Anime Review: Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy (2022)

Dark Schneider before his death.

Anime Review: Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy (2022) Centuries ago on a planet named Earth, there was a great scientific civilization. But Man grew proud, and created its own new god, Anthrasax, Goddess of Destruction. Naturally, they could not control it, and the old world ended. Now, science is virtually unknown, magic and wizards are… Continue reading Anime Review: Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy (2022)

Comic Book Review: Once & Future Volume One: The King Is Undead

Comic Book Review: Once & Future Volume One: The King Is Undead written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Dan Mora Stories are true. If told often enough, if they resonate with enough people, stories have power in the waking world. And one of the most popular stories, especially in Great Britain, is the tale of… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Once & Future Volume One: The King Is Undead

Movie Review: Evil Dead 2

If Ash looks this bad after ten minutes of the movie, you can imagine how damaged he is by the end!

Movie Review: Evil Dead 2 (1987) directed by Sam Raimi Ashley “Ash” J. Williams (Bruce Campbell) has located an isolated cabin for he and his girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) to spend some quality time together. He’s pretty sure the owners aren’t present. And indeed, when the young couple arrives, they find the place empty, though it… Continue reading Movie Review: Evil Dead 2

Movie Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The One Ring

Movie Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) directed by Peter Jackson Many years ago, Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) left the Shire on an adventure. Along the way, he found a ring that allowed him to turn invisible. Now it’s Bilbo’s 111th birthday, and at the height of the festivities, he… Continue reading Movie Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Webtoon Review: Dragon’s Dogma

The eponymous dragon.

Webtoon Review: Dragon’s Dogma Cassardis is a sleepy fishing village, very little new or exciting things happen there, and the local garrison of soldiers is bored to distraction as honestly there’s nothing to protect the village from. The most interesting person in Cassardis is Ethan, whose youthful ocean-based trauma means he spends his days going… Continue reading Webtoon Review: Dragon’s Dogma

Anime Review: Gegege no Kitaro (2018)

Kitaro and friends.

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)

Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3

Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3 by Robert Bloch Robert Bloch (1917-1994) was a prolific author of horror, science fiction and mystery works. (You may have seen, read or at least heard of Psycho.) This volume, originally “Selected Stories” and by no means complete, features 39 stories published between 1960 and… Continue reading Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3

Book Review: Broken Blade

Book Review: Broken Blade by Kelly McCullough A few years back, Aral had it pretty good.  He was a Blade of Namara, the goddess of Justice, who meted out her punishment to the powerful wealthy and upper-class people who abused their position and oppressed those below them.  He even had a cool moniker, Aral Kingslayer,… Continue reading Book Review: Broken Blade

Book Review: Great British Fictional Villains

Book Review: Great British Fictional Villains by Russell James For a wide swath of fiction, a well-written villain is essential.  They provide the impetus for the hero to act, scatter obstacles in their way, and act as a dark mirror to the hero’s personality.  In many cases, the villain of a story turns out to be… Continue reading Book Review: Great British Fictional Villains

Book Review: The Best of Planet Stories #1

Book Review: The Best of Planet Stories #1 edited by Leigh Brackett Planet Stories was a pulp science fiction magazine that ran from 1939-1955.  Its specialty was “space opera”, exciting tales of adventure set in the future and on other worlds, full of square-jawed heroes, scantily clad damsels and bug-eyed monsters.  Not always the most… Continue reading Book Review: The Best of Planet Stories #1