Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Nine

Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Nine by Makoto Yukimura Warning:  This review will have SPOILERS for previous volumes of the series; you may want to read earlier reviews first. Previously:  Thorfinn Thorsson and his ragtag band are taking a load of narwhal horns to Greece, where they hope to sell them to get funding for… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Nine

Comic Book Review: Essential Hulk Vol. 1

Comic Book Review: Essential Hulk Vol. 1 Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Mild-mannered nuclear scientist Bruce Banner worked in America’s weapons program, and developed their latest improvement on the atomic bomb, the gamma bomb.  As it was about to be tested, Dr. Banner spotted a teenager named Rick Jones, who’d wandered into the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Hulk Vol. 1

Book Review: Code Name Verity

Book Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein In a Gestapo cell somewhere in Vichy France, a captured spy has been broken.  She writes a story telling of her secret mission, but in order to do that, she must first tell of the friendship between ATA pilot Maddie and SOE wireless operator Queenie.   The years… Continue reading Book Review: Code Name Verity

Book Review: Nine Strange Stories

Book Review: Nine Strange Stories edited by Betty N. Owen When I was a lad, one of the fun annual events I looked forward to was the Scholastic Book Fair.  Scholastic Publishing would send boxes of books around the country to schools so that kids could get the thrill of picking out their own low-cost… Continue reading Book Review: Nine Strange Stories

Magazine Review: High Adventure #73: Secret Agent “X”

Magazine Review: High Adventure #73: Secret Agent “X” Edited by John P. Gunnison Let’s take another look at this pulp reprint magazine, this time reprinting stories from Secret Agent “X” May 1934. “Ambassador of Doom” by Brent House: A secret meeting takes place in Washington, D.C.  The matter at hand–whether to preserve or destroy the prototype and… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #73: Secret Agent “X”

Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales

Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz The definition of “thriller” is a little loose in this fun anthology, though most of the stories do have at least some suspense.  It feels more like the compiler picked a bunch of the public domain stories he liked, but didn’t have a strong… Continue reading Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales

Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1

Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1 by various creators In 1940, a year after Batman debuted, he gained the first superhero kid sidekick in comic books.  Robin aka Dick Grayson served several functions.  Kid appeal, merchandising, lightening up the tone of the stories a bit, and giving Batman someone to have… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1

Comic Book Review: Queen & Country: Definitive Edition Volume 01

Comic Book Review: Queen & Country: Definitive Edition Volume 01 written by Greg Rucka, art by various Tara Felicity Chace is a field agent for the Special Operations Section of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS.)  She’s one of three operatives known as Minders who are assigned to the most dangerous tasks, and is code-named… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Queen & Country: Definitive Edition Volume 01

Comic Book Review: Babylon Berlin

Comic Book Review: Babylon Berlin story by Volker Kutscher, adaptation and art by Arne Jysch Disclaimer:  I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway to facilitate writing this review.  No other compensation was requested or offered. It is 1929, and the Weimar Republic of Germany is reaching the end of its “Golden Age.”  After the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Babylon Berlin

Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie World War One rages in Europe, but for Captain Arthur Hastings, the fighting is over.   Recovering from battle wounds, Hastings is at loose ends until invited to the country manor of his old acquaintance John Cavendish.  Styles Court has changed a bit since Hastings’ childhood… Continue reading Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles