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
Tag: bullies
Movie Review: Better Off Dead
Movie Review: Better Off Dead (1985) directed by Savage Steve Holland Al Meyer (David Ogden Stiers) is a lawyer in the small Northern California town of Greendale, a short drive away from the mountains. Life is rough for him. His wife Jenny (Kim Darby) is an improbably bad cook who refuses to stop trying and is… Continue reading Movie Review: Better Off Dead
Comic Book Review: Green Lantern: Legacy
Comic Book Review: Green Lantern: Legacy Author Minh Le, Illustrator Andie Tong Three generations live in the cramped apartment above the Jade Market. Tai Pham is okay with this. He loves his parents and especially his grandmother Kim Tran, who founded this neighborhood store when she and his grandfather came to America from Vietnam. But… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Green Lantern: Legacy
Manga Review: Kitaro’s Strange Adventures
Manga Review: Kitaro’s Strange Adventures by Shigeru Mizuki This is the fourth paperback volume of Kitaro manga from Drawn and Quarterly. The history segment this time starts in 1960 when Shigeru Mizuki was fired from drawing Graveyard Kitaro and the book was assigned to a different creator! He went to another publishing company that liked… Continue reading Manga Review: Kitaro’s Strange Adventures
Movie Review: Zootopia
Movie Review: Zootopia (2016) directed by Byron Howard Once upon a time, the mammals of the world ran solely on instinct. Predators ate prey, and that was the way things were. But over time, evolution happened and now you no longer have to be defined by your species. Mammals live in peace with each other, and… Continue reading Movie Review: Zootopia
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
Book Review: The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2014
Book Review: The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2014 edited by Paula Guran Even the fastest, most dedicated readers can’t read everything that’s published each year. Not even in relatively limited genres like fantasy or horror. That’s where “Year’s Best” collections come in handy. Someone or several someones has gone through the enormous pile… Continue reading Book Review: The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2014
Manga Review: Inuyashiki #1-3
Manga Review: Inuyashiki #1-3 by Hiroya Oku Life is tough for Ichiro Inuyashiki. He’s only 58, but looks a good ten years older. His wife and children think he’s a loser (and they’re not entirely wrong,) he gets pushed around by jerks, and now he has cancer. The prognosis is terminal, a few months at… Continue reading Manga Review: Inuyashiki #1-3
Movie Review: Tokyo Gore School
Movie Review: Tokyo Gore School Fujiwara leads a double life. He’s the leader of a gang of high school bullies, and also the teacher-trusted student president. He’s reasonably comfortable with this, having a binary view of life. There are winners and losers, and he’s determined to be a winner. Fujiwara is baffled, however, when… Continue reading Movie Review: Tokyo Gore School