Comic Book Review: The Secret Society of Super-Villains Volume One edited by Ian Sattler DC Comics has produced many fine characters in its superhero books over the decades, including iconic super-villains. It can be a lot of fun watching the bad guys do things when their specific hero isn’t around to stop them. Thus, in… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Secret Society of Super-Villains Volume One
Tag: robbery
Book Review: The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories
Book Review: The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories edited by Otto Penzler I have a fondness for Sherlock Holmes, as I am sure the majority of my readers do. Unsurprisingly, there has been a ton of Holmes fanfiction over the years. Pastiches that try to capture the feel of Arthur Conan Doyle’s prose, parodies… Continue reading Book Review: The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories
Book Review: Twin Cities Noir: The Expanded Edition
Book Review: Twin Cities Noir: The Expanded Edition edited by Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz Like the previously reviewed USA Noir, this is a collection of grittier crime stories from Akashic Books with a regional focus. In this case, the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota, and the surrounded metro area, plus one up… Continue reading Book Review: Twin Cities Noir: The Expanded Edition
Comic Book Review: Roy Thomas Presents: Planet Comics, Vol. 1
Comic Book Review: Roy Thomas Presents: Planet Comics, Vol. 1 Comic books were still a very new thing in 1940, and the publishers were still trying to figure out what there was a market for. Science fiction themes seemed popular, so Fiction House created the pulp-inspired Planet Comics to appeal to fans of rockets and aliens.… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Roy Thomas Presents: Planet Comics, Vol. 1
Manga Review: Batman: the Jiro Kuwata Batmanga
Manga Review: Batman: the Jiro Kuwata Batmanga by Jiro Kuwata In the mid-1960s, the Batman TV show was a huge hit not just in America, but also in Japan. As a tie-in, 8-Man creator Jiro Kuwata was hired to create a manga version of Batman for the local market. While the television show was more based on… Continue reading Manga Review: Batman: the Jiro Kuwata Batmanga
Book Review: The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries
Book Review: The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler The title of this volume is slightly misleading; “locked room” stands in for the general idea of impossible crimes in mystery stories. A man is found stabbed in the back in a windowless room with the door locked from the inside.… Continue reading Book Review: The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries
TV Review: The Man Behind the Badge
TV Review: The Man Behind the Badge It’s back to the big box set of old TV shows with this anthology series that ran 1953-55, with Charles Bickford as the host. This one is interesting because it didn’t concentrate on one law enforcement agency or type of crime, instead featuring public servants of all kinds.… Continue reading TV Review: The Man Behind the Badge
Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents: Superman Family Volume 4
Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents: Superman Family Volume 4 edited by Mort Weisenger Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are two of the most enduring characters in comic books, thanks to being attached to the one and only Superman. Lois appeared in the first Superman story in Action Comics #1 (1938), a snarky but skilled reporter who… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents: Superman Family Volume 4
Movie Review: The Sweeney (2012)
Movie Review: The Sweeney (2012) Note: This review contains SPOILERS for the end of the movie. Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) is the field leader of an elite police unit nicknamed “the Sweeney.” They’re a “Flying Squad” (mobile unit not tied to a specific location) of armed police, specializing in battling armed robbery gangs. Unlike most… Continue reading Movie Review: The Sweeney (2012)
Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook
Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook edited by Howard Hopkins One of the fun things about fan fiction is the “crossover.” That’s where two separate fictional worlds are combined in the same story, which is generally impossible in the source material. Having the Enterprise crew battle the Daleks, Sailor Moon teaming up with the Brady… Continue reading Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook