Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine September/October 2021

Cover by Brian Stauffer

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine September/October 2021 edited by Janet Hutchings “The years keep coming and they just keep coming.” It seems like just a few months ago I reviewed a 75th anniversary issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, but in fact it was five years ago, and here’s the 80th anniversary issue. It’s… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine September/October 2021

Movie Review: Martial Angels

Zi-Yang and Cat reunite.

Movie Review: Martial Angels (2001) directed by Clarence Ford Cat (Shu Qi) grew up in an orphanage with seven other girls. As adults, they have become a heist gang known as the “Martial Angels.” Five years ago, Cat met international jewel thief Zi-Yang (Julian Cheung) when they were after the same target and the two fell… Continue reading Movie Review: Martial Angels

Movie Review: Golden Swallow

Silver Roc leaves the neighborhood's newest abattoir.

Movie Review: Golden Swallow (1968) directed by Cheh Chang “Golden Swallow” Hsieh Wo Yeh (Pei-Pei Cheng) is happy living in an isolated valley with her new friend and protector “Iron Whip” Han Tao (Lieh Lo). One day they learn of a wandering warrior called “Silver Roc” (Jimmy Wang Yu) who ruthlessly exterminates criminals with his swooping… Continue reading Movie Review: Golden Swallow

Movie Review: Volcano High

Our hero introduces himself to a very noisy class.

Volcano High (2001) dir. Tae-gyun Kim Kim Keyong-Su (Jang Hyuk) has been expelled from nine schools for trouble-making. It’s not so much that he goes looking for trouble, as that he’s always targeted by jerks who want to pick on him, and he winds up using his superhuman powers in response. Kim got them in an… Continue reading Movie Review: Volcano High

Book Review: Winged Mystery

Book Review: Winged Mystery by Alan Gregg The Conroy family has come into possession of a plot of land in Southern California, and they’ve decided to move there for Mrs. Conroy’s health. The three grown children of the Conroys, Mark, Alison and Reed (just out of high school) go out first to scout the place.… Continue reading Book Review: Winged Mystery

Magazine Review: Science Fiction Adventures May 1953

Magazine Review: Science Fiction Adventures May 1953 edited by Philip St. John Science Fiction Adventures was a short-lived digest-sized magazine, running from 1952 to 1954. It was aimed at slightly younger readers, and edited by Lester del Rey under a pseudonym. Apparently, there was a dispute over payment, and del Rey quit as of 1954… Continue reading Magazine Review: Science Fiction Adventures May 1953

Comic Book Review: Dry County

Comic Book Review: Dry County by Rich Tommaso After six months in Miami, cartoonist Lou Rossi is finding he’s not cut out for the night club lifestyle, no matter how often he goes. Tonight, he’s going to do laundry instead. At the laundromat, he meets an attractive woman named Janet Laughton, and they hit it… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Dry County

Movie Review: Big Trouble in Little China

Lo Pan's pet beholder.

Movie Review: Big Trouble in Little China (1986) directed by John Carpenter. Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), owner of a small restaurant in San Francisco, probably shouldn’t have stayed up all night gambling with his recently arrived trucker friend Jack Burton (Kurt Russell). After all, he’s supposed to pick up his fiancee Miao Lin from the airport… Continue reading Movie Review: Big Trouble in Little China

Book Review: New Stories for Men

Book Review: New Stories for Men edited by Charles Grayson This 1941 anthology’s title is a trifle misleading, as some of the stories were up to twenty years old at the time of publication. It turns out it’s a sequel to Stories for Men by the same editor a year or two earlier, which became… Continue reading Book Review: New Stories for Men

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