Comic Book Review: Kill All Monsters! Volume One: Ruins of Paris

Comic Book Review: Kill All Monsters!  Volume One: Ruins of Paris written by Michael May; illustrated by Jason Copland The kaiju (giant monsters) subgenre is a pretty good fit for comic books.  With an unlimited “special effects budget”  they can pack monsters and mayhem into a story that would be prohibitively expensive to shoot on film. This… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Kill All Monsters! Volume One: Ruins of Paris

Anime Review: Tsuritama

Anime Review: Tsuritama Yuki Sanada is a high school student who has no friends and limited social skills.  Whenever he’s in an uncomfortable social situation, Yuki  freezes up with anxiety, depicted as him drowning.  From the outside, his anxiety face makes him look wrathful and unapproachable.  It doesn’t help that his grandmother’s job requires them… Continue reading Anime Review: Tsuritama

Book Review: The Case of the Tiffany Killer

Book Review: The Case of the Tiffany Killer by A. R. Rampa Disclosure:  I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Peggy Hart is the best-dressed and most curious teenage girl in Pinewood, a lovely small town that’s probably in Ohio.  She’s put her curiosity to good… Continue reading Book Review: The Case of the Tiffany Killer

Book Review: The Invisible Chimes

Book Review: The Invisible Chimes by Margaret Sutton This is a simple mystery story aimed at young teen-aged girls, ala Nancy Drew. Judy Bolton is a girl with a forceful personality and boundless curiosity, plus she’s good at details, all of which serve her well in dealing with the mysteries she runs into. Her primary… Continue reading Book Review: The Invisible Chimes

Comic Book Review: Boxers & Saints

Comic Book Review: Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang Disclaimer:  I received this boxed set as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Little Bao is a farm boy who loves the Chinese operas performed at the spring festivals every year.  But one year a foreign devil, a missionary, appears… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Boxers & Saints

Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (USA)

Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (USA) It’s the first anniversary of my blog!  To celebrate, I thought it would be nice to update the very first review that appeared here.  http://www.skjam.com/2012/12/09/manga-review-shonen-jump-alpha/ Shounen Jump is still Japan’s number one best-selling manga anthology title.  Although the primary market is still middle-school through high school boys, people of… Continue reading Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (USA)

Book Review: Tom Swift and His Motor-boat

Book Review: Tom Swift and His Motor-boat by Victor Appleton When I was a lad, lo these many years ago, one of the things that delighted me was running across  old boys’ adventure books, from when my grandfather was young.  The world they described was so strange and far away, even then.  So when I… Continue reading Book Review: Tom Swift and His Motor-boat

Book Review: Journeyman Wizard

Book Review: Journeyman Wizard by Mary Francis Zambreno Jermyn Graves is a spellmaker, a rare kind of wizard that can reshape old spells for new purposes, and even create new spells for other wizards to use.  Or rather, he will be once he finishes his journeyman training with the only master spellmaker in the land.… Continue reading Book Review: Journeyman Wizard

Manga Review: HeroMan Volume 1

Manga Review: HeroMan Volume 1 by Tamon Ohta and BONES, from a concept by Stan Lee. Joey Jones is a young orphan living with his grandmother in Center City, California.  He’s a sweet kid in a bad situation, who has to hold down a part-time job to help with the bills and can’t afford nice… Continue reading Manga Review: HeroMan Volume 1