Comic Book Review: The Complete Battlefields Volume One

Comic Book Review: The Complete Battlefields Volume One written by Garth Ennis, art by various. World War Two has been a favorite subject of comic books since the beginning of that conflict. Garth Ennis grew up on British war comics, and enjoys writing about the subject. So it’s not surprising that he did three miniseries… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Complete Battlefields Volume One

Book Review: The Argosy Book of Adventure Stories

Book Review: The Argosy Book of Adventure Stories edited by Rogers Terrill This collection of exciting tales of action and bravery plucked from the pages of Argosy, the long-running pulp magazine, is most notable for only choosing from those printed between 1946 and 1952, when the collection was published. Thus it had, at the time,… Continue reading Book Review: The Argosy Book of Adventure Stories

Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds

Lieutenant Raine addresses his troops.

Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds (2009) directed by Quentin Tarantino In 1941 France, SS officer Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), already known as “The Jew-Hunter”, ferrets out a hidden family, killing most of them, but decides to let Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent) the almost-adult daughter to outrun him to, perhaps, have the pleasure of hunting her down again later.… Continue reading Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds

Manga Review: Mars Red Vol. 1

Manga Review: Mars Red Vol. 1 Story by Bun-O Fujisawa, art by Karakara Kemuri It is 1924, and the Great Kanto Earthquake has hit Tokyo. In the ruins of a lavish performance hall, the star actor awaits death. A girl comes to rescue him, amusing to him as he is a vampire and she a… Continue reading Manga Review: Mars Red Vol. 1

Movie Review: Casablanca

Rick doesn't pretend he likes Ugarte, but his honest despite is more valuable to the thief than false friendship.

Casablanca (1942) dir. Michael Curtiz It is early December, 1941. In French Morocco, the port city of Casablanca, the hot night spot is Rick’s Cafe Americain. With an abundant supply of liquor, gambling, and the music of pianist/singer Sam (Dooley Wilson), it’s no surprise that “everyone comes to Rick’s.” The owner, Richard “Rick” Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), was… Continue reading Movie Review: Casablanca

Book Review: Flash Evans Camera News Hawk

Book Review: Flash Evans Camera News Hawk by Frank Bell Seventeen-year-old Jimmy “Flash” Evans is an ace photographer for the Brandale Ledger, his home town’s only daily newspaper. His new steady income has been a blessing to his family since his father died during the Depression. In fact, the Ledger’s management has been so impressed… Continue reading Book Review: Flash Evans Camera News Hawk

Movie Review: The Amazing Transparent Man

The joke is that our title character isn't even in this shot!

Movie Review: The Amazing Transparent Man (1960) directed by Edgar G. Ulmer We open with the daring escape of notorious safecracker Joey Faust (Douglas Kennedy) from prison. We swiftly learn that his release has been sponsored by Major Paul Krenner (James Griffith), who received a medical discharge due to a shrapnel wound. (Joey snarks that it… Continue reading Movie Review: The Amazing Transparent Man

Movie Review: Key Largo

Nora and Steve discuss their pre-War lives.

Movie Review: Key Largo (1948) directed by John Huston Frank McCloud (Humphrey Bogart) was a major in the United States Army during World War Two. During the Italian campaign, one of his men (and a friend), George Temple, perished in combat. While initially an idealist, the violence of the war left Frank disillusioned, and the America… Continue reading Movie Review: Key Largo

Magazine Review: High Adventure #172: The Hell’s Angels Squad

Magazine Review: High Adventure #172: The Hell’s Angels Squad edited by John P. Gunnison This time around, the focus is on the French Foreign Legion stories of Warren Hastings Miller originally published in Blue Book magazine back in the late 1920s. As I’ve discussed before, tales of the Legion were a popular subgenre of pulp… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #172: The Hell’s Angels Squad

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine June 1953

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine June 1953 edited by Ellery Queen Since this has floated to the top of my TBR pile, let’s look at another vintage issue of this classic mystery magazine. The cover depicting an aerialist falling to presumed death after being stuck with a dart has nothing to do with any… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine June 1953