Manga Review: Gate Keepers Volume 1

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

Movie Review: Creature (1985)

Hans may have lost his entire crew, but not his sense of humor.

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)

Movie Review: The Whisperer In Darkness

B-67 explains the benefits of joining the Mi-Go.

Movie Review: The Whisperer in Darkness (2011) directed by Sean Branney There’s severe flooding in Vermont in 1927, and reports of dead things in the water that don’t look like anything recognized by standard biologists. Albert Wilmarth (Matt Foyer), a professor of folklore at Miskatonic University, scoffs. After all, the locals are primed to believe in… Continue reading Movie Review: The Whisperer In Darkness

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

Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II

Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II edited by Ross E. Lockhart It’s spooky stuff month again, so I sat down with this thick volume (24 stories) of tales inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft for a couple of weeks. This is a sequel to The Book of Cthulhu that I reviewed earlier on… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Cthulhu II

Book Review: Away and Beyond

Book Review: Away and Beyond by A.E. van Vogt This paperback anthology is a partial reprint of the first hardcover collection of A.E. van Vogt short stories from 1952, with 7 of the 9 1940s tales. It’s not explained why two stories were dropped, but my research suggests they were lesser works. “The Great Engine”… Continue reading Book Review: Away and Beyond

Book Review: Galaxy Jane

Cover by Boris Vallejo, and it's probably a publicity still of the actress playing Jane.

Book Review: Galaxy Jane by Ron Goulart Galaxy Jane: adventurer, space pirate, freedom fighter, and one of the most interesting persons the Barnum System ever knew. A book about her would probably be awesome. But this isn’t that book. Instead it’s about NewzNet reporter Jack Summer, who’s ostensibly been assigned to write a story about… Continue reading Book Review: Galaxy Jane

Comic Book Review: Golden Age Marvel Comics 2

Comic Book Review: Golden Age Marvel Comics 2 by Various This volume reprints the contents of Marvel Mystery Comics #5-8 from 1940. The introduction by Roy Thomas points up the contrast with the publisher’s other anthology title of the time, Daring Mystery Comics. This one had star characters like the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner,… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Golden Age Marvel Comics 2

Comic Book Review: Fleetway Picture Library Classics Presents: Rick Random

Comic Book Review: Fleetway Picture Library Classics Presents: Rick Random art by Ron Turner In the far future of the 2040s, Earth belongs to the Interplanetary Board, a coalition of worlds both in the Sol System and beyond. As it just so happens, it’s headquartered in what used to be the country of Great Britain.… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Fleetway Picture Library Classics Presents: Rick Random

Magazine Review: Worlds of If August 1973

"Astronauts on Deimos" by David A. Hardy. Not illustrating any of the interior stories.

Magazine Review: Worlds of If August 1973 edited by Ejier Jakobsson This issue of the magazine also known as “If” opens with the “Hue and Cry” letter column. One reader was especially impressed with the negative review Lester del Rey gave of a book on cloning, which taught the reader something to look for in… Continue reading Magazine Review: Worlds of If August 1973