The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler

Believe it or not, I first read this book about 35 years ago. I was somewhere between 11 or 12 when I read it. Nobody ever said that my parents had very good parental discretion. The Lady in the Lake has got sex, violence, dirty cops and several gristly murders. 

I remember being enamored by the title that was a reference to the Arthurian legend. I'm here to tell you, this Raymond Chandler classic has absolutely nothing to do with King Arthur and Merlin. It would have been neat had the main setting, a secluded cabin in the Californian San Gabriel Mountains, had the name of Camelot. But nobody ever said that a Philip Marlowe mystery had a lot of symbolism. 

There was one point where Marlowe provided false information. That lie really confused me. The private investigator states that a murder suspect wore a certain piece of clothing when in fact, it was Philip who wore the accessory. I spent a good half hour going back through the book, thinking that I had missed something. Instead, I should of followed my own personal rule when I read a Raymond Chandler classic: just follow along for the ride.

Being a re-read, despite it being decades since I first read this book, I still had some memories of my first interaction with it. But my memory was foggy enough to still be surprised from time to time. Plus I was just really shocked by the content of this 1943 work, both for the level of loose morals for a time period otherwise considered puritanical compared to today. Plus I still can't believe my mom let me read this book when I was barely in middle school!!!

Marlowe is hired to find a missing wife. Her husband is a high level executive who's more afraid of the scandal behind his wife's history of infidelity than he is concerned about her safety. The last time she was seen was about a month earlier when she went to summer at her mountain cottage. Added to the mix was a bizarre telegram win which the woman claims she's gone to Mexico for a quickie divorce and even quicker remarriage. Only the guy she claimed was going to marry her never took the plunge and hasn't seen her in weeks.

When the shamus visits the cabin, he learns that the caretaker's wife disappeared at about the same time as the missing socialite. When Marlowe discovers a body partially submerged in the water, it's identified that the victim is the caretaker. But could the murderer have been his client's missing bride? It's up to the detective to solve two mysteries that while seemingly unaffiliated; the clues keep entangling like a fast growing vine around each other.

One thing that readers need to understand about this book is that it was written during the height of World War II. There's a lot of situations that seem very unusual to modern day readers as those moments should. There was a very great fear of sabotage especially along the West Coast. Plus with priority going towards the war effort, shortages and rationing was a very real first world problem for Americans in the 1940s. Once you understand the impact the war made on everyday life in the United States, despite our country not becoming an active war zone, it will help you better enjoy this work.

A great read. Just remember to let Raymond Chandler guide you. Things might seem out of sorts at time. But it all circles back in the end.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

All-New Collectors' Edition #C-58: Superman Vs. Shazam! (Facsimile Edition)

I'm in no way criticizing the art skills of Dick Giordano or Rich Buckler. If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know that I am a huge fan of Giordano; having gotten to meet him at his very last con. As for Buckler, I loved his work on the earliest stories of the Marvel cyborg, Deathlok. So I believe that I have established respect for both artists. That being said, who drew the artwork for both the back half of this wraparound cover as well as many of the full sized and splash pages? They look like they were masterfully drawn by Neal Adams!

This facsimile edition is absolutely beautiful. The foil enhanced wraparound. The remastered colors of Adrienne Roy. The throwaway panel of what a brunette Supergirl would look like. This was a visual masterpiece from 1978!

An ancient wizard from a Martian civilization millennia before those of J'onn J'onzz' people, is seeking to end his singular mistake. In an attempt to become immortal, the mage got his wish. But not before first turning the rest of his kind into silent, tormenting phantoms. His hope is to place devices on two different Earths where they will vibrate in sync with the other and cause a cataclysmic explosion to should restore his people to their corporeal forms.

The two Earth's chosen are Superman's Earth-1 and Captain Marvel's home, Earth-S. To prevent the two heroes from discovering the devices, the wizard forces Black Adam and the 'Quarmmer', a duplicate of Superman made of living sand, to cloud the minds of the heroes so that they see each other as mortal enemies. Thus, fans finally get their wish: an epic battle that will definitively prove who is mightier? The Man of Steel or the Big Red Cheese?

The fight was epic. The team-up of Supergirl and Mary Marvel was awesome. The villain Karmang was pretty cool looking. But like most DC Comics of the late 1970s, the plot fell flat.

For one thing, I didn't quite understand Karmang's costume didn't really make sense. He's got these wicked looking eyeballs which adore the epaulets on his cape and apparently makes some fashionable earrings.  But he never uses them. They'd be really cool if they helped Karmang see the action occurring on the two Earths. Instead, he's got TV set-up sweeter than any wall of boob tubes at Circuit City. 

Another issue with the plot is the pacing. There are 4 acts in this issue, along with interludes and a prologue and epilogue. If writer Gerry Conway would've cut the unnecessary comic relief provided by Lois Lane and sports reporter Steve Lombard playing the role of cameraman, I think we could have gotten a much smoother ending that really hyped up the tension. Instead, we get Superman racing around the world to counter the pull of the magnetic field while Captain Marvel literally decides which color wire to clip on one of Karmang's devices. 

And as much as I enjoyed Supergirl being in this story, the ending where she and Mary Marvel fawn over each other's super hunky relative was clunky at best. At worst, it's a groaner and brother did I groan over that dumb ending...

At least we got an answer as to whether Supes or Cap are stronger than the two. At least for this clash.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3

FX has been showing a slew of Marvel movies this summer. I've recently seen Eternals and I've got a couple other films coming up in my queue. Whatever the programming campaign by Disney is, it's really helping me to catch up on my superhero movie deficits. I just don't have the money to see these films new for the prices theaters are asking for these days.

My latest watch was the third, and perhaps final, entry in the Guardians of the Galaxy series. If you've been wanting to get all the details on the origin of Rocket Raccoon, this is the film you've been waiting for. The movie has some pretty heartbreaking moments and that's not just because of the ending which seems to wrap things up for the Guardians. It's also because of just how freaking tragic Rocket's origin story was.

I'm that sort of softie that I will absolutely hate a movie if a lovable animal is killed. So, YES- once I realized that we were finding out about how Rocket and his friends were early experiments of the High Evolutionary, I made sure to go to Wikipedia and find out who lives and who dies so that I wasn't stunned by the death of a furry friend. It's a good thing I did, because several adorable animals buy the farm in this film. But what really surprises me is that because of that treatment of animals, Vol. 3 actually won an award of praise from PETA! It must have been because director James Gunn used CGI animals instead of the real McCoy. 

As for James Gunn, I've seemingly made my peace with him. His scandal of dressing up as a pedophile priest really stung me because I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I was pretty pissed off at him at first and it did factor in me not watching this 2023 film when it first came out. But I've learned that if I want to be an opponent of cancel culture, what I have to do is forgive. It's also a tenant of being a follower of Christ. I'm not perfect. FARRRRRRRR from it and I've got to practice the forgiveness I was given by Jesus on others. Even if I've never met them in person. James Gunn in his escapades was trying to be funny. It wasn't a good joke. But it's not worth holding a grudge against someone. He apologized and deserved a second chance.

I wouldn't say that Vol. 3 was a bad movie. I also can't say that its the weakest of the trilogy. But it is long. At exactly 150 minutes in length, I think we could have cut out about 20 minutes, which is pretty much the length of time the Guardians visit the Evolutionary's counter-Earth. What I was initially thinking was going to be the funniest part of the film just felt unnecessary to me. Based on the clip where Star Lord is trying to help Nebula open a car door, I was expecting much more of this movie to take place on our Earth and not a anthropomorphic duplicate created by the film's main antagonist.  The animal hybrids were pretty cool looking but I don't think we needed to see how they lived. I would have been totally fine with seeing these creatures walking about on the High Evolutionary's ship. 

As for the High Evolutionary, in comics, he's never been a character that appealed to me. But I thought actor Chukwudi Iwuji was great as the very unhinged bio-scientist. Another character that won me over in the film despite not being one I care much about in the books was Will Poulter as Adam Warlock. The British actor brought a naivety to the character for some much needed comic relief since Rocket spends about 2/3 of the movie in a coma. And I just love the Soviet era pooch with psychic powers, Cosmo. That dog stole every scene!

Although the film was very long, I didn't want the excitement to end. I really have grown to love these characters. As I don't have Disney+, I've never seen the Holiday Special. Maybe I will have that to look forward to this Christmas season. FX is showing streaming series such as Daredevil: Born Again. So maybe we'll get lucky! 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer: The Comic Strip, Vol 2

I've got so many books that I had forgotten that I even owned this. I've been reading a lot of mystery noir lately and I was going through a forgotten corner of my comic book collection where I unearthed this read. So I was already in the mood to finally read it. How long has it been in my collection? I couldn't say other than I've not had it longer than 2007 when I started collecting again after over a decade pause.

From 1985, this collection from Ken Pierce, Inc., reprints the final half of the short-lived Mike Hammer comic strip that ran in nationally syndicated newspapers from 1953-54. Written by the master himself, Mickey Spillane, these stories are as gritty and violent as his novels. Take the wrap around cover image of a partially undressed girl being tied up, gagged and tortured with a lit cigarette being held to the bottom of her foot. It was so salacious at the time, several major newspapers dropped the strip immediately, spelling the end of the strip that ran 6 dailies along with a separate Sunday supplement story.

The cancellation didn't really bother Mickey Spillane all that much. He was getting tired of the grind of coming up with stories that would last about 6 weeks on average. The author wanted to focus on just novels once again. But for artist Ed Robbins, he took the cancellation very hard, causing a rift between the artist and Spillane.

Novelist Max Allan Collins interviewed Robbins for years and the two developed a friendship. Collins' forward to this book details that relationship along with an overview of the Mike Hammer strip and the events behind it's demise. Unfortunately, Ed Robbins died before this book could be published. Though I am happy to report, not before being able to patch things up with writer Spillane.

The stories are quite good. But they are not quite my taste. I prefer Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe stories. But I'd rather read something by Mickey Spillane than anything Dashell Hammett wrote any day of the week. 

The stories inside involves private eye Mike Hammer being targeted by an unknown assailant when the NYPD erroneously claims that the detective saw who killed a man he found dying in the streets. Mike and trusty secretary Velda then help a naive young couple who are swindled by a pair of loan sharks. Hammer also falls for a girl (the same one being tortured on the cover), who is trying to help her brother flee from gangsters that thinks he stole a jackpot's worth of dough from them. Lastly, Mike gets a paying customer for once; a dying old man who's desperate to reunite with his prodigal son one last time.

I think the most striking thing about this book was how different Mike Hammer looks in the strip compared to the detective I grew up watching on TV. I'm used to envisioning actor Stacy Keach in my head with his gray business suit and equally gray fedora with slicked back hair and mustache. That's because that's exactly what the actor looked like on the CBS TV series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer in the 1980s. Here, Hammer is short and stocky, with a buzz cut, a nose that has obviously been broken many times, and wearing really shabby looking clothes. Obviously, this is what Mike Hammer is supposed to look like as I highly doubt Mickey Spillane would have let Ed Robbins draw his signature character any other way. But it's a stark contrast from what I grew up watching.

I was satisfied enough to not need to search out volume 1. I enjoyed what I read here. But not enough to keep it. So I felt like I was nonplussed with needing to read further. That is until I found out that one of the stories contained in volume 1 is a Christmas Mike Hammer adventure. Well, let's put that on my holiday comic wish list.

Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in!!!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley and Ron Powers

Sometime over my most recent Spring Break vacation, I stumbled across Flags Our Fathers. I caught about 90% of the 2006 live action drama directed by Clint Eastwood. It was such a an engrossing film that I immediately went on a deep dive to learn more about the events that took place on and after the invasion of Iwo Jima in 1945. It was such a an amazing experience learning so much extra detail. I even noted that the film was based on a book written by the son of one of the main figures in the film. (I don't want to say the word character as this is a true story of valiant men who gave their lives for our country. So figures it is throughout the rest of my review.)

I had pretty much forgotten interest in reading the book until I came across the movie showing recently again during my Summer break. I couldn't turn the channel even though I remembered a bunch of what I saw previously. It's that good of a movie despite being overlooked when in theaters. But thanks to the re-watch, I had the book on my radar to which a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across it at a used bookstore. 

I didn't really care about the cost. As long as it was cheaper than the original cover price. The bookstore's asking price was less than half of cover. Immediately it was sold.

When Navy veteran John Bradley died in 1994, his son James knew that he had been one of the flag raisers on Iwo Jima. (Despite the invasion being a Marine operation, because of John's medical background, he was assigned to Easy Company as a medic.) Because of the horrors he witnessed on that tiny island of sulfur, John Bradley wouldn't talk about his time there, nor the instant fame he encountered when he was named as one of the six men in the famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal. Upon his death, James found boxes of citations and mementos of his father's service time, which included a cross-country war bond drive during the final months of World War II.

We now know that Bradley along with one other gentleman wasn't actually in that photo. There had been a previous raising of an American flag on the island's highest peak, Mount Suribachi. However, because the flag was too small and the head of the Navy wanted the banner of which he didn't even earn, the first Stars and Stripes was quietly replaced. Bradley helped with the first flag coming up and he was around when the transfer happened. Unbeknownst to Bradley and the other guy, Rene Gagnon, who had brought up the replacement, a photographer was taking the iconic photo which would later inspire the largest brass statue in the world. And if you asked John Bradley, that photo would become the bane of his existence.

Annually during every coming patriotic holiday, anniversaries of military powers or on the announcement of a death of a major figure in the war in the Pacific, reporters by the droves would request interviews with John Bradley. He'd have his kids answer the phone and lie that pop was unavailable as he was in Canada, fly-fishing. 

James Bradley decided to investigate the real story behind the famous photograph. By doing so, he interviewed the few remaining survivors of the invasion as well as family members and friends of the 6 men believed for decades to be putting up a flapping version of Old Glory. 3 of the men died within days of the photograph taking America by storm. If it had been published during the 21st century, it would have been referred to as 'going viral.' The other 3 men survived to return home once peace was officially declared in August, 1945. But 2 of those men would never receive recognition for their part in the second flag raising, though both men had ample time to reveal the mistaken identities. 

The lone man to be correctly identified while living was the Pima Indian Ira Hayes. He didn't want to be recognized at first and threatened to kill fellow Marine Rene Gagnon if he told military brass his role in the flag raising. Gagnon tried to stay mum until he was threatened with arrest and a court-martial and within hours, Ira Hayes was EVAC-ed from the Pacific theater and made a national hero despite his tribe's rule of not obtaining glory and personal prestige over others.

Flags of Our Fathers was written before the Marines conducted an investigation of the famous Rosenthal photo and corrected the identities of who was originally thought of as being Bradley and Gagnon. So the book doesn't explore a question that came up when I was researching for more information after seeing the movie. Was Bradley and Gagnon committing stolen valor by allowing the American public to believe that it's them in the picture and not someone else?

When it comes to Rene Gagnon, I don't know. He was the man sent up Mount Suribachi with the replacement flag. The book recounts how others didn't think he was a 'good Marine.' It was Gagnon who was asked to identify the men in the image. While he did initially keep his promise and didn't out Ira Hayes, Gagnon did point out one of the more obscured men as himself. Plus, his then fiance, and eventual wife, basked in the fame Rene received. Maybe he wanted to come clean and she would not let him. Son, Rene, Jr. states that it was an unhappy marriage and maybe the veteran's inability to tell the truth was behind all that.

As for John Bradley, I don't think he stole any valor. He did help raise the first flag and was around for round 2. He never saw the photo until after he was sent home to participate in the bond drive. So at first, when people talked about him raising the flag, he probably thought it was a picture of the initial event. When Bradley and Ira Hayes finally saw the photo in front of President Truman, Hayes pointed out that it was Harlon Block, not Henry Hansen as Gagnon originally said. However, Ira was quickly and quietly told to zip it as the 6 names Rene Gagnon ID'd were what the media was going with. 

I think this incident led Bradley to not speak up about him not being in the photograph. He never felt like a hero. To him, 'the heroes were the men who died' on Iwo Jima. I think that, plus the untreated PTSD he went through nightly for many years afterwards were reasons why John Bradley just wanted to be left alone and be a family man and small business owner.

Though Flags of Our Fathers has undergone some revisions, it's still a great and powerful read. Some parts are tough to read about. Men die in horrific ways. Some by unthinkable torture. Not something that should be on shelves in a middle school library. But it's a work that tells the truth that the American people were told. 

The edition I read was specially updated with a small selection in the back that talks briefly about the movie. I would be interested in an edition that talked about how James Bradley and his family reacted when the true identities were uncovered by the US Marine Corps.

A cool thing about this book is that after I bought it, I learned that it's autographed by the author. So, I guess I will keep it even though it's addressed to someone named 'David'. I guess even its readers can be misidentified too...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Trouble is My Business by Raymond Chandler

When I read Agatha Christie, I feel like I'm challenged to solve the mystery before her main characters do. When I read Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, I feel like I'm sitting in on a lecture about criminology; learning new and unusual facts. But when I read Raymond Chandler, I'm merely along for the ride. 

Chandler's Philip Marlowe stories are fast paced, wordy whodunits filled with slimy thugs, morally questionable cops and dangerous dames. Private Detective Marlowe doesn't always seek the justice. He's like a 1930s Robin Hood who tries to solve the crime while making sure that the player treated the least fairly is given a fighting chance to better themselves. Marlowe is the lone narrator of his adventures. I just wish I knew what the hell he was talking about sometimes.

Written in a different time where California was still more Wild West than the home of Tinsel Town, nobody can or should be trusted in a Raymond Chandler work. It could be argued that you shouldn't even trust Philip as he'll turn against a paying client if he determines that they're in the wrong; even if every rule in the law book is squarely on their side. But as Marlowe runs the reader through each story, both the private eye and the characters he encounters use verbiage that is so antiquated that the last time they were used in public was during the filming of a Philip Marlowe mystery!

Dictionaries and Google are definitely needed to understand what's being said. 

There are 4 short stories in this collection. Now before some of you Raymond Chandler experts out there berate me on what I just said. Yes, I know, Trouble is my Business contained 5 novellas when the collected edition was first published by Penguin in 1950. I have no idea why 'Guns at Cyrano's' is no longer included in this 1992 edition from Vintage Crime/Black Lizard. Here, you only get the title story along with 'Goldfish', 'Finger Man' and 'Red Wind'. 

'Trouble is my Business' sees Philip being hired out to by a wealthy widower to hopefully persuade a gold digger to unleash her grasp from the millionaire's adopted son. Marlowe then gets a lesson in ichthyology when he goes to the Great White North in search of some stolen pearls. Jewelry is once again the subject, this time as an object of blackmail, when Marlowe witnesses the murder of a man in a speakeasy in 'Red Wind'. Then in a story that has to have influenced Roman Polanski's Chinatown, Philip is given the choice to take the fall as the 'Finger Man' or let an innocent woman take the rap for the murder of a two-bit hustler in a mystery that revolves around a crooked politician who controls all of the gambling dens in Los Angeles.

All 4 stories were fun reads. 'Goldfish' was perhaps my favorite because of the fish out of water quality to it with Marlowe being in the Vancouver area instead of sunny California. I also really liked 'Red Wind'. While each story had a sultry femme fatale as a character, 'Red Wind' was the only story where I felt that Marlowe was going to get burned by getting too close to the flames of passion. Also, it's the only tale where Marlowe never enters his detective agency office. It's dive bar, apartment, out in the field; solving a case he never even agreed to a fee to in a single night.

Don't neglect to read the opening article written by Raymond Chandler himself. It's a well known essay in which the author admits his works are far from literature. But that doesn't in any way detract from the artistic quality of his writings. Ironically, among fans of mystery noir and the pursuit of the great American novel, the case files of Philip Marlowe, P.I. are among the pinnacles of mid-20th century lit. 

A must read for murder mystery enthusiasts. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Superman/Fantastic Four: The Infinite Destruction

Superman and the Fantastic Four. It became a viral movement to see both films in the theater in one sitting much like Barbie and Oppenheimer a couple years back. I didn't watch Superman and Fantastic Four First Steps in one sitting. I don't think my back could take it. But I managed to see them both within the same week. Little did I realize that I could have experienced a meeting of the two icons at one time years ago.

In 1999, DC Comics and Marvel mingled their two universes together for one of their last co-published works in Superman/Fantastic Four: The Infinite Destruction. Just like when Superman meet Spider-Man in 1976, this book was published as a super-sized tabloid. Only the cover would be slick and thicker like a paperback. Written and illustrated by Dan Jurgens, with additional artwork by Art Thibert,  the concept has Galactus crossing dimensional barriers absorbing the energies of Krypton as it explodes. As the planet dissipates, a tiny rocket flees the destruction but not without the notice of the world consumer.

Years later, Superman intercepts a Kryptonian drone bearing a message from his father Jor-El stating that Galactus was behind the destruction of his home planet and that the Man of Steel's Earth is on the menu. This leads Superman to travel to the Earth-616 universe, seeking assistance from the Fantastic Four. While in that universe, it's discovered that an enemy from Superman's world crossed barriers as well and has plans to become the next herald of Galactus. But before that happens, Superman is captured by the Devourer and blasted with immense energy. Now welding the power cosmic, Superman has become the new herald of Galactus and with his incredible powers added to the mix, not even Kryptonite can stop the Man of Tomorrow!

I knew I had been holding on to this work for a reason! It was a great way to capture off the Summer of 'Super Fantastic'! I must say that the format with the deluxe edition paper and cover, being so gigantic, it was a bit unwieldy. I'm pretty sure I damaged the spine some as the sturdier paper would bend terribly against the book binder used. Age, size and wear definitely will prevent this from remaining a pristine mint book in your collection no matter how careful you are.

I thought this book would have worked better if it was jointly published as a joint What If.../Elseworlds. Readers are supposed to go into this book with the fore-knowledge that Superman and the Fantastic Four know each other. Presumably, from the crossovers DC Vs. Marvel and/ or the All Access minis. Also I don't think Superman crossed paths with Reed, Sue and company in his 1996 meeting with the Silver Surfer. 

If you are new to comics and you came across this book, you'd probably be wondering about how these two icons are acquainted since it's been over 2 decades since entities from both worlds were in a comic book together. Though you won't have to wait much longer as Deadpool and Batman are set to meet for the very first time later this November.

Another thing is the choice of villain. No, not Galactus. He was perfect for this. It's the DC baddie selected for this book: the Cyborg Superman. Yeah, he's evil and ruthless. Plus, since he has to participate in the ubiquitous reluctant pairing of protagonist and antagonist in order to help the Fantastic Four minus Mister Fantastic find Galactus, having someone more powerful in this story just wouldn't work. But could you imagine how epic this story would have been if DC and Marvel had decided to pair Galactus with Brainiac?! 

Jurgens (and Thibert) did a fine job. The artwork was classic 1990s Superman and I like how they worked in that Easter egg for the Superman: The Animated Adventures toon into the mix. I was just disappointed from the cover. It's illustrated by Dan Jurgens. But it's painted by Alex Ross. He's know for several oversized one-shots starring members of the Justice League. I was hopeful based on which that the interior art was also by Ross. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Wanna actually experience both Superman and the Fantastic Four on the same set together? Plus the presence of First Steps for Galactus? Then this is your book. You might have to go out in the wild to find a copy of get lucky on something like eBay..Though if DC and Marvel were smart, they'd refuse this book in time for the holiday shopping season. It's the pairing social media has been clamoring for all Summer long!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams

Lots of sequels make the mistake of following the original winning formula too closely. Others make the mistake of not following the blueprints close enough. I tend to think that The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, the second Dirk Gently novel by Douglas Adams, fits into the second category.

What can only be described as an 'act of God' at the London Heathrow airport results in a giant of a man in a coma, a missing bag check clerk and another woman seriously injured. Meanwhile, Dirk arrives at a paying client's home only to find the residence swarming with police and his client's head spinning atop a turntable. Add in a very angry eagle who swoops down on just about every character in the book, an elderly man in a high priced health clinic who might be Odin, the High Father of Asgard, and a whole bunch of fender benders and you've got one heck of a puzzle. Unfortunately, I think it's a puzzle that has all of the pieces. 

The previous Dirk Gently novel wrapped everything up in a very nice tiny package. It was kinda like one of those huge Hickory Farms gift sets where every inch of space is smarty filled with beef sticks, cheeses, spreads and those tiny little strawberry candies. With book two, several key elements are left unanswered. For example, Dirk's client had a TV addicted child living in the upstairs attic. Sadly, now he's an orphan. It felt like Douglas Adams didn't really know what to do with the lad and that's infuriating because of how everything is supposed to fit together. Dirk's holistic approach to solving a mystery, all clues, participants and events are supposed to tie in to one another. Could it have been that Adams was going to explain everything in a third book?

Basically none of the characters or events of the first book are mentioned in this book except for Dirk and his long-suffering secretary who finally got the nerve to quit the detective agency. When I was reading The Salmon of Doubt, I was very lost because a lot of the characters and fallout from The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul unfolds and appear in that book. 

Some trilogies start off as a single volume. Since it's a new concept, creators make a story that can go one of two ways. First, you have a happy ending that should audiences not make the work a success, it can stand on its own. Secondly, your piece becomes a colossal hit and so you end volume two on a cliffhanger of sorts so that fans have to know what happens in the final act. Perhaps this book felt so unfinished was that the author was going to give fans a thrilling ending that tied both books in the series together in a climatic crescendo. Instead, in reality Douglas Adams got bored with making a third book and instead began focusing on non-fiction articles about  conservation and technology, along with a very poorly received 5th Hitchhikers book. Then when came not time but interest in Adams wrapping up the Dirk Gently trilogy, he passed away too soon for it to be completed. 

Maybe I will get my answers in volume 2 of IDW's adaptation of The Salmon of Doubt. I'm eager to find out if that's the case. Though I might need to re-read volume 1 again. No, I definitely need a re-read.

A good read. But I expected a lot more. Plus it helps if you have an understanding of British debt law of which I have zero knowledge. But it plays into the ending and use of Wikipedia for guidance is a must. At least the explanation behind the Coke machine and the angry bird was executed brilliantly!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Issues #48-50 of the first run of Fantastic Four by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee are considered an American masterpiece. Even by scholars who wouldn't consider themselves a typical comic book reader. Today, I witnessed the first work of cinematic art to hot screens in decades. 

I got definite feels of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey during the first half of the film which leads up to the team of Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm and a very pregnant Sue Storm to confronting Galactus as he consumes a planet light-years away before he heads to Earth for the main course. 

The Devourer will spare Earth if the Fantastic Four will surrender their unborn child to him. Sensing the child's great abilities, Galactus believes that the ageless one's unstoppable hunger will finally be sated with the Richards child taking his cosmic place as a natural balance of all things in the universe. 

I don't think it's much of a spoiler to reveal that Sue has the baby while attempting to escape Galactus since a trailer came out weeks ago where Reed Richards reveals to the human race that they refuse to bargain with him. That turning point then changes the feel of the entire movie. But it still manages to keep that masterpiece feel by now evoking feelings of The Grapes of Wrath, The Ox-Bow Incident and To Kill a Mockingbird as the Fantastic Four's sense of duty to the planet while maintaining a whole family unit is greatly explored as they try to find a way to defeat Galactus.

I know a lot about the Fantastic Four. They're in my top 5 favorite superheroes all-time. I've seen every cinematic incarnation of Marvel's First Family and read a ton of their books. So I feel that I can definitively say that it was refreshing to know all of the backstory and yet watch this film as having no clue where it was going. Honest. I was clueless about how this film was gonna end.

There's 3 reasons that helped me not feel like I've seen this story a million times before. No- 4! 

#1. The movie takes place in the 1960s. A few years AFTER the team goes into space and are bombarded by cosmic rays. So no oft repeating origin story other than a quick establishing montage.

#2. It takes place on an Earth different from the 616 universe we've experienced all those other Marvel Universe movies in the past 25 years.

#3. There's no appearance of Uatu, the Watcher, whose arguable meddling in the affairs of the human race, saves the Earth from Galactus. Also absent: Alicia Masters, whose sightless view of the good in humanity causes the Silver Surfer to betray Galactus in the process.

#4. By having the Silver Surfer be a different character than Norrin Radd, you have no idea as to whether or not this Surfer is 100% to Galactus or not. It makes the character more of a dark horse in the scheme of things, helping to keep things fresh.

I know that some fans threw literal fits with having a female cast as the Surfer. I thought Julia Gardner was really good. Ralph Ineson, who plays Galactus was very good as well. As for the FF, they were like this legendary meal I had in Philadelphia years ago prepared by Iron Chef Morimoto. Individually, each element was good but not great. Get two characters together, things start to come together. Three is hitting on fabulous. But put all 4 actors together, and it's like Morimoto's Chilean sea bass with Black Bean Sauce: it was Fantastic.

I was startled by how much Human Torch actor Joseph Quinn looked like a young Robert Downey Jr. As Downey is set to play a version of Doctor Doom, I couldn't help but wonder if that casting was intentional. Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the Thing was great when dealing with civilians. I could get used to a Ben with a beard. But he really needs to work on his battle cry of 'It's Clobbering Time!' as Ebon's was really weak.

Speaking of weak, actress Vanessa Kirby was anything but. I know that today's Sue Storm is a bad ass not to be trifled with. But when she first appeared in the 1960s, her role was less that of the Invisible Girl but more of the damsel in distress. Since the film occurs during a time when the sexual revolution is not even on most women's horizon, seeing Sue so determined and self-confident feels like an anachronism. 

As for Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards. I think it's time for him to stop being in every movie and franchise or we're going to get tired of him pretty soon. But he was good, too.

And I can't close this review without mentioning the 5th member of the team. No, not Franklin. I'm talking about H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot. Not since watching Star Wars have I been so invested in an android. I was going to be pissed if they killed him off and it was everything I could do to not pick up my phone during the film and make sure that H.E.R.B.I.E. survived. 

I would love to see this film again. But next time I do, I want to watch it at home where I can pause the screen and examine the backgrounds and the extras. I caught a few Easter eggs, like of Stan and Jack working away at Timely Comics. I'm sure I missed a ton in the opening montage scene. Plus it was so great of Marvel Studios to give a solid tribute at the end of the film to the King. Stan the Man always got the praise. It was about damn time that the applause for all for just Jolly Jack for once!

The Fantastic Four: First Steps was a masterpiece of film that deserves a view in the theater. But it's also a movie for true Marvel fans who will want to search over and over again  for clues and hidden gems like the Zapruder film.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Eternals

Thanks to my having DISH Network and the FX channel, I finally saw Eternals. Of the post-Stan and Jack Marvel projects created by Jack Kirby, it's the one I know least about. I'm more of a New Gods person. Coming out during the height of the pandemic in 2021 and my god son not having very much interest in seeing it, I bided my time waiting for it to come out in an affordable format. 

Eternals isn't really a Marvel movie that you have to watch or else you risk losing your place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. If anything, it helps to explain how Earth has legends such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and Icarus with his flying too close to the sun. Turns out it's all connected to the Eternals.

The Eternals are a group of powerful humanoid beings who are tasked by the mighty god-like Celestials to assist planets with their development. The Eternals have a monstrous counterpart called the Deviants that prey on humanity, preventing the natural evolution of things. Throughout the ages, the Eternals become the stuff of legend by the civilizations they save to the point of becoming the inspiration for the Greek gods as they claim to be from the planet 'Olympia'. 

Around the 1500s, the Eternals wipe out the last of the Deviants in Central America. With their mission seemingly complete, the Celestials haven't retrieved the Eternals back to Olympia yet. With nothing to do but wait, the group fractures into smaller cliques, assisting humanity until the the day they are called home. Now it's 2021 and when a pair of Eternals named Sersi and Sprite are attacked on the streets of London by a Deviant welding  encountered powers and abilities, they must reunite to end the Deviant menace once and forever if they ever want to return to Olympia.

Eternals is one of the lowest grossing and lowest rated of the Marvel live action films. One complaint I remember hearing was that it was a 'woke' movie. True, it's got a multi-ethnic cast that puts Sesame Street to shame. But I didn't feel like this was a movie that was preaching at me. I did however feel like it was a picture that was just way too long.

With a run time of over 2 and a half hours, it would be okay if it was action packed. But you've got 9 characters having to rediscover one another. Each time a new Eternal is introduced, you get an exciting introduction. And then you get about 20 minutes of each character lamenting how hard it is to be immortal. There is also a lot of melodrama with the Eternals struggling to accept the new reality they all face when it's revealed that the Celestials are not really whom they have seemed to be for millennia.

If you were to trim about a half hour of the repetitive speeches, you'd have yourself a fine little picture. I was excited to watch a Marvel movie that I knew very little backstory. I just wish it was a bit more faster paste. There's a lot of time jumps with flashback scenes lasting 15-20 minutes each. Plus not having any established Marvel characters involved makes for this movie to have a really odd pace to it.

But to finally see Jack Kirby get the solo credit he deserves for this film was long due in coming. Too bad there wasn't a tribute scene of a photo of him somewhere in the background. But at least, Stan Lee didn't steal the limelight from the King.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Action Comics #428 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The opening story begins with the Metropolis Twin Towers engulfed in flames. Superman uses an iceberg and his heat vision to put out the flames. It's a feat captured on camera by Jimmy Olsen. However, when the event makes the front page of the Daily Planet, the story details that a freak thunderstorm put out the blaze.

When Superman as Clark Kent confronted Jimmy as to why he didn't credit the Man of Steel with putting out the fire, the cub reporter responds that Superman hasn't been seen or heard from in 10 years. Despite Clark being able to see Superman in the photos Jimmy took, everyone else he encounters merely sees a thundercloud raining on the skyscrapers. 

As Superman conducts further rescues throughout Metropolis, the citizens attribute the acts as miracles. Clearly, the populace has not only forgotten about Superman; they cannot even see him! 

The backup feature stars Green Arrow and Black Canary. Oliver Queen has been approached by a struggling motorcycle manufacturer for help with their lagging sales. Ollie negotiates a deal where Black Canary will perform a death defying stunt on one of the company's bikes during an upcoming sports event. Only, he forgot to ask the heroine permission for the endorsement.

Seeing as the funds for the stunt will go to charity, Black Canary reluctantly agrees. It will be her first public appearance in quite some time. Yet, it might end up being her last as a pair of ex-cons out for revenge on Canary have tampered with her bike's gas tank, rigging it to explode during the stunt jump. It's up to the Green Arrow to race against the clock and the sprawling city to save Black Canary in time!

The Superman opener was written by Cary Bates. Art was provided by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. Set during Clark Kent's days as a television newscaster for WGBS, it features a number of newer characters unseen from when he worked at the Planet. Station owner Morgan Edge and sports reporter Steve Lombard play important roles in the story along with Jimmy Olsen. Noticeably absent from the story is Lois Lane, who's not even mentioned in this news story heavy adventure.

The Green Arrow and Black Canary backup was written by Elliot Maggin. Dick Giordano illustrated. For fans of either character, this is a key issue in their relationship as this story ends with Dinah Lance revealing for the very first time that she loves Oliver Queen. 

This issue also features an article about the town of Metropolis, Illinois. The town, working with DC Comics and the State legislature, had just approved plans to make Metropolis the official home of Superman. Plans for a museum, a theme park and an annual festival showing old Superman serials and episodes from the 1950s series starring George Reeves, along with fun and games, were in the works according to the piece. Even the town newspaper would be changing its name to the Daily Planet! While The Amazing World of Superman theme park never came to be and the rag has been renamed as the Metropolis Planet, the museum, along with a giant statue of the Last Son of Krypton continues to welcome fans who arrive in droves every June for the town's annual 4-day Superman Celebration. 

Completing this review completes Task #31 (A Book Featured in a Facebook Group Post) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. It also my 40th and final task for the 2025 Challenge.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century #15 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In this Gold Key/Whitman Variant issue based on the NBC series starring Gil Gerard and Erin Grey, it's a double feature. 

In the cover story, Buck Rogers' arch enemy Killer Kane has escaped from his prison cell thanks to a new mutation. Able to suddenly change shape and form, Kane plans on killing Buck while crippling the fleet of the Earth Defense Directorate leaving the planet vulnerable for attack by the Draconian Empire. As skilled, decorated pilots die in very unusual ways during routine patrols, Buck and Dr. Huer uncover evidence of a traitor in their midst. But is it jealousy instead of credible evidence when the finger points at an old flame of Wilma's?

The second adventure sees the Earth imperiled once again. Only it's not by any of the multitude of current adversaries doing the threatening. Instead, it's a threat from the very Earth itself and almost 500 years in the past. 

While Buck Rogers was in his cryogenic slumber, the Earth had a nuclear war that almost made the human race extinct. Most of the warheads were launched from Earth's orbit. Now one of those bombs has returned after floating off course for centuries. With time running out, it's up to Buck and his robot sidekick Twiki to navigate the gigantic bomb's booby traps and deactivate it; least the rest of humanity be wiped out!

Both 'That Which Seems to be...' and '10 Levels of Death' were written by B.S. Watson and illustrated by Mike Roy. 

The penultimate issue of the series, Whitman's legacy numbering puts the total series run from 1964 through to 1982. That means issue #1 debuted 15 years before Buck Rogers appeared on TV. Though a single season series had aired on ABC in 1951, the lone issue from the 1960s was based on the newspaper comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan. The first issue to be based on the NBC series was published in 1979. Issues 2-4 are an adaptation of the 2-hour pilot which debuted in theaters before NBC green-lit a full series. The live action series aired for 2 seasons for a total of 37 episodes, with the last episode airing in April 1981. The comic book continued on until May of the following year.

Completing this review completes Task #24 (Starring Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Superman (2025)

Superman, 2025.

James Gunn did NOT eff him up!

I had my doubts considering how much The Suicide Squad was more of a fart fest in line with the Troma films Gunn cut his movie teeth on. Superman was done with care, respect and awe.

I loved it.

The movie starts off with Superman already established for several years. Lex Luthor has been scheming since the Man of Steel's debut to bring Superman down and he just might have a perfect opportunity to pull such a feat off. Superman prevented a fictitious country called Boravia from invading a neighboring country. As Superman acted alone, without the approval of the United States government or even the United Nations, his actions have caused controversy to swirl over whether Superman acted on his own accord or in the public good as he claims to the press.

Luthor determines the location of Superman's Fortress of Solitude where he uncovers a secret message from Superman's Kryptonian parents that encourage him to rule the Earth as a god-like despot. Sharing the message with the news media, public opinion turns on Superman quickly. They especially don't like the part where Jor-El tells his son to continue the Kryptonian bloodline by filling a harem with as many fertile human wives as possible. 

Not wishing for further trouble, Superman turns himself in to the Department of Justice, in hopes of working things out. Only because Superman is an illegal alien and not subject to American law, plus the superpowers he can use to escape any prison, the Man of Tomorrow is turned into a private army called PlanetWatch which just happens to be funded completely by Lex Luthor!

I hear that President Trump hates this movie. He's condemned it as being 'woke'. Yet, there's nothing woke about this film. Superman's role on the international stage has been debated since his second ever appearance in Action Comics #2 when Superman prevented 2 warring European nations from starting another World War. Supe's immigration status has been a topic of discussion for at least 4 decades. Way before the term became the common vernacular used today. So really, what is 45 &47's problem with this movie?

I've seen every Superman movie ever made. He's my favorite superhero of all-time. I wear Clark Kent glasses and somehow my hair does a natural curly-cue. So I think I can attest that this was an entertaining movie that was nostalgic while pushing the Man of Steel into the 21st century. I know that I am going to be controversial when I say that I liked this Superman better than the Henry Cavill Superman! David Corenswet's Superman and Clark are in the tradition of Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh.

One reason our Commander in Chief isn't fond of the current Last Son of Krypton is because he's not a perfect specimen as he was created way back in 1938. I like that Superman isn't perfect. If he didn't have have weaknesses or made mistakes, he'd be boring. Just don't make him too flawed. Maybe like 97.8% perfect. James Gunn did a fine job keeping Superman a superior specimen while also keeping him relatable.

The real star of the film is Krypto, the super dog. Although in this film, he's a super mutt! We got the definitive Jimmy Olsen in actor Skyler Gisondo. While not a true ginger, we finally got a Jimmy with freckles. Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane wasn't bad. I got real Courtney Cox vibes off of her. Though, sadly I think she knows how to spell the word 'rapist'. Couldn't she at least once have called Clark 'Smallville'? I also really liked Wendell Pierce as Perry White. But then again, he's great in everything! It was so fun seeing this film be really heavy on journalism as that was one the things I loved about the Dean Cain/Terri Hatcher series from the 1990s.

I'm on the fence about Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor. He's way better than the last couple of actors to play Superman's arch-enemy on screen. But he was a little bit on the whiny side. This Lex is really intimidated by Superman despite being one of the most powerful men on Earth. Regardless, this Luthor is a real slime ball. 

Don't think that this is just a Superman movie. This is James Gunn's opening chapter into the new DC cinematic universe. Fans get to see Guy Gardner and Metamorpho in live action for the very first time while this is both Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific's big screen debut. Nathan Fillion was a perfect jackass. I can't wait to see Batman knock him out with one punch. Metamorpho was a character I remember my dad having a bunch of issues of when he was a kid and it brought back memories. As for Mister Terrific, I'm not very familiar with him as I don't read a lot of the more modern Justice Society stuff. But Edi Gathegi was terrific as the tech-saavy hero. I look forward to more of his character in future DC productions.

I loved this movie. It made me feel like a kid again. Though he's a bit more violent than all 4 Christopher Reeve Superman films combined. James Gunn's Superman may not be everyone's Man of Steel, but this film did something that recent movies haven't made me want to do in years: I wanted to buy tix for the next showing and see it again!

Worth Consuming!

Rating 9 out of 10 stars.