Manga Review: Deserter

Manga Review: Deserter by Junji Ito This volume says that the contents are mostly from the early horror work of noted manga creator Junji Ito. There’s no initial publication dates in the indicia, but his debut was in 1987, so I’m guessing late Eighties to early Nineties. Let’s see what his stuff was like before… Continue reading Manga Review: Deserter

Comic Book Review: Cthulhu Is Hard to Spell

Comic Book Review: Cthulhu Is Hard to Spell edited by Russell Nohelty I hope you’re not tired of Lovecraftian cosmic horror yet, because I’ve got more to come. In this case, it’s an anthology of Cthulhu Mythos-related comics, focused on the “gods” of that cycle, and new critters that fit in with that theme. Despite… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Cthulhu Is Hard to Spell

Manga Review: Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible 1

Manga Review: Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible 1 by Nene Yukimori Some people are extroverts, who project themselves out into the world. Others are introverts, who tend to withdraw from the world. And then there’s Junta Shiraishi. His lack of presence makes him effectively invisible. Ordinary folks don’t notice him unless he directly calls… Continue reading Manga Review: Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible 1

Comic Book Review: Castle Waiting Volume 1

Comic Book Review: Castle Waiting Volume 1 by Linda Medley Once upon a time there was a castle whose inhabitants had slept for a hundred years. You may have heard of it long ago. But the princess who woke went off with her prince, abandoning her people who in turn abandoned the kingdom. The castle… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Castle Waiting Volume 1

Movie Review: A Smoky Mountain Christmas

Found Family Picture

Movie Review: A Smoky Mountain Christmas (1986) directed by Henry Winkler Lorna Davis (Dolly Parton) is a country-western singer who’s spent too long in Hollywood, and just isn’t feeling her music any more, much to the dismay of her agent (Rene Auberjonois) who has her fully booked for months to come. Wanting to reconnect with… Continue reading Movie Review: A Smoky Mountain Christmas

Book Review: Roar at the Universe

Book Review: Roar at the Universe by Danith McPherson In her introduction, the author states that bad stuff happens, and people can deal with it in different ways. This anthology, then, is eleven stories and poems about characters who struggle with the bad stuff in their lives, not always successfully. “Folds of Blue Silk” starts… Continue reading Book Review: Roar at the Universe

Manga Review: The Birth of Kitaro

Manga Review: The Birth of Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki Blood bank worker Mizuki (no relation) is sent to investigate a report of tainted blood provided by his business, which has turned a hospital patient into the living dead.  Narrowing down the possibilities, Mizuki is startled to learn that the blood donor put down his, Mizuki’s,… Continue reading Manga Review: The Birth of Kitaro

Book Review: Twice Told Tales

Book Review: Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) is one of the great American writers; his The Scarlet Letter is studied in many schools across this land.  But it took him quite a while to reach that status.  After crushingly disappointing sales for his first novel, Fanshawe, Hawthorne spent a dozen years in poverty,… Continue reading Book Review: Twice Told Tales

Book Review: Time Frames: A Speculative Poetry Anthology

Book Review: Time Frames: A Speculative Poetry Anthology edited by Terry A. Garey Poetry related to the various genres of speculative fiction (SF, fantasy, horror, etc.) is pretty common.  You can see samples by ones or twos in many magazines and spec-fic collections.  But full hardback anthologies of speculative poetry are rare.  So Rune Press… Continue reading Book Review: Time Frames: A Speculative Poetry Anthology