Movie Review: The Dragon Murder Case

Mrs. Stamm tries to convince Leland and Vance of the existence of the dragon.

Movie Review: The Dragon Murder Case (1934) directed by H. Bruce Humberstone There’s a party at the Stamm estate tonight. Socialite Monty Montague (George Meeker) has become engaged to lovely Bernice Stamm (Margaret Lindsay) and it’s time to celebrate. However, tensions are high. Ichthyologist Rudolph Stamm (Robert Barratt), Bernice’s brother, has taken to drink, ignoring the… Continue reading Movie Review: The Dragon Murder Case

Manga Review: Batman: Justice Buster Vol. 1

Manga Review: Batman: Justice Buster Vol. 1 by Eiichi Shimizu & Tomohiro Shimoguchi It’s been about three years since Bruce Wayne began his career as Batman, the mysterious masked vigilante operating in Gotham City. His war on crime has borne some fruit; the old, normal gangs have largely broken up as their members go to… Continue reading Manga Review: Batman: Justice Buster Vol. 1

Movie Review: The Jade Mask

Movie Review: The Jade Mask (1945) directed by Phil Rosen Inspector Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is flying back to Washington, D.C. soon, and has already checked out of his hotel. So when he’s called away to investigate a possible murder, his psuedo-intellectual Number Four Son Edward “Eddie” Chan (Edwin Luke) and highly nervous chauffeur Birmingham Brown… Continue reading Movie Review: The Jade Mask

Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1

Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1 created by Various A fairly long-standing tradition of DC Comics is the “Holiday Special”; an anthology issue themed around a particular holiday or season. It started, naturally, with Christmas specials, now more general “winter holiday”-themed, but Halloween specials with horror-type stories were an obvious addition,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve 1

Movie Review: The Gorilla (1939)

The detectives are immediately suspicious of Peters, the butler.

Movie Review: The Gorilla (1939) directed by Allan Dwan The partners in the Acme Detective Agency, Garrity (Jimmy Ritz), Harrigan (Harry Ritz), and Mulligan (Al Ritz) have not been particularly successful so far, but somehow they’ve landed a big case. It seems that insurance company executive Walter Stevens (Lionel Atwill) has received a death threat from… Continue reading Movie Review: The Gorilla (1939)

Movie Review: The Ape Man (1943)

Dr. Brewster locking himself up for other people's safety.

Movie Review: The Ape Man (1943) directed by William Beaudine Jefferson Carter (Wallace Ford), wise-cracking reporter, is waiting at the docks for a ship to come in. A mysterious fellow (Ralph Littlefield) tips him off that one of the people waiting is Dr. George Randall (Henry Hall), who recently reported his research partner Dr. James Brewster… Continue reading Movie Review: The Ape Man (1943)

Manga Review: Case Closed, Volumes 77-79

Manga Review: Case Closed, Volumes 77-79 by Gosho Aoyama Recap: Conan Edogawa is actually Shinichi Kudou (Jimmy Kudo in the U.S. version), a genius teen detective who was poisoned by the Black Organization and now has the body of a pre-teen. This makes it more difficult for him to get listened to, but he keeps… Continue reading Manga Review: Case Closed, Volumes 77-79

Book Review: The Circular Staircase

Book Review: The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart Miss Rachel Innes is a woman of independent means who raised her brother’s children Halsey and Gertrude after he and his wife passed away. They’re now in their early twenties, and have at long last persuaded their maiden aunt to rent a summer house out in… Continue reading Book Review: The Circular Staircase

Comic Strip Review: Modesty Blaise: The Scarlet Maiden

Comic Strip Review: Modesty Blaise: The Scarlet Maiden Story by Peter O’Donnell, Art by Neville Colvin In 1945, an amnesiac little girl escaped from a Displaced Persons camp in Greece. After wandering around the post-war Mediterranean for a while, she was taken in by a Jewish Hungarian scholar named Lob, who gave her an education… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Modesty Blaise: The Scarlet Maiden

Comic Book Review: From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1

Comic Book Review: From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1 by Various When I was a lad in the 1970s, comic books had become thin. In an effort to save costs and keep prices within the allowance of kids, the major publishers had shaved off page count, and thus story content. I didn’t fully understand the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1