Book Review: Great British Fictional Villains by Russell James For a wide swath of fiction, a well-written villain is essential. They provide the impetus for the hero to act, scatter obstacles in their way, and act as a dark mirror to the hero’s personality. In many cases, the villain of a story turns out to be… Continue reading Book Review: Great British Fictional Villains
Tag: comedy
Comic Strip Review: Cartoons by Guindon
Comic Strip Review: Cartoons by Guindon by Dick Guindon During my teen years, one of the delights of reading the newspaper was the cartoons of Richard “Dick” Guindon. Born in Minnesota, he had returned to the Twin Cities in the 1970s to draw his satirical cartoons. Mind you, it was pretty mild satire, but folks… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Cartoons by Guindon
Manga Review: Comic Party Vol. 5
Manga Review: Comic Party Vol. 5 by Sekihiko Inui Note: This review contains SPOILERS for earlier volumes and the video game. Kazuki Sendō is a mediocre college student who is somewhat adrift in life as his talent was deemed insufficient to qualify for art school. His buddy Taishi Kuhonbutsu invites Kazuki to come along to… Continue reading Manga Review: Comic Party Vol. 5
Book Review: Raising Steam
Book Review: Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett Moist von Lipwig has come a long way since his days as a petty con artist. He’s a (mostly) respectable married man who manages the Ankh-Morpork Post Office, Mint, and Bank. True, his management is mostly just taking a friendly interest in the employees who do all the… Continue reading Book Review: Raising Steam
Magazine Review: Other Worlds April 1952
Magazine Review: Other Worlds April 1952 edited by Raymond A. Palmer Other Worlds was a science fiction digest-sized magazine that began publication in 1949. Raymond A. Palmer was both the publisher and editor, and thus had a freer hand in choosing what to put in the magazine than most pulp editors. Mr. Palmer (whose name… Continue reading Magazine Review: Other Worlds April 1952
Book Review: The Invisible Man
Book Review: The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells The sleepy village of Iping doesn’t get many visitors in the middle of winter, so when Mrs. Hall gets a new customer (and one that pays on time!) for her boarding house, it’s not polite to look a gift horse in the mouth. It’s true the guest… Continue reading Book Review: The Invisible Man
Manga Review: Skip-Beat! Volumes 4-5-6
Manga Review: Skip-Beat! Volumes 4-5-6 by Yoshiki Nakamura Quick recap: Kyoko Mogami dropped out of school and moved to Tokyo to support her beloved Sho as he tried to break into show business. A couple of years later, the now rising star let slip that he has never liked Kyoko back, just using her as… Continue reading Manga Review: Skip-Beat! Volumes 4-5-6
Movie Review: The Chinese Cat (1944)
Movie Review: The Chinese Cat (1944) directed by Phil Rosen Six months ago, Thomas P. Manning, businessman and chess expert, was shot to death in his study, the door locked from the inside. The police have been unable to solve the case. Daughter Leah Manning (Joan Woodbury) is dismayed to discover that a new book… Continue reading Movie Review: The Chinese Cat (1944)
Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (2017)
Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (2017) by various This is my blog’s fifth anniversary! And thus this is my sixth annual review of the state of Weekly Shonen Jump, the online version of the popular manga anthology Weekly Shounen Jump. The online edition, being aimed at the North American audience, is substantially different from the… Continue reading Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (2017)
Book Review: The History of Opera for Beginners
Book Review: The History of Opera for Beginners by Ron David Opera is one of the great art forms, blending theater and music into a powerful emotional experience. But it also has a stereotype of being incomprehensible melodrama that boring rich people drag their unwilling spouses to. And many of the books about opera are written… Continue reading Book Review: The History of Opera for Beginners