Movie Review: Spring and Chaos

So very relatable.

Movie Review: Spring and Chaos (1996) directed by Shouji Kawamori Kenji Miyazawa was a poet, children’s story writer, and agriculturalist who lived from 1896-1933. Like many poets, he was unrecognized during his lifetime, but had his work become widely known after his death. You may have seen the animated adaptation of Night on the Galactic Railway. This… Continue reading Movie Review: Spring and Chaos

Book Review: New Tales of Space and Time

Cover by Charles Frank

Book Review: New Tales of Space and Time edited by Raymond J. Healy This 1951 anthology opens with an introduction by Anthony Boucher. In it he notes the proliferation of science fiction anthologies at the time, most of which were reprints of magazine stories. Often the same stories, over and over–not bad because they are… Continue reading Book Review: New Tales of Space and Time

Comic Strip Review: Cartoons by Guindon

Comic Strip Review: Cartoons by Guindon by Dick Guindon During my teen years, one of the delights of reading the newspaper was the cartoons of Richard “Dick” Guindon.  Born in Minnesota, he had returned to the Twin Cities in the 1970s to draw his satirical cartoons. Mind you, it was pretty mild satire, but folks… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Cartoons by Guindon

Manga Review: Black Jack 2

Manga Review: Black Jack 2 by Osamu Tezuka Before Osamu Tezuka became a full-time manga creator, he was  a medical doctor.  He drew upon this training and experiences with Japan’s medical establishment for his work on Black Jack starting in the 1970s. Black Jack (birth name Kuro’o Hazama) is a brilliant physician and surgeon who is… Continue reading Manga Review: Black Jack 2

Book Review: The World Grabbers

Book Review: The World Grabbers by Paul W. Fairman Dane Morrow feels like a failure.  He used to be a bright young man, enthusiastic about becoming a writer, and seeing a lovely young woman.  But his stories didn’t sell, and his book vanished into the publisher’s slush pile without trace.  Plus, Dane began to feel… Continue reading Book Review: The World Grabbers

Comic Book Review: Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 2

Comic Book Review: Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 2 edited by John Denning Quick recap:  In the 1970s, Marvel Comics started doing larger magazines for newsstand distribution, most of them in black and white.  One of these was The Rampaging Hulk, which originally featured adventures taking place between the Hulk’s appearances in the first year of his… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Rampaging Hulk, Vol. 2

Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 15: Dark Matter

Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 15: Dark Matter edited by Mary François Rockcastle This literary journal is published by Hamline University in Minnesota.  The title comes from another name of the Philosopher’s Stone, the transformative agent which turned base metals into gold, in the search for true immortality, as literature turns ordinary words into art.… Continue reading Magazine Review: Water~Stone Review Volume 15: Dark Matter