Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz This hefty volume collects a variety of public domain stories concerning the supernatural. While the majority fall roughly into the category of horror, some are more what we’d call “dark fantasy” and a handful are just “well, that’s a weird thing that happened.”… Continue reading Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales
Tag: monks
Manga Review: Urusei Yatsura Vol. 1
Manga Review: Urusei Yatsura Vol. 1 by Rumiko Takahashi Have you ever had a day when a pint-sized Buddhist monk looks you in the face and tells you you have terrible luck? Ataru Moroboshi has. Repeatedly. While he’s had poor luck all his life, the young lecher’s problems really kicked into high gear when aliens… Continue reading Manga Review: Urusei Yatsura Vol. 1
Book Review: Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics
Book Review: Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics by Frederik L. Schodt Back in the early 1980s, manga and anime fandom was tiny, with almost no material being available in English save dubs heavily edited for American children’s television and expunged as much as possible of their Japanese roots. It required a certain amount… Continue reading Book Review: Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics
Magazine Review: Saucy Romantic Adventures August 1936
Magazine Review: Saucy Romantic Adventures August 1936 by various This was one of the “spicy” pulp magazines, sold “under the counter” to readers wanting something more titillating than the standard action fare. By modern standards, this is pretty tame stuff, mostly consisting of descriptions of women’s naked bodies (minus genitalia) and strong hints that the… Continue reading Magazine Review: Saucy Romantic Adventures August 1936
Book Review: Hector and the Search for Happiness
Book Review: Hector and the Search for Happiness by François Lelord Once upon a time, there was a psychiatrist named Hector, who was very good at his job. But he didn’t feel that he was as good as he needed to be, because he had patients who were unhappy, and he didn’t know how to… Continue reading Book Review: Hector and the Search for Happiness
Comic Book Review: Essential Defenders Vol. 6
Comic Book Review: Essential Defenders Vol. 6 written (mostly) by J.M. DeMatteis, Pencils by Don Perlin The Defenders are one of Marvel Comics’ more oddball teams, beginning with a line-up of Doctor Strange, Hulk, Silver Surfer and the Sub-Mariner, four of Marvel’s most powerful characters who did not belong to other teams. After a couple… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Defenders Vol. 6
Manga Review: Vagabond Volume 2
Manga Review: Vagabond Volume 2 by Takehiko Inoue Quick recap: In 17th Century Japan, failed soldier Shinmen Takezo has reinvented himself as wandering swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Dedicating his life to perfecting his own style of swordsmanship, he travels to Kyoto and starts a feud with the Yoshioka school of kendo. Unknown to him, his childhood… Continue reading Manga Review: Vagabond Volume 2
Comic Book Review: Oni Press Starter Pack 2016
Comic Book Review: Oni Press Starter Pack 2016 by various While I spend many of my comics-related posts on this blog talking about the Big Two’s superhero comic books, there are a number of worthy small press comics companies that put out interesting material every year. Oni Press has put out an affordable collection of… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Oni Press Starter Pack 2016
Comic Book Review: Joe Kubert Presents
Comic Book Review: Joe Kubert Presents by Joe Kubert and others Joe Kubert (1926-2012) was one of the all-time great comic book artists. The bulk of his work was done for DC Comics, including many Hawkman and Sergeant Rock stories. Joe Kubert Presents was his final series, a tribute to him by the company he’d done… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Joe Kubert Presents
Manga Review: Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus 1
Manga Review: Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus 1 written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima Ogami Itto was once a samurai warrior of high rank, the official executioner for the shogunate. He had a lovely wife and new son; life was good. But another clan was ambitious, and framed Ogami for treason. Under sentence of… Continue reading Manga Review: Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus 1