Manga Review: Gate Keepers Volume 1 by Keiji Goto (Original story by Hiroshi Yamaguchi) It is 1969, and Japan’s prosperity is increasing. Rapid industrialization and technological advancements have brought economic good times but also rapid social change and then unrest. More pressingly for our story, mysterious aliens known only as “the Invaders” are secretly striking… Continue reading Manga Review: Gate Keepers Volume 1
Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files
Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files edited by Max Allan Collins and Martin H. Greenberg In 1990, the venerable Dick Tracy comic strip got a movie adaptation, Dick Tracy, starring Warren Beatty and Madonna. To cash in on the publicity, the then-writer of the strip, Max Allan Collins, was asked to do both a… Continue reading Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files
Movie Review: Better Off Dead
Movie Review: Better Off Dead (1985) directed by Savage Steve Holland Al Meyer (David Ogden Stiers) is a lawyer in the small Northern California town of Greendale, a short drive away from the mountains. Life is rough for him. His wife Jenny (Kim Darby) is an improbably bad cook who refuses to stop trying and is… Continue reading Movie Review: Better Off Dead
Open Thread: Tenth Anniversary Approaching!
Yes, as of December Twelve Twenty Twenty-Two, I will have been posting on this blog for ten years! I started this blog at a low time in my life, and things are better now, but it’s always amazing when you hit a milestone. I’ve kept SKJAM! Reviews relatively ad-free. No pop-ups, no click-bait links to… Continue reading Open Thread: Tenth Anniversary Approaching!
Manga Review: Peach Boy Riverside 1
Manga Review: Peach Boy Riverside 1 story by Coolkyousinnjya, art by Johanne Many of you will be familiar with the story of Momotarou, the Peach Boy. “Hatched” from a giant peach by a childless couple, he was raised by them. When he came of age, Momotarou set out to defeat the oni (demons/ogres) that were… Continue reading Manga Review: Peach Boy Riverside 1
Movie Review: Rio Bravo (1959)
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)
Comic Strip Review: Don’t Make Me Laugh, Beetle Bailey
Comic Strip Review: Don’t Make Me Laugh, Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker From 1940 with World War Two looming to 1972 with the Vietnam War being lost, the United States of America had an active Selective Service (“the draft”) process. The amount of young men ebbed and flowed with requirements, but many folks were drafted,… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Don’t Make Me Laugh, Beetle Bailey
Book Review: Twelve
Book Review: Twelve by Joan Marie Verba Once upon a time, there was a soldier named Alden. He had traveled far and wide, and fought in many battles, though he avoided fighting when possible. War has a way of eating at a man, stealing his composure and making him less than he was. So when… Continue reading Book Review: Twelve
Movie Review: Creature (1985)
Movie Review: Creature (1985) directed by William Malone In the not too distant future, a spaceship named Shenandoah is sent by the multinational corporation NTI to Titan, a moon of Saturn, to lay claim to some alien artifacts found there. There’s some trepidation by the crew, since the last expedition has no known survivors, and the last sign… Continue reading Movie Review: Creature (1985)
Comic Book Review: The Great Gatsby
Comic Book Review: The Great Gatsby adapted by K. Woodman-Maynard from the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald A decently long copyright term is a good thing. An author who wrote something cool in their youth can still be supported by it in their old age. The family of a creator taken too soon is not… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Great Gatsby