Comic Strip Review: Alley Oop and the Million-Dollar Nugget

Comic Strip Review: Alley Oop and the Million-Dollar Nugget by V.T. Hamlin Alley Oop is a caveman living in the primitive kingdom of Moo in Earth’s prehistoric Bone Age. He rides a tame dinosaur named Dinny, has an off-and-on relationship with sweetheart Ooola, and alternately clashes with and helps out King Guzzle (“Guz”) and the… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Alley Oop and the Million-Dollar Nugget

Book Review: Branded West

Book Review: Branded West edited by Don Ward The Western Writers of America were founded in 1953 to promote literature related to the American West. It started with primarily traditional Western fiction, but also promotes historical and non-fiction works and even songs. It has an annual prize called the Spur Awards. But this collection published… Continue reading Book Review: Branded West

Movie Review: The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

Paul Allen and Kitty Jekyll meet Edward Hyde.

Movie Review: The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) directed by Terence Fisher Six years ago, Dr. Henry Jekyll (Paul Massie) was laughed out of the scientific community for his wild theories about the dual nature of human consciousness. Since then, he’s been a recluse spending the majority of his time on his experiments with lab… Continue reading Movie Review: The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942

Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942 The Black Hood was one of the superheroes created for the MLJ (later Archie) Comics line, first appearing in Top-Notch Comics #9 in 1940. Matthew Kipling “Kip” Burland was originally a rookie cop who was framed for grand larceny and injured to near death by a criminal known as… Continue reading Magazine Review: Hooded Detective January 1942

Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #497

Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #497 by Various Creators For a while in the early 1980s, Adventure Comics was turned into a digest format by DC Comics, with more pages but smaller ones, and multiple series represented, a mix of new and reprint stories. Let’s take a look at this typical installment. “All Together Now!”… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #497

Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959)

Stumpy, Dude, Colorado and John T. bond with a little music.

Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959) directed by Howard Hawks Rio Bravo is a small town in the West Texas county of Presidio, not too far from the Mexican border. The rancher with the biggest spread nearby is Nathan Burdette (John Russell). He also has something of a monopoly on guns for hire in the area, being… Continue reading Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959)

Movie Review: Paint Your Wagon

Partner, Ben and Elizabeth discuss their domestic arrangement.

Paint Your Wagon (1969) dir. Joshua Logan It is the height of the California Gold Rush, and a motley assembly of prospectors from around the world have joined a wagon train to the next possible strike. The wagon of two Michigan ex-farmer brothers goes off a cliff, killing one of them. Affable scoundrel Ben Rumson (Lee… Continue reading Movie Review: Paint Your Wagon

Manga Review: Lady Snowblood Vol. 1: The Deep-Seated Grudge Pt. 1

Manga Review: Lady Snowblood Vol. 1: The Deep-Seated Grudge Pt. 1 story by Kazuo Koike, art by Kazuo Kamimura It is the Meiji Era, and Japan is rapidly modernizing. Some have even suggested abolishing the Japanese language in favor of one easier to communicate in! But some traditions are more deeply rooted than others, like… Continue reading Manga Review: Lady Snowblood Vol. 1: The Deep-Seated Grudge Pt. 1

Book Review: Rio Bravo

Book Review: Rio Bravo by Leigh Brackett Rio Bravo is a small town near the river of the same name in southern Texas by the Mexican border. Ordinarily Sheriff John T. Chance is able to handle the local rowdies with the help of deputy Stumpy, who doesn’t walk well since a bullet smashed his leg.… Continue reading Book Review: Rio Bravo

Movie Review: The Comancheros

Jake and Paul have a contentious relationship at first.

Movie Review: The Comancheros (1961) directed by Michael Curtiz In 1843, gambler and womanizer Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) kills a man in an illegal duel in Louisiana. This ordinarily wouldn’t be a problem, except that the dead man (who’d falsely accused him of cheating at cards to eliminate him as a romantic rival) had a politically… Continue reading Movie Review: The Comancheros