Comic Book Review: Robot Archie and the Time Machine story by E. George Cowan, art by Ted Kearon Robot Archie was created in 1952 for Lion, a British weekly comic paper. Initially appearing in the serial “The Jungle Robot”, he was built by Professor C.R. Ritchie to help his nephew Ted Ritchie and Ted’s chum… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Robot Archie and the Time Machine
Tag: castles
Comic Book Review: Dark Mysteries Vol. 1
Comic Book Review: Dark Mysteries Vol. 1 by Various Artists This is another of the PS Artbooks softcover collections of pre-Code horror comics, collecting the first five issues of Dark Mysteries from Master Comics, published in 1951-1952. These comic books may have been read by the youth, but the shaping underwear ads indicate an older… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Dark Mysteries Vol. 1
Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #2: Batman
Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #2: Batman edited by Paul Levitz 1979 was the fortieth anniversary of the first published Batman story. Thus this special digest, showcasing interesting stories from each decade of the hero’s publication history. It comes with an essay by Mike W. Barr explaining each story’s significance. “The People vs.… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #2: Batman
Movie Review: Mark of the Vampire
Movie Review: Mark of the Vampire (1935) directed by Tod Browning (also released as “Vampires of Prague”) Czechoslovakia, 1934, near the city of Prague. It is growing dark, but in the inn run by a local fellow (Michael Visaroff), two English travelers want to be on their way. The innkeeper warns that vampires roam these parts… Continue reading Movie Review: Mark of the Vampire
Book Review: The Anything Tree/The Winds of Darkover
Book Review: The Anything Tree by John Rackham/The Winds of Darkover by Marion Zimmer Bradley It’s time for another Ace Double, two books in one! Sometimes you’d get one novel that was much more popular than the other, and this is one of those cases. This one starts with Selena Ash, socialite, discovering that her… Continue reading Book Review: The Anything Tree/The Winds of Darkover
Book Review: The Castle of Otranto
Book Review: The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole Today is a particularly bad day at the castle. Worst of all for Conrad, sickly son of Prince Manfred, who is crushed to death by a mysterious giant helmet. This is taken hard by his mother Princess Hippolita and sister Matilda. Prince Manfred is beside himself,… Continue reading Book Review: The Castle of Otranto
Movie Review: Bloody Pit of Horror
Movie Review: Bloody Pit of Horror (1965) directed by Massimo Pupillo, Italian title “Il Boia Scarlatto” (The Crimson Executioner) Horror paperback publisher Daniel Parks (Alfredo Rizzo) wants to have the covers of his next few books be photographs. So he and a small crew of models, photographer and writer are touring Italy for the exactly right… Continue reading Movie Review: Bloody Pit of Horror
Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #38: Superman Vs. the Supernatural
Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #38: Superman Vs. the Supernatural edited by Nicola Cuti As I’ve mentioned before, Superman’s impressive array of powers at the top of the super-scale make him a hard character to write challenges for. This led to the invention of Kryptonite and its subsequent overuse as a plot device.… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #38: Superman Vs. the Supernatural
Magazine Review: High Adventure #194: Wheeler-Nicholson Special
Magazine Review: High Adventure #194: Wheeler-Nicholson Special edited by John P. Gunnison This volume of the pulp reprints series has five stories by Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, who in addition to writing many fine pulp stories is important to the history of comic books. In 1935, he founded National Allied Publications, which published the first comic… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #194: Wheeler-Nicholson Special
Book Review: The Last Unicorn
Book Review: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle The unicorn has been alone in her wood for a very long time. How long? Hard to say, as she is a naturally immortal being of a solitary nature. One day, she overhears from a hunter that she may be the last unicorn in the world.… Continue reading Book Review: The Last Unicorn