I never thought Dork Tower would make me cry... (darn you, @muskrat_john!)

DORK TOWER, Wednesday, April 20, 2011 | Dork Tower (Click through for the larger image)

In case you missed it, my own thoughts on Elisabeth Sladen passing

We'll miss you, Sarah Jane Smith. RIP Elisabeth Sladen #doctorwho

When I was a kid, I wanted to BE Sarah Jane...actually, I still do.

io9 has a great article about Elisabeth's work as Sarah Jane, where they point out "Her death is a huge loss to Doctor Who fans, and to fans of strong female adventure heroes everywhere."

I never consciously thought about Sarah Jane as a "strong female adventure hero," but she was. She probably helped shape me as much as any other woman I watched on TV as a kid. Apparently, Elisabeth was an active influence on how Sarah Jane was written. Without Elisabeth, Sarah Jane would not have been who she was, and I wouldn't be who I am without Sarah Jane. I don't remember watching any other show for hours upon hours like I did with Doctor Who (maybe Scooby Doo? Well, Daphne & Velma are no shrinking violets, either).

One of my favorite episodes from the new Doctor Who series is "School Reunion" where Sarah Jane returned, meeting up with the 10th Doctor, David Tennant:

The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith; 

the world was lucky to have Lis. 

- Russell T Davies