Comic Book Review: Black Magic Vol. 1

Comic Book Review: Black Magic Vol. 1 Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby The creative team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby tried many different ideas for comic books over the years. Some were successful, others flops. In 1950, they cashed in on the then hot horror genre with Black Magic, created for Prize… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Black Magic Vol. 1

Magazine Review: American Short Fiction Summer 2022

Magazine Review: American Short Fiction Summer 2022 edited by Rebecca Markovits & Adeena Reitberger The literary magazine is still alive in America, though I will not say “well” as I have no idea how many people read them. American Short Fiction, an Austin, Texas-based magazine, has been running since 1991. It is, as the title… Continue reading Magazine Review: American Short Fiction Summer 2022

Book Review: The Warlords

Book Review: The Warlords by Matt Braun It is 1915, and in Europe, World War One is at something of a stalemate. The troops are entrenched, warplanes are still in their infancy, and while the new weapons of war mean far more deaths per capita, both sides have them. Kaizer Wilhelm’s military fears that despite… Continue reading Book Review: The Warlords

Book Review: The Black Lace Hangover

Book Review: The Black Lace Hangover by Carter Brown Private eye Danny Boyd throws wild parties. But the hangovers are murder. He doesn’t remember too much about what happened last night, though a jealous professional wrestler tossing him into a wall stands out. The apartment is a wreck, and there’s what looks like a severed… Continue reading Book Review: The Black Lace Hangover

Comic Book Review: Queen & Country Definitive Edition Volume 02

Comic Book Review: Queen & Country Definitive Edition Volume 02 story by Greg Rucka, art by Various Recap: Tara Chace is a special agent for Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) code-named “Minder Two.” Unlike regular agents who are stationed in a specific place, she and the other two Minders are sent wherever a developing situation… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Queen & Country Definitive Edition Volume 02

Book Review: The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro

Book Review: The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro by Edogawa Rampo Edogawa Rampo was the pen name of Hirai Tarou (1894-1965), who I last talked about as the author of The Fiend with Twenty Faces. That children’s book featured Akechi Kogoro as the Detective Boys’ adult mentor, but he was already an established series character… Continue reading Book Review: The Early Cases of Akechi Kogoro

Movie Review: Crypt of the Vampire

Count Karnstein in his study.

Movie Review: Crypt of the Vampire (1964) directed by Camillo Mastrocinque, aka “Terror in the Crypt”, original title “La Cripta e l’incubo” Antiquarian Friedrich Klauss (Jose Campos) has been summoned to Castle Karnstein in Styria by Count Ludwig Karnstein (Christopher Lee). It seems that some two centuries before, one of the Karnstein clan had been accused… Continue reading Movie Review: Crypt of the Vampire

Book Review: Clive Barker’s Books of Blood Volume II

Book Review: Clive Barker’s Books of Blood Volume II by Clive Barker Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we’re opened, we’re red. Prescript to the Books of Blood, presumably a joke by Clive Barker himself. In the mid-1980s, Clive Barker broke onto the horror scene with a collection of short(ish) stories divided up into… Continue reading Book Review: Clive Barker’s Books of Blood Volume II

Comic Book Review: An Inspector Calls: The Graphic Novel

Comic Book Review: An Inspector Calls: The Graphic Novel script by J.B. Priestley, adaptation by Jason Cobley, linework by Will Volley It is spring, 1912 in the English town of Brumley. Wealthy manufacturer Arthur Birling and his wife Sybil are having a small dinner party to celebrate the engagement of their daughter Sheila to Gerald… Continue reading Comic Book Review: An Inspector Calls: The Graphic Novel

Book Review: The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories Vol. 1

Book Review: The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories Vol. 1 Edited by James D. Jenkins & Ryan Cagle As has been mentioned in reviews on this blog before, there is a lot of literature from around the world published every year that English-only folks never get to read because it’s in other languages and… Continue reading Book Review: The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories Vol. 1