Movie Review: The Hasty Heart (1949)

Lachie registers a complaint with Sister Parker.

Movie Review: The Hasty Heart (1949) directed by Vincent Sherman Burma, 1945, what will turn out to be V-J Day, the last day of World War Two. Scots soldier Lachie (Richard Todd) takes a piece of mine shrapnel to the back. The military doctors manage to save his life, but he’s lost one of his kidneys.… Continue reading Movie Review: The Hasty Heart (1949)

Book Review: The Lad and the Lion

Book Review: The Lad and the Lion by Edgar Rice Burroughs A certain kingdom in Europe is experiencing unrest. The people are chafing under the absolute monarchy, wanting to switch to a constitutional republic. The current king is actually pretty good as monarchs go, but firmly believes that those who have been born and trained… Continue reading Book Review: The Lad and the Lion

Manga Review: Kitaro’s Yokai Battles

Manga Review: Kitaro’s Yokai Battles by Shigeru Mizuki Oh hey, I was missing one of the volumes of the Drawn & Quarterly Kitaro reprints! This one has an introduction that covers from 1966 to 1971. While the Hakaba no Kitaro series seemed like a good choice for animated adaptation, network executives thought it was too… Continue reading Manga Review: Kitaro’s Yokai Battles

Book Review: The Best of Analog

Cover art by Alex Schomburg.

Book Review: The Best of Analog edited by Ben Bova After the death of long-time editor John W. Campbell in 1971, Analog Science Fiction and Fact needed a new person at the helm. The winner of the selection process was Ben Bova (1932-2020), who intended to stay only a few years, those years winding up… Continue reading Book Review: The Best of Analog

Magazine Review: High Adventure #194: Wheeler-Nicholson Special

Magazine Review: High Adventure #194: Wheeler-Nicholson Special edited by John P. Gunnison This volume of the pulp reprints series has five stories by Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, who in addition to writing many fine pulp stories is important to the history of comic books. In 1935, he founded National Allied Publications, which published the first comic… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #194: Wheeler-Nicholson Special

TV Review: Judge Dee Mysteries

Judge Dee and his bailiffs go undercover for an investigation.

TV Review: Judge Dee Mysteries According to historical records, Judge Dee is based on a real-life person, Di Renjie (630-704), a magistrate and court official of the Tang Dynasty who was well regarded for his ability to resolve difficult cases and many wise actions in governance. In the Ming Dynasty of the 18th Century, a… Continue reading TV Review: Judge Dee Mysteries

Book Review: Wicked West

Book Review: Wicked West edited by Abigail Linhardt and J.H. Fleming The combination of Western and horror genres is a popular one; those wide open spaces in which people and entire towns can just disappear make for a setting that allows a lot of spookiness. This bespoke anthology has eleven stories in this subcategory. “The… Continue reading Book Review: Wicked West

Manga Review: The Rose of Versailles #1

Manga Review: The Rose of Versailles #1 by Ryoko Ikeda In 1755, three children of destiny were born. Hans Axel von Fersen of Sweden, Oscar Francois de Jarjayes of France, and Maria Antonia Josephe Jeanne de Lorraine D’Autriche of Austria. The latter would become famous under her transliterated name of Marie Antoinette, the Queen of… Continue reading Manga Review: The Rose of Versailles #1

Anime Review: Bang Brave Bang Bravern!

Lewis Smith has always wanted to pilot a giant robot.

Anime Review: Bang Brave Bang Bravern! (Japanese title: Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern!“) In the not so distant future, the latest weapons development is combat mecha. These “Titanostriders” are a lot like more agile tanks, with all the strengths and weaknesses that implies. On Oahu, there’s a joint military exercise with the Americans, Japanese and Germans… Continue reading Anime Review: Bang Brave Bang Bravern!

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