Book Review: Festival of Crime Edited by Christine Husom, Mickie Turk & Michael Allan Mallory Minnesotans have a reputation for being a bit mild-mannered and reserved. But we love celebrations just as much as anyone else, and the state is filled with fairs and festivals, from small-town scarecrow contests to the crowded Pride in Minneapolis. And… Continue reading Book Review: Festival of Crime
Tag: movies
Anime Review: Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, Vol. 03
Anime Review: Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, Vol. 03 It is the year 2030, and after the effects of World Wars Three & Four, Japan is relatively unscathed, having become one of the world’s economic and technological powerhouses. In particular, they lead the world in cybernetics, and various cyborg upgrades are commonplace. Of course,… Continue reading Anime Review: Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, Vol. 03
Manga Review: Behind the Scenes!! Volume 1
Manga Review: Behind the Scenes!! Volume 1 by Bisco Hattori Ranmaru Karisu is a couple of months into his freshman year at Shichikoku University, but he still doesn’t know anyone. A shy, sensitive boy, he’s had bad luck with social relationships in the past and shrinks from the crowd. Until the zombies attack! It turns… Continue reading Manga Review: Behind the Scenes!! Volume 1
Open Thread: Minicon 51 Report
Open Thread: Minicon 51 Report For those of you new to this blog, Minicon is the Easter weekend science fiction convention put on by MN-StF every year. I’ve been going to it for somewhere around three decades now, and this year was no exception. Once again it was at the RadiShTree (Bloomington Doubletree) hotel, and… Continue reading Open Thread: Minicon 51 Report
Manga Review: Gimmick!
Manga Review: Gimmick! Story by Youzaburou Kanari, Art by Kuroko Yabuguchi Studio Gimmick doesn’t look like much from the outside–it’s a two-man operation by Kohei Nagase, special effects makeup expert, and his stuntman friend Kannazuki. But if you need their skills, and have nowhere else to turn, you may be able to hire them to help… Continue reading Manga Review: Gimmick!
Book Review: Twin Cities Noir: The Expanded Edition
Book Review: Twin Cities Noir: The Expanded Edition edited by Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz Like the previously reviewed USA Noir, this is a collection of grittier crime stories from Akashic Books with a regional focus. In this case, the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota, and the surrounded metro area, plus one up… Continue reading Book Review: Twin Cities Noir: The Expanded Edition
Anime for Speculative Fiction Fans (2015)
Once again this year I participated in the “Anime and Manga for Speculative Fiction Fans” panel at Minicon. As promised at the panel, here’s a list of the items mentioned–I make no representations regarding the quality of the ones I have not seen. .hack: A series of interlocking video games, anime, manga and light novels… Continue reading Anime for Speculative Fiction Fans (2015)
Book Review: Creature from the Black Lagoon
Book Review: Creature from the Black Lagoon by Vargo Statten When marine paleontologist Dr. Carl Maia’s expedition into the Amazon rain forest discovers a unique fossil, which looks like a webbed hand, he asks for a full expedition to the area by his colleagues at the Morajo Institute of Marine Biology. He is joined by… Continue reading Book Review: Creature from the Black Lagoon
Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Wonder Woman Volume 4
Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Wonder Woman Volume 4 Edited by Robert Kanigher Wonder Woman was not the first female superhero in comics, nor even the first not to be a male character’s sidekick. But she was the first to get her own ongoing solo series, and designed to be an equal to the male… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Wonder Woman Volume 4
Book Review: The 66 Kid: Raised on the Mother Road
Book Review: The 66 Kid: Raised on the Mother Road by Bob Boze Bell Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Bob Boze Bell has been a rock musician, cartoonist, radio host, magazine publisher and other interesting jobs. And he spent most of his youth… Continue reading Book Review: The 66 Kid: Raised on the Mother Road