Magazine Review: Oh Reader, Issue 001

Magazine Review: Oh Reader, Issue 001 edited by Gemma Peckham So it turns out publishers are still starting new print magazines in this calamitous year of 2020. Fittingly, it’s a magazine for and about people who like to read. The primary focus, at least in this issue, is essays on various aspects of reading. The… Continue reading Magazine Review: Oh Reader, Issue 001

Comic Book Review: Comic Book History of Comics: Birth of a Medium

Comic Book Review: Comic Book History of Comics: Birth of a Medium written by Fred van Lente, art by Ryan Dunlavey As a long-time comic book fan, I’ve been reading books and articles about the history of comic books since the early 1970s. It was inevitable that at some point there would be a comic… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Comic Book History of Comics: Birth of a Medium

Magazine Review: Judge Dredd Megazine #417

Magazine Review: Judge Dredd Megazine #417 edited by Matt Smith I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned before that Judge Dredd, the breakout character from 2000 AD was so popular that the publishing company spun off a monthly magazine featuring him and his world, which has lasted a remarkably long time. It’s still primarily featuring stories tangentially… Continue reading Magazine Review: Judge Dredd Megazine #417

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1953

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1953 edited by Ellery Queen If you’re not picky about condition, you can find a lot of cool old magazines for very reasonable prices, like say a dollar for this 1950s EQMM. At this time, editor Frederic Dannay still used his pen name of Ellery Queen on the… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1953

Manga Review: Princess Jellyfish 03

Manga Review: Princess Jellyfish 03 by Akiko Higashimura Quick recap: The all-women apartment building Amamizu-kan, home to jellyfish-obsessed artist Tsukimi and her nerdy friends, is threatened by gentrification. They have a champion in the person of Kuranosuke, a prominent politician’s black sheep son who likes to dress in women’s clothing (and looks really good doing… Continue reading Manga Review: Princess Jellyfish 03

Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales

Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz This hefty volume collects a variety of public domain stories concerning the supernatural. While the majority fall roughly into the category of horror, some are more what we’d call “dark fantasy” and a handful are just “well, that’s a weird thing that happened.”… Continue reading Book Review: Great Supernatural Stories: 101 Horrifying Tales

Manga Review: Chi’s Sweet Home Volume 1

Manga Review: Chi’s Sweet Home Volume 1 by Konami Kanata Life is tough on the streets, even if you’re a cat. So young kitten Chi’s existence could have been cut short when she got separated from her mother due to distraction. Fortunately, Chi is soon found by the Yamada family. Papa, Mama and toddler Yohei… Continue reading Manga Review: Chi’s Sweet Home Volume 1

Manga Review: Case Closed Volumes 65-67

Manga Review: Case Closed Volumes 65-67 by Gosho Aoyama Premise: Teen detective Shinichi Kudou (Jimmy Kudo in the American version) is trapped in the body of a child. As Conan Edogawa, he solves mysteries anyway, while trying to track down the Black Organization that did this to him. See my previous entries. We open Volume… Continue reading Manga Review: Case Closed Volumes 65-67

Comic Book Review: 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2019

Comic Book Review: 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2019 edited by Tharg Artist Carlos Ezquerra was a long-time contributor to the 2000 AD comics series, including co-creating the popular Judge Dredd series with John Wagner in 1977. He passed away in October 2018, and this issue is designed as a tribute to him. “Night at the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2019

Open Thread: Minicon 54

Designed by Melissa Howela

Open Thread: Minicon 54 My involvement with Minicon started early this annum, as I was approached by one of the co-chairs about becoming head of Programming. Citing my entire lack of managerial experience and continued inability to organize, I declined. But I did agree to help the Programming department out. I pitched a bunch of… Continue reading Open Thread: Minicon 54