Movie Review: Starship Troopers

This man graduated high school less than a year ago.

Movie Review: Starship Troopers (1997) directed by Paul Verhoeven John D. “Johnny” Rico (Casper Van Dien) is a jumpball star at his local high school in Buenos Aires in the 22nd Century. But he has decided he doesn’t want to go professional, and he’s having second thoughts about simply working for his wealthy father’s (Christopher Curry)… Continue reading Movie Review: Starship Troopers

Book Review: Apocalypse 1952

Cover by Darryle Purcell

Book Review: Apocalypse 1952 by Darryle Purcell Karl Stanley wasn’t a very curious person; if something didn’t affect him personally and it wasn’t pointed out to him, he didn’t pay attention. So when President Lindbergh announced that he’d signed peace treaties with the Axis powers so their overseas wars wouldn’t affect America, Karl just accepted… Continue reading Book Review: Apocalypse 1952

Manga Review: Tomorrow the Birds

Manga Review: Tomorrow the Birds by Osamu Tezuka Once upon a time, birds did not rule the Earth. That role was taken by the ape-creatures who called themselves “humans.” The humans enslaved birds, killed them for sport, even ate them! But then one day benevolent aliens saw our plight, and arranged to redress this injustice… Continue reading Manga Review: Tomorrow the Birds

Movie Review: The Adventures of Tartu

Jan Tartu presents his papers at the German Consulate.

Movie Review: The Adventures of Tartu (1943) directed by Harold S. Bucquet Dateline: London, 1940. The Blitz is on, and recovery crews are working on a damaged hospital. One of the German bombs failed to go off, and Captain Terence Stevenson (Robert Donat) is called on to disarm it. (I got Danger: UXB flashbacks.) This task is complicated… Continue reading Movie Review: The Adventures of Tartu

Magazine Review: The Spider #85: The Council of Evil

Magazine Review: The Spider #85: The Council of Evil by Norvell Page While Richard Wentworth, the Spider, is well known for having a policy of “shoot first, take no prisoners” towards criminals, he doesn’t always kill. If a crook is knocked out or otherwise incapacitated, the Spider will merely brand their forehead with a spider… Continue reading Magazine Review: The Spider #85: The Council of Evil

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

Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds

Lieutenant Raine addresses his troops.

Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds (2009) directed by Quentin Tarantino In 1941 France, SS officer Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), already known as “The Jew-Hunter”, ferrets out a hidden family, killing most of them, but decides to let Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent) the almost-adult daughter to outrun him to, perhaps, have the pleasure of hunting her down again later.… Continue reading Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds

Manga Review: Orient #1

Manga Review: Orient #1 by Shinobu Ohtaka 150 years ago, the Land of the Setting Sun was run by samurai warlords who oppressed the peasants and ruined the land in constant fighting. Then the gods arrived and defeated the samurai. Now the gods rule the land and have brought peace and prosperity. Or at least… Continue reading Manga Review: Orient #1

Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House

Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House by Julianne DeVries Summer vacation has just started, and the high-spirited Camp Fire Girls of Wa-Wan-Da Council of Oakdale have already assaulted a federal agent. Fortunately, George Thompson, personal representative of the President of the United States, is in a forgiving mood. You see, that… Continue reading Book Review: The Banner Campfire Girls at the White House

Manga Review: Wild 7 Vols. 1-4

Manga Review: Wild 7 Vols. 1-4 by Mikiya Mochizuki In the late 1960s, Japan was faced with a rising crime wave. Student radicals, terrorists, gangsters, corrupt politicians; it seemed all too much for the ordinary police to handle. Police Supervisor Katsu Kusanami, a brilliant rising star from a top university, had an idea. What if… Continue reading Manga Review: Wild 7 Vols. 1-4