Book Review: Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2025

Cover by Jeffrey Ray Hayes, illustrating "ESPD." The distressing is part of the cover design.

Book Review: Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2025 edited by Robert Greenberger Disclaimer: I contributed to the Kickstarter for this book. A lesser known aspect of pulp fandom is the creation of new stories in the tradition of the pulp magazines of old, action-packed and exciting. Thus this series of books which feature modern authors trying their… Continue reading Book Review: Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2025

Comic Book Review: Man-Thing by Steve Gerber: The Complete Collection Vol. 1

Comic Book Review: Man-Thing by Steve Gerber: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 by various creators You may have heard a story like this before. A biochemist working for a secret agency develops a chemical that evil people want to steal. They come to his place in the swamp, and he winds up with the serum… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Man-Thing by Steve Gerber: The Complete Collection Vol. 1

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

"Honey, did you ever wonder if we're living in a Daphne Du Maurier story?"

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) directed by Chris Columbus Once upon a time, there was an Ugly Muggle named Harry. The Muggle family he lived with neglected, bullied and abused him because he was so bad at being a Muggle. But then one day a friendly giant appeared, and revealed to Harry… Continue reading Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Magazine Review: Planet Stories Summer 1949

John Eric Stark as usual represented with far too light skin.

Magazine Review: Planet Stories Summer 1949 edited by Paul L. Payne As previously discussed on this blog, Planet Stories was a science fiction pulp magazine published from 1939-1955. It was heavy on the space opera and planetary romance, and usually had a curvy and/or scantily-clad woman on the cover. This Adventure House reprint is of… Continue reading Magazine Review: Planet Stories Summer 1949

Manga Review: Mao Volumes 8-10

Manga Review: Mao Volumes 8-10 by Rumiko Takahashi Note: The following review has SPOILERS for previous volumes. Check out my earlier posts. Quick recap: Nanoka Kiba’s parents were killed in a bizarre car crash when she was little. When she’s a teenager, Nanoka learns that a local shopping arcade functions as a portal between the… Continue reading Manga Review: Mao Volumes 8-10

Manga Review: Mao Volumes 3, 4 & 5

Manga Review: Mao Volumes 3, 4 & 5 by Rumiko Takahashi Quick recap: When Nanoka Kiba was a little girl, her parents were killed in a freak car accident. Since then she’s been raised by her kindly grandfather and his odd housekeeper Uozumi. Now, in her third year of middle school, Nanoka hears strange voices… Continue reading Manga Review: Mao Volumes 3, 4 & 5

Book Review: Enter the Jackal

Cover by Krocker Klaus

Book Review: Enter the Jackal by Jonathan W. Sweet As you may have noticed by now, I’m a fan of the pulps. But I’m certainly not the most enthusiastic one, or most knowledgeable. Some folks have made the pulp magazines their main focus. Jonathan W. Sweet runs a reprint press, Brick Pickle Pulp, and does… Continue reading Book Review: Enter the Jackal

Comic Book Review: The Chill

Comic Book Review: The Chill story by Jason Starr, art by Mick Bertilorenzi It’s 2009 in New York City and a series of bizarre ritual killings has hit the city. The obvious suspect is a woman named Ariana who’s been seen with more than one of the victims, but no one can agree on a… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Chill

Book Review: The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories Vol. 1

Book Review: The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories Vol. 1 Edited by James D. Jenkins & Ryan Cagle As has been mentioned in reviews on this blog before, there is a lot of literature from around the world published every year that English-only folks never get to read because it’s in other languages and… Continue reading Book Review: The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories Vol. 1

Comic Book Review: Swamp Thing Giant #3

Comic Book Review: Swamp Thing Giant #3 by various creators Scientist Alec Holland and his wife Linda were working on a plant-based bio-restorative formula in the Louisiana swamps when criminals set a bomb to sabotage the research and he was burned to death. A combination of the formula and other forces working within the swamp… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Swamp Thing Giant #3