Confessing your love to your high-school crush is always a nerve-wracking experience. It’s possible that your beloved returns your affections, but morConfessing your love to your high-school crush is always a nerve-wracking experience. It’s possible that your beloved returns your affections, but more likely you will receive a flat “not interested”, or “buzz off” or perhaps she will laugh in your face and tell you you are a hideous deformity that no woman could ever love and you should do yourself in as a favor to everyone–but enough about my high school days. Let’s talk about Chiyo Sakura, who has eyes for no one but her tall and quiet classmate Umetaro Nozaki.
Sakura fumbles a bit and says something that sounds like “I’m your fan!” which is sounds more like “I have a crush on you” in Japanese. Nozaki doesn’t seem the least bit surprised and gives his classmate an autograph. It turns out that Nozaki is not-so-secretly a mangaka (comic book creator) who gets published in shoujo (girls’) manga under the pen name Sakiko Yumeno.
Despite being expert at depicting chaste romance on the page, Nozaki is clueless about Sakura’s crush on him, and she winds up becoming one of his art assistants. As time goes on, we meet their friends and associates, all of whom are clueless in some way. And so this romantic comedy begins!
This shoujo manga is done in what’s called the 4-koma format, which is kind of like a newspaper comic strip (which are vertical in Japan.) Four panels per strip, with some sort of gag in each. This gives the story a rapid-fire feel as unlike a daily strip which must recap constantly, several pages of strips appear each month.
As this is a series about making manga, it gets into some meta humor. For example, because the magazine Nozaki’s stories appear in is aimed at junior high school girls, editorial has decreed that the characters cannot be shown doing anything illegal lest impressionable children copy that. Not only does this mean that Nozaki can’t show his juvenile deliquents smoking or underage drinking, but he can’t even depict them breaking traffic laws! So he must find a different method to use a particular romantic moment.
Oh, for the few readers who aren’t already experts on manga conventions, the “-kun” in the title is an honorific, like “Mr.” or “Ms.” “Kun” is used between or to teenaged boys primarily, it’s a bit less formal than “-san.”
The jokes are pretty funny, especially if you’re familiar with shoujo manga cliches, and the art serves the 4-koma format well (plus there’s jokes about the art.)
However, because this is primarily a gag strip with romantic elements as opposed to a romance strip with comedic elements, the characters’ cluelessness means that relationships progress little if at all over the course of the volume.
Content notes: some humor revolves around gender roles and certain characters not fitting into the society-approved categories.
Recommended to romantic comedy fans who are okay with the characters being dolts about romance....more
Tom Quest, teen adventurer, and his newspaper columnist friend Whiz Walton are at the San Francisco airport to see Tom’s scientist father Dr. HamiltonTom Quest, teen adventurer, and his newspaper columnist friend Whiz Walton are at the San Francisco airport to see Tom’s scientist father Dr. Hamilton Quest off on a vacation to Hawaii. Once done with that, they’ll be off on their own flight to Texas. They’re flabbergasted when their rancher friend Gulliver shows up at the airport instead. It seems he’s gotten a letter from his old friend “Halfpint” Hoolihan saying there’s big trouble in timber country. And Gulliver wants his friends to help!
Francis Hamilton “Fran” Striker (1903-1962) is best known for his radio work, where he created classic characters the Lone Ranger and the Green Hornet. But his Tom Quest Adventure series (of which this is the eighth and final volume) was also popular back in the 1950s.
Tom is typical of boys’ adventure heroes of the time, clean-cut, athletic, polite, and handsome in a non-threatening way. Gulliver’s in his early 50s or thereabouts, but still strong and ready to fight; his expertise is everything outdoorsy. Whiz is in his 30s, and more street-smart, a smooth talker who knows how to lie and see through lies. They originally met because all three happened to be wearing identical signet rings with a question mark spiral.
According to Hoolihan’s letter, there’s a syndicate that’s trying to monopolize the timber industry on the West Coast, a “timber giant.” (No Bigfoot plotline here, sorry.) Those timber operators and landowners who don’t fall for dubious financial deals find their operations suffering mysterious accidents, and it’s clear the people behind the syndicate won’t hesitate to use arson or murder if they have to. (Content warning: suicide.)
There’s not a whole lot of mystery, despite the title; the person behind the syndicate is exactly who you think it is the moment they appear in the story. The heroes don’t rush to judgement on the issue, but it’s pretty clear they know something’s up with this guy. Instead, the plot moves from encounter to encounter with frequent moments of peril.
Gulliver and Whiz do most of the work, but Tom does have a moment when he puts his championship swimming skills to the test. Back in the day, children’s books didn’t insist that children always be the most competent person.
Fran Striker knew how to write exciting adventure for children, and this is a fun story. However, attitudes about the lumber industry and conservation have changed, and parents of young readers may want to discuss this with their kids.
This book is suitable for fourth-grade boys on up, but finding a copy may be difficult as it hasn’t been reprinted in years. Try your finer used book stores....more
**spoiler alert** Raldnor has long known he was different from the other children in his Southlands village. They are fair-skinned, he has dark skin. **spoiler alert** Raldnor has long known he was different from the other children in his Southlands village. They are fair-skinned, he has dark skin. They can speak mind-to-mind to supplement their words, he appears to be mind-deaf and mute. They seem unruled by their loins, while Raldnor has entire seasons where he is consumed with sexual lust. He has made no friends here. And now that his foster mother is dead, nothing ties Raldnor to the village.
Now must Raldnor leave the home he has known, and seek his true heritage and destiny. The destiny of…the Storm Lord!
This “adult” fantasy novel is the first of the Wars of Vis series by British writer Tanith Lee (1947-2015.) After the critical and sales success of her breakout novel The Birthgrave in 1975, DAW Books was more than ready to publish this volume in 1976.
The book actually starts with Raldnor’s conception. Rehdon, Storm Lord of the Vis, is out hunting in the plains of the Southlands which his people have conquered. Rehdon has a severe case of blue balls as it is the Vis rutting season (and yes, making the dark-skinned people have “bestial” sex urges is pretty skeevy) and he hasn’t gotten laid recently due to the queen’s pregnancy. He sees the priestess Ashne’e of the local snake goddess shrine and decides to have his way with her.
Ashne’e for reasons of her own agrees, though it’s made clear that her consent isn’t required from Rehdon’s point of view. She uses her advanced mental powers to ensure that she will conceive from the act, and supposedly sexes Rehdon to death. (In reality Rehdon’s treacherous advisor Amnorh gave him a drug to weaken the heart; any major exertion would have done it.)
Now politics comes into the situation. Vis law of succession is clear that the last male child conceived is the true heir. Amnorh cannot just kill Ashne’e while she is carrying a potential heir to the throne. So he rapes her to create doubt about whose child she’s carrying (there’s a lot of rape in this book) and carries the priestess back to the capital city of Koramvis.
Val Mala, the Queen of Vis, is not well pleased by this development, as she had just wanted her husband dead for the purpose of being regent for her upcoming child. What follows is some traditional wicked queen scheming, as Val Mala sends her handmaiden Lomandra to tend to/spy on Ashne’e, only to have Lomandra bewitched by the priestess. Raldnor is born prematurely and supposedly dies shortly thereafter, as shown by the severed little finger Lomandra presents to her mistress.
In reality, Lomandra smuggles the child to safety with the help of the one likable character who has appeared so far, both of them dying to deliver the baby to not the intended destination, but a random village with them not able to tell the villagers what’s going on. Ashne’e dies as well. Thus, even if Val Mala suspected the truth, there’s no way to track down the kid.
Ignorant of his heritage, though he knows he’s of mixed blood, Raldnor grows to young manhood in the isolated town.
Reading this book, I got the distinct impression that Tanith Lee cynically aimed it for a particular audience: Young men who feel like outcasts in their own society, who don’t get laid nearly enough/at all, and are convinced that it’s not because of their personalities, but because their true greatness is hidden and they need some sort of kickoff point to show their real potential.
The skeeviness is not helped by our protagonist’s attitudes towards sex. Having consensual sex with girls from his village leaves Raldnor frustrated because it takes so much time and negotiation, and the act leaves him feeling hollow. Rape is more physically satisfying but has a bitter aftertaste of guilty conscience. He reaches a more acceptable to him compromise with paying prostitutes, and (once he’s got some temporal power) accepting the come-ons of court ladies. (One lets Raldnor know she’s carrying his child and his response is roughly “are you trying to trick me into going exclusive with you?”)
Eventually Raldnor meets his soulmate, his half-brother King Amrek’s new bride Astaris. She has a personality disorder that makes her think no one outside herself is a real person–except now Raldnor, whose mental powers are now awakening in response to her. Amrek and Raldnor don’t know about their relationship, so the king had made our protagonist a trusted captain of his guards and put Raldnor in charge of Astaris’ security detail. Oops! Cuckolding ensues and Raldnor has to have his death faked to escape.
Other content issues: The “persecution flip”, where the pale-skinned, light-haired people are oppressed by the dark-skinned, dark-haired people, brings up some uncomfortable stereotypes. Queen Val Mala goes around in whiteface because she thinks it makes her more attractive. King Amrek starts a genocide against the Southlanders. There’s blatant homophobia (the culture of “boy-lovers” practices child sacrifice and is even more misogynistic than the main Vis culture.) A thirteen year old girl is depicted as deliberately seducing a middle-aged man.
Good stuff: Tanith Lee has a gift for lush, steamy prose that gets almost hallucinatory at times. The female characters, despite their story roles, have interior lives, rare in this kind of book (even if we do get confirmation that yes, the thirteen year old really did seduce the middle-aged man deliberately.)
Plus, about three-quarters of the way in, the author pulls the rug out from under the type of story it’s been so far. Raldnor finally learns his true heritage and comes into his full awesome mental powers, leading a rebellion against the corrupt Vis overlords–and is hijacked by the snake goddess who has been orchestrating events all along for her own purposes and goals. For most of the ending, Raldnor is nothing but a puppet. It’s…a bold narrative choice.
Recommended to, um, people who’ve read everything else by Tanith Lee, just to say they’ve seen it all. She put out much better stuff....more
Life takes some odd turns. For example, one day you’re an adorable trio of children living a comfortable upper-middle class life in London. The next, Life takes some odd turns. For example, one day you’re an adorable trio of children living a comfortable upper-middle class life in London. The next, your father is sent to prison for a crime he did not commit and you have to go live in a much less impressive house out in the country next to the railway. At least there’s plenty to do!
This classic 1905 children’s novel is by E. Nesbit, born Edith Nesbit. Her married name was “Bland” which may explain why she kept the old one for writing.
Since Mother is busy writing stories to sell to magazines to keep the family afloat, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis find themselves with lots of spare time. They spend much of it exploring the neighborhood, especially the railway of the title. They make a habit of waving to the people on the trains, particularly one older gentleman who takes an interest in the children.
The kids are remarkably well-behaved, but thankfully are no angels. At various points they steal, lie, quarrel and do end runs around their mother’s instructions for the greater good. It’s even mentioned that Peter once burned Phyllis’ doll at the stake. Their hearts are in the right places, and the children manage to save a train full of passengers from crashing, and then a baby from a barge fire, as well as assist a Russian refugee.
Parents reading this to their little ones may want to read up on the Russo-Japanese War, as it is briefly referred to (and the porter Perks uses a word for Japanese people that is no longer acceptable, even as he says he’s on their side!)
The story is remarkably feminist for 1905–the father sees no issue with his daughters becoming engineers or “fire-women” if that’s the careers they want, and Roberta (“Bobbie”) is definitely the leader of the children. The narrator mentions that Bobbie is her favorite, but that also includes some heavy moments, as when Bobbie learns the truth about what happened to her father, and must keep it from her siblings at Mother’s request.
There’s a bit of classism; even though our main family is poor now, they don’t really mix with the new neighbors, and the children never play with the local children, only making friends with adults. Charity is seen as an awful thing to need, both Mother and Perks are dead set against receiving “charity” and have to have it presented in different terms to be acceptable.
The tone of the narration is pleasant, an English auntie who keeps most of the darkness of the world at the edges where it belongs, but not afraid to admit it exists. And the ending is splendid, knowing when it’s time to go away and leave the family to their own joy.
Highly recommended to parents who read to their children, and children who are ready to read a long book on their own....more
A young woman wakes up on a train with no memory of who she is or how she got there. According to Mrs. Bunton, the lady tending her, the woman is CleoA young woman wakes up on a train with no memory of who she is or how she got there. According to Mrs. Bunton, the lady tending her, the woman is Cleo Ballister, an American actress on the skids who’s come to see her Australian relatives. Mrs. Bunton abandons Cleo on the platform and our heroine meets the Ballisters. And her fiance, Dr. Clive Butler.
The back cover, which with Dell usually has a map of the scene of the crime, is a rail map of Australia.
The Ballisters are an interesting lot. Uncle Joe, a roistering fellow with poor grammar, has the family money. His widowed sister in law Aunt Esther is the prim and proper type. Her son Wilfred is pink and plump, and told what to do by his wife Mary. Their twelve year old daughter Eileen takes after her grandmother in strength of personality, but is much more friendly. And then there’s distant cousin Jimmy, who insists that it is he who is Cleo’s fiance.
They’re all off on a transcontinental rail trip to the other side of Australia, where Uncle Jo e lives. As Cleo tries to unravel what’s real and what’s not, murder lurks in the train corridors!
The Little sisters were known for somewhat humorous mysteries, usually with the words “black” or “gray” in the title. In this case, the title refers to a kind of legendary giant snake of Aboriginal lore, which they nicknamed the steam engine trains after. The book was published in 1944, but clearly set before 1941, as World War Two would have made very noticeable changes in the story.
Cleo tries to hide her amnesia at first, helped along by the fact she’s supposedly never met most of these people, thus she can ask questions as a naive newcomer. But as bits and pieces come back, she realizes her past doesn’t add up. Her clothing is far too gaudy for her personality, Clive and Jimmy’s claims of engagement don’t match, and she’s pretty sure she’s never been an actress.
To be honest, the mystery aspect of the story is a bit tedious, and what really fascinated me was the details of Australian rail travel in the late 1930s. It’s also almost Christmas, and the blazing heat in December discombobulates our heroine, which is a nice touch. Australian aborigines are seen at a distance, but play no actual part, and racism doesn’t really come in.
While Cleo isn’t a very good detective, she does manage to piece together the truth just before the police do (it’s not that the police are stupid in this one, it’s more that they need actual evidence.)
Most of the characters are fun to read about, but the romantic banter between Cleo and Clive is a bit forced. (Cousin Jimmy is not one for the sweet talk approach to romance.)
Recommended to fans of Thirties-style murder mysteries with comedic touches, and highly recommended to rail fans....more
Ten Detective Aces started publication in 1928 under the title The Dragnet Magazine and primarily featured gangster stories. Public interest in gangstTen Detective Aces started publication in 1928 under the title The Dragnet Magazine and primarily featured gangster stories. Public interest in gangsters as a separate subgenre was fading, so in 1930 the magazine started featuring more general crime and detective stories under the title Detective-Dragnet Magazine, and in 1933 switched to Ten Detective Aces, which lasted until 1949. As suggested by the title, the magazine’s gimmick was having ten short stories in each issue.
This issue of High Adventure reprints nine stories from the July 1937 and May 1938 issues.
“Prey of the Steel Shark” by S.J. Bailey starts off the issue with a bang. Private eye Bill Trent was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit, and assigned to drive nitroglycerin trucks, a certain death sentence. Or it would have been had not the beautiful Nayla Thatcher offered him a deal. The gang she worked for would fake his death in a nitro explosion, in return for him joining the gang.
The gang, as it happens, are submarine pirates, working under former U-boat commander Schmidt. They attack isolated cargo vessels, threaten them with torpedoes to get their valuables, then torpedo the ships anyway and kill any survivors. Almost all of them are legally dead, having been recruited much as Bill was.
And how does all this tie in to the case Bill was working when he got framed for murder? The bad guys’ plan is overly elaborate, so it’s no wonder it collapsed under its own weight, but the specific thing that does them in was one baddie not telling the other about his side project.
“Murder Breeds Murder” by William R. Cox has gambling house employee Donnie Jordine walking in on his manager “Doc” Yost to find the man’s head caved in. What follows is a rapid succession of deaths as vengeance takes its toll–with a final twist revealed when Donnie is the last man standing. A pretty tight story.
“Flowers of Vengeance” by Maitland Scott is about a warehouse robbery by “Bull” Gargan. Bull’s sore because college boy Charlie Rice is making time with the girl Bull likes, and is in line for a manager position that Bull was turned down for due to his lack of education. Bull plans to make enough money to set himself up in the rackets and frame Charlie for the crime. But as it happens, sometimes book smarts are just what you need.
“Dead Men Pay Debts” by G.T. Fleming-Roberts is back to the gambling houses. Ace Abbott runs a “clean” establishment, and the crooked gambling bosses in town don’t like that. Due to a series of unfortunate events, secretary Delli O’Brien gets locked in the casino vault. Ace can either open the vault and allow the crooks to empty it of money, or allow Delli to slowly suffocate. Not a good set of choices!
Has a bit of sexual harassment in the form of unwanted touching by a bad guy. (“He never seemed to notice that her blue eyes began saying ‘No’ every time he entered the room.”) Oh, and there’s a nifty twist long-time pulp fans will see coming a mile away.
“Half-Pint to Hell” by Walter Walker stars a short milkman who gets angry that the customers at his last stop won’t wash the empties. (The Thirties equivalent of “be kind, please rewind.”) So he decides to give them a piece of his mind, only to stumble into a kidnapping! There’s only one chance to summon help, if he can trick the crooks into doing one particular thing….
“China Wary” by Joe Archibald is part of the “Dizzy Duo” series. Scoop Binney and Snooty Piper are reporters for The Evening Star who are friends and rivals and often get mixed up in mysteries. When Chinese businessman Sum Hooey is murdered, Scoop thinks he has finally stolen a march on Snooty as to the identity of the killer.
Wow, has this story aged badly. It’s full of “funny” racism against Chinese people and burlesque accents. Scoop assaulting a police officer is less problematic, but still in poor taste considering that he does so by exploiting the man’s illness. “Punch-down” humor just doesn’t have the appeal it used to. It’s bad enough I’m not even going to talk about the plot.
“Dime a Death” by Cleve F. Adams stars Macklin McCabe, rye drinker and former investigator for the district attorney’s office. Now in private practice, he’s not doing so well, but before he can be enticed with a generous employment offer from a rival agency, Macklin gets involved with a young woman who claims she’s not a murderer.
This would be more believable if people didn’t keep turning up dead around her. On the other hand, there’s some fishy politics going on, could it be she’s really innocent? Content warning: suicide.
“Death Is My Life” by Carl McK. Saunders is part of the Detective Captain John Murdock series. A young man comes to the police, claiming that his girlfriend used to work for the Top Hat nightclub, and has vanished. The owner of Top Hat claims he’s never heard of her. Murdock investigates to discover a variation on the old badger game, but this time there’s murder! Content warning: suicide.
Gun Party De Luxe by Harold F. Sorenson introduces us to Frank Trice, a private eye who specializes in finding missing objects. He’s lured to an apartment to help search for some missing pearls, but the crooks have no intention of letting him or the young lady who was trying to buy back the pearls live once they’re found. Content warning: torture.
“Eyes that Think” by Maitland Scott winds up this issue with the tale of Joe Hyde, a fugitive who decides to stick up Broom’s delicatessen on the way out of town. Joe’s ethnic prejudice dooms him, as he assumes the amusingly-accented Dutch owner is stupid. Broom is actually quite bright, and the local cop is quick on the uptake.
Overall, eight decent stories, and one real clunker. The lead story is probably the best, but I enjoyed the Maitland Scott stories most. The back cover copy has a silly typo: “living dead man” and “loving dead man” suggest very different story moods.
Each issue of High Adventure brings something new, so consider a subscription!...more
The man calling himself Sammy Day (better known to many as “The Joker”) is tough. He shoots fast and straight, can lick a man twice his size in a fistThe man calling himself Sammy Day (better known to many as “The Joker”) is tough. He shoots fast and straight, can lick a man twice his size in a fist fight, and is a winning poker player who knows how to cheat to lose as well. Yes, he’s tough. But he’s about to learn he’s not Alaska tough. Not yet.
Max Brand was the most common pen name of Frederick Schiller Faust (1892-1944), famous for his Westerns but also creator of the Dr. Kildare series. This book was published in 1965 which means either that it’s another author writing under the pen name, or it was originally a pulp magazine story reprinted here without mentioning the original publication. Anyone know?
The story’s a bit vague about when it’s taking place, but the Alaskan Gold Rush is already over and most of the characters are long-term residents. Probably in the early 1900s.
Sammy has left the Lower 48 as things down south have gotten a bit hot for him (though it’s quickly established that in fact the trouble has been fixed since he left) and winds up in a remote saloon in Circle City nearly broke. He winds up in a card game and throws the large pot to another player, who refuses to take it on principle, and gets into a fistfight he barely wins.
The one woman in the saloon attracts Sammy’s attention, and he decides to marry her and tells her so. She’s already engaged, and finds the man’s manner off-putting (no kidding, sister!) Goldie Mahan decides to be a bit mean, and insists she could never marry a man without a steady job. As it happens, there’s just one job on offer.
Bill the Dogman is looking for a man to help with his dogs. The pay’s excellent, but no one who took the job lasted more than two months, and the one who lasted that long came back insane. Sammy bets that he can serve out an entire year–if he can, Goldie agrees to marry him!
Turns out Bill is a dog breeder who’s trying to create a stable mixed breed that will be perfect as sled dogs. It hasn’t been going so well. Most of the mixes lack an essential quality (like being able to survive an Alaskan winter or intelligence) or don’t breed true. There’s one particular line that has almost everything, but they’re bad-tempered to the point of being untrainable, especially their finest specimen, Satan.
Sammy is basically Bill’s last hope. If Bill can whip Sammy into shape to become a dogsled driver, and Sammy can somehow tame Satan and his brothers, then there’s a big race in Nome a year from now that will allow Bill to show he’s on to something. Otherwise, Bill will have to give up and move back to the States.
The good: This is an exciting tale of survival and a man overcoming his limitations to bond with a dog. Sammy’s a hard-bitten anti-hero, touchy and stubborn, which has prevented him from having an easy life. His sheer cussedness is a great asset when it’s correctly pointed, however. The climatic race is full of interest, not just in Sammy and Satan, but colorful competitors as well.
Not so good: Sammy (and the story) treats Goldie as a prize to be won; her fiance turns out to be a rotter so there’s no contest there once the truth is known. Old-fashioned sled dog training methods are used (including the use of clubs) which may upset readers sensitive to animal abuse. Sammy’s kind of racist against Native Americans. (Most of these are slightly more excusable if the story was originally written in the 1930s rather than the 1960s.) Also, the ending verges on magical realism.
Recommended to fans of dogsledding stories who have read their Jack London books to pieces and need something else....more
Thibault Corday is in his eighties now, and enjoying his retirement in Northern Africa, but his beard is still cinnamon-colored, and his memory is shaThibault Corday is in his eighties now, and enjoying his retirement in Northern Africa, but his beard is still cinnamon-colored, and his memory is sharp. If you come to the cafe and he likes you, Monsieur Corday will spin you a tale of his days in the French Foreign Legion. This volume contains six more stories from his long past.
“Toughest in the Legion” is sparked by the question “who was the toughest fellow ever in the Legion?” Corday allows as how all the Legionnaires had to be tough, but there was one fellow…. He goes on to spin a story about the feud between Gaspar Gaudette and Houdaille the Doctor, and stolen rubies called the Eyes of Allah. There are a couple of scenes that are not for the squeamish.
“Monsieur Murder” has Corday praised for his shooting. He admits that he was not the greatest sniper in the Legion, that honor going to a Yankee named Sandhurst. And even then, there was one better, the Austrian nicknamed “Monsieur Murder.” The two snipers dueled in the Alps in the closing days of World War One.
But it was after the war that the twist in the story came, as a retired Corday (he got an inheritance from a forgotten aunt) is roped into Sandhurst’s quest for a rematch with the enemy sniper. It ended unexpectedly indeed!
“The Spy with the Bald Head” is set in the first days of World War One, with Corday stationed near Morocco. A German spy has made off with Legion defense plans, and the only clue to his true appearance is that he’s bald. Which would be fine, except that there’s not a single bald Legionnaire or civilian man to be found in the area, and the spy could not have left.
At first, it looks like the story will have the same twist as “Monsieur Murder”, but there’s an extra twist that turns it sideways.
“The Ears of Donkey Daudette” is, as you might guess, about a new Legion recruit who is nicknamed “Donkey” because of his large, prominent ears. He comes in for a lot of ribbing, but Donkey’s hearing is perhaps too good to be believed, and he might yet have the last laugh.
“The Devil Who Played God” concerns a young woman whose beloved joined the Legion some time back, and is now determined to find him. She knows he’s approximately in this area, but not his exact location. So the woman is determined to march with the Legion until she gets definite proof that he’s alive or dead. “Faith will not die.”
“Jacques the Giantess Killer” has a diminutive Legionnaire romancing a very tall, and very fierce woman. It doesn’t go at all well until an act of sham heroism turns into an actual battle.
Although the three last stories all feature a man who is mocked by his fellow Legionnaires until he rallies and proves himself worthy, they’re different enough to not feel like rewrites of the same story.
As with the first volume, there’s a certain amount of period racism and sexism. “Jacques” in particular plays into the theme of “taming” a woman that wants nothing to do with you.
“Elephant Bill” the American, and “Christianity” Jensen the Dane, Corday’s long time compadres, make guest appearances, the latter being important in “Donkey.”
This is rip-roaring pulp action with a touch of humor, recommended to those who love tales of the French Foreign Legion....more
It was supposed to be a fun reunion picnic for the founders of the small town known as Red Circle and their children. After all, their efforts as the It was supposed to be a fun reunion picnic for the founders of the small town known as Red Circle and their children. After all, their efforts as the Mighty Crusaders had made the world a better place, free from supervillains and major crime. They’d earned a long rest as normal people, building a community and raising families. Even Joe Higgins, who’d never fully relaxed, showed up for once. But a menace once thought dead has returned, and dark days are ahead. The world will need new heroes, the New Crusaders!
Back in 1939, MLJ Publications (named after the initials of its three founders) began publishing comic books, mostly humor and adventure. Their first superhero, Bob Phantom, appeared in the second issue they published, but they didn’t really gain traction until the Shield, comics’ first patriotic superhero, appeared in Pep Comics in 1940. (He’d soon be overshadowed by Timely Comics’ Captain America.) Other superheroes appeared as well, including the Comet (who was the first superhero to “permanently” die, and was succeeded by the Hangman) and the Black Hood.
In 1941, Pep Comics got a new feature inspired by the Andy Hardy movies, starring a goofy teenager named Archie Andrews. As time went on, and as the superhero craze faded post-World War Two, Archie took over more and more of Pep, and then the company, which renamed itself Archie Comics.
With the resurgence of superhero popularity in the 1960s, Archie Comics revived some of its old characters, created a new version of the Shield, and created new heroes like the Fly and Jaguar. Their team book was The Mighty Crusaders. Sales weren’t that hot, so those books folded, but the characters were fun and many people remembered them fondly, so there have been multiple revivals over the years by various imprints.
For this 2013 version, there’s a loose continuity to previous versions, but nothing from specific stories should be relied upon. Brain Emperor, one of the Crusaders’ more iconic villains, attacks the picnic and most of the retired heroes vanish presumed dead. Joe Higgins, the Shield, manages to get their children to a safe house, and informs them that they will need to become the next generation of heroes, a task he’s been preparing for since before they were born.
This isn’t going to be easy. The kids were never told of their parents’ or mentor’s superhero days, so they’re immediately suspicious and unprepared. Ivette Velez, the new Jaguar, must come to terms with the ancient god that grants her powers. Alex Tyler, the new Fireball, and Greg Dickering, the new Comet, ingest their superserums directly before they can be told that they’re for external use only. And Johnny Sterling flinches at the prospect of being dipped in a nanofluid that will turn him into the new “Steel” Sterling.
But not all the new heroes are having it quite that rough. Kelly Brand, the new Fly Girl, gets technological gear that mimics her mother’s magitek abilities, and Wyatt Raymond, the new Web, actually had a sensory superpower to begin with, unlike his parents. They just need lots of training.
After a couple of weeks, Brain Emperor gets tired of waiting for the Shield to be found, so decides to move on with the next step of his master plan, getting minions. As it happens, a bunch of supervillains have been locked up for years in Zenith Penitentiary near Impact City, so he heads there to free them. This will be the test by fire for the New Crusaders!
Our young heroes get some unexpected help; some of the prisoners are in fact violent vigilante heroes who were put away because killing criminals is still murder. They’re more than willing to help fight the rioting inmates.
The New Crusaders manage to keep the majority of inmates from escaping, but the Brain Emperor and several lackeys get away–and the Crusaders must now face their first team tragedy!
There’s lots of references to the Mighty Crusaders’ previous publishing history–long-time fans will already have spotted several. Indeed, much of the pleasure of this series is all the nostalgia. The art is comic-booky, which works just fine.
I do need to point out there’s a lot of traumatic events in this volume, most of which are dealt with by the traditional superhero method of going out and punching bad guys. At no time is it mentioned that these kids might need some counseling or other mental health boosting. Thus I think it might be suited best to older teens.
Recommended primarily to fans of previous Crusader appearances, but most fans of brightly-colored superhero stories should be able to enjoy it....more
Ellery Queen was the shared pen name of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, as well as the main character of the mystery stories they wrote. SEllery Queen was the shared pen name of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, as well as the main character of the mystery stories they wrote. Starting with The Roman Hat Mystery in 1929, they wrote many novels and short stories about a brainy mystery writer solving crimes (and then writing about them in the third person.)
This collection has the novella “The Lamp of God” and eight shorter stories from the 1935-1939 time period.
“The Lamp of God” has an introduction that makes it sound as though Mr. Queen is going to need divine intervention to solve the case. It’s certainly bizarre, and Ellery does use the title phrase, but in fact it’s a fair play mystery. Ellery Queen is called in by an attorney to greet an heiress and accompany them and a sinister-acting relative of the heiress to the remote Long Island estate of her late father.
There they find two houses, the ramshackle dwelling the father died in, and next to it, the more modern house all the relatives live in. Snow falls overnight, and the next morning when they look outside, the other house has vanished right down to its foundations! But how?
It’s a good thing I had read this one before in the big book of locked-room mysteries I reviewed a while back, as the back cover blurb spoils an important plot point. If your copy has the cover displayed with this review, do not read the back cover!
“The Adventure of the Treasure Hunt”: While attending a weekend party at Major-General Barrett’s house, Ellery learns that the retired officer’s daughter has had her valuable necklace stolen. When an ordinary search turns up nothing, Ellery creates a party game to search for the treasure, catching the thief. An amusing puzzle with no murder.
“The Adventure of the Hollow Dragon”: Mr. Queen investigates the disappearance of a Japanese businessman. This story leans heavily on “Orientalism”, the notion that Asian people and their culture are exotic and even mystical. Ellery falls under this illusion for a while, but is able to use material sciences and paperwork to prove that there’s nothing supernatural or even very weird going on.
“The Adventure of the House of Darkness” has Mr. Queen’s houseboy Djuna (apparently a teenager of some non-Caucasian ethnicity) drag him to a new funfair attraction. The House of Darkness is just what you might think, a maze that thrillseekers must navigate through in complete lack of light. Naturally, while Ellery and Djuna are inside, murder strikes, and the amateur detective must figure out which of the customers inside did it–and how.
There’s a black couple among the customers, who don’t seem stereotyped, but are mostly there for Ellery to make a bad joke about the dark. Not funny, Mr. Queen. The actual solution is of course based on skewed perception.
“The Adventure of the Bleeding Portrait” involves a portrait of a man betrayed in love, who allegedly bleeds from the heart whenever a member of his family was betrayed by their wife. Ooh, look, the portrait is now smeared with blood in just the right spot, and one of the people on the remote island is missing at the same time there are traces of a body being dragged from the house. Murder? Infidelity? Or something else?
The next four stories all come from the “Hollywood period” when the authors decided to change up the setting by having Ellery Queen move to California to do scriptwriting for the movies. In The Four of Hearts Ellery meets gossip columnist Paula Paris (rather obviously inspired by the real-life Hedda Hopper) who became his romantic interest for two novels and these sports-related short stories.
Thanks to shifts in language, we are repeatedly told that Ellery cured Paula’s “homophobia” by “making love to her.” In today’s vocabulary, that translates to him curing her fear of meeting people in person by flirting with Paula.
“Man Bites Dog”: Paula scores tickets to the seventh game of the World Series for Ellery. Unfortunately, a former baseball star is murdered right in front of them, and Ellery must try to solve the case before he misses too much of the action. Guest appearance by Ellery’s father, an Inspector with the New York Police Department.
“Long Shot”: It turns out Ellery Queen is lacking in knowledge of horse racing, so Paula sets him up to learn from a old pro. But a race goes bad when the horse is shot, and Ellery must somehow figure out how it was done.
“Mind Over Matter”: This time it’s a World Championship Heavyweight Boxing match. The fight itself goes well, but then the challenger is found stabbed to death in the parking lot. Oh, and Ellery’s coat is missing. Could these two things be related?
“Trojan Horse”: And finally, it’s college football time. Except that in the excitement, another valuable necklace has been stolen. Can Ellery save the day by recovering the jewel and proving the young football player innocent?
“Lamp” is the best of these, though I also especially like “Treasure Hunt.” Be aware that most of these stories have become dated, but otherwise, please enjoy the fun puzzles!...more
It is October 1837, and the acqua alta, the fall flooding, has come to Venice. Lucy Klareon has also come to Venice, as part of her Grand Tour, but shIt is October 1837, and the acqua alta, the fall flooding, has come to Venice. Lucy Klareon has also come to Venice, as part of her Grand Tour, but she doesn’t plan to leave in the usual way. For on her sixteenth birthday, October 31st, All Hallows Eve, Lucy must do battle with the demon Ra, and either bind him as her servant, or become his possessed shell and be slain by her sister Octavia. Lucy’s pretty sure she’s going to lose, so she’s decided to skip the battle altogether by jumping in a canal and drowning.
Ra has no interest in losing his chance, so convinces local boy Carlo Borgia to save Lucy from her attempted suicide. Carlo, as it happens, is the last heir to the legendary family of poisoners, and his grandfather Paolo knows far more about the Klareon family of demon binders than Carlo was aware of. Paolo thinks he can find a way to release Lucy from her bond with Ra, delivering them both from the curse. But being a Borgia, he’s not exactly doing this out of pure goodness.
Meanwhile, Octavia has made a sort of peace with her own demon, Khun; she’s known for years that Lucy cannot possibly bind Ra properly, so it will be up to her to kill Lucy and bind Ra herself (except that no binder can control two demons, so what’s up with that?) Her new husband Drusus (from a weather mage clan) is just now discovering just what the Klareon rituals really involve. He’s not keen on the idea of killing anyone.
The various characters’ plans clash, and in the end it’s up to Lucy to save the day. Slight problem though, at this point in the story, she’s dead!
This is the first book in the Klareon Scroll fantasy series, with the author’s notes indicating that this tome is essential background for the book she started writing first. I’m happy to say that it also works just fine as a standalone story. The fantasy element of families that have bloodline magical powers works fairly well, and there’s plenty of plothooks. (For example, there’s a reason why the demons have Egyptian names, but there’s backstory as to how they got into that position that’s not immediately clear.)
I like that most of the characters are trying to do what they consider the right thing, even if their actions are objectively ruinous and their motivations are selfish. In some cases it’s because they’ve been lied to or had important facts concealed from them, which makes self-defeating actions more likely.
Content issues: As mentioned, Lucy tries to commit suicide. She’s a little person, and suffers prejudice due to this. Carlo’s father was born out of wedlock, and his mixed heritage makes him the subject of family strife. Lucy is emotionally abused by her father, who also deliberately stunts her education. There is marital infidelity in the current day.
This is listed as a young adult book, but I think fits more comfortably at the higher end of that range, almost in “new adult.”
Recommended, then, primarily to fantasy readers senior high level and up, with a special interest in family drama....more
Most of what you know about Marie Antoinette is wrong. For starters, she was and is a vampire. The French Revolution wasn’t about taxes or food, it waMost of what you know about Marie Antoinette is wrong. For starters, she was and is a vampire. The French Revolution wasn’t about taxes or food, it was about wiping out the vampires that had taken over the French nobility. The “Marie” that was beheaded was a mind-controlled double. The real Marie Antoinette is living as an antique dealer in Saint Louis, Missouri. She probably would have been okay had she stayed there.
Marie discovers that a particularly important piece of her memorabilia has come up for auction in New York City, and she goes there to bid on it. Having secured her last handkerchief, Marie decides to play it safe and murder a random bystander to switch clothes to confuse anyone following her. This in fact has the opposite effect, revealing that an unknown vampire was in the neighborhood. And there aren’t many unknown vampires.
Meanwhile, back in St. Louis, Marie’s longtime companion Fin starts falling in love with art student and barista Sybill Lysander, who seems to reciprocate. Peckish, Fin drains a homeless person in the park, thinking it will be ages before anyone finds the body. He’s wrong.
This book is the first in the Blood Royal Saga, which is at least a trilogy.
Good: There’s some nice detail about St. Louis.
Less good: I found no one to root for in this book. Marie and Fin (who is secretly someone famous too) try to only drink from people who either want to die or deserve to die, but break that rule whenever it’s convenient. Their enemies (led by a mysterious person from Marie’s past) are even more ruthless and unconcerned with collateral damage.
Sybill hasn’t actually murdered anyone before she inevitably becomes a vampire herself, but seems perfectly okay with the benefits of a life of crime as long as she isn’t having to pull the trigger herself or hang out with those that do. I think she’ll adjust to being a creature of the night just fine.
Much of the vampire rules remains murky, as this is obviously a set-up book, raising lots of questions and putting people in peril to be resolved in future installments.
There’s a heavy romance element which is abruptly derailed by the plot happening.
To be honest, this just wasn’t my cup of tea. It might appeal more to those who loved the World of Darkness role-playing game setting, where vampires and other supernatural critters were secretly behind all interesting human history.
No one except Merrikat goes up the back path to the Blackwood house any more. Not since the murders. And that’s just the way Mary Katherine Blackwood No one except Merrikat goes up the back path to the Blackwood house any more. Not since the murders. And that’s just the way Mary Katherine Blackwood likes it. And even she would not go through the gate except that someone has to shop for groceries once a week. Uncle Julian is confined to his chair, and Merrikat’s sister Constance will go no further than the garden, so it’s up to her to brave the mocking of the villagers.
There was a time when the people of the village if not liked, then respected the Blackwoods as one of the finer families of the area. But when Merrikat’s parents got married, her mother insisted on having their property fenced to keep out the riff-raff, and whispering began. After the murders, plagued by reporters and looky-loos, the remaining family members closed the curtains, refused to answer knocks, disconnected the telephone and refused all mail. That really got tongues waving.
Now the only visitors are Helen Clarke, an old friend of the family who comes once a week to tea because that is always what has been done, and Uncle Julian’s doctor once a month. And to be honest, Merrikat could get along just fine without either of them. She spends a lot of time burying objects and setting up wards to protect the grounds from intruders. Merrikat would be happiest if no one ever interrupted her days with her sister.
But now one of the wards has failed, and a man claiming to be their cousin Charles has come into the house. A girl’s house is her castle, but what can Merrikat do now?
This 1962 classic is usually shelved under “horror,” but what it mostly is is intensely creepy. The Blackwoods are all suspended in time–Uncle Julian starts and restarts his memoir of the day of the poisoning (and from the fragments he reveals, all was not well in the Blackwood family even then); Constance tends her garden, house and remaining family in a scheduled loop, and Merrikat has not matured emotionally from the child she was when the murders happened. There’s nothing overtly supernatural going on(1) but the atmosphere is haunted.
(1) The symptoms of the poisoning do not match the poison named; this was a deliberate choice by either Ms. Jackson or her editor, because Shirley Jackson’s notes show she originally used a poison that matches.
The creepiness intensifies as the plot unfolds. Is cousin Charles well-meaning but arrogant, or just greedy? Are the villagers’ prejudices against the Blackwoods justified or ignorant? If Constance didn’t murder her family (and the jury said she didn’t), who did? The secrets start coming out.
While the book was not written as young adult, it’s suitable for morbid junior high readers on up. I regret not having read it at that age as my school library’s copy had a cover that mimicked the then-hot V.C. Andrews books, and I had been burned by those.
With its eerie conclusion, this book is rewarding reading for those who prefer their horror on the Gothic side; subtle and non-gory. Highly recommended....more
Atsushi Nakajima has had a rough life growing up in an abusive orphanage. When the orphanage was attacked by a tiger that wrecked the place, the peoplAtsushi Nakajima has had a rough life growing up in an abusive orphanage. When the orphanage was attacked by a tiger that wrecked the place, the people who ran the home decided that Atsushi was somehow responsible and kicked him out. Since then the boy has wandered cross-country towards Tokyo, the mysterious tiger following him. Starving and at the end of his rope, Atsushi decides to rob the next person he sees. But as fate would have it, he winds up saving that person from drowning instead.
This man, Osamu Dazai, is less than grateful. He was attempting to commit suicide, which puzzles Atsushi and enrages Dazai’s colleague Kunikida. The men belong to the Armed Detective Agency, a group that uses unusual abilities to solve crimes. Right now, they’ve been hired to track down a certain tiger. Atsushi panics, but is strongarmed into being bait for the beast.
As you might have suspected, Atsushi is himself the tiger, who emerges under the moon. His special ability “Beast Beneath the Moonlight” was unknown to him, but now that he knows the truth, the Armed Detective Agency takes in the orphan to help them while learning to control his ability.
The gimmick of this seinen (young men’s) series based on the light novel series by the same author is that the major characters are all named after literary figures, and their special abilities after one of their famous works. For example, Osamu Dazai’s ability, “No Longer Human” is named after that author’s last published novel, and allows him to turn off other special abilities (usually.) In this early volume, it’s all Japanese literature that would be familiar to high schoolers in that country, but eventually gets to American and British literature.
Other than the literary injokes (Dazai’s suicide attempts echo both the ending of the novel and the author’s real-life suicide) this is a pretty standard battle manga. Quirky characters face off using their individual weird powers, and try to figure out a way to win, often despite a bad match-up.
After a couple of chapters to introduce the basic concepts, the plot proper begins with the introduction of the Port Mafia, organized criminals whose leaders also have special abilities. They want the still active bounty on Atsushi’s (or rather the tiger’s) head, and are willing to kill for it. They’re also kind of steamed at Dazai for leaving them to join the Detectives.
Honestly, this series is pretty middle-of-the-road for me; the art’s decent, the characters are okay, but the literature jokes aren’t enough to carry it to the next level. (And the stretching necessary to come up with powers and personalities becomes much more evident once the authors I recognize show up.)
There’s an animated adaptation I haven’t seen; that may be more excellent.
Content notes: In addition to the suicide humor, there’s some gore in this volume.
Recommended for battle manga fans who also enjoy literature jokes....more
Renee “Cash” Blackbear hasn’t seen her mother or brother since the accident when her mother drunkenly put their car in the ditch. Bundled into the fosRenee “Cash” Blackbear hasn’t seen her mother or brother since the accident when her mother drunkenly put their car in the ditch. Bundled into the foster care system for over a decade, Cash doesn’t even know if they’re still alive. An adult (just barely) in the eyes of the world, Cash spends her days hauling produce for the farmers of the Red River Valley, and her nights hustling pool tables.
When a native man from the Red Lake reservation turns up dead on the banks of the river, Cash discovers that she knows more about him than she logically should, waking visions coming to her. She agrees to help Sheriff Wheaton, the one adult who’s ever seemed to actually care about her, with the case by visiting the reservation.
Cash doesn’t know that by unraveling this murder, she’s also going to learn more about herself and what she’s truly capable of.
This book is set during the Vietnam War, though that conflict doesn’t directly affect the events. The important part is that it’s before the passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, which changed the policies of the foster care system in America. Before then, it was usual for Native American children taken into the foster care system to be placed with white families and denied contact with their relatives or their culture. This has had a strong impact on Cash’s personality and habits.
Our just-out-of-high-school protagonist smokes heavily, drinks beer more than is good for her, and is carrying on an affair with a married man. Her plans don’t really extend past getting through the next winter.
This changes to some extent as the case unravels, as Cash learns that her visions are valid and important, reconnects with some of her heritage, and Sheriff Wheaton pressures her to try college.
The murder plotline itself is more “crime” than “mystery”; Cash stumbles onto clues more than she uses her brains. It looks like this is the beginning of a series, though–she might get more detective-like in future volumes. There’s also a strong possibility that background elements left hanging here will be important later.
Content note: As one might expect, there’s period racism (though sometimes well meant) and a dollop of period sexism. Cash indulges in extramarital sex and there’s some strong language.
Recommended to those who like #ownvoices literature, and people with an interest in Western Minnesota....more
Note: This review contains spoilers for the previous volume, and you may want to read the review for that one first.
After last season’s explosive endiNote: This review contains spoilers for the previous volume, and you may want to read the review for that one first.
After last season’s explosive ending, Electrogor and Green Humongo have managed to escape the title prison. Electrogor’s anxious to get to the cave where he left his children, but they need a place to hide until dark. Green has just the thing, the hangar where his brother Red Humongo lives.
Red’s not so keen on the idea. He’s become “compliant”, wearing a collar, working a construction job under human supervision, and generally trying to go straight. It’s not a good life, but hey, it’s not prison. Having a couple of escaped kaiju crashing at his pad is a violation of parole, plus honestly Green isn’t the nicest brother.
Meanwhile, Mechazon’s sister robot Chisato is now a rookie officer with Team G.R.E.A.T., tracking down rogue kaiju and preventing them from hurting people. Or at least, that’s the part of the job she likes. She’s not having the best luck with partners.
Back at Kaijumax, Warden Kang is attempting to rebuild after the explosion and a number of his guards dying or quitting. The last thing he needs is an inspection visit from his boss, Dr. Matsumoto. She’s of the opinion that even the brutal treatment the kaiju receive in this prison is too mild, and perhaps they should all be killed.
This volume continues the dark humor, social satire and soap opera elements of the story. In particular, Red Humongo’s situation is reminiscent of real-world ex-convicts trying to go straight in a society that isn’t much interested in giving outsiders a second (or even first) chance.
As the season continues, we see Cthulhuoid monsters as trailer trash (warning: abuse), and one of the human guards suffering from PTSD that’s making him a danger to others and himself. We also learn Dr. Matsumoto’s tragic backstory and why she’s so willing to kill monsters that don’t seem to be hurting anyone right now.
And Electrogor finally gets home, only to discover that things have drastically changed while he was in prison, and not for the better.
The art continues to impress with the varied character designs, and there are a variety of likable and hateable characters. Recommended to those who enjoyed the first volume....more
Ran Uruma misses her mother Shizuka. It’s not that she doesn’t love her calligrapher father Zen and her big brother Jin (though they often quarrel,) bRan Uruma misses her mother Shizuka. It’s not that she doesn’t love her calligrapher father Zen and her big brother Jin (though they often quarrel,) but Mom is so often away at her job in her home village. Shizuka’s visits are rare and much appreciated, even if they’re a hassle to explain to the neighbors. But Ran would much rather not wait, but instead go to her mother. Perhaps her magic sneakers might help?
Ran’s sneakers, a gift from her sorceress mother, allow the little girl to become a full-grown and rather busty adult, at least in body. This gives her access to her magical powers, which cannot be consciously activated at her current age. Ran tries a couple of times in this volume to use this to travel to Shizuka’s village. But she doesn’t get very far before her brother Jin has to fetch her back using his own gift, a fur cloak that allows him to become a wolf.
This is a seinen (young men’s) manga, which so far is most obvious in the presence of both male and female (but not Ran) nudity. Grownup!Ran has a “sexy” figure (good thing she always wears loose stretchy garments) but an innocent child’s mind, and is unaware of the effect she has on men around her. This creates a worrisome aspect to her relationship with wealthy playboy Otaro Mikado, whose penthouse garden she crashes into. Is he just attracted to her carefree personality as a friend, or does he plan to put the moves on her?
Ran’s teachers, unaware of her magical side, worry about her strange behavior at school and frequent small injuries. Meanwhile, we look in on Shizuka’s job, and why it’s so important…not just to her, but the entire world.
The art is nice, with many scenes of magical wonder. This first volume manages to stay on the right side of the skeeviness divide, but this premise could easily go sour, so I am cautiously recommending this to older teen readers on up....more
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