Manga Review: The Crater

Manga Review: The Crater by Osamu Tezuka In the late 1960s, Osamu Tezuka’s career was facing a crisis. He was still popular, with publishers quite willing to buy more of the kid-friendly material he’d become famous for. But he wasn’t a trend-setter anymore. The new generation of manga creators was into gekiga, more serious and… Continue reading Manga Review: The Crater

Anime Review: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean

Foo Fighters' drinking habit concerns Jolyne and Ermes.

Anime Review: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean When Jolyne Cujoh was growing up in Florida, her father, marine biologist Jotaro Kujo, wasn’t around much. Feeling neglected, Jolyne acted out, stealing a car. That barely got her noticed, so it seemed, as Jotaro just made sure she was physically okay. Then she started going out with… Continue reading Anime Review: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean

Book Review: Deck the Pulps

Book Review: Deck the Pulps published by Brick Pickle Media Pulp magazines, like most forms of media, liked to celebrate holidays. Such as, you know, Christmas. But being the pulps, they leavened the usual sentimentality of the season with more of their usual action and excitement. This set of nine tales covers a variety of… Continue reading Book Review: Deck the Pulps

Comic Book Review: Cthulhu Is Hard to Spell

Comic Book Review: Cthulhu Is Hard to Spell edited by Russell Nohelty I hope you’re not tired of Lovecraftian cosmic horror yet, because I’ve got more to come. In this case, it’s an anthology of Cthulhu Mythos-related comics, focused on the “gods” of that cycle, and new critters that fit in with that theme. Despite… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Cthulhu Is Hard to Spell

Book Review: Scarecrow

Book Review: Scarecrow edited by Rhonda Parrish This anthology is part of the “Magical Menageries” series, each volume focusing on a different type of critter. A previous volume, Corvidae, dealt with crows of various types. Thus it’s not surprising that there’s a collection featuring their archenemies. While the aesthetic of humanoid beings of straw lends… Continue reading Book Review: Scarecrow

Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957)

Cover by Frank Kelly Freas--not illustrating any of the stories in this volume.

Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957) edited by Gideon Marcus As the introduction by Janice L. Newman points out, women have written science fiction all along. The percentage of them getting published at any given time in the magazines and books waxed and waned, but they were always there. In the… Continue reading Book Review: Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women Volume 2 (1953-1957)

Book Review: Among Others

Book Review: Among Others by Jo Walton It is 1979, and Morwenna Phelps is no longer blessed with a living twin. The same accident shattered her hip and leg so that she cannot run or dance, or even exist without pain. Her beloved grandfather had a stroke, and cannot care for her, and her mother… Continue reading Book Review: Among Others

Anime Review: Ghost Stories (Dub)

From left: Hajime, Satsuki, Keiichiro, Momoko and Reo.

Anime Review: Ghost Stories (Dub) originally Gakko no Kaidan (School Ghost Stories) After the death of her mother Kayako, Satsuki Miyanoshita moves to her parents’ home town with her father Reiichirou and little brother Keiichirou. The children are to be enrolled in the new elementary school which was built right next to the creepy and… Continue reading Anime Review: Ghost Stories (Dub)

Manga Review: Rin-Ne Volumes 38-40

Manga Review: Rin-Ne Volumes 38-40 by Rumiko Takahashi Quick recap: Rinne Rokudo is a shinigami, a psychopomp who helps the spirits of the dead move on to the afterlife. But he is partially human, so his powers are relatively weak and he often has to resort to special devices that cost money. Between that and… Continue reading Manga Review: Rin-Ne Volumes 38-40

Movie Review: The Curse of the Cat People

Amy's imaginary friend doesn't seem so imaginary now.

Movie Review: The Curse of the Cat People (1944) directed by Gunther V. Fritsch Amy Reed (Ann Carter) lives in Tarrytown, New York, near Sleepy Hollow, with her ship designer father Oliver (Kent Smith) and draft creator mother Alice (Jane Randolph). Amy is a sensitive, imaginative little girl who doesn’t get along well with the other… Continue reading Movie Review: The Curse of the Cat People