Manga Review: Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus 1 written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima Ogami Itto was once a samurai warrior of high rank, the official executioner for the shogunate. He had a lovely wife and new son; life was good. But another clan was ambitious, and framed Ogami for treason. Under sentence of… Continue reading Manga Review: Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus 1
Tag: honor
Manga Review: Samurai Executioner Omnibus 2
Manga Review: Samurai Executioner Omnibus 2 written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima Yamada “Decapitator” Asaemon is the o-tameshiyaku, sword-tester for the shogun and official executioner of criminals. It’s not a pretty job, but at least he has one in Edo-era Japan, during a time of peace. Without wars to fight, many of the samurai… Continue reading Manga Review: Samurai Executioner Omnibus 2
Book Review: The Queen of Zamba
Book Review: The Queen of Zamba by L. Sprague de Camp (Also published as Cosmic Manhunt) It started out as a normal missing person case. Victor Hasselborg was hired to find runaway heiress Julnar Batruni. Her trail is easy to pick up, as she used her own name to buy tickets off-planet with her lover, one Anthony… Continue reading Book Review: The Queen of Zamba
Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Six
Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Six by Makoto Yukimura To recap if you haven’t read the previous reviews: It is the age of Vikings. After the murder of Thorfinn’s father, he dedicated his life to revenge on the man who did it. That didn’t end as he had hoped, and Thorfinn is now a slave on… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Six
Book Review: The Hugo Winners Volume 5 1980-1982
Book Review: The Hugo Winners Volume 5 1980-1982 edited by Isaac Asimov The Hugo Awards are given out every year by the membership of the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon.) This series of books from 1986 collected the winners in the three short fiction categories: Novella (17,500-40,000 words), Novelette (7,500-17,500 words) and Short Story (less… Continue reading Book Review: The Hugo Winners Volume 5 1980-1982
Manga Review: Showa 1944 1953 a History of Japan
Manga Review: Showa 1944 1953 a History of Japan by Shigeru Mizuki Shigeru Mizuki was one of the oldest (born 1922, died 2015) still-working and most respected manga creators in Japan. Though he is best known for children’s horror comics such as GeGeGe no Kitaro, Mizuki also has written extensively for adults. This is the third… Continue reading Manga Review: Showa 1944 1953 a History of Japan
Comic Book Review: Essential Sub-Mariner Vol. 1
Comic Book Review: Essential Sub-Mariner Vol. 1 Edited by Stan Lee Namor, the Sub-Mariner, first appeared in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939. The son of Captain Robert McKenzie, an icebreaker commander assigned to the Antarctic area, and Princess Fen of Atlantis, Namor possessed hybrid vigor that made him stronger than any ten humans or Atlanteans, the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Sub-Mariner Vol. 1
Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Three
Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Threeby Makoto Yukimura Note: This review will contain SPOILERS for the first two volumes. If you do not want to be spoiled, see the reviews for those volumes instead. It is the Twelfth Century C.E., the age of the Vikings. Thorfinn Thorsson serves as a Viking warrior in the band… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Three
Book Review: The Thirty-Ninth Man
Book Review: The Thirty-Ninth Man by D.A. Swanson Disclaimer: I received this book in a giveaway by the author on the grounds that I would review it. On December 26th, 1862, thirty-eight men were hanged in the largest mass execution in American history. They were convicted of murder and other crimes in connection with… Continue reading Book Review: The Thirty-Ninth Man
Movie Review: Chushingura (The 47 Loyal Ronin)
Movie Review: Chushingura (The 47 Loyal Ronin) (1962) As mentioned in my previous reviews of book and comic book versions, the tale of the forty-seven ronin is one of Japan’s great stories, based on true events. Briefly, in 1701, Lord Kira provokes Lord Asano into breaking the rules of the Shogun’s court, a crime that… Continue reading Movie Review: Chushingura (The 47 Loyal Ronin)