Comic Book Review: Essential Captain Marvel Vol. 2 by various creators. Back in 1967, Marvel Comics became aware that the name “Captain Marvel” for a superhero had fallen out of trademark status. It was too good a name for Marvel to pass up, so Stan Lee quickly came up with a character to appear in Marvel… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Captain Marvel Vol. 2
Tag: cyborgs
Comic Book Review: Superman Adventures Volume 1
Comic Book Review: Superman Adventures Volume 1 edited by Mike McAvennie After the success of the Batman animated series of the 1990s, the DC Animated Universe became a “universe” with the release of the Superman animated show that shared the same continuity. While perhaps not quite as brilliant as its predecessor, the Superman animated series… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Superman Adventures Volume 1
Book Review: Nexus
Book Review: Nexus by Ramez Naam In the not so distant future, technologies for human alteration and augmentation have advanced rapidly, so that many people are considered “transhuman” and there are a few that are possibly “post-human.” One of the new developments is Nexus, a “nanodrug” that allows humans to communicate mind-to-mind to some degree.… Continue reading Book Review: Nexus
Comic Book Review: Noble Causes Archives, Vol. 1
Comic Book Review: Noble Causes Archives, Vol. 1 written by Jay Faerber Liz Donnelly is nervous about meeting her future in-laws. After all, she’s just a normal bookstore manager, and they’re the Noble Family, celebrity superheroes, beloved across the world. Her fiance Race Noble is nice enough, but Liz soon learns that behind the glitzy… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Noble Causes Archives, Vol. 1
Book Review: Kaiju: Lords of the Earth
Book Review: Kaiju: Lords of the Earth edited by Essel Pratt Kaiju (“strange beast”) is primarily a subgenre of the monster movie that became codified in Japan. They’re mostly gigantic monsters that are nigh-unstoppable by conventional armaments, and run around destroying cities or fighting other giant monsters. The seeds of the story type were sown… Continue reading Book Review: Kaiju: Lords of the Earth
Book Review: Superheroes
Book Review: Superheroes edited by Rich Horton Superheroes as we know them more or less started in the comic books of the late 1930s, with the most obvious first “true” superhero being Superman. And comic books have largely shaped our perceptions of costumed superheroes ever since. But sometimes prose is a perfectly acceptable way of… Continue reading Book Review: Superheroes
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
Manga Review: Die Wergelder 1
Manga Review: Die Wergelder by Hiroaki Samura There’s something weird going on with the isolated island of Ishikunagajima. A decade ago, it was a poverty-stricken backwater inhabited mostly by fishermen and their families. Now it’s a thriving red-light district, despite being a five hour boat trip from Japan. It seems that someone has plowed a… Continue reading Manga Review: Die Wergelder 1
Comic Book Review: The Best of Judge Dredd
Comic Book Review: The Best of Judge Dredd edited by Tharg It is the dark future of the 22nd Century. Nuclear war and environmental devastation have made large portions of Earth’s surface barely inhabitable, and the majority of the remaining population is crowded into sprawling urban areas called Mega-Cities. Overpopulation, high unemployment, and a general… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Best of Judge Dredd
Manga Review: Dream Fossil
Manga Review: Dream Fossil by Satoshi Kon Satoshi Kon (1963-2010) was an acclaimed anime director, making a handful of movies (including Paprika) and one television series, Paranoia Agent. His themes of confusion of dreams and reality, and madness lying just below the surface of society, made his works fascinating. He also spent some time as a… Continue reading Manga Review: Dream Fossil