Flesh Gothic by Edward Lee

Flesh Gothic is the second novel I read from Edward Lee. I found it at the local used bookstore. And the lady that runs it told me if I like Jack Ketchum and had a strong stomach I should try out Edward Lee. Before this novel I had read his novella in Triage,and Infernal Angel.

Flesh Gothic is a story about a house that was once used to film some of the most graphic porn films. But a massacre happened in the house and many many people died. Well the wife of the man of directed the films hires a group of people to go spend some time in the house in hopes that they can figure out what happened . And hopefully find the ladies husband who has been missing since the massacre happened. The group of people sent to the house includes many psychics and a reporter. This book really reminded me of the "The Haunting". But it ,unlike the film,has massive amounts of graphic violence and sex. While not a book for the average fan of horror fiction. If you have a strong stomach and are not offended by descriptions of bizarre sexual acts it is worth reading. Sadly thanks to the whole Leisure Books fiasco from a few months back this book is now out of print and already starting to rise in price. But I am sure with some searching at used bookstores you should be able to find it for cover price or lower. Flesh Gothic earns a B+.

Silver Age Classics Detective Comics # 225

Silver Age Classics Detective Comics # 225 is  a reprint that DC comics published in 1992.  When DC was publishing this series of reprints I tried to get everyone of them. But I am sure I missed out on a few. I actually had forgotten about this reprint series till a few months ago when I was going through my comic collection finding stuff to get rid of.

Detective Comics #225 was published back in November of 1955 and is considered by some comic historians as the start of the Silver Age. Back during that time Detective Comics was an anthology comic that along with Batman had other heroes appearing in its pages. This issue had 3 stories. The first stars Batman. It is about a contest that is being run for charity and who ever donated the most money gets to become Batman for a day. This story is typical of the Silver Age Batman stories in that now comes off as silly and a bit cheesy. The second story stars Roy Raymond TV detective. Roy is the host of a TV show that is similar to Ripley's believe it or not. This adventure is titled "The money that came to life" and is written by Jack Miller and art by Joe Certa. I have never read any other stories with Roy but this one is entertaining in that Silver Age way. The third story is the reason DC picked this issue for the Silver Age Classics reprint line. Titled "The Strange Experiment of Dr. Erdel" it is written by Joseph Samachson with art by Joe Certa. It is the first appearance of  J'onn J'onzz the Martian Manhunter. J'onn is transported to Earth by an experiment of Dr Erdel's. But before the good doctor can send J'onn back to Mars,he dies. So J'onn uses his shape shifting powers and his mental powers to become a police detective and fight crime. J'onn has always been one of my favorite heroes from DC and this origin story is really good. Silver Age Classics Detective Comics # 225 get a A-.

Peaceable Kingdom written by Jack Ketchum

Peaceable Kingdom is a collection of short stories and novellas written by Jack Ketchum and published by Leisure books in 2003. It contains 3 stories that won Jack Ketchum the Bram Stoker award for best short stories. I am pretty sure this book is now out of print,but shouldn't be too hard to find.

I became a fan of Jack Ketchum back in 2008,and after reading a few of his novels I wanted to try out some of his short stories. I got lucky and found this book at the nearest bookstore. This book has 32 stories in it. The Box was nominated and won Jack his first Bram Stoker award. It is a short tale of a young boy who wants to know what is in the box a strange on the bus is holding and the effects this knowledge has on the boy and his entire family. The Rifle is a story about a mother that find out her son has a gruesome hobby and decides to punish him for it. Gone is the second story that won Ketchum a Bram Stoker award. It is a tale of a mother who child has disappear a few years before the story starts and the pain she suffers when on Halloween night she gets a small clue as to what happened to her daughter. Closing time won Jack his third Bram Stoker award. It is a story that Jack wrote to help him deal with his feelings after the 9/11 attacks. The rest of the stories in this collection range from brilliant to so so. But it is worth picking up if you are a fan of Jack Ketchum. Peaceable Kingdom gets a solid B+.

Career Opportunities

Career Opportunities is a 1991 film directed by John Hughes and starring Frank Whaley and beautiful and talented Jennifer Connelly. I first saw this years ago on Showtime,and it seemed like it played all the time on cable for years. But I never really hear anyone ever talking about it. So when I found the DVD at Biglots for 3 bucks I had to pick it up.

Frank plays Jim Dodge who is the town loser. His dad tells him he has to get a job or he will be kicked out. So Jim gets a job doing after hours cleaning at the local Target. It is his first night and he is having fun being all alone in the huge store. But it turns out that Jennifer Connelly,who plays Josie, has also been locked up in the store. Frank has had a major crush on Josie for years, and really what straight male hasn't had a crush on Ms Connelly at one time. It seems she is tired of her father and was gonna try to get caught shoplifting so her father would finally pay some attention to her. Well she ended up falling asleep in the changing room. They have some fun ,but then two stupid crooks break into the store and hold the two young adults hostage.

This seems to be one of the few John Hughes films that has no following and is kinda forgotten about now. But it is one of my favorites from Mr Hughes. It is a very funny film and who hasn't thought about how much fun it would be to be locked in a store all night. It seems that most guys I talk to that even remember this film only really remember one scene where Josie is riding one of the kids rides that is a horse the bucks back and forth. She is riding this while wearing a tight fitted tank top,and I can see why this scene is burned into the memory banks of most male viewers. Career Opportunities is a fun film and gets a B+

Silver Age Classics Sugar and Spike #99

Sugar and Spike was a comic published by DC comics. Created written and drawn by Sheldon Mayer. This series started in 1956. And ran for 98 issues. Then in 1992 DC comics started a series of reprints of various key Silver Age comics. Well it turns out there was a 99th issue of Sugar and Spike that had never been published. So they finally published it 21 years after the series had ended.

Sugar and Spike are two toddlers who have many many zany adventures. They are able to talk to each other,but no adult can understand what they are saying. They both possess vast imaginations,and this is what usually starts their adventures. In some ways they can be seen as prototypes for the popular Nick toon Rugrats. This issue has 2 stories. In the first Sugar teaches Spike how to handle a bully. The second story is an adventure that teams Sugar and Spike up with baby genius Bernie. Bernie is the same age as Sugar and Spike but is so smart he can speak normal English along with the baby talk that S and S speak. Both of these stories have artwork that at first glance seems to be very simple. But once you give it a second look you can see the energy and thought that went into it. Ever since I read this book back in 1992 I have wanted to read more of these two babies adventures. And DC comics has said that come October 11th 2011 they are releasing the first volume of a hardcover collection of all the Sugar and Spike comics. If you like stuff like the Muppet Babies this is a book you might want to check out. Silver Age Classics Sugar and Spike #99 gets a B-.

Elite Squad

Elite Squad is a 2007 Brazilian film directed by José Padilha. I first heard about this film when the podcast Mondo Movie reviewed it. And the review got me interested enough that when I saw the DVD for sale at a store in town I picked it up.

Set in 1997 in Rio de Janerio Brazil,this is the story of the BOPE. Which is a special unit of the Brazilian police force. Similar to USA vice squads. The BOPE is set up to deal with all the gang and drug related violence. The main plot is about an upcoming visit from Pope John Paul II. We follow 3 members of the BOPE. The captain ,who is almost ready to retire. And two newcomers to the squad. At times this film reminds me of the TV show The Shield. In that we are following law enforcement officers that are corrupt and almost as bad as the criminals they are trying to catch. A few warnings if you are gonna watch this film. First off it is subtitled. Now I don't mind subtitles ,but I know some people do. And secondly there is a interrogation scene near the end of the film that is very graphic and managed to even shock me. I have heard that sequel to Elite Squad has been released but I don't know if it is out on region 1 DVD yet. Elite Squad is a good film that gets a B.

Tarnsman of Gor by John Norman

Tarnsman of Gor is the first of a long running series of novels by John Norman. Referred to as either the Gor books or Chronicles of Counter Earth, I had never heard of this series till Robin Bougie of Cinema Sewer fame mentioned them on a message board I post at. So when I was at Coast Con this year I saw a dealer that had a huge stack of the Gor novels. Well I wasn't willing to pay 2 bucks for a book I hadn't read. But during the last hour of the con all the books were dropped to 10 cents each. So I picked up the first 7 books of the series.

Tarnsman of Gor is the story of Tarl Cabot. Who is a college professor. While out on a hike he learns that his father is from another planet that is on the opposite side of the sun from Earth. He is transported to Gor and starts to learn about this strange alien culture. He becomes part of the military of one of the major cities on Gor. And becomes a tarnsman. The tarns are flying creatures that the military of Gor use as transportation and for air attacks. After a few adventures Tarl is transported back to Earth and the novel ends.

This novel while kinda short,218 pages in the paperback edition,is still entertaining in the way that the old pulps use to be. Now I have heard that the later novels have a strong BDSM theme,but this first novel is more of a combo of Conan the Barbarian and John Carter of Mars. So if you are a fan of either series of stories this is worth picking up. Tarnsman of Gor gets a B+