Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #14: Batman’s Villains

Cover by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano

Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #14: Batman’s Villains edited by Dick Giordano One of the things that has kept Batman a popular superhero over the many years of his existence is that he has a good rogues’ gallery, a set of colorful recurring villains that drive fun stories for the Caped Crusader. This… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #14: Batman’s Villains

Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #26: The Brave and the Bold

Cover by Jim Aparo.

Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #26: The Brave and the Bold edited by Mike W. Barr Before The Brave and the Bold became an all-Batman team-up book, it was an adventure comic book series that featured multiple action-oriented characters. This digest reprints five of those features, plus a Batman team-up because that was… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Best of DC #26: The Brave and the Bold

Magazine Review: Golden Fleece June 1939

Cover art by Margaret Brundage.

Magazine Review: Golden Fleece June 1939 edited by A.J. Gontier, Jr. & C.G. Williams Golden Fleece Historical Adventure was a short-lived pulp magazine that ran for nine issues in 1938-1939, with this being the final issue (not identified as such in the issue itself.) As the subtitle mentions, it specialized in historical adventure fiction and… Continue reading Magazine Review: Golden Fleece June 1939

Comic Book Review: Holmes: The Bento Cases

Cover by Myung Hee Kim

Comic Book Review: Holmes: The Bento Cases by various creators Bento Comics was an artist collective that allowed fans to select stories from their members to put together in bespoke anthologies. At conventions, they’d sell themed volumes to demonstrate the concept; I reviewed their Peter Pan anthology some years back. This collection is on the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Holmes: The Bento Cases

Movie Review: Two Mules for Sister Sara

Hogan and Sara arrive at El Gato Negro.

Movie Review: Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) directed by Don Siegel The time: July 1865. The place: Mexico. Hogan (Clint Eastwood). at loose ends since the end of the American Civil War, is headed south towards Chihuahua when he stumbles across several bandits attempting to rape a woman. While Hogan is by no means a… Continue reading Movie Review: Two Mules for Sister Sara

Manga Review: Case Closed Vols. 80-82

Manga Review: Case Closed Vols. 80-82 by Gosho Aoyama It’s time once again to catch up on the adventures of Conan Edogawa, boy detective, who is secretly Shinichi Kudou (Jimmy Kudo in the dub), teen detective who was shrunk by an experimental poison. See my many prior reviews of this series, titled Meitantei Conan (“Detective… Continue reading Manga Review: Case Closed Vols. 80-82

Book Review: The Spider #08: The Mad Horde

Book Review: The Spider #08: The Mad Horde edited by Rich Harvey Quick recap:  The Spider is a violent vigilante who battles master criminals in 1930s America.  He is secretly wealthy amateur criminologist Richard Wentworth, who believes there are some criminals the police simply aren’t equipped to deal with.  The Spider brands his kills with… Continue reading Book Review: The Spider #08: The Mad Horde

Book Review: Minnesota Vice

Book Review: Minnesota Vice by Ellen & Mary Kuhfeld As I have mentioned before, Minnesota has many fine mystery and crime writers.  Mary Kuhfeld is probably best known under the pen name Monica Ferris, under which she has written nineteen Betsy Devonshire Needlework Mysteries.  (Thus the subtitle “Monica Ferris Presents” for these self-published books.)  Ellen… Continue reading Book Review: Minnesota Vice

Book Review: The Queen of Zamba

Book Review: The Queen of Zamba by L. Sprague de Camp (Also published as Cosmic Manhunt) It started out as a normal missing person case.  Victor Hasselborg was hired to find runaway heiress Julnar Batruni.  Her trail is easy to pick up, as she used her own name to buy tickets off-planet with her lover, one Anthony… Continue reading Book Review: The Queen of Zamba

Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Men of War

Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Men of War edited by Paul Levitz In 1977, African-American male leads in mainstream comic books were still countable on one hand (and don’t even ask about African-American women!)  But this also had the effect of making a comic with a black person on the front attention-getting.  And I suspect… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Men of War