Comic Book Review: DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #19: Doom Patrol

Cover by George Perez and Frank Giacoia

Comic Book Review: DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #19: Doom Patrol edited by Karen Berger The Doom Patrol is one of DC Comics’ more interesting super-teams. First published in My Greatest Adventure #80 (1963), it concerned a group of people who felt isolated from normal humanity, led by a genius in a wheelchair, who nevertheless… Continue reading Comic Book Review: DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #19: Doom Patrol

Movie Review: Doctor X (1932)

Dr. Rowitz waxes lyrical about his "lunacy" theory.

Movie Review: Doctor X (1932) directed by Michael Curtiz The Moon Killer has struck again! Each month during the full moon, a victim is found strangled and killed with a wound to the back of the skull, and then large chunks of their flesh removed, presumably to be eaten. After six victims, the police have finally… Continue reading Movie Review: Doctor X (1932)

Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #499

Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #499 edited by Carl Gafford & Nicola Cuti I managed to find another issue of the digest-sized Adventure Comics from 1983. Let’s take a look at the treasures inside! “Plastic Man” (no chapter title) written by Len Wein, art by Joe Staton and Bob Smith features the obvious character. Plastic… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #499

Movie Review: Doctor Strange (2007)

Stephen Strange's new look.

Movie Review: Doctor Strange (2007) directed by Patrick Archibald The world you can see is not all there is. Monsters roam the streets of New York, smashing and killing their way to a point called the Sanctum. Opposing them are the disciples of the Ancient One, wizards and sorcerers who conceal their activities from the world… Continue reading Movie Review: Doctor Strange (2007)

Movie Review: The Revenge of Frankenstein

Dr. Stein considers a point made by a colleague.

Movie Review: The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) directed by Terence Fisher When last seen in The Curse of Frankenstein, Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) had been condemned to the guillotine. At the beginning of this story, he’s being marched to his execution. We see the blade fall, but two grave robbers soon discover that the Baron has somehow… Continue reading Movie Review: The Revenge of Frankenstein

Book Review: Rod String Nail Cloth

Book Review: Rod String Nail Cloth by T. Aaron Cisco The subtitle of this book is “An Afrofuturist Mixtape.” You can read more about Afrofuturism at this Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrofuturism but for the purposes of this review, it’s the intersection of speculative fiction with the African Diaspora experience and cultures, and in particular the experience… Continue reading Book Review: Rod String Nail Cloth

Book Review: The Butchering Art

Book Review: The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris It was not that long ago that surgeons and surgery were to be feared. Without anesthetics, the pain and shock of having your body cut into would often kill the patient. And if they survived that, the chances were good that infection would set in. A combination… Continue reading Book Review: The Butchering Art

Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1

Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1 edited by Cory Sedlmeier As has been mentioned on this blog before, by the late 1940s, superheroes had become passe in comic books. A handful continued to be published over at National Publications (DC) on a regular basis, and there was the odd minor publisher title,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes 1

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1949

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1949 edited by Ellery Queen It’s time for another issue of this venerable mystery magazine. The cover this time is uncredited, and does not directly match any of the stories in the issue. “Double Exposure” by Ben Hecht opens the issue with a tale of a psychiatrist who… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1949

Magazine Review: Judge Dredd Megazine #417

Magazine Review: Judge Dredd Megazine #417 edited by Matt Smith I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned before that Judge Dredd, the breakout character from 2000 AD was so popular that the publishing company spun off a monthly magazine featuring him and his world, which has lasted a remarkably long time. It’s still primarily featuring stories tangentially… Continue reading Magazine Review: Judge Dredd Megazine #417