Jeff Frost Batmobile from the upcoming The Batman film with Robert Pattinson as Batman

Watch Movies TV -

The Batman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by DC Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it was developed as the eleventh film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and a reboot of the Batman film franchise. The film is directed by Matt Reeves, who wrote the screenplay with Mattson Tomlin. It stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne / Batman, with Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Jayme Lawson, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell rounding out the ensemble cast.

Scroll down to see all the pictures.
Click on them for bigger and better views.

Shadow (2020) - Short Horror Film Review

Watch Movies TV -

Shadow is a short horror film that was designed as a proof of concept. It was directed/produced by Benjamin Howdeshell and premiered on Crypt TV's YouTube channel on 15th May. I did like the look of the film, but it falls into the very familiar pitfall of short horrors with a predictable jump scare ending.

The synopsis of the film gives far more detail than the actual film itself provides, so I will ignore the synopsis and just go by what I could tell. Late at night a mother (Valeska Miller) hears strange noises in her house. Assuming it is her child (Nathaniel Howdeshell) she goes to investigate. Her journey leads her into the basement where things really start to go wrong...

There was good use of light and shadow here, though it was questionable why the mother would use a torch to explore her house. Maybe it would have benefited by a brief shot of her finding out the house had had a power cut. The video alleges to be based on true events, but no idea what aspect of this was meant to have happened. This felt like the proof of concept it set out to be, rather than feel like a self contained film. Still, as a whole it really wasn't that bad, I would be interested to see how this would be handled in a longer medium. My only proper complaint here is the tired jump scare ending, by now it is more of a shock if short horrors don't end on that tired trope.

While Shadow didn't have much in the way of fear I did like how it was all put together, some decent directing here. It also introduced me to the Crypt TV YouTube channel, so I have subscribed to that now. The film is free to watch there, and at under 4 minutes long it is something everyone should spare some time for.

SCORE:

Fractured (4 Stars)

Watch Movies TV -

This is a Netflix original film, made in 2019. I regret not having been able to see it on the big screen, but the bottom line is that a good film is a good film. Since March I haven't been able to see any films on the big screen anyway. The last film I watched in the cinema was "Ip Man 4" on 10th March in UFA-Palast Stuttgart. Three days later the city of Stuttgart ordered all cinemas to close immediately to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. (This was a local measure. Cinemas in the surrounding towns didn't close until a week later).

Now it's been announced that all cinemas throughout Baden-Württemberg, including Stuttgart, are allowed to re-open on Thursday 4th June, as long as certain conditions are upheld to protect their guests. I don't know the exact conditions, but one thing I know is that UFA-Palast won't be re-opening. The owners announced this morning that they're in financial difficulties because of the two month closure. They're not attempting to save their cinema, they're giving up. So far no other company has expressed any interest in taking over the cinema. That's a real shame, and it's harmful to Stuttgart's film fans. It was the biggest cinema in Stuttgart, with 13 screens and 4300 seats. It specialised in showing blockbusters, the big American films, but it was the only cinema in Stuttgart that showed "Ip Man 4".

But now let's get back to "Fractured"...

Ray Monroe is driving home with his wife and five-year-old daughter Peri after an unpleasant Thanksgiving meal with his parents-in-law. People are supposed to be thankful at this time of year, but it doesn't always work out that way. Arguments can happen any time of year. Ray suggests that they celebrate again when they get home, just the three of them.

They stop at a gas station so that Peri can use the rest room. When Peri is returning to the car she's threatened by a dog. She backs away and falls into a pit. Ray tries to stop her and falls in as well, banging his head and falling unconscious. A few minutes later his wife wakes him. He's unharmed, apart from a few small cuts, but Peri has broken her arm, so he drives her to a small hospital that they passed on the way.

This is where the film begins to get weird. Despite being in an isolated location, the emergency room is full of patients, with ambulances arriving regularly. There's a long wait before Peri can be checked in. Eventually, Peri is sent for a CAT scan to check for any signs of internal head injury. Only one person is allowed to accompany her into the theatre, so Ray goes back to wait in reception while his wife goes in with his daughter.

Ray falls asleep and sleeps for hours. When he wakes up and inquires about his daughter, he's told that there's no record of her being checked in. It's a different shift, so nobody has seen him or his family. When he finally finds a nurse he spoke to who's on a double shift, she says she remembers him, but not his wife and daughter. Ray becomes frustrated and angry, as any man would under such circumstances, so the hospital security guards eject him. He sees two police officers outside and asks them for help. At first they assist him, but they lose their patience with him when all the evidence points against him.

This is a chilling psychological thriller. It's easy to relate to Ray. How would you react if this happened to you?

The film hasn't been released on disc and can only be watched on Netflix.

The Rotting Zombie's Round-up of Horror News for May 2020

Watch Movies TV -

For a few months now I have been trying to get to a stage where I can get rid of my monthly news posts, instead releasing the news in a timely fashion on my Twitter and Facebook pages. This turned out not to be the best month to implement that, my mother sadly passed away last Wednesday after a year long battle with cancer. It really sucks, but she wont be forgotten, after all, to quote Norman Bates; "a boy's best friend is his mother". It was her who predicted my future passion for all things horror. I was kind of a cowardly kid, but I always remember her telling me she thought I would love horror films when I got older, and it turns out she was very right about that!
In happier news a couple of weeks back saw my blog get to its 12 year anniversary, it both doesn't seem that long since I started this up, but at the same time it is hard to remember a time when I wasn't blogging here.

Until this year I had never heard of BayView Entertainment, but this past half year I have been sent plenty of screeners from that company, many of which are pretty darn good. Well, its Widowmaker Films division have teamed up with Horrornews.net to create a new horror video distribution label named 'HNN Presents'. This label promises to utilise 'the insider knowledge of the horror field from Horrornews.net with the distribution experience of BayView Entertainment'. Titles will be available to streaming and physical media platforms, and is due to start Summer 2020.
BayView have also teamed up with Mongol Films to release a lot of their catalog in U.S markets.
Now available on DVD from BayView Entertainment are Odd Perspective and Resort Parasio. The former is about a synergist with the ability to see patterns in reality. He returns to his home town to find out the cause of his father's death. That one I have a screener of, with a review due in the first week of June. Resort Parasio is about two squaters at an isolated resort who find themselves pursued by a security guard, I assume he doesn't take kindly to intruders.



The official trailer for drug fueled horror Habitual has been released. This film stars Chris 'CT' Tamburello (MTV's The Challenge) and is directed and written by Johnny Hickey (Oxy Morons). In this, a group of drug taking friends find themselves stalked by a relentless evil at a rave held at an abandoned asylum, and their grasp of reality begins to unravel.



An Indiegogo campaign is currently running for horror comedy The True Tale of Ole Spitfoot VS. The Lesbian Warrior Nuns of the Great White North. An announcement video labelled NSFW has been released, this video features producers Ash Hamilton and Ben Harl. For more details about the campaign head on over to the Indiegogo page here.



May's Double Feature DVD's from Frolic Pictures have been announced, with a theme of the Post-Apocalypse. As always there are far too many to list, but I will include the titles of some of them at random. Having experienced one of these double features in the past I will add I was impressed with what I saw. Titles released this month include, Search and Destroy/The Final Comedown, Carnage/Funeral Home, Madhouse/Touch of Death, and Graveyard Disturbance/Blood Tide. As always these can be purchased from the Frolic Pictures website.

I have mentioned the upcoming horror anthology Realm of Shadows in previous news posts, and now it has been confirmed that horror legend Michael Berryman (Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes, Rob Zombie's The Devils Rejects) has joined the cast, that already includes Tony Todd (the Candyman franchise), Jimmy Drain (The Initiation) and Vida Ghaffari (The Mindy Project). This anthology was due to go into production before the pandemic, but is now waiting to resume once the US lockdown ends.

Social thriller anthology Tales from Da Ville is now available to watch for free on YouTube. This anthology has a count tell three stories that deal with 'horrific social issues'. The idea behind this was gained after watching Jordan Peele's Get Out and realising horror could be used to reflect real world racism. The anthology is in three parts, part one can be found here. I shall be putting a review up of this at some point in June.

Final film news this month is that The Evil Rises worldwide digital distribution rights have been acquired by Terror Films. This horror stars Bailey La Flam (ANiMUS), Joe Paulson (Pieces and Parts), as well as Michael Glauser, Julian De La Mora, Alec Lobato and Edward Hollingsworth. A group of friends discover an ancient statue that unleashes an evil spirit, they become enslaved by the spirit and forced to collect human blood for it. Currently available exclusively on TUBI TV, this film is due to be released across multiple digital platforms later this year.

 

Music news now, first up gothic metal/theatrical post-hardcore female fronted band Once Upon A Flatline have released a lyric video for their third single 'Hang Hymn High' from their EP The Theatre Lucy. The song is said to be 'the story of murder, right and wrong'.

 

Swedish melodic death metal band Curse of Eibon have released the lyric video to their single Seek To Destroy. Their songs are said to be 'very' inspired by H.P Lovecraft and the occult.

 

Russian metal band Tardigrade Inferno have premiered a new NSFW music video for their single Execution is Fun! This song is a gloomy story about a fictional advertisement of executions. It is out now on Spotify.



I will end this months news round-up with a trailer for upcoming turn based strategy game 1971 Project Helios. The game is due for release on all current platforms on June 9th.

 

This year hasn't been a good one for most involved, let's hope that as we get nearer to the second half that things begin to improve, and this downward spiral starts heading up.

Restaurant review: SANTA MARIA (Fitzrovia)

Watch Movies TV -

Earlier in the lockdown, I'd tried my hand at making a pizza from scratch. It was a solid effort given my complete lack of experience in the department, but it wasn't a patch on the pizzas from Santa Maria, a restaurant which I had had the good fortune to visit at the tail end of 2019.

Santa Maria is a small restaurant, who's aim is to bring the charm and flavour of Napoli to London. The staff are very welcoming - when I asked about what types of cheese I could add to my pizza, the waiter actually took the time to give me a thoughtful, detailed, response. This is a far cry from the eye rolls that I am usually met with in most central London restaurants when I ask the waiter for help ordering.

The recommendations he made were astute as well:

I absolutely loved my pizza (the santa bufalina). The tomato sauce was tangy and moreish. The base was the right level of crispiness without being too thick (my main gripe about pizzas are ones which are over-doughy), and the perfect consistency to support all of the ingredients. 

The burrata on top of the pizza really appealed to my cheese-loving tendencies; it was up there with Franco Manca's burrata in terms of deliciousness and to-die-for creaminess. I suppose my one only gripe is the slightly burnt edges; I don't know if this was on purpose on by accident, but I do think the edges of the pizza would have been nicer if they were under-cooked by one minute.

Below is a picture of one of the other pizzas they make:

The pizzas are cooked in wood-powered ovens, as opposed to the gas-powered ones I use at home, which is partially why I find (properly-made) restaurant-made pizzas more yummy: they have that smoky flavour which can't be replicated in the home kitchen!

I'm a big fan of Santa Maria. The pizzas were made efficiently, tasted wonderful and were reasonably priced. The place had a nice ambience, and the waiters were helpful when I requested extra balsamic vinegar. It has re-instilled in me belief that central London does have good pizza places!

Grade: A-

--

For more of Emma's gastronomical musings, click here.

iWant: Review of MALAYA: Pressured Prerogatives

Watch Movies TV - May 30, 2020

Malaya (Lovi Poe) was a communication arts graduate from Manila who just joined her mom and brother working as domestic helpers in Italy.  One day, she met Iago (Zanjoe Marudo), a Filipino born in Italy determined to make a good life on his own. The two got close to each other in no time while working together, and fell in love. However, real life soon came into the picture and major decisions needed to be made. 

Malaya felt bitter that her mother (played by Isay Alvarez) who left to work in Italy as a domestic worker. She was determined to not be a domestic helper when she herself was petitioned by her mother go to Italy. On the other hand, Iago had issues against his own absentee father (played by Robert Sena). He grew up with an Italian family who took him in as their own, hence his facility with the Italian language. He was also not content with minimum wage jobs. How will falling in love affect their ambitious natures?

Lovi Poe seems to be the go-to young actress to cast when the script requires the female lead to show a little skin and engage in sexy scenes, much like what she did in her last two films "The Annulment" (2019) and "Hindi Tayo Pwede" (2020). Her patrician beauty kept her always looking dignified and classy. As an actress, she was able to project sincerity effectively. This was even when the character of Malaya, who had difficulties moving on from bad experiences, did not seem to be her real-life personality.

Zanjoe Marudo worked hard on his Italian language and accent as his role required. This interesting character was actually quite a challenge on paper because of what it demands from its actor. Marudo did well in his portrayal, but you can't help but feel that there was still more that could have been done with Iago. His was the more unpredictable character and he was the one who was driving the story forward with his decisions, until Malaya made her own decision at the end. 

This latest iWant original film followed the lead of local romance films focused on the life of Filipino workers abroad, like "Milan" (2004) and "Dubai" (2005), and more recently "Barcelona" (2016) and "Hello Love Goodbye" (2019). The story was set in the Puglia region of Italy, the heel part of the boot-shaped country. The picturesque nature views and charming town architecture were put into good use as the backdrop of this love story. The soundtrack with emo songs by Juan Karlos fit right into the film's anxious mood.

Director Connie Macatuno went back and forth in time to tell her story, which can be confusing with all the cards that indicated when the scenes were happening. As the film's title and the lead character's name would indicate, she stayed true to feminist themes she told and developed in her two other films, "Rome and Juliet" (2006) and the first iWant original film "Glorious" (2018). 6/10. 

Bill (2019) - Short Horror Film Review

Watch Movies TV -

One of the very few good things about a close family member passing away recently is that I was finally able to get some time off my day job, and so I have a few days in which I plan to go someway towards getting my blog not so backlogged. Bill is a three minute long horror, and is a reminder to me not to head towards the dark arts to help deal with my loss (not that I actually intended to do that!).

A grieving widow (Roxana Vilk) has turned towards the occult in order to see her deceased husband, Bill (Hugo Stanbury) one last time. However the potion she has concocted doesn't work quite as intended...

Bill was a DIY self funded short that was co-written and directed by Dan Gitsham and Sophie Mair. The background to this horror is perhaps more chilling than the short itself, as the idea for this was inspired by their two young sons who in real life would talk to a ghost they said they could see in the ceiling, a ghost they named Bill. This horror was partially created as part of a challenge to film a short film in their own home, using their own props, and filmed in just 1 day. I shouldn't generalise, but typically short horror films always end the same way, a sudden jump scare and cut to credits. Bill finishes on a note that is a little different, no jump scares to be found here thankfully.

The build-up for this had some great suspense, and I really loved what they did with the photo in the photo frame, it really was quite creepy, as well as a neat idea. Make-up effects for the final part of this were also good, but it was the photo frame part I enjoyed the most. The editing, directing and acting were all good for the story being told. I guess if I had any complaints it would be the ending, what happens felt a little bit removed from everything else that occured.

Bill is a competently made and atmospheric short that is a good indicator of the skills of these directors. Best of all, the short is available to watch for free online via Film Shortage.

SCORE:

Underwater

Classic Movie Review: Report to the Commissioner (1975)

Watch Movies TV -

Report to the Commissioner (1975) 

Directed by: Milton Katselas.

Written by: Abby Mann and Ernest Tidyman based on the novel by James Mills.

Starring: Michael Moriarty (Bo Lockley), Yaphet Kotto (Richard 'Crunch' Blackstone), Susan Blakely (Patty Butler), Hector Elizondo (Captain D'Angelo), Tony King (Thomas 'Stick' Henderson), Michael McGuire (Lt. Hanson), Edward Grover (Captain Strichter), Dana Elcar (Chief Perna), Bob Balaban (Joey Egan), William Devane (Asst. D.A. Jackson), Stephen Elliott (Police Commissioner), Richard Gere (Billy), Vic Tayback (Lt. Seidensticker), Albert Seedman (Detective Schulman).

 

Report to the Commissioner is the kind of gritty cop flick that the 1970s seemed to produce at will, but which Hollywood has forgotten how to make – or perhaps more accurately, completely lost interest in making. This is a cynical film, about how the police system itself grinds everyone down to nothing – uses them, and discards them when they are no longer needed. It isn’t a perfect film – the lead performance is far too obvious, going for intensity, but going too far – and you figure out where it’s going before it gets there. Still, it’s a refreshing look back at an era of Hollywood moviemaking where something like this could be made.

 

The film is told with a complex flashback structure. Bo Lockley (Michael Moriarty) is a young cop on the NYPD – new to the detective division, and still really too green, too naïve for his own good. We find out in the films first scene that Lockely has shot and killed a young woman – and that young woman is Patty Butler (Susan Blakely), a young, pretty, blonde undercover cop. The how and why of the shooting will take most of the film to unravel. Until we get there, we spend a lot of time with Lockley as he tries to learn the ropes of his new job – being taken under the wing of the more experiences Crunch Blackstone (Yaphet Kotto) – who shows Lockley pretty clearly the kind of moral compromises are needed to be a cop here. We also see Patty, as she slips deeper and deeper undercover – first being the kind of minor undercover agent, scoring drugs to arrest dealers, before getting to go ahead to go deeper and deeper and try to get information on Stick (Tony King) – a major dealer. This will require her to become Stick’s “girl” – but her superiors (one of whom is play by Hector Elizondo) think it will be good for their careers, so they approve it. Of course, once Lockley shoots her – the whole thing threatens to become a giant shit show.

 

The film is suitably intense. Directed by Milton Katselas, mainly on the streets of New York itself, the films major goal seems to be that street level intensity – and it mainly succeeds, especially in the later scenes, which feature some intense chase scenes through the streets of New York. That chase sequences – followed by an intense hostage situation are the highlight of the film. There are moments that stick out a little like a sore thumb – where that authenticity slips a little, although I don’t think you can really blame the film for casting a young Richard Gere as a pimp – a realization that takes you out of it a little.

 

The biggest problem is probably Michael Moriaty’s performance. Moriarty has always been a talented actor – but I’m not sure he always figured out the best way to channel his intensity for the good of a role. Here, he always seems to be just this side of either catatonic, or on the verge of tears or a nervous breakdown. It’s a performance that calls too much attention to itself. Better are the performances by Kotto – who grounds his character is a realistic cynicism, or Blakely – who makes Patty smart, ambitious and genuinely likable. Tony King is very good as Stick – so good in fact that you wonder why he didn’t become a bigger star, or at least more of a working character actor in the years after this.

 

Report to the Commissioner is the kind of forgotten film that happens all the time – films come out, and some are remembered, but many are simply forgotten – especially when the film wasn’t directed by a big name, and doesn’t star a big name either. To be fair, this isn’t a great film. But it’s a good one – one that can scratch that itch for a gritty, cynical 1970s cop movie for when you’ve seen Serpico or Prince of the City or The French Connection too many times.

Quick Sips - Fireside Magazine #79

Watch Movies TV -

Art by David Plunkert

So first thing first, these reviews are no longer neatly meeting up with the issues as listed on the Fireside Magazine site. I first noticed that last month, where there were more stories in the issue than were released on the website. The spill-over from last issue appears in this issue, and so I'm assuming that the spill-over this issue will appear next issue, and on until it's all caught up. Just an FYI, but I go off the online releases typically when reviewing Fireside so that I can get approximate word counts. So. The good news is that the fiction is still sharp and punchy, the stories short enough to be very quick reads but still hitting above their weight. There are some fun pieces and some harrowing ones, and all in all it's another wonderful month from the publication. To the reviews!

Stories:

“Dirt Under the Nails” by Aaron Menzel (1140 words)

No Spoilers: Douglas is a farmer and Albert is the automaton he’s bought to help him. Because working a farm alone is difficult. But the nature of Douglas’ farm, and the nature of what Douglas wants from Albert, reveals a complicated place tinged with shadow, bordering on a grim reality where people (of a sort) can be grown or built, and where that huge advancement in technology only seems to expand the ways people are exploited and de-valued. It’s a story that carries a rather familiar voice, a man fighting his own need for help while at the same time indulging heavily in trying to get emotional labor out of other people. It’s almost haunting, and definitely creates a world full of new possibilities amid the same old loneliness and yearning that’s always partly defined humanity.

Keywords: Farming, Clones, Body Parts, Robots, Voices

Review: Douglas is a fascinating character, a man who has built himself into isolation, trying to do right in as far as he wants to be successful but always finding that his decisions leave him alone. He’s a bit of a miser, with no real care for comforts, or joy. He is mostly alone with his old bitterness and his justifications and rationalizations. He’s been someone to jump into a relationship with a manufacturer/grower of cloned human parts, the man who actually does the planting and the farming. And he’s a crab, getting a robot to help in part because he’s starting to get older and in part because he needs someone to talk to. Only of course he does it in this terrible way, refusing to show weakness, not wanting the robot to talk back because that would ruin the illusion, because Douglas doesn’t seem capable of believing that a person who can talk is listening. And maybe because he complains not so that someone will offer to fix his issues, not so that Al will actually make the complaint go away. No, there’s a certain comfort there for him in having things to complain about, about knowing that they can’t be fixed so easily as a robot might be able to fix them. He needs to pretend that he’s powerless because it excuses him from acting, makes him a victim of his life rather than the author of it. And it’s a wrenching story in that way, short and almost sweet, about the ways that humans sometimes refuse to try and make things better because they’re comfortable with things getting worse, as long as they feel they’re not ultimately responsible, or alone. A great read!

“For Change is the Moon’s Domain, and Tonight She Watches” by Izzy Wasserstein (501 words)

No Spoilers: Deborah has come to the edge of a lake on midsummer night to try and get her heart’s desire. She’s joined by her only friend, her only ally in a place where everyone seems intent on erasing her, on “correcting” her about her gender. The piece is very short but it builds wonderfully in that space the feeling of need and desperation, the hurt of having to stand against overwhelming adversity to speak and live a truth that everyone is calling a lie. Or, almost everyone. And in the still of the midsummer night, maybe that’s a distinction that means a hell of a lot.

Keywords: Lakes, Trans MC, CW- Misgendering, Queer MC, Wishes, CW- Bullying/Abuse

Review: Aww. Totally not crying here. Nope. This is a beautiful story and I love the way that it builds, the way that it captures this desperate need of Deborah to escape the constant harassment and abuse she faces because she’s trans. The ways that her parents attempt to stifle her, and her peers attempt to “correct” her and police her gender. She’s in an incredibly vulnerable place, putting her hope in this unlikely chance, this bit of possible magic. And I love that the magic here isn’t exactly the magic that she was expecting. That it’s not something that will “fix” all of her problems, because you can’t fix what isn’t broken. And I think that’s a lovely sentiment, a reminder for Deb that she there’s nothing that can make her a girl, because she’s a girl already. Which is something that she gets to see in the way that Amanda feels about her, in the strength that both take from that relationship. It doesn’t make the situation all the way better, doesn’t remove the harassment or the abuse, doesn’t erase the dysphoria about the ways that Deb’s body doesn’t feel right. But it does let her know that she’s not alone, does let her know that there is someone who really sees her, and who loves her. Which is enough on this night to quell the voices of doubt and fear and hurt that are running through Deb’s head. So maybe there is magic after all. And while it might not be the spell that Deb was hoping for, maybe it can be enough for her to get through the hell she’s going through and find a joyous and affirming place beyond it. And the ending is so sweet and so good, you really should go read it immediately.

“And For My Next Universe…” by Matthew Castleman (1022 words)

No Spoilers: Rolando the Inconceivable has made a deal with “weird old lady” to spice up his magic act. And instead of pulling a rabbit out of his hat, he ends up pulling out an entire tidal wave of rabbits, thousands of them, completely overwhelming his audience and himself. But for all it seems like a disaster, it’s actually the start of something special, something he doesn’t quite understand, and which might have some unforeseen consequences. And it’s a cute story about bargains, about not really reading the fine print, and about, of all things, friendship. Which is rather delightful.

Keywords: Magic, Magicians, Rabbits, Parallel Universes, Balance, Bargains

Review: I do love the explanation for how the trick works in this story, that there are universes out there with different levels of various things and so opening up a sort of portal between two makes the elements that are in abundance in one...sort of spill into the other. So somewhere out there is a universe just lousy with rabbits. But I also like that that very system sort of sets up the rules for the bargain that Rolando (or rather, Jeff) makes, which in turn sets up what happens next. Because as the rabbits are lef through, there’s nothing saying that it’s a one way street, and Rolando’s fame grows and grows...which for me is a nice way of capturing something a bit less tangible than rabbits, something that he never really had reason to think about or complicate...until it left him mostly high and dry. But this isn’t, imo, a “be careful what you wish for” kind of story. Rather, it’s one that looks at Jeff’s reasons for getting into magic, showing that while he’s peaked, that doesn’t mean he’s not still devoted to using magic to spread some joy in the world. And it’s something that’s mirrored in the old lady as well, because even as she’s setting up Jeff for failure (it might seem), she’s still pursuing her own goals, still wanting to have friends, which she lost when she got too many and used a portal. And it’s a fun, charming story, one that sets up a rather heartwarming ending, where both characters get what they want, even if it’s not at the scale they hoped. But that doesn’t mean it’s not enough for them to be happy. A fine read!

“The Last Librarian” by Trace Yulie (1504 words)

No Spoilers: In a setting/future where libraries have been largely privatized and government control of books/ideas tightened, Tig is an agent specializing in finding and retrieving books, taking them out of circulation and giving them to the central government. Of course, they might keep a few for themself. As trophies and reminders. And now they’re on the trail of a person called the Librarian, a revolutionary/seditious figure who encourages people to read and who makes available for people books that get around government restrictions. It brings Trig to perhaps the last public library, but even as they feel so close they can taste the new stories they’ll acquire, they find that they’ve made a few mistakes...that might cost them everything.

Keywords: Books, Libraries, Dystopian, Reading, Governments

Review: The piece does an interesting job of linking a dystopian state with a control on texts, setting the main character in the same kind of place as the main character of Fahrenheit 451 and similar texts, where they’re an agent of a government that wants to control books. That wants to control what people can read, and by extension what people can think. And like in those texts, Tig is holding some of it back for themself. Or at least they are copying some so that they have a piece of the whole government collection. But their actions don’t seem to be rooted in wanting to preserve the books, in liking books as art or valuing the ideas behind the words. In a twist on those other works, Tig is just in it for the trophies, the books just prizes that they’ve won, that they can feel superior for possessing. It’s what brings them with such energy and zeal to this last public library...and what ultimately causes their downfall. And I like how the story frames and handles it, showing how easy it is to trick Tig perhaps in part because they’re not the type to really care about books. They are focused and think in a very linear, rather brutal fashion, used to being the one in power, used to having the weight of authoring behind them. And hungry for glory, hungry for action and violence. What they don’t anticipate is that the Librarian isn’t just one person, isn’t just a lone wolf (something Tig seems taken by because of how they operate and view themself), but rather a collective, a whole community maybe who are all working to spread information, to spread access to books, and who know how to look out for one another, especially against those as unsubtle as Tig. It’s a fun piece, well imagined and brought to life, leaning on a tradition of dealing with censorship and suppression of books in SFF and adding a bit to it. A fine read!

---

Quick Sips - Serial Box: Ninth Step Station [ep02.07 & 02.08]

Watch Movies TV -

As the second season draws toward the finale, things in Serial Box’s Ninth Step Station are really heating up. Emma and Miyako are both compromised in some profound ways, but that’s not going to stop them and might not even slow them down as they investigate murders in a Tokyo cracked by invasion and occupation. They have to balance the things they’ve betrayed, the people they stand to hurt, and the people they are determined to protect as they navigated the weaving lines of nationalism, corruption, and opportunity around them. And as the half-way point recedes, the season finale starts to loom, with the promise of something Big lurking closer. To the reviews!

Serial Chapters:

“Assassination Market” by Fran Wilde (ep02.07)

No Spoilers: A death at a moving night market reveals a situation where people can place ads for “missing persons.” That is, posters that aren’t about finding someone who’s gone missing, but rather calls for people to make a person disappear...permanently. And if that weren’t enough, Emma and Miyako have to deal with the fact that, following a murder, they check the other outstanding posts and recognize one of the faces--Charles Yardley. Caught between the need to protect a man who is responsible for some terrible crimes and their own desires to see him punished, perhaps even killed, the episode looks at the messy realities of duty and law. Of justice, and sometimes the lack of it. All with the backdrop of a murderous market and a group of very deadly hitpeople who don’t really care about Emma or Miyako’s doubts or guilts.

Keywords: Assassins, Markets, Murders, Queer MC, Organized Crime

Review: I love the premise of this story, that there’s such a public space where hits are placed and assassins lurk, waiting to take new assignments. The aesthetic is fun, and it leads to this dangerous, thrilling situation where Emma and Miyako don’t really know who is out there working to commit murder in their city. What they do know is the target, and I love that the piece finds them having to protect Charles, whom neither of them like, whom especially Emma wants dead. The idea of loyalty continues to be complicated, with Emma having to walk the line between following orders and loyalty to the Peacekeepers, and her desire for justice and need to show everyone that her people are there to help and not just to profit and protect their own power. And the ending opens up the idea that maybe Emma’s done being so passive about all this, that maybe she’s starting to take part in her own resistance, secret from her superiors and even secret from Miyako and the station.

Not that Miyako isn’t hiding her own fair share, and the piece looks at how she’s handling Emma having to protect Charles while dealing with her own guilt and concern for Kaori, who has been absent lately. The explosion of the power ship is still something of an open wound for Miyako, something she comes back to again and again, and I love the way the chapter shows her working to justify what she’s done. To herself. And how that sublimates into anger at Emma and everyone. Because she wants everyone to be as guilty as she is, to be as culpable. She wants to know she’s doing the right thing, but it still doesn’t feel entirely right. What’s coming out of all of this is how similar Emma and Miiyako really are, both of them working off the books to try and work for something that can’t be achieved through bureaucratic means, from “official” channels. Even so, though, they are taking huge risks, and there’s an escalating tension throughout that something is going to break, and break big, sooner rather than later. The thing about secrets is that they have a way of jumping into the light at the worst moment. That Emma and Miyako still aren’t being fully honest with each other continues to not bode well for their partnership, and doesn’t really bode well for Tokyo, either.

Now, as far as mysteries go, this chapter doesn’t really offer much in the way of closure. It acts a bit more like the first half of a two-part episode, and it’s possible that this might already be the run up to the season finale. But the danger is not diffused, the situation not “solved” outside of the implication that this might be more complicated than expected, and might involve Emma in some interesting ways. But Charles is still hypothetically in danger, and Emma still hypothetically assigned to protect him. Though one assassin has been taken out, there are many others yet to be even met, and I’m curious to see where the next episode/chapter takes the action, and the characters. It’s a bite of a larger mystery, one full of death and danger as the station needs to navigate a sea of competing assassins. A wonderful read!

“The Masked Dancer” by Jacqueline Koyanagi (ep02.08)

No Spoilers: At a local festival where Miyako and Kaori are having a cute date (and looking at doggos!), a murder cuts short their fun and opens up a mystery with friendship, family, and betrayal at its heart. It’s something that mirrors some of the simmering issues between Emma and Miyako, while also providing a mostly-straightforward mystery that puts the events of the previous chapter/episode on the back burner while still moving pieces in the background that promise to rock Tokyo to its core (again). The details are grisly, messy, and shows Emma and Miyako doing what they’re good at--solving mysteries...and compartmentalization, I guess.

Keywords: Augmented Reality, Embezzlement, Murder, Masks, Queer MC, Festivals

Review: I actually really like the way that this story takes on compartmentalization in different ways. The largest of those is not the way it relates to the mystery itself, the way that the tragedy of all of that unfolded. For me, at least, I really like the way that Emma and Miyako approach the idea, and how that sort of reflects out on the city as a whole. For Miyako, the struggle is almost constant to separate her personal, her professional, and her resistance lives. She’s being pulled in so many directions in ways she can’t seem to harmonize, and everything is bleeding together. Emma is much better about this, and especially with her relationship with Kensuke is able to just use that for sex and not invest any more in it. And it’s something that Miyako has never really approved of, but now she’s seeing why it’s important to be able to do. Just as the city as a whole compartmentalizes, keeping the conflict at arms length so that people can still live, so that not every moment is about the war, about the danger. For Miyako, it’s only once she can just let down the weight of what she’s done with the resistance that she can reconnect with her girlfriend, can start to enjoy her life, which has been very difficult.

Inside the mystery, the idea of compartmentalization is a bit darker, with the characters involved in a murder plot able to use the skill in order to do some chilling things based on their own desire for justice, something that once more mirrors both Emma’s activities in following up on the murder of her old boss, and Miyako’s actions with the resistance. Here there are two people trying to protect each other and punish the guilty, and Emma and Miyako have to arrest them both, noting perhaps the hypocrisy of that but knowing that they can’t let their own transgressions get in the way of solving the mystery. The mystery, by the way, is a return to the episodic murder case, with a definite conclusion and more standard structure, though not without its share of twists and turns. Indeed, the events from the previous chapter/episode are just sort of left in the background, opened up into a few scenes that take place well outside Emma and Miyako’s investigation.

And in some ways the decision not to follow through on those elements is a little frustrating, because presumably there was still time to go on Charles’s hit, but he seems to have gotten through that and is up to his old tricks. Tricks which are going to put him not just at odds with a lot of elements in the city, but seem primed to set Emma and Miyako on a collision course with all of their decisions and actions to this point. I am vibrating with anticipation imagining what all it means, that Charles and Miyako might find themselves on the same “side” and that when all is said and done, no “side” in this struggle is going to be clean, none safe. Right now that all is being put off to later, but the implications are pretty clear, that compartmentalization might work wonders for living day to day, but the danger is always that by not dealing with the elephants in the room, at some point you’re going to get stepped on, and whatever the case there’s going to be a whole lotta shit to clean up. So yeah, the series continues to be tense, and I do love the way the mystery here played out, the “solution” a tragedy of family and betrayal, a look at what could easily happen when people decide to take justice into their own hands. I’m almost afraid to know what happens next but I am also Here For It, so bring it on! A fantastic read!

---

Dr. Cyclops

Marvel Years 13.10 - October 1973

Watch Movies TV -

This is Marvel's most Satanic month ever. Stan Lee introduced Mephisto, his personal version of the Devil, as a recurring character in Silver Surfer #3. Satan, Gary Friedrich's version of the Devil, was introduced in Marvel Spotlight #5, relegating Mephisto to a minor demon. Or is he? There are obvious contradictions. Both Mephisto and Satan collect souls, which would make them rivals. It's more logical to see them as different aspects of the same being, even if that's not what Stan Lee and Gary Friedrich intended. As I see it, Stan definitely intended Mephisto to represent the Judaic-Christian Devil, he just wasn't brave enough to use the name Satan. He was afraid of offending his Christian readers in the early days when the Comic Code Authority was stricter and Marvel was still fighting to survive. Five years later, Gary Friedrich wasn't afraid to use the name Satan. The Comic Code Authority was more relaxed, Marvel had become the biggest comic company in America, and apart from that, Gary Friedrich wasn't Marvel's boss. He was just an employee, and if complaints rolled in he could be fired, unlike Stan Lee.

Ghost Rider #2 features Johnny Blaze's willing descent into Hell. Marvel Spotlight #12 reveals that Daimon Hellstrom is the son of Satan. In Vampire Tales #2, which I've arbitrarily declared non-canon, Satan's daughter Satana is introduced. In addition, the stories of Morbius, the main feature in Vampire Tales, also feature Devil worshippers.

Ghost Rider #2

Title: Shake hands with Satan!

Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Jim Mooney

Villain: Satan, Witch-Woman

Regulars: Daimon Hellstrom, Roxanne Simpson

Ghost Rider has been a fascinating character ever since he was first introduced in Marvel Spotlight #5, but in my opinion this is the issue in which his full promise is unleashed. This is the issue that displays what sets him aside from all of the other Marvel super-heroes, if it's even possible to call him a super-hero. This is the issue that reveals the world of Satan, which is more than just Hell.

Feeling unable to fight any more, Ghost Rider surrenders to Satan.

Satan comes in the form of a beautiful woman, the body of Linda Littletree, which he's been possessing since last issue.

It doesn't last. Satan goes back to his usual appearance.

Ghost Rider wants to make his surrender to Satan conditional on his girlfriend Roxanne being promised her safety. No deal. Satan never makes deals with anyone, so Ghost Rider has to fight the hordes of Hell.

Meanwhile, Daimon Hellstrom has promised to exorcise Linda Littletree.

---

Marvel Spotlight #12

Title: The Son of Satan!

Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Herb Trimpe

Villain: Satan, Witch-Woman (Linda Littletree)

The first issue of Marvel Spotlight to feature Daimon Hellstrom as the main character is intertwined with Ghost Rider #2. Pages 1 to 12 take place after page 14 of Ghost Rider #2. Pages 13 to 19 take place after the end of Ghost Rider #2. Maybe the story should have been divided into two chapters to make it clearer, but I shouldn't be a nit-picker. It's still good writing by Gary Friedrich in his first crossover story.

The artwork is spectacular. Herb Trimpe has stepped in as the new artist, both for the cover and the comic itself. It's an amazing cover, and just look at Daimon's chariot! Herb is the right person for this comic.

Similar to other Marvel characters, like Jack Russell (the Werewolf), Daimon Hellstrom has a different personality at night. In the daytime he's a religious, God-fearing man. At night he becomes as evil as Satan himself. Daimon saves Johnny Blaze and Linda Littletree from Hell, not because he cares for them, but because he wants to spite his father.

---

Vampire Tales #2

Despite having said that this is a non-canon magazine, I'm including the untitled four-page story about Satana. It's short enough for me to reproduce the whole story.

Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: John Romita

Do you like the story? I do, but I have one small criticism of John Romita's artwork. Why does he make Satana look scared when she's being followed? She knew from the beginning that she was in no danger.

---

Avengers #116

Title: Betrayal!

Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Bob Brown

Avengers: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, Swordsman
Defenders: Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner, Hulk, Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, Hawkeye

Villain: Dormammu, Loki

Regulars: Mantis

Guests: Wong

This is Chapter Two of the Avengers/Defenders War.

The Avengers visit Doctor Strange's sanctum sanctorum to inquire about the Black Knight. His defensive mechanisms throw them in the air. Wong comes out and tells them Doctor Strange doesn't want to see them, so they break the door down. They see the Black Knight's stone body before they're cast out by another defensive spell.

Using the Orb of Agamotto, Doctor Strange finds the locations of the six pieces of the Evil Eye. The six Defenders each go to one of the locations.

Loki suspects that Dormammu will betray him, so he warns the Avengers. He tells them that Earth's most fearsome villains, the Defenders, are searching for the Evil Eye for their own evil purposes. They have to be stopped. The Avengers split up to challenge the Defenders.

---

Title: The Silver Surfer vs the Vision and the Scarlet Witch

Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Bob Brown

Villain: Dormammu, Loki

This is Chapter Three of the Avengers/Defenders War.

Avengers: Vision, Scarlet Witch
Defenders: Silver Surfer

The Silver Surfer goes to Rurutu in French Polynesia. The segment of the Evil Eye is hidden in a volcano. The Vision and the Scarlet Witch attempt to stop him retrieving it. The Scarlet Witch is knocked unconscious when the volcano erupts. The villagers want to sacrifice her to the Volcano God, so they lay her in the path of the advancing lava. The Vision rescues her while the Silver Surfer leaves with the Evil Eye.

---

Defenders #9

Title: Divide and Conquer

Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema

Avengers: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, Swordsman
Defenders: Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer

Villain: Loki

This is Chapter Four of the Avengers/Defenders War.

The Silver returns from Rurutu, French Polynesia, to warn Doctor Strange that the Avengers are trying to stop them gathering the pieces of the Evil Eye. Doctor Strange probes Avengers Mansion, and he detects the recent presence of Loki. He also sees that the Swordsman, an internationally known criminal, has become an Avengers, which convinces him that the Avengers have become evil. He leaves the sanctum to aid the other Defenders in their quest.

---

Title: Iron Man vs Hawkeye the Archer

Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema

Avengers: Iron Man
Defenders: Doctor Strange, Valkyrie, Hawkeye

This is Chapter Five of the Avengers/Defenders War.

Doctor Strange warns Valkyrie and Hawkeye that the Avengers are trying to prevent them from retrieving the pieces of the Evil Eye. Valkyrie drops Hawkeye in Monterrey, Mexico.

Iron Man arrives and finds the Evil Eye in the local university. Hawkeye grabs it out of his hand. After a short fight Hawkeye runs away, not wanting to continue fighting now that he has the Evil Eye.

---

Title: Doctor Strange vs the Black Panther and Mantis

Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema

Avengers: Black Panther
Defenders: Doctor Strange

Guests: Mantis

This is Chapter Six of the Avengers/Defenders War.

Doctor Strange finds a piece of the Evil Eye in a cornfield in Indiana. Black Panther and Mantis try unsuccessfully to take it from him.

---

Captain America and the Falcon #166

Title: Night of the Luking Dead!

Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Sal Buscema

Villain: Yellow Claw

Regulars: Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Countess Valentina, Sharon Carter, Peggy Carter, Leila Taylor

Captain America carries Nick Fury back to SHIELD for medical attention. Dum Dum Dugan is understanding, but Countess Valentina accuses Captain America of beating Nick Fury up on purpose.

Steve Rogers has been evicted from his hotel room, so he moves in with Sam Wilson. Together they search for the Yellow Claw. They're attacked by mummies.

The Yellow Claw raises the mummy of Fan-Le-Tamen. Her spirit occupies the body of the Yellow Claw's grand-niece Suwan. What's a grand-niece anyway? I need to look that up.

---

The Incredible Hulk #168

Title: The Hate of the Harpy!

Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Herb Trimpe

Villain: Modok, Harpy (Betty Ross)

Regulars: General Ross, Jim Wilson

This is another big change where I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall during Steve Englehart's conversations with his bosses, Roy Thomas (chief editor) and Stan Lee (publisher). He's made a major change to one of Marvel's founding characters, Betty Ross, who was first introduced in Incredible Hulk #1 in May 1962. This timid little girl becomes a bloodthirsty monster. Did Stan really agree to this, or was it slipped past him? Of all the writers at Marvel, past and present, there's none I'd like to talk to as much as Steve Englehart.

Last month Betty Ross was in a sanitarium, recovering from the loss of her husband. (That wasn't clear to me from last month's comic, but now I know). Modok failed in kidnapping her, but he planted a signal in her brain. She climbs out of the window and walks naked to a waiting space ship. This takes her to Modok, where she's bombarded with gamma rays.

That makes four gamma ray created creatures now. Steve Englehart names them, but he fails to say when it happened.

Bruce Banner became the Hulk in Incredible Hulk #1.

An unnamed labourer became the Leader in Tales to Astonish #63. Much later, in Incredible Hulk #129, we found out that his name is Sam Sterns.

A soldier, still unnamed at this point, became the Abomination to Tales To Astonish #90.

And now Betty Ross becomes the Harpy in Incredible Hulk #168.

It's a shame I'm writing this information 47 years too late. If I'd put this information in a letter in 1973 I would have won a shiny little No Prize for my efforts.

Jim Wilson drives the Hulk to a safe house (his girlfriend's house) in Newark, New Jersey, but she doesn't want to keep him. He wanders into Manhattan, where the Harpy attacks him. She defeats him with power blasts from her hands.

---

Hero For Hire #14

Title: Retribution!

Writer: Steve Englehart
Artist: Billy Graham

Villain: Big Ben Donovan, Commanche, Shades, Rackham

Regulars: Noah Burstein, Claire Temple, Phil Fox

This is a breath-taking, street-level action story. Is it written by the same Steve Englehart who's currently writing the mind-bending Doctor Strange epics? That's hard to believe. All sorts of problems are coming into Luke Cage's life at once.

Mrs. Jenks has been sexually harassed by a lawyer called Big Ben Donovan. She seeks shelter in Luke Cage's office, and he breaks in to start a fight.

The prison guard Rackham, who mistreated Luke in Hero For Hire #1, has been fired for misconduct. Now he's in New York looking for a new job.

Two other prisoners from Seagate Prison have escaped and are looking for Rackham.

Phil Fox hears that Rackham was in prison and interviews him to find out about Luke Cage. Rackham wants him put back in prison, and he thinks he can blackmail him to turn himself in. He wants to kidnap Luke's girlfriend Claire Temple, but when he sees Luke with Mrs. Jenks he kidnaps the wrong woman. Rackham forces Phil Fox to go to Claire's apartment. They argue on the stairs, and Rackham shoots Phil dead. Claire comes out of her apartment to see what's happened. She foolishly picks up the gun, and the police arrive, seeing her with the smoking gun in her hand.

Wow! What a story!

---

Amazing Spider-Man #125

Title: Wolfhunt!

Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Ross Andru

Villain: Man-Wolf (John Jameson)

Regulars: J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Mary Jane Watson, Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn, Randy Robertson

The Man-Wolf , who still hasn't been officially named, attacks Spider-Man again. Early in the story he's called a man-wolf (indefinite article), and later he's called the man-wolf (definite article), but in the context it's to refer to a monster that people know.

The man-wolf is stronger than Spider-Man, but he flees when the full Moon begins to set.

JJJ goes to his son's house. John tells his father that he collected a red moon rock while on a Moon landing. He made it into a pendant, and this is what makes him turn into a werewolf every full Moon. He can't remove the pendant, because the rock has grafted itself into his skin.

The next night Spider-Man removes the pendant by force, and the werewolf turns back into human form, badly injured. This is witnessed by JJJ, who almost thanks Spider-Man. Almost.

---

Fantastic Four #139

Title: Target: Tomorrow!

Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: John Buscema

Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Medusa

Villain: Miracle Man

Regulars: Wyatt Wingfoot, Susan Richards, Franklin Richards

I have no idea what the title of this story means. Do you?

The Fantastic Four and the Indians (now called Native Americans) are falling down a bottomless pit to their deaths.

The super-powered heroes can save themselves. The Human Torch invents a new method ad hoc to save them. They head back to the surface and face the Miracle Man.

Did you notice that the Thing uses his battle cry on the cover? He repeats it inside the comic: It's clobbering time!

Meanwhile, Franklin Richards has a strange fit, as if becoming mad. This will be explained in upcoming issues.

Meanwhile, in the Baxter Building, Reed Richards is working on a machine and doesn't notice a warning light blinking over the Negative Zone portal. Next month.....

Meanwhile, the proton supply of atomic material throughout the world is being drained, threatening nuclear explosions that will destroy the world. Next month? I think not. The text box suggests that it's because of the Miracle Man, but it isn't elaborated on in the rest of the story. I think it's one of Gerry Conway's notorious dangling plotlines.

The Cheemuzwa, who have moved onto a different plane of existence, stop the Miracle Man by taking him to themselves.

---

Thor #216

Title: Where Chaos Rules!

Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: John Buscema

Villain: God-Jewel, Mercurio

Regulars: Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, Balder, Tana Nile, Silas Grant, Hildegarde, Odin, Heimdal, Sif, Karnilla

Thor requests Odin and the other Asgardians to stay away. They agree. They sail away in the Starjammer. Only Mercurio insists on continuing with the battle. because he needs the Jewel to save his planet.

Odin has a plan. He is somehow guiding the God-Jewel towards a sun that's about to go super-nova. When the Jewel absorbs it, it's destroyed.

What a mess! This is an awful story.

Meanwhile, Balder and Volstagg go to Asgard and find it empty. Wait! Didn't something like that already happen a few months ago? If you know what issue it was, let me know, because I have no interest in checking for myself.

Summing up, in recent months Gerry Conway has been writing good Spider-Man stories, average Fantastic Four stories and awful Thor stories.

---

Daredevil and the Black Widow #104

Title: Prey of the Hunter!

Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Don Heck

Villain: Kraven

Regulars: Ivan

We find out more about the Black Widow's history. She auditioned for the Bolshoi Ballet and the Russian Olympics gymnastics team, and she was accepted for both. It's unusual that she was allowed to turn down the offers. I thought Russia would pressurise talented athletes into performing.

The secretive man in a wheelchair who has been hiring men to fight Daredevil has now hired Kraven. He's offered $100,000, but he says he'll do it for fun. I know that fun is fun, but I would have taken the money as well.

Kraven captures the Black Widow and takes her to a zoo. Daredevil rescues her after a brief fight with Kraven. This was just a test to find out Daredevil's skill.

A few days later Kraven attacks again, when Matt Murdock and Natasha Romanov are at a party. Natasha's identity is public knowledge, Matt's isn't, but Kraven assumes that Daredevil will be somewhere close to protect her. Kraven knocks them both out in the fight, and he prepares to throw Daredevil off a cliff.

---

Sub-Mariner #66

Title: Rise, thou killer whale!

Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Don Heck

Villain: Virago, Orka

Regulars: Vashti, Tamara

When she arrives on Earth, Virago begins to attack Atlantis, but she's blocked by Sub-Mariner. She retreats to make a plan. A mine left on the sea bed since World War Two explodes, releasing Orka, who seemingly died in Sub-Mariner #24. He's alive and well after lying buried under rubble for the last three years.

Orka and Virago team up to attack Atlantis. Giant whales are the main forces that attack. Sub-Mariner fights with Orka and Virago while the whales destroy Atlantis.

---

Iron Man #63

Title: Enter Dr. Spectrum

Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: George Tuska

Villain: Dr. Spectrum

Regulars: Happy Hogan, Pepper Hogan, Roxanne Gilbert

It's been four years since we saw Dr. Spectrum in Avengers #70, and I hoped he would never come back. He's obviously a rip-off of DC's Green Lantern. He should stay in DC Comics, where he belongs.

Tony Stark is in Detroit, and he tries to begin a relationship with Roxanne Gilbert. She's reluctant, because of his past as a weapons manufacturer, but he swears he's changed.

Dr. Spectrum arrives, telling the world that he wants revenge on Iron Man for being defeated in the past, but his inner monologue suggests that he has different motives. Badly weakened in the fight, Iron Man pretends to be dead, and Dr. Spectrum leaves.

Pepper Hogan, formerly Potts, seeks comfort in the arms of her employer after being left by her husband. The comfort turns into a kiss, just as Happy walks in.

This comic also shows the return of Eddie March, who briefly became Tony Stark's replacement as Iron Man in Iron Man #21.

---

Marvel Premiere #11

This is a Dreaded Deadline Doom (DDD) issue. It's a big disappointment after last month's brilliant issue.

---

Adventure Into Fear #17

Title: It came out of the sky!

Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Val Mayerik

Villain: Wundarr

Regulars: Jennifer Kale, Andy Kale, Joshua Kale

This was a controversial issue when it was first released. DC threatened to sue Marvel for plagiarising Superman, its best-selling character at the time. Roy Thomas read the plot as editor-in-chief and told Steve Gerber to change the story before giving it to the artist, but he didn't. When the comic went on sale Stan Lee threatened to fire Steve Gerber, and he probably would have done so if DC had sued. It took all of the friendly chats between old friends in the two companies to calm down the tempers. "Steve Gerber is only 25, he's just a kid, he doesn't know what he's doing". That's true. He didn't know what he was doing. It's the sort of mistake I might have made when I was 12. We can just be happy that he wasn't fired, because his best stories at Marvel are still ahead of him.

A rocket falls from the sky into Man-Thing's swamp. Does the swamp have a name? I just know it's in the Florida Everglades. The Man-Thing smashes the rocket open, and a man emerges.

24 years ago a scientist on the planet Dakkam an astronomer/scientist called Hektu discovered that the planet's sun would go super-nova within a year. He pleaded with Dakkam's rulers to build spaceships to evacuate the population, but they didn't believe him. He built his own spaceship for his family, but the government sent soldiers to arrest him, because they thought he would create a panic. When he resisted arrest they shot him and his wife. It was only possible to put their new-born son Wundarr into the rocket before launching it.

And the rocket flew across the universe at random, until the computers picked the Earth as a suitable place to land.

On Earth he's fully grown, but he still has the intellectual development of a child. He thinks Man-Thing is his mother. He has difficulty coordinating himself, because he's too strong. When he jumps for joy he accidentally jumps three miles into the sky. He can effortlessly run with super speed. Bullets bounce off him. He has X-Ray vision and telescopic vision.

Really, Steve!

Wundarr runs away, waiting for his next adventure... if DC allows it.

---

Strange Tales #170

Title: Baptism of Fire!

Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Gene Colan

Villain: Damballah

Papa Jambo teaches Jericho Drumm everything he needs to know to become the new voodoo priest in his brother's place.

These are his powers. In addition, he's possessed by the spirit of his brother, so they'll be two men in one body. As we see later in the story, Daniel's spirit is able to leave Jericho's body and possess others for short periods of time.

Jericho Drumm fights against Damballah, who is killed when his own serpents turn against him.

---

Tomb of Dracula #13

Title: To kill a vampire!

Writer: Marv Wolfman
Artist: Gene Colan

Regulars: Quincy Harker, Edith Harker (corpse), Frank Drake, Rachel Van Helsing, Taj, Blade

Kills: One man (total 19)

Embraces: None (total 7)

Edith Harker is dead. Her grandfather, Quincy Harker, doesn't want to waste time. Her body is cremated, and they continue the hunt for Dracula while it's still night. They follow him to a country village and reach him shortly before dawn. After a harsh battle, Blade stabs him in the heart with a wooden knife.

Does that mean it's the end of this comic book series? Wait till next month.

This is a fast-paced action story from beginning to end. My brief synopsis doesn't do it justice.

---

Werewolf by Night #10

Title: The Sinister Secret of Sarnak!

Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Tom Sutton

Villain: Sarnak, Committee

Regulars: Lissa Russell, Philip Russell, Lou Hackett

The Werewolf spends the whole of the second night in a pit. Even after he breaks free from the shackles he's still too weak to escape.

Sarnak reveals his origin. He used to be a sound engineer. The police found him making illegal copies of pop records – what an awful crime! – and they shot him while he escaped, scarring him for life. He's invented a whistle which can have various effects on its listeners, such as controlling people, causing pain, or even turning people into monsters.

Sarnak is working for an organisation called the Committee. They want to revive the economy by making people scared. When they're worried, people buy more. Just look at how many rolls of toilet paper people bought because they were afraid of the Coronavirus.

The next day Jack escapes. He finds a sound engineer who builds him a device that blocks out high frequency sounds. He returns to Sarnak's lair. In the third night Sarnak's whistle doesn't affect him any more. The Werewolf smashes the whistle, then carries his sister Lissa to safety. The slaves are no longer under Sarnak's control, so they turn against him.

---

The Frankenstein Monster #6

Title: In search of the last Frankenstein!

Writer: Mike Ploog, Gary Friedrich
Artist: Mike Ploog

Villain: Colonel Blackstone

Beginning this issue, the title is changed from The Monster Of Frankenstein to The Frankenstein Monster. I approve.

The Monster arrives in Ingolstadt, where Victor Frankenstein once lived. His intention is to take revenge by killing all of his descendants.

First the Monster is attacked by a soldier, an unnamed Leftenant (sic). Yes, that's how his rank is spelt in the comic. Maybe it's supposed to be imitating a German accent?

At Castle Frankenstein the Monster witnesses men being thrown into a pit to a giant spider. The Monster is captured and chained. The acting head of the castle is Colonel Blackstone. The last living descendant of Victor Frankenstein, Jason Frankenstein, left 20 years ago. The Colonel tells the Monster that the spider doesn't kill the men, it removes their will power, making them his slaves. That's a weird idea, dreamt up by artist Mike Ploog in the only issue that he plotted himself.

The Leftenant returns to the castle and fights with the Colonel. The Monster uses this distraction to break free of his chains. When he rips the shackles from the wall, the chamber is flooded. The spider swims out of the pit. The Monster manages to destroy it.

Now the Monster continues his search for Jason Frankenstein.

---

Warlock #8

Title: Confrontation!

Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: Bob Brown

Villain: Man-Beast (Rex Carpenter)

Regulars: High Evolutionary, Memorax (Recorder)

In the American capital of Counter-Earth there are demonstrations by young people in favour of Adam Warlock. Behind closed doors, President Rex Carpenter is telling other politicians that Warlock is the biggest threat to America.

Demons attack the protesters. The police don't see the demons, so they think the demonstrators have gone crazy, and there are mass arrests.

The Rigellian Recorder, who has accompanied Thor a few times, most recently in Thor #162, is visiting the High Evolutionary. The High Evolutionary asks him to go to Warlock's side and record his adventures. He's given the new name Memorax. Wasn't Recorder good enough?

Astrella reveals that she's the sister of President Carpenter.

Warlock is given illusions to turn him evil. He resists. When he opens his eyes he's in the White House. President Carpenter reveals that he's been possessed by the Man-Beast. The Man-Beast returns to his own body, ready to fight Warlock... in a battle that we'll never see!

This is the last issue of Warlock, for now at least. The text box tells us that "This particular clash will be concluded sometime, somewhere in the Marvel Universe". That's what usually happens when a comic is cancelled in the middle of a storyline, but this time it doesn't. Some of the loose ends will be tied of in a future issue of the Incredible Hulk, but we'll never see the clash between Warlock and the Man-Beast in the White House. That kinda sucks.

---

Astonishing Tales #20

Title: The Final Battle!

Writer: Mike Friedrich
Artist: Marie Severin

Villain: Gemini, Plunderer, Victorius (Professor Conrad)

Regulars: Barbara Morse

Guests: Nick Fury

Ka-Zar continues his battle against Victorius. Eventually Ka-Zar is knocked unconscious.

Barbara Morse (now usually called Bobbi) finds the vial of super-soldier serum thrown away by Ka-Zar. She goes into the castle to help him. She sees him waking up, so she distracts Victorius. Ka-Zar wins the fight and throws Victorius through the window into the castle moat, where he possibly drowns. It's left open.

This is the last story of Ka-Zar in Astonishing Tales. The stories weren't bad, but they weren't particularly good either. It's time for Marvel to try something else.

---

Non-Canon comics published this month:

Savage Tales #2 (Roy Thomas, Barry Smith)
Dracula Lives #3 (Marv Wolfman, John Buscema)
Vampire Tales #2 (Don McGregor, Rich Buckler)
Tales of the Zombie #2 (Steve Gerber, Pablo Marcos)

Marvel Team-Up #14 (Len Wein, Gil Kane)

Doc Savage #7 (Tony Isabella, Ross Andru)
Conan the Barbarian #31 (Roy Thomas, John Buscema)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #115 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Combat Kelly and his Deadly Dozen #9 (Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers)
Reno Jones, Gunhawk #7 (Gardner Fox, Dick Ayers)

Note: The series Gunhawks changed its name to Reno Jones, Gunhawk for its final issue.

---

Many of this month's comics (I estimate 25%) contain this survey. I assume that Marvel itself sponsored the survey, but I have absolutely no idea what they want to do with the results. Today I filled out the survey twice, first with my present details, then with my historic details from October 1973. That was necessary to win my No Prize. Mailing the questionnaire to the no longer valid address isn't necessary, because the No Prize is awarded before the mailing instructions.

Questions 6 and 7 are critical. If the majority answer No, it will make the advertisers want to pay less, and Marvel will lose money. I answered No to both questions.

I'll be watching the bullpen pages closely in coming months to see if there are any comments on the survey result.

One last thing though... if I'd been sitting with a comic in my hand back in 1973, there's no way I would have mailed in the survey. That would have meant tearing a page out of the comic. No no no no no!