Reviews, ruminations, and (occasional) ramblings.
Shiv Part 1 – Director: Lea Thompson/Writer: Evan Ball
This one starts with a montage of the new JSA members doing various things: Yolanda’s working out, Rick is brooding (of course), Beth is singing karaoke with the McNider AI. Continue reading “Stargirl Reviews: Season 1, Episode 7”
Conan the Barbarian #71 – “The Secret of Ashtoreth” – Roy Thomas/John Buscema/Ernie Chan
This one continues from last issue, with Conan, Bêlit, and some of her pirates in a dungeon in the city of Kelka, where they were captured as sacrifices by the high priest (Akkheba, who drugged their wine) after doing him the favour of fighting off some Barachan pirates menacing the city. Akkheba drops by to taunt them, but one of the pirates finds a hidden tunnel out of their cell. Continue reading “Conan Reviews: Conan the Barbarian 71, Conan the Barbarian 72”
G.I. Joe Special Missions #6 (August 1987) – “Evasion” – Larry Hama/Herb Trimpe
This one continues from G.I. Joe 61, showing us how Outback escaped into the sewers in Borovia’s capital city, while his teammates (Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick) were caught by the Borovian Army. The Joes were in Borovia to rescue a political prisoner, but he was already exchanged for a Borovian spy and since their mission is top secret (and utterly deniable), they weren’t told about the exchange. Continue reading “G.I. Joe Reviews: G.I. Joe Special Missions 6, G.I. Joe 62”
The Justice Society – Director: Christopher Manley/Writer: Taylor Streitz
This one starts with football practice at Blue Valley High. The quarterback (and best player) is Artemis Crock, but she has a bit of a temper. When one of the defensive players hits her late she decks him and gets benched by the new coach. Later, Artemis’s parents (who were proud of her for decking her teammate) confront the coach and waste him when he refuses to back down from their threats. Did I mention that Artemis’s parents are Crusher Crock (who runs the gym downtown) and Paula Brooks (who’s the school gym teacher)? Of course, they’re also Sportsmaster and Tigress of the Injustice Society. Continue reading “Stargirl Reviews: Season 1, Episode 6”
Conan the Barbarian #69 – “The Demon Out of the Deep” – Roy Thomas/Val Mayerik/The Tribe
If you’re wondering what happened to issues 66-68, I skipped them because I’m using the Chronicles of Conan editions for these reviews and those issues are omitted. They feature Red Sonja and she’s owned by a different company, so Dark Horse was forced to leave those stories out. If I get my hands on some copies I might go back and review them someday, but for now I’m sticking with the Chronicles and moving on to issue 69. Continue reading “Conan Reviews: Conan the Barbarian 69, Conan the Barbarian 70”
G.I. Joe Special Missions #5 (June 1987) – “Showdown” – Larry Hama/Herb Trimpe
This one starts on Cobra Island, with a ground crew prepping the Night Raven stealth fighter for a recon flight. The crew are all impressed by the plane’s tech (including low-tech stuff like a breakout tool to be used if the canopy jams in a crash), but much less so with its pilot, the Strato-Viper. Continue reading “G.I. Joe Reviews: G.I. Joe Special Missions 5, G.I. Joe 61”
Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite – Director: David Straiton/Writer: Melissa Carter
This one starts nine years ago, with Rex and Wendi Tyler leaving Blue Valley in a hurry. They’ve signed over their house to Wendi’s brother (Matt Harris) and left him $50,000 to look after their son, Rick. Continue reading “Stargirl Reviews: Season 1, Episode 5”
Conan the Barbarian #63 – “Death Among the Ruins” – Roy Thomas/John Buscema/Steve Gan
This one continues from last issue, with Makeda leading Conan and the Watambis to the ruined city where Amra plans to marry Bêlit. Conan is so focused on saving Bêlit, he doesn’t know (or doesn’t care) that Makeda cast a spell to raise the dead of the lost city. Bêlit doesn’t want to be Amra’s mate, but he’s not giving her a choice. He shows his battle prowess by killing a lion with a knife when it threatens Bêlit, but Conan also kills a lion (with a sword) on the way to the city, so it seems the two titans are evenly matched. Continue reading “Conan Reviews: Conan the Barbarian 63, Conan the Barbarian 65”
G.I. Joe #59 (May 1987) – “Divergent Paths” – Larry Hama/Ron Wagner/Bob McLeod
This one starts in Denver at the garage hideout of Crimson Guardsman Fred (that’s Fred VII for those keeping score), where Cobra Commander and his son Billy are staying. Fred has built a prosthetic leg to replace the one Billy lost in the explosion, but Billy’s having a little trouble getting used to it. He catapults into a martial arts stance to keep from falling, surprising himself as much as the others, since he still has no memory of his old life. Continue reading “G.I. Joe Reviews: G.I. Joe 59, G.I. Joe 60”
Wildcat – Director: Rob Hardy/Writer: James Dale Robinson
This one starts with a flashback to three months ago, focusing on Yolanda Montez. But this isn’t the surly Yolanda that we’ve seen in the past three episodes, the one who’s treated like a pariah by everyone at school. This Yolanda is full of life, running for school president, with a loving family … she has it all. Continue reading “Stargirl Reviews: Season 1, Episode 4”