Comic Book Review: Gotham Central: Unresolved Targets

Comic Book Review: Gotham Central: Unresolved Targets edited by Matt Idelson Being a cop in Gotham City is rough. In addition to the long hours, hostile population and dangerous streets that come with the police officer’s job in any large city, Gotham City has one of the highest corruption rates of a police department in… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Gotham Central: Unresolved Targets

Movie Review: Earthquake (1974)

Los Angeles in the wake of the Big One.

Movie Review: Earthquake (1974) directed by Mark Robson There are many attractive features to living in Los Angeles. Ground stability isn’t one of them. The San Andreas Fault runs nearby, and it’s overdue for a major seismic shift in the area. This movie asks, “What if the Big One hit now?” To give us some investment… Continue reading Movie Review: Earthquake (1974)

Comic Book Review: DC Special No. 23: Green Arrow

Comic Book Review: DC Special No. 23: Green Arrow edited by Len Wein Green Arrow was created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp for More Fun Comics #73 in 1941. Oliver “Ollie” Queen was originally an old-money anthropologist with a special interest in Native American cultures, who’d learned archery from the tribes he was studying.… Continue reading Comic Book Review: DC Special No. 23: Green Arrow

Magazine Review: American Short Fiction Summer 2022

Magazine Review: American Short Fiction Summer 2022 edited by Rebecca Markovits & Adeena Reitberger The literary magazine is still alive in America, though I will not say “well” as I have no idea how many people read them. American Short Fiction, an Austin, Texas-based magazine, has been running since 1991. It is, as the title… Continue reading Magazine Review: American Short Fiction Summer 2022

Movie Review: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack gives being jolly a shot.

Movie Review: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) directed by Henry Selick Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King, the genius auteur who leads Halloween Town each year in creating the holiday. But it’s the same holiday every year, and he’s bored. This year, after his own duties are done, Jack wanders far afield and discovers the doors… Continue reading Movie Review: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Television Review: Scooby Doo!: Mystery Incorporated

The town is less than appreciative of its young mythbusters.

Television Review: Scooby Doo!: Mystery Incorporated Crystal Cove advertises itself as “the most hauntedest town on Earth” and it’s easy to see why. Its history is full of curses, ghosts, monsters and mysterious disappearances, starting with the Spanish conquistadors who founded the place. But if you dig a little deeper, you discover that many of… Continue reading Television Review: Scooby Doo!: Mystery Incorporated

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine September/October 2021

Cover by Brian Stauffer

Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine September/October 2021 edited by Janet Hutchings “The years keep coming and they just keep coming.” It seems like just a few months ago I reviewed a 75th anniversary issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, but in fact it was five years ago, and here’s the 80th anniversary issue. It’s… Continue reading Magazine Review: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine September/October 2021

Webtoon Review: Trese

Alexandra's cases tend to be gruesome.

Webtoon Review: Trese Alexandra Trese is a detective of sorts who deals with supernatural cases in the Philippines, primarily operating in the city of Manila. Like her father before her, Alexandra stands between the community of humans and that of paranormal creatures, trying to uphold the “accords” that keep balance. She’s aided by twin bodyguards,… Continue reading Webtoon Review: Trese

Movie Review: The Enforcer (1976)

Inspectors Moore and Callahan share a rare quiet moment.

Movie Review: The Enforcer (1976) directed by James Fargo Two Pacific Gas & Electric employees violate company rules by picking up an attractive hitchhiker. Unfortunately for them, they’re not in a Seventies porno film, but a Seventies action film. Meanwhile, Inspector Harry “Dirty Harry” Callahan (Clint Eastwood) of the San Francisco Police Department is having a… Continue reading Movie Review: The Enforcer (1976)

Movie Review: The Over-The-Hill Gang

The gang arrives in town.

Movie Review: The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969) directed by Jean Yarbrough Captain Oren Hayes (Pat O’Brien), (very) late of the Texas Rangers, is visiting his daughter Hannah Rose (Kristin Harmon) and son-in-law Jefferson Rose (Ricky Nelson) in Boulder, Nevada. Jeff, a newspaper publisher, is running for mayor on a reform platform. Current mayor Nard Lundy (Edward Andrews)… Continue reading Movie Review: The Over-The-Hill Gang