Movie Review: 20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End (2008) directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi When Kenji Endo (Toshiaka Karisawa) was a teenager, he loved rock music, especially “20th Century Boy” by T. Rex. He thought rock, and in particular his own music, could change the world. But some twenty years on in the late 1990s,… Continue reading Movie Review: 20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End
Tag: assassination
Comic Book Review: The Complete Al’s Baby
Comic Book Review: The Complete Al’s Baby written by John Wagner, art by Carlos Ezquerra Chi-Town in the near future has had a law enforcement crisis and is overrun with retro gangsters reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties. Possibly the most ferocious of these felons is Al “The Beast” Bestardi, top hitman and enforcer for the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Complete Al’s Baby
Book Review: Ashenden or The British Agent
Book Review: Ashenden or The British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham Archduke Ferdinand has been shot, and Europe is rapidly tipping in to the Great War. Britain can no longer rely on a small number of trained government agents to handle its necessary intelligence efforts. But who to recruit? Perhaps a writer who’s currently between… Continue reading Book Review: Ashenden or The British Agent
Open Thread: Minicon 53
Open Thread: Minicon 53 As noted in my previous con reports, Minicon is a yearly science fiction convention set on Easter weekend. While Minicon 50 was a few years ago, this year is the closest to the Fiftieth Anniversary of the first Minicon, so it had the subtitle of “The Pedantic One.” This year the… Continue reading Open Thread: Minicon 53
Comic Book Review: Savage: Taking Liberties
Comic Book Review: Savage: Taking Liberties written by Pat Mills, art by Charlie Adlard In 2000 AD #1 (1977), a feature entitled Invasion! began, created by Pat Mills. Set in 1999, Great Britain is attacked and occupied by the Volgan Republic, which uses nuclear weapons to force a quick surrender. Hardline anti-Volgans in the government are eliminated,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Savage: Taking Liberties
Magazine Review: Fantastic Universe October 1955
Magazine Review: Fantastic Universe October 1955 edited by Leo Margulies Fantastic Universe was a digest-sized science fiction and fantasy magazine that ran from 1953 to 1960, originally coming out from King-Size Publications. Its quality is considered to have fallen off after 1956, with lesser stories and more emphasis on pseudo-science articles, but this particular issue… Continue reading Magazine Review: Fantastic Universe October 1955
Book Review: The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume 9: The Millennium Express (1995-2009)
Book Review: The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume Nine: The Millennium Express (1995-2009) by Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (1935-still alive as of this writing) is one of the longest-running science fiction authors, having made his first sale in 1953. Especially in his early years, Mr. Silverberg has been prolific, with his non-series short fiction… Continue reading Book Review: The Collected Stories of Robert Silverberg, Volume 9: The Millennium Express (1995-2009)
Comic Book Review: Essential Defenders Vol. 6
Comic Book Review: Essential Defenders Vol. 6 written (mostly) by J.M. DeMatteis, Pencils by Don Perlin The Defenders are one of Marvel Comics’ more oddball teams, beginning with a line-up of Doctor Strange, Hulk, Silver Surfer and the Sub-Mariner, four of Marvel’s most powerful characters who did not belong to other teams. After a couple… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Defenders Vol. 6
Book Review: The Buried Life
Book Review: The Buried Life by Carrie Patel Centuries after the Catastrophe that made living on the surface of Earth too dangerous for most humans, Recoletta is a thriving underground city. Conditions have improved on the surface enough so that there are farming communities up there, but the vast majority of people would rather stay… Continue reading Book Review: The Buried Life
Book Review: A Storm of Swords
Book Review: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin Note: This review will contain SPOILERS for the first two volumes in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. The Battle of King’s Landing is over, and the forces loyal to King Joffrey are triumphant. But the War of Five Kings rages on, with no… Continue reading Book Review: A Storm of Swords