Comic Book Review: Strange Academy: The Deadly Field Trip

Cover by Nick Bradshaw & Edgar Delgado

Comic Book Review: Strange Academy: The Deadly Field Trip by various creators Up until fairly recently, the general way of learning magic in the Marvel Universe was being the apprentice of a more experienced mage, and if you didn’t have a mentor or had been kicked out of the relationship, self-study. Doctor Stephen Strange, sometime… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Strange Academy: The Deadly Field Trip

Book Review: Cryogenic Nightmare

Cover art by George Wilson.

Book Review: Cryogenic Nightmare by Lionel Derrick “Preacher” Mann got that nickname when he converted to vegetarianism and became one of those obnoxious people who insist on telling you about it and their newfound superiority for not eating meat. But because he’s a murderous crimelord who controls West Palm Beach, very few people are willing… Continue reading Book Review: Cryogenic Nightmare

Comic Book Review: Holmes: The Bento Cases

Cover by Myung Hee Kim

Comic Book Review: Holmes: The Bento Cases by various creators Bento Comics was an artist collective that allowed fans to select stories from their members to put together in bespoke anthologies. At conventions, they’d sell themed volumes to demonstrate the concept; I reviewed their Peter Pan anthology some years back. This collection is on the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Holmes: The Bento Cases

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January/February 2024

Cover art by Tom Roberts

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January/February 2024 edited by Janet Hutchings Despite the cover date, this issue of the venerable mystery story magazine hit newsstands in December 2023, so is the Christmas issue as well as the Sherlock Holmes tribute. I bought this issue and promptly had it buried under a to read pile,… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine January/February 2024

Movie Review: Scarlet Street

Chris tries to hide his embezzlement as he cashes a check for his boss.

Movie Review: Scarlet Street (1945) directed by Fritz Lang It’s 1934, well into the Great Depression, but at least Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) has a job. Indeed, there’s a party tonight celebrating his 25th year as a cashier for the J.J. Hogarth (Russell Hicks) upscale menswear concern. In commemoration, the boss presents him with an… Continue reading Movie Review: Scarlet Street

Manga Review: Tomorrow the Birds

Manga Review: Tomorrow the Birds by Osamu Tezuka Once upon a time, birds did not rule the Earth. That role was taken by the ape-creatures who called themselves “humans.” The humans enslaved birds, killed them for sport, even ate them! But then one day benevolent aliens saw our plight, and arranged to redress this injustice… Continue reading Manga Review: Tomorrow the Birds

Comic Strip Review: O Human Star Volume Three

Comic Strip Review: O Human Star Volume Three by Blue Delliquanti Quick recap: Robotics genius Alistair Sterling dies and wakes up more than a decade later in a robotic copy of his body. He’s reunited with his then lover Brendan Pinsky, who definitely didn’t arrange this and is understandably freaked out. Alistair is also puzzled… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: O Human Star Volume Three

Movie Review: Wildfire (1945)

Our title character, proud and free.

Movie Review: Wildfire (1945) directed by Robert Emmett Tansey Wildfire is a mighty stallion, leader of his herd of free horses. He does his best to protect his people from the two-legs who would enslave or kill them. What he does not know is that the evil human Pete Fanning (John Miljan) and his band of… Continue reading Movie Review: Wildfire (1945)

Book Review: Eleven Blue Men

Book Review: Eleven Blue Men by Berton Roueché September 25, 1944, New York City. An elderly man collapses on the sidewalk. When a police officer investigates, he discovers the man has turned blue. The blue man is rushed to the hospital where the doctors are baffled by his condition. Worse, he’s only the first of… Continue reading Book Review: Eleven Blue Men

Manga Review: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Volume 1

Manga Review: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Volume 1 Story by Hideyuki Furuhashi, Art by Betten Court. The world changed a few generations ago, when human beings started being born with mutations called “Quirks.” Quirks can be just about anything, from minor stuff like “has tail” to massive powers like “shoot out blasts of fire and… Continue reading Manga Review: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Volume 1