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

Comic Book Review: Best of DC #8: Year’s Best Comics Stories

Can you name all the characters on this cover?

Comic Book Review: Best of DC #8: Year’s Best Comics Stories edited by Julius Schwartz If you were going to have a digest comic called “Best of DC” it only made sense to present a collection of what the creators considered best stories for a given year, in this case, 1979. As the text feature… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Best of DC #8: Year’s Best Comics Stories

Comic Book Review: Simpsons Comics Confidential

Comic Book Review: Simpsons Comics Confidential published by Matt Groening The Simpsons started as a number of short cartoons shown on The Tracy Ullman show in 1987. A dysfunctional family partially named after creator Matt Groening’s own family, they were popular enough to spin off into their own prime time series in 1989. It was… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Simpsons Comics Confidential

Comic Book Review: DC Special No. 23: Green Arrow

Comic Book Review: DC Special No. 23: Green Arrow edited by Len Wein Green Arrow was created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp for More Fun Comics #73 in 1941. Oliver “Ollie” Queen was originally an old-money anthropologist with a special interest in Native American cultures, who’d learned archery from the tribes he was studying.… Continue reading Comic Book Review: DC Special No. 23: Green Arrow

Magazine Review: Fantastic August 1969

Magazine Review: Fantastic August 1969 edited by Sol Cohen The opening editorial is by Ted White, the new managing editor. He talks about the decline in “fiction magazines” (the Saturday Evening Post had recently ceased publication for the first time) and is sad, but points out that times are always changing. He also mentions his… Continue reading Magazine Review: Fantastic August 1969

TV Review: The Adventures of Long John Silver

Captain Silver exults at returning to the sea.

TV Review: The Adventures of Long John Silver Ye’ll likely be familiar with the basic plot of Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. ‘Tis a fine tale of the sea, with adventure and pirates a-plenty. But if by some sad mischance ye are not, feast your eyes on me review of the book! There have… Continue reading TV Review: The Adventures of Long John Silver

TV Review: The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu | Flash Gordon | Sheena , Queen of the Jungle | The Joe Palooka Story

Sheena teases Bob.

TV Review: The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu | Flash Gordon | Sheena, Queen of the Jungle | The Joe Palooka Story In my quest to watch all the DVDs I have purchased and never gotten around to, I have come to a collection of four random episodes from 1950s adventure television. Let’s see what… Continue reading TV Review: The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu | Flash Gordon | Sheena , Queen of the Jungle | The Joe Palooka Story

Movie Review: Absolution (1978)

Father Goddard tries to instill the fear of God into a student.

Movie Review: Absolution (1978) directed by Anthony Page Father Goddard (Richard Burton) teaches Latin and Doctrine at St. Anthony’s, a Catholic boarding school for boys. A joyless man, Father Goddard is also a form master who oversees the dormitory for one group of the students. Two boys in his form are of special interest. Benjamin “Benjie”… Continue reading Movie Review: Absolution (1978)

Movie Review: Champagne

Our heroine fresh from crashing a plane.

Movie Review: Champagne (1928) directed by Alfred Hitchcock The Girl (Betty Balfour) is a spoiled heiress who is in love with The Boy (Jean Bradin.) The Father (Gordon Harker) thinks the boy is a “cake hound” who is after the family money, so has forbidden the girl to see him. The girl promptly hired a plane… Continue reading Movie Review: Champagne

Book Review: Mister Roberts

Book Review: Mister Roberts by Thomas Heggen It is early spring, 1945, and World War Two rages on…somewhere else. Here in the backwaters of the Pacific Ocean, the Reluctant, an auxiliary cargo vessel of the United States Navy, sails from miserable coral island to miserable jungle island, delivering loads of non-urgent supplies. This old tub… Continue reading Book Review: Mister Roberts