Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1949 edited by Ellery Queen It’s time for another issue of this venerable mystery magazine. The cover this time is uncredited, and does not directly match any of the stories in the issue. “Double Exposure” by Ben Hecht opens the issue with a tale of a psychiatrist who… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine August 1949
Tag: humor
Book Review: The Book of Poul Anderson
Book Review: The Book of Poul Anderson edited by Roger Elwood Poul Anderson (1926-2001) was an influential American science fiction author, first published in 1947 and winning seven Hugos and three Nebulas for his work. By the 1970s, he was well enough known, and had a large enough body of short fiction, that DAW Books… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Poul Anderson
Anime Review: Gegege no Kitaro (2018)
Anime Review: Gegege no Kitaro (2018) Two decades into the Twenty-First Century, most humans have lost the belief in yokai, folkloric monsters that exist on the fringes of the world. They can’t even see yokai. So when a Logan Paul-like video prankster accidentally unleashes a creature that turns humans into trees, the authorities are helpless… Continue reading Anime Review: Gegege no Kitaro (2018)
Manga Review: Fruits Basket Volume 8
Manga Review: Fruits Basket Volume 8 by Natsuki Takaya Tohru Honda’s extended family sucks. After her mother died, her aunt and uncle made it clear they wanted nothing to do with the child. But the optimistic compassion and strong work ethic Tohru inherited from her mother served her well. She got a part time job… Continue reading Manga Review: Fruits Basket Volume 8
Book Review: All My Friends Are Super Heroes
Book Review: All My Friends Are Super Heroes by Andrew Kaufman Toronto has a lot of superheroes. But now there will be one less. The Perfectionist is flying to Vancouver to start over after the disappearance of her husband Tom. What the Perfectionist doesn’t know is that Tom is on the flight with her, and… Continue reading Book Review: All My Friends Are Super Heroes
Manga Review: The Seven Deadly Sins Volume 1
Manga Review: The Seven Deadly Sins Volume 1 by Nakaba Suzuki Boar Hat is a small tavern in the middle of nowhere, known for its excellent selection of booze and the owner’s terrible cooking. It’s run by the childish-appearing Melodias and his talking pig partner Hawk. Despite its remote and variable location, Boar Hat gets… Continue reading Manga Review: The Seven Deadly Sins Volume 1
Book Review: Popular Book of Western Stories
Book Review: Popular Book of Western Stories edited by Leo Margulies The title of this 1948 paperback may seem a trifle misleading (“if it’s so popular, why have I never heard of it?”) but makes more sense when you learn that it came out from the publishing company Popular Library. Leo Margulies, a long-time pulp… Continue reading Book Review: Popular Book of Western Stories
Manga Review: Mob Psycho 100 Volume 1
Manga Review: Mob Psycho 100 Volume 1 by ONE Arataka Reigen is a psychic for hire, taking on people’s supernatural problems for a fee. And quite reasonable fees at that! In reality, of course, most people’s supernatural problems aren’t supernatural at all. Con artist Reigen uses his fast tongue and improvisational skills to deal with… Continue reading Manga Review: Mob Psycho 100 Volume 1
Book Review: Tombstone & Speedy, Range Detectives
Book Review: Tombstone & Speedy, Range Detectives by W.C. Tuttle W.C. Tuttle (1883-1969) was a prolific author of short stories and novels, almost entirely Westerns. One of his specialties was comedic detective Western stories, with cowpokes solving mysteries, not always with their brains. This volume collects three such stories starring the duo of Speedy Smith… Continue reading Book Review: Tombstone & Speedy, Range Detectives
Comic Strip Review: Al Jaffee Gets His Just Desserts
Comic Strip Review: Al Jaffee Gets His Just Desserts by Al Jaffee Al Jaffee was born in 1921 and is as of this writing still alive and working! He’s perhaps best known for his “Fold-Ins” and other features for MAD but also had enough of his independent work published to fill several volumes. In this… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Al Jaffee Gets His Just Desserts