Magazine Review: Strange Fantasy Spring 1970 “Strange Fantasy” was a short-lived reprint digest-sized magazine from Ultimate Publishing. This issue’s stories were originally published between 1959 and 1964, which somewhat belies the cover text. “The Shrine of Temptation” by Judith Merril starts us off with an anthropologist’s tale of a mysterious shrine on an isolated island.… Continue reading Magazine Review: Strange Fantasy Spring 1970
Tag: transformation
Book Review: The Green Knight
Book Review: The Green Knight by Vera Chapman Most long-time readers will be familiar with the basics of the legend of the Green Knight. King Arthur is holding court in Camelot at Christmastide when a stranger dressed in/colored green appears. This Green Knight proposes a contest of blows. A champion of Camelot will strike at… Continue reading Book Review: The Green Knight
Manga Review: Ratman, Vol. 3
Manga Review: Ratman, Vol. 3 by Sekihiko Inui On an alternate Earth, methods have been found to give ordinary humans superpowers, and “superhero” is a profession. However, the processes involved are very expensive and out of range for the average working person. So most superheroes are sponsored by businesses and act as mascots for them.… Continue reading Manga Review: Ratman, Vol. 3
Book Review: Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters
Book Review: Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters edited by Tim Marquitz & N.X. Sharps Like many a Godzilla fan, I have a fondness for movies where gigantic monsters rampage across the landscape. The fandom has more or less adopted the Japanese term for such monsters, kaiju. While the big critters have been a staples of… Continue reading Book Review: Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters
Manga Review: Kitaro’s Strange Adventures
Manga Review: Kitaro’s Strange Adventures by Shigeru Mizuki This is the fourth paperback volume of Kitaro manga from Drawn and Quarterly. The history segment this time starts in 1960 when Shigeru Mizuki was fired from drawing Graveyard Kitaro and the book was assigned to a different creator! He went to another publishing company that liked… Continue reading Manga Review: Kitaro’s Strange Adventures
Book Review: Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic
Book Review: Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic by Catherine Lundoff Per the author’s introduction, the style of stories in this volume were inspired by her love for the artwork of Edward Gorey and Victorian ghost stories. And so we have a dozen short stories of horror and dark fantasy. “The Mask and the… Continue reading Book Review: Unfinished Business: Tales of the Dark Fantastic
Magazine Review: Doctor Death February 1935
Magazine Review: Doctor Death February 1935 edited by Carson W. Mowre While most of the single-character pulps were named after the hero of the stories, like the Shadow and Doc Savage, there were a handful of attempts to have pulp magazines centered around mastermind villains. The three-issue Doctor Death series was one of them. The… Continue reading Magazine Review: Doctor Death February 1935
Manga Review: Rin-Ne Volumes 21, 24 & 26
Manga Review: Rin-Ne Volumes 21, 24 & 26by Rumiko Takahashi Quick recap: Rinne Rokudo is a shinigami, a psychopomp who helps lost spirits find their way to the afterlife. He’s part-human, and must use expensive tools to make up for his weak powers. Between these expenses and debts saddled on Rinne by his deadbeat father Sabato,… Continue reading Manga Review: Rin-Ne Volumes 21, 24 & 26
Book Review: Writers of the Future, Volume 34
Book Review: Writers of the Future, Volume 34 edited by David Farland Disclaimer: I received a download of this book through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was offered or requested. Back before he became involved with…you know, L. Ron Hubbard was a prolific author of stories for… Continue reading Book Review: Writers of the Future, Volume 34
Comic Book Review: Snake Tales
Comic Book Review: Snake Tales edited by Mike Howlett Ophiophobia (fear of snakes) is a common phenomenon (Hi Mom!) and has plagued humanity from ancient times, even appearing in the Book of Genesis. Even humans not afflicted with undue fear of the legless reptiles tend to distrust them, and snakes are often cast as villains… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Snake Tales