Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1 edited by Cory Sedlmeier As has been mentioned on this blog before, by the late 1940s, superheroes had become passe in comic books. A handful continued to be published over at National Publications (DC) on a regular basis, and there was the odd minor publisher title,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1
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Comic Book Review: From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1
Comic Book Review: From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1 by Various When I was a lad in the 1970s, comic books had become thin. In an effort to save costs and keep prices within the allowance of kids, the major publishers had shaved off page count, and thus story content. I didn’t fully understand the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1
Book Review: The Bamboo Bloodbath
Book Review: The Bamboo Bloodbath by Piers Anthony and Roberto Fuentes I’ve mentioned before that one of my guilty pleasures is the “men’s adventure” paperback series of the 1970s. Violence, sex, drugs and the particular cultural trends of the Seventies mixed with a macho writing style and pulpish sensibility. In the case of the Jason… Continue reading Book Review: The Bamboo Bloodbath
Manga Review: Wild 7 Vols. 1-4
Manga Review: Wild 7 Vols. 1-4 by Mikiya Mochizuki In the late 1960s, Japan was faced with a rising crime wave. Student radicals, terrorists, gangsters, corrupt politicians; it seemed all too much for the ordinary police to handle. Police Supervisor Katsu Kusanami, a brilliant rising star from a top university, had an idea. What if… Continue reading Manga Review: Wild 7 Vols. 1-4
Book Review: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Book Review: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy It is the height of the Reign of Terror, after the fervor of the French Revolution turned from freedom to revenge. In an effort to unify the country both against outside enemies and counter-revolutionaries, the Committee of Public Safety holds trials of those suspected of acting… Continue reading Book Review: The Scarlet Pimpernel
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
Book Review: Law and Order, Unlimited
Book Review: Law and Order, Unlimited by William Colt MacDonald When railroad detective Gregory Quist is asked to look into why rancher Wyatt Kearsage isn’t allowing the Texas Northern & Arizona Southern Railway ro purchase right of way through his land, Quist turns down the assignment. After all, the rancher is probably just holding out… Continue reading Book Review: Law and Order, Unlimited
Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3
Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3 by Robert Bloch Robert Bloch (1917-1994) was a prolific author of horror, science fiction and mystery works. (You may have seen, read or at least heard of Psycho.) This volume, originally “Selected Stories” and by no means complete, features 39 stories published between 1960 and… Continue reading Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3
Magazine Review: High Adventure #73: Secret Agent “X”
Magazine Review: High Adventure #73: Secret Agent “X” Edited by John P. Gunnison Let’s take another look at this pulp reprint magazine, this time reprinting stories from Secret Agent “X” May 1934. “Ambassador of Doom” by Brent House: A secret meeting takes place in Washington, D.C. The matter at hand–whether to preserve or destroy the prototype and… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #73: Secret Agent “X”
Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales
Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz The definition of “thriller” is a little loose in this fun anthology, though most of the stories do have at least some suspense. It feels more like the compiler picked a bunch of the public domain stories he liked, but didn’t have a strong… Continue reading Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales