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

Anime Review: Sasaki and Peeps

Sasaki is a skilled negotiator.

Anime Review: Sasaki and Peeps We first meet Sasaki at his day job, a salaryman at a small trading company in Tokyo. He’s good at his job, and well liked by his coworkers. But it’s clear that his career stalled out years ago, and his salary can be generously described as modest. By frugal living,… Continue reading Anime Review: Sasaki and Peeps

Book Review: Secret Murder: Who Shall Judge?

Cover art by Alicia Austin

Book Review: Secret Murder: Who Shall Judge? by Ellen Kuhfeld Ragnar Forkbeard, iron-monger, and Olaf Far-Traveler, trader in exotic goods, have come from Surtsheim in the north to Northlanding, the falls that block boats from coming any further up the Great River. It is time for the great spring fair and the merchants have come… Continue reading Book Review: Secret Murder: Who Shall Judge?

Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Twelve

Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Twelve by Makoto Yukimura Note: SPOILERS for previous volumes, check out the previous reviews if you’ve skipped any. Previously: Thorfinn, once a vengeance-seeker, now has chosen a path of peace. He wants to go to the fabled place Vinland, where there is no war or slavery, to start a new… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Twelve

Book Review: The Peregrine

Book Review: The Peregrine by Poul Anderson It is the distant future, and humanity has scattered to the stars. Spacefaring human civilization is currently focused in one of two groups, the Solarian Union, which is focused on mental development and social stability (helped by their troubleshooting Coordinators), and the Nomads, eternal wanderers who are constantly… Continue reading Book Review: The Peregrine

Book Review: Doomstar

Book Review: Doomstar by Edmond Hamilton Johnny Kettrick used to have it good. As a human of Earth heritage born and raised in the Hyades Cluster, and gifted with a friendly nature, he’d become a top trader between the many cultures in that crowded part of the galaxy. Unfortunately, he’d also developed a healthy disregard… Continue reading Book Review: Doomstar

Book Review: Great Stories from the Saturday Evening Post

This cover is by Stevan Dohanos, who often did covers for the Post, and illustrates a conversation he had with a mailman. Note the two red stars on the sleeve for twenty years' service.

Book Review: Great Stories from the Saturday Evening Post edited by Ben Hibbs For many years, the Saturday Evening Post was one of America’s most popular magazines. Every week, it would show fascinating photographs, interesting non-fiction articles and a selection of short stories and serialized fiction. With more than 200 short stories being printed in… Continue reading Book Review: Great Stories from the Saturday Evening Post

Book Review: Heart of the West

Book Review: Heart of the West by O. Henry William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), better known to most readers as O. Henry, moved to Texas from North Carolina for his health.  There, he worked on a ranch for a few years before feeling well enough to take up his primary occupation of pharmacist, and fell in… Continue reading Book Review: Heart of the West

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 Strip Review: The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume Two 1937-1939

Comic Strip Review: The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume Two 1937-1939 written by Lee Falk, art by Ray Moore Almost five hundred years ago, a sailor named Christopher Walker was accompanying his father on that man’s last voyage when they were attacked by the Singh Brotherhood, a bloodthirsty band of pirates.  The pirates killed… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume Two 1937-1939