Manga Review: My Name Is Shingo 1 by Kazuo Umezz It is 1982, and Satoru Kondo is in his last year of elementary school. He’s a boisterous boy, loud and excitable. Some of his classmates are already succumbing to heterosexual amatonormativity, but Satoru hasn’t quite reached that stage yet. His father works at a motor… Continue reading Manga Review: My Name Is Shingo 1
Tag: unemployment
Comic Book Review: Best of 2000 AD Volume 1
Comic Book Review: Best of 2000 AD Volume 1 edited by Tharg The British speculative comic book 2000 AD has been running weekly since the 1970s, so there’s a lot of material they can call on for reprint volumes. This collection isn’t for a single series or creator, but what the current management thinks was… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Best of 2000 AD Volume 1
Open Thread: Tenth Anniversary!
Open Thread: Tenth Anniversary! That’s right, it’s been ten years of me telling you what books, movies, TV shows, comics and other pop culture artifacts I’ve been looking at. Time to celebrate! When I began in 2012, I’d recently been laid off from my first long-term job and was feeling rudderless. To distract myself from… Continue reading Open Thread: Tenth Anniversary!
Comic Book Review: An Inspector Calls: The Graphic Novel
Comic Book Review: An Inspector Calls: The Graphic Novel script by J.B. Priestley, adaptation by Jason Cobley, linework by Will Volley It is spring, 1912 in the English town of Brumley. Wealthy manufacturer Arthur Birling and his wife Sybil are having a small dinner party to celebrate the engagement of their daughter Sheila to Gerald… Continue reading Comic Book Review: An Inspector Calls: The Graphic Novel
Book Review: The Man on the Balcony
Book Review: The Man on the Balcony by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo It is June 2, 1967 in Stockholm, Sweden. A man stands on his balcony, smoking and watching the street as the sun rises. It’s going to be a scorcher today. A peaceful enough scene, but the calm of the city is going… Continue reading Book Review: The Man on the Balcony
Magazine Review: Strange Fantasy Spring 1970
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
Manga Review: Excel Saga 02
Manga Review: Excel Saga 02 by Rikdo Koshi The secret organization ACROSS must take over the world. For its own good, of course. But at the moment, they’re a bit short-staffed. Their leader, Il Palazzo, has only two active agents, the hyperactive but not very bright Excel, and Hyatt, whose constitution is either extremely poor… Continue reading Manga Review: Excel Saga 02
Book Review: Nova 2
Book Review: Nova 2 edited by Harry Harrison In the introduction to this 1972 anthology, Mr. Harrison talks some about the internationalization of science fiction beyond North America and Western Europe. In recognition of this growing trend, he’s included a Brazilian author’s story. “Oh, and we have one story by a woman.” In reality, there… Continue reading Book Review: Nova 2
Comic Strip Review: Meet Andy Capp
Comic Strip Review: Meet Andy Capp by Reg Smythe Andrew Capp is a working class chap from Hartlepool in Northeast England. Despite his “class”, Andy’s hardly ever in work, roundly despising all forms of paid labor. It’s up to his long-suffering wife Florrie to support them with charwoman jobs. Andy enjoys sleeping, gambling, flirting with… Continue reading Comic Strip Review: Meet Andy Capp
Manga Review: Showa 1926 1939 a History of Japan
Manga Review: Showa 1926 1939 a History of Japan by Shigeru Mizuki This is the first volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s massive history of Japan during the reign of Emperor Hirohito, the “Showa Era,” It was a long reign, covering most of the Twentieth Century, from 1926-1989. In addition to the larger story of Japan, it… Continue reading Manga Review: Showa 1926 1939 a History of Japan