Book Review: Popular Book of Western Stories edited by Leo Margulies The title of this 1948 paperback may seem a trifle misleading (“if it’s so popular, why have I never heard of it?”) but makes more sense when you learn that it came out from the publishing company Popular Library. Leo Margulies, a long-time pulp… Continue reading Book Review: Popular Book of Western Stories
Tag: humor
Manga Review: Mob Psycho 100 Volume 1
Manga Review: Mob Psycho 100 Volume 1 by ONE Arataka Reigen is a psychic for hire, taking on people’s supernatural problems for a fee. And quite reasonable fees at that! In reality, of course, most people’s supernatural problems aren’t supernatural at all. Con artist Reigen uses his fast tongue and improvisational skills to deal with… Continue reading Manga Review: Mob Psycho 100 Volume 1
Book Review: Tombstone & Speedy, Range Detectives
Book Review: Tombstone & Speedy, Range Detectives by W.C. Tuttle W.C. Tuttle (1883-1969) was a prolific author of short stories and novels, almost entirely Westerns. One of his specialties was comedic detective Western stories, with cowpokes solving mysteries, not always with their brains. This volume collects three such stories starring the duo of Speedy Smith… Continue reading Book Review: Tombstone & Speedy, Range Detectives
Comic Strip Review: Al Jaffee Gets His Just Desserts
Comic Strip Review: Al Jaffee Gets His Just Desserts by Al Jaffee Al Jaffee was born in 1921 and is as of this writing still alive and working! He’s perhaps best known for his “Fold-Ins” and other features for MAD but also had enough of his independent work published to fill several volumes. In this… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Al Jaffee Gets His Just Desserts
Book Review: The Best of R.A. Lafferty
Book Review: The Best of R.A. Lafferty by R.A. Lafferty Raphael Aloysius Lafferty (1914-2002) was one of those “American originals” you hear about every so often. His writing takes some form from the American tall tale, some from Native American yarn spinning, and mixes it into a style all his own. This anthology collects 22… Continue reading Book Review: The Best of R.A. Lafferty
Book Review: Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology
Book Review: Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology by Cory O’Brien Our modern world is built, among other things, on the mythology of the past. The stories of how the world came to be, where people came from, and the foibles of the gods are deep in our cultural DNA. But… Continue reading Book Review: Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology
Book Review: Didi Dodo, Future Spy: Recipe for Disaster
Book Review: Didi Dodo, Future Spy: Recipe for Disaster words by Tom Angleberger, art by Jared Chapman Disclaimer: I received an Uncorrected Proof through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was requested or offered. As an uncorrected proof, there may be changes in the final product–in particular, some… Continue reading Book Review: Didi Dodo, Future Spy: Recipe for Disaster
Book Review: The Inimitable Jeeves
Book Review: The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse Bertie Wooster may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, as he will sometimes admit. But compared to some of his friends among the idle rich of England, Bertie’s a model of intellect and common sense. For example, Bertie knows that keeping his valet Jeeves in… Continue reading Book Review: The Inimitable Jeeves
Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader
Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader edited by H.L. Gold Galaxy Magazine had a decent run with a lot of good stories, so it’s not surprising that even this fourth collection of fifteen science fiction reprints from the 1950s has a strong selection. (I recognized almost all of these!) There’s an introduction which runs down inferior… Continue reading Book Review: The Fourth Galaxy Reader
Comic Book Review: Action Presidents: George Washington
Comic Book Review: Action Presidents: George Washington by Fred van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey Our story begins with two modern tweens glued to their portal screen devices while Parson Weems bores them with the cherry tree legend. The day is salvaged when Noah the Historkey appears and reveals that George Washington’s father Augustine didn’t raise… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Action Presidents: George Washington