Comic Book Review: Essential Captain America, Vol. 2

Comic Book Review: Essential Captain America, Vol. 2 written by Stan Lee, art by various. In 1941, war raged in Europe and Asia. Though the United States was not yet directly involved, it was preparing for the day when it might be pulled in to World War Two. Among other things, this meant recruiting many… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Captain America, Vol. 2

Movie Review: Volcano High

Our hero introduces himself to a very noisy class.

Volcano High (2001) dir. Tae-gyun Kim Kim Keyong-Su (Jang Hyuk) has been expelled from nine schools for trouble-making. It’s not so much that he goes looking for trouble, as that he’s always targeted by jerks who want to pick on him, and he winds up using his superhuman powers in response. Kim got them in an… Continue reading Movie Review: Volcano High

TV Review: Lupin: Dans l’Ombre d’Arsene Part 1

Assane receives some words of encouragement.

TV Review: Lupin: Dans l’Ombre d’Arsene Part 1 Twenty-five years ago, Babakar Diop (Fargass Assande), Senegalese immigrant and chauffeur to the wealthy Pellegrini family, was convicted of stealing the fabulous “Queen’s Necklace”, a crime he almost certainly did not commit. In prison, he allegedly hanged himself. Now the jewel has reappeared, once more in the… Continue reading TV Review: Lupin: Dans l’Ombre d’Arsene Part 1

Book Review: The Further Adventures of Solar Pons

Book Review: The Further Adventures of Solar Pons by Basil Copper Wisconsin teenager August Derleth was a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. When he learned that there would apparently be no further Holmes stories forthcoming from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he wrote a letter to the great man asking if he could write the stories from… Continue reading Book Review: The Further Adventures of Solar Pons

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine June 1953

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine June 1953 edited by Ellery Queen Since this has floated to the top of my TBR pile, let’s look at another vintage issue of this classic mystery magazine. The cover depicting an aerialist falling to presumed death after being stuck with a dart has nothing to do with any… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine June 1953

Movie Review: Summer Wars

The clan gathers around the family computer.

Movie Review: Summer Wars (2009) directed by Mamoru Hosoda High schooler Kenji Koiso is a math whiz who almost qualified for Team Japan in the Math Olympics. But almost won’t get you a good summer job, so he’s a low level maintenance admin for the OZ online service. OZ is the most popular online virtual world,… Continue reading Movie Review: Summer Wars

Manga Review: Deadman Wonderland #2

Manga Review: Deadman Wonderland #2 by Jinsei Kataoka &Kazuma Kondou Ganta Igarashi’s life sucks. First, his entire junior high classroom is murdered by a being called “Red Man”, then Ganta as the sole survivor is framed for the crime. He’s sentenced to life imprisonment in Deadman Wonderland, a for-profit prison built on the ruins of… Continue reading Manga Review: Deadman Wonderland #2

Comic Strip Review: Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943-1946

Comic Strip Review: Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943-1946 by various creators Batman was a big success in the comic books, so it wasn’t long at all before it was decided that he’d probably be a hit in the newspaper comic strips as well. Once that was decided, the problem of Sundays had to be considered.… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943-1946

Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories

Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories edited by John P. Gunnison This volume of the long-running pulp reprint magazine dips into the pages of Science Fiction and Science Fiction Stories, a magazine that ran from 1939 to 1943 with the last two issues being under the latter name. As so often… Continue reading Magazine Review: High Adventure #170: Best of Science Fiction Stories

Magazine Review: The Shadow #60: Prince of Evil | Messenger of Death | Room 1313

Magazine Review: The Shadow #60: Prince of Evil | Messenger of Death | Room 1313 edited by Anthony Tollin There were multiple authors who operated under the house name Maxwell Grant to write the pulp magazine Shadow stories. This volume of Shadow reprints features three of them and is an interesting study in compare and… Continue reading Magazine Review: The Shadow #60: Prince of Evil | Messenger of Death | Room 1313