Not and more.

uComics
Get access to many of the strips mentioned in the entries above. Allows you to create your own comics page (for a subscription price).

Best Comic Book Cover Scans Sites on the Web

Comic Book Cover Scans

The Grand Comic Book Database
Along with info about story titles, creators, character appearances for thousands of comics, this site also features a huge number of comic book cover scans dating from the Golden Age to present day. The most important comic book site on the Web.

The Timely Comics-Atlas Cover Gallery
1940s comics cover art from the company's pre-Marvel days.

EC Comics Cover Scans Gallery
Excellent collection of EC's sci-fi and horror comics covers of the 1950s.

The Mad Cover Site
What, you worry? Don't. You can find scans of every single dang cover of Mad Magazine here.

Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics Cover Gallery
A huge gallery of comics scans from the Golden Age to present, including covers for Fawcett, Quality and Charlton comics titles.

Nick Simon's Silver Age Marvel Cover Index
Huge gallery of covers from the 1960s and early 70s.

Captain America: Classic Comic Book Covers
A large selection of Cap scans dating back to the 1940s.

Gorilla Comic Book Covers
Lots of comic book covers featuring, um, gorillas.

Ben Samuel's Golden Age Comic Cover Gallery
Nice collection of classic superhero, war, good girl and horror cover images, plus a mini gallery dedicated to the work of Timely Comics great Alex Shomburg.

MORE ONLINE COMIC ART

Comic Art Community: Gallery of Comic Art
Featuring hundreds of conventions sketches, page art, etc., by well-known comics artists both classic and current.

Comic Art Fans
An online bulletin board where collector's can post their own examples of original comic art--both amateur and professional.

OTHER SCAN GALLERIES

Famous Monsters of Filmland
View historical covers of this monster movie fanzine.

Life Magazine Covers
The mag's official gallery of historical cover images.

Time Magazine Covers
Official gallery featuring every issue of Time.

Great books about comics



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 Elvis Sites on the Web

Elvis.com: The Official Site
The official site for the Elvis estate and Graceland. Get the latest news about CD releases, TV broadcasts of Elvis movies, learn about visiting Graceland, buy memorabilia (including a Belgian chocolate Elvis guitar), read bio information and more.

Elvis and Nixon
A National Archives and Records site documenting in words and pictures the bizarre 1970 meeting between the King and Tricky Dick. Includes the classic handshake photo.

Elvis Presley: Superstar
Dedicated to the Elvis of the 70s--the white jumpsuit era--with pictures, MP3 concert recordings and bio info.

The Elvis Information Network
Comprehensive all-purpose information site with news, CD and DVD information, a biographical timeline, news clippings and interviews and bibliography. Well done.

Best Spider-Man Sites on the Web

The Amazing Spider-Man Gallery
Detailed information--including plot summaries and creative teams--on Spider-Man comics from the 1960s to today. A great resource for information on the character. Lots of cover scans.

Spider-Fan.org
Another well-done fan page. A good spot for reviews of the most recent Spidey comics and the latest news.

Upcoming DC Comics collections: Simon and Kirby's Sandman, Bat Lash, the Creeper and more

A sneak peek at Amazon listings yields these cool finds:

Sandman by Kirby and Simon
No details, but 264 pages, I'm thinking this be the whole Golden Age output by this legendary team. Would it also include the team's work on the 70s-era Sandman book? Maybe some page counter out there can let us know in the comments section to this post. At any rate, it'll make a beautiful book and one I'd be very excited to add to my Kirby shelf. In a way, I'm glad DC has shifted away from the chronological Archives approach to reprints Gold and Silver Age stuff if it yields collections like this.

Showcase Presents: Bat Lash
This is a slightly-before-my-comics-readin' time Western title that I've always heard great stuff about. Scripts by Sergio Aragones with art by the awesome Nick Cardy. Should look nice in the black-and-white Showcase format. It adds up to 240 pages, which is a bit thinner than the typical Showcase whopper.

Showcase Presents: The Creeper
Oh yeah! I'm looking forward to this one nearly as much as aforementioned Kirby Sandman book. I've seen reprints of Ditko's weird/cool Creeper stories before, but it'll be nice to get the whole works in this collection. Ditko art looks pretty darned good in black and white, too. Although it'd be nice to see the Creeper's insane costume in color. This one is 296 pages, which almost makes me wish they'd release it as a hardcover ala the Simon-Kirby collection.

More Showcase volumes coming up include:

Showcase Presents: The Flash Vol. 3
Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 4
Showcase Presents: Martian Manhunter Vol. 2
Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3

DC Comics Classic Library: Batman - The Annuals Vol. 1
Searching the Internets, I found out that this one includes the first three Batman 80-page Giant Annuals from the 1960s, which were very fun collections of older Batman tales. In color and hardcover, it'll be a blast. I'm hoping this means DC will be publishing more of those 80-page gems in hardcover collections.

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