Manga Review: Happy Kanako’s Killer LIfe Volumes 1-4 by Toshiya Wakabayashi Kanako NIshino has had a pretty miserable life until now. She was relentlessly bullied in school, and once she got a job as an office lady, harassed and belittled every day there. Kanako’s boss bullied her into quitting, and then mocked her for being… Continue reading Manga Review: Happy Kanako’s Killer Life Volumes 1-4
Tag: vacation
Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #493
Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #493 edited by Carl Gafford It’s time for another Adventure Comics digest, though the cover is somewhat misleading. “When Destiny Calls!” story by Bob Rozakis, pencils by George Tuska, inks by Andy Mushynsky, is what it purports to be, a revised retelling of the origin of the Challengers of the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Adventure Comics #493
Movie Review: Larceny in Her Heart
Movie Review: Larceny in Her Heart (1946) directed by Sam Newfield Noted private detective Michael Shayne (Hugh Beaumont) and his adoring if sarcastic secretary Phyllis “Phil” Hamilton (Cheryl Walker) are five minutes away from starting a two-week vacation visiting her aunt in Niagra. Naturally, that’s when a wealthy would-be client walks through the door. Burton Stallings… Continue reading Movie Review: Larceny in Her Heart
Comic Book Review: The Bitter End and Other Stories
Comic Book Review: The Bitter End and Other Stories illustrated by Reed Crandall and George Roussos This EC reprint volume covers the latter part of Reed Crandall’s career as an artist of EC comic books, and several genre stories by George Roussos, who didn’t stay with the company long. The book opens with an introduction… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Bitter End and Other Stories
Manga Review: Gyo
Manga Review: Gyo by Junji Ito Tadashi and Kaori, a handsome young couple, thought a vacation by the sea would be an excellent idea. That’s why they’re in Okinawa, living in his uncle’s seaside home and diving off his boat. One day while SCUBA diving, Tadashi comes across a wrecked battleship on the ocean floor.… Continue reading Manga Review: Gyo
Movie Review: Mad Max
Movie Review: Mad Max (1979) directed by George Miller It is “a few years from now” and things aren’t looking good for the Victoria province of Australia. Oil supplies are drying up, economic woes are accelerating, and violent motorcycle gangs operate virtually unopposed. The Main Force Police patrol the highways, but they’re underfunded and undermanned. To… Continue reading Movie Review: Mad Max
Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files
Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files edited by Max Allan Collins and Martin H. Greenberg In 1990, the venerable Dick Tracy comic strip got a movie adaptation, Dick Tracy, starring Warren Beatty and Madonna. To cash in on the publicity, the then-writer of the strip, Max Allan Collins, was asked to do both a… Continue reading Book Review: Dick Tracy: The Secret Files
Book Review: The Pocket Companion
Book Review: The Pocket Companion edited by Philip Van Doren Stern This 1942 paperback anthology was designed for people who wanted a lot of reading in a pocket-sized book, so has a novel, short stories, articles, poetry and trivia. The closest thing to a theme is the connection between the British and Americans, now allies… Continue reading Book Review: The Pocket Companion
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
Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers
Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers by W.F. Harvey W.F. Harvey (1885-1937) was born in Yorkshire, of Quaker family, and became a doctor. However, his health was poor and he was often unable to practice, so he wrote short stories on the side, many of them falling generally into the “weird” category. This volume… Continue reading Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers