Tag Archives: book reviews

JUSTICE SOCIETY 9: WONDER WOMAN JOINS THE TEAM

AtomHere’s some more kid-friendly holiday season content! It’s another look at the very first superhero team in history, DC Comics’ Justice Society of America. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE 

I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.

All-Star 11ALL STAR COMICS #11 (June 1942)

Title: THE JUSTICE SOCIETY JOINS THE WAR ON JAPAN

Heroes: WONDER WOMAN (Original), THE SPECTRE, HAWKMAN (Original), DOCTOR FATE, THE ATOM (Original), STARMAN, DOCTOR MIDNITE, SANDMAN, JOHNNY THUNDER

Villains: JAPANESE IMPERIAL ARMED FORCES

Synopsis: With World War Two raging, Hawkman’s girlfriend Shiera Sanders (aka JSA Reserve Member Hawkgirl) has enlisted as a nurse in the U.S. Army. Shiera meets Diana Prince, who is secretly Wonder Woman. The ladies share their secrets and through Shiera, Wonder Woman meets the Justice Society of America. Doctor Fate recommends Wonder Woman for JSA membership. 

Wonder WomanThe U.S. government grants the Justice Society full status as a military unit and the heroes spring into action once again against Axis forces.

They defeat Imperial Japanese attacks on American bases, destroy enemy aircraft carriers, assist Allied paratroops and prevent the destruction of a West Coast hospital.

How I Would Revise It: Continue reading

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BEST OF SEPTEMBER 2018

Balladeer’s Blog’s end of the year retrospective continues with September’s best:

Joe MagaracJOE MAGARAC: NEGLECTED AMERICAN FOLKTALE – What Paul Bunyan was to lumberjacks, what John Henry was to railroad men and what Pecos Bill was to cowboys, Joe Magarac was to workers in Steel Mills.

Balladeer’s Blog examined Steel Man folktales and legends from both before AND after Joe Magarac’s rise to fame among Polish-American steel workers in Pennsylvania. CLICK HERE

MatewanTHREE LABOR DAY MOVIES – In honor of Labor Day Weekend I reviewed three films that are very appropriate for that holiday.

That trio of movies:

Matewan (1987), Eight Men Out (1988) and The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal (1979). To read the reviews CLICK HERE  

Apollo 12 patchAPOLLO MISSIONS TWELVE THROUGH SEVENTEEN – Since the lion’s share of the attention always goes to the Apollo 11 moon landing I decided nothing could be more Balladeer’s Blog-ish than to cover the subsequent moon missions instead.

For a concise breakdown on those six missions just CLICK HERE

Trump the EstablishmentTHREE BOOKS FROM THE GREAT DON SURBER – The one and only Don Surber churned out three of the most riveting and refreshingly offbeat political chronicles of recent years.

For Don’s books Trump the Press, Trump the Establishment and Fake News Follies of 2017 you can simply CLICK RIGHT HERE  

alien covenant 2RECENT MOVIES: SOME REVIEWS – Instead of the old Golden Turkeys or obscure foreign films that I usually review I gave in to reader requests and posted my takes on assorted recent big-name releases.

For my reviews of Solo: A Star Wars Story, Alien: Covenant, The Last Jedi, Trumbo and Ocean’s 8, as well as micro-reviews of Justice League and Avengers: Infinity War CLICK HERE 

Babe for TrumpBABES FOR TRUMP INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT – Beauty and brains and a daring, iconoclastic nature!

Those words perfectly describe the strong women and positive role models who participated in this account.

CLICK HERE 

LINKAPALOOZA: SEPTEMBER 17th – I linked to multiple news items that tended to get overlooked. Click HERE

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JUSTICE SOCIETY 8: 500 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE

Hourman 4Some more kid-friendly holiday season content with this 8th look at the very first superhero team in history: DC Comics’ Justice Society of America. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE 

I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.

All-Star 10ALL-STAR COMICS #10 (April 1942)

Title: FIVE HUNDRED YEARS INTO THE FUTURE

Heroes: HAWKMAN (Original), DOCTOR FATE, BATMAN (Original), THE SPECTRE, SUPERMAN (Original), DOCTOR MID-NITE, GREEN LANTERN (Original), SANDMAN, THE ATOM (Original), JOHNNY THUNDER, FLASH (Original), STARMAN

Villains: AXIS AGENTS, THE DEFENDERS, OCEANIANS, ALIENS FROM ULTIMA

SpectreSynopsis: Justice Society of America members save a handful of War Department scientists from being abducted by Axis agents. Afterward, one of the scientists uses his newly invented time machine to send the JSA to the year 2442 to secure future technology. That technology will allow 1942 scientists to devise a high-tech national defense system that keeps mainland America 100% safe from aerial attacks.

In the far future the Justice Society members fulfill their quest despite clashing with Defenders (high-tech cops of the 25th Century), with a genetically engineered race of giants, with a race bred to live on the ocean floor and with aliens from a planet called Ultima. Continue reading

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BEST OF AUGUST 2018

Balladeer’s Blog’s retrospective of the Best of 2018 rolls along with this look at August’s Best.

Boone MayBOONE MAY: NEGLECTED GUNSLINGER – The three-day Frontierado Holiday Weekend kicked off with this look at the underrated gunslinger Daniel Boone May, better known as just Boone May.

Calling someone “the deadliest gun in the Dakotas” makes people think of Wild Bill Hickok but actually that title belongs to Boone May. (Most of Wild Bill’s kills happened years before he drifted into the Dakotas.) CLICK HERE 

Mascot new lookSJW’s: LOSERS OR JUST FOOLS – SJW’s are the modern-day equivalent of those primly disapproving religious nuts who spent their lives trying to impose their own uptight notions of right and wrong on other people. Except SJW’s are even more annoying. 

For this particular blog post CLICK HERE

Moona Lisa with skullLOST MOONA LISA FOOTAGE SURFACED – Balladeer’s Blog’s love of the old Movie Host Shows of the past has been well-established. Moona Lisa (Lisa Clark) has been featured here since 2011.

Some old 1970s U-Matic Video Recorder footage of Moona Lisa’s show had surfaced back in August and I was happy to alert fans to this and to provide info on the auction of the long-lost material. CLICK HERE   

Rob Smith#WALKAWAY MOVEMENT CONTINUES – This item examined the continuing #WALKAWAY Movement, the exodus of so many of us former Democrats from the party because of Democrats’ increasing fascism, intolerance and snobbery toward the working class. To read this item CLICK HERE

twisted pairNEIL BREEN’S LATEST FILM: TWISTED PAIR (2018) – The Breenius behind movies like Double Down, I Am Here …. (sic) Now, Fateful Findings and Pass Thru struck again with this sci-fi/ social commentary oddity title Twisted Pair.

All Human Breens, as Neil Breen fans are called, owe it to themselves to check out this latest work of the man, the legend. CLICK HERE 

Mascot sword and pistolDYSTOPIA NATION: THE NEW COLONIALISM – This controversial blog post was another in my Dystopia Nation series.

The New Colonialism looked at a hypothetical future of nothing but bloated rich pigs and suffering poor, and with the bloated rich pigs telling themselves they are THE moral authorities for the country. CLICK HERE

Ndakuwang gaSHARK GOD OF FIJI: NDAKUWANG-GA – Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the Gods of Fiji was incredibly popular. 

That popularity prompted this entry on the Fijian shark god Ndakuwang-ga.

For many of that deity’s myths you can read the blog post HERE

CIA John BrennanJOHN BRENNAN: CIA FILTH … PLUS MORE – John Brennan, The Man From S.C.U.M. himself, headlined this look at the ongoing offenses of America’s forever-slimy CIA and NSA.

One of the reasons I used to be a Democrat before becoming an Independent Voter was because of the way Democrats USED TO be openly critical of America’s counter-productive and outrightly criminal “Intelligence Services” (LMAO). These days, though, Democrats applaud the heinous activities of CIA and NSA filth like Brennan. CLICK HERE

Living in HarmonyTHE PRISONER: LIVING IN HARMONY – Balladeer’s Blog’s episode by episode look at this 1967 Patrick McGoohan sci-fi/ existential drama raised a lot of interest.

One of the busiest posts was this look at the episode Living in Harmony, in which the Prisoner found himself living a bizarre Wild West version of his plight. To read it click HERE

Wizards of OROBERT MUELLER: GANGSTER BOSS – Accused rapist and accused suborner of perjury Robert Mueller, the modern-day Martin Dies and Joe McCarthy, was the topic of this blog post.

Mueller’s corrupt “investigation” has been exposed as such a travesty that I would not blame anyone who rejects anything and everything Mueller and his staff of Hillary donors come up with. CLICK HERE

Selleck 2FLASHMAN ITEM: SO HOW WOULD I HAVE HANDLED HIS CIVIL WAR ADVENTURES? – The love for George MacDonald Fraser’s antihero Harry Paget Flashman kept pouring in all summer long.

To meet demand I used this blog post to answer the frequently-asked question about how I would have handled Harry’s Civil War exploits, since I felt Fraser forced Flashman into way too many Civil War historical events, lacking his usual finesse. CLICK HERE

fascists will call themselves anti-fascistsANTIFA IS REALLY KLAN-TIFA – A look at the cowardly masked fascists of Antifa, who are really KLAN-tifa, no matter what they pretend their name is short for.

Are Antifa trash really the same kind of losers who gravitate toward rape and serial killing or are they just white children of privilege play-acting at being members of some absurd pretense of “resistance” (LMAO)? CLICK HERE  

democrat republican awakeDEMOCRATS LOVE CORPORATE FASCISM – The new motto of the Democrats seems to be “Vote all you want – we’ll use our corporate fascist allies to force you to comply with our every bizarre notion.”

For this step by step look at the way bloated rich pigs now use their influence on behalf of the political left instead of the political right CLICK HERE 

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JUSTICE SOCIETY 7: HEMISPHERE DEFENSE

Hourman 3Enjoy some more Christmastime kid-friendly content with this 7th installment featuring the FIRST superhero team in history: DC Comics’ Justice Society of America. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE   

I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.

All-Star 9ALL-STAR COMICS #9 (February 1942)

Title: HEMISPHERE DEFENSE

Heroes: HAWKMAN (Original), DOCTOR FATE, BATMAN (Original), THE SPECTRE, SUPERMAN (Original), DOCTOR MID-NITE, GREEN LANTERN (Original), SANDMAN, THE ATOM (Original), JOHNNY THUNDER, FLASH (Original), STARMAN 

Villains: THE AXIS POWERS

Synopsis: The Justice Society members are summoned to Washington D.C. for a meeting with the Director of the FBI. With America officially entered into World War Two the Axis Powers are actively trying to strike at the U.S. through Mexico and to add nations in Central and South America to their conquests. Continue reading

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BEST OF JULY 2018

Balladeer’s Blog continues its retrospective of The Best of 2018 with this look at July’s Best.

MaverickMAVERICK (1994): MOVIE REVIEW – Frontierado was fast approaching when I posted this review of the 1994 film version of the James Garner television series Maverick.

Virtually no movie adaptations of tv shows do real justice to their source material but this flick is a major exception! Mel Gibson plays Garner’s original role of Bret Maverick and is terrific. Jodie Foster and James Garner himself are along for the ride as co-stars in this gambler/ gunslinger classic. CLICK HERE   

#WalkAway#WALKAWAY MOVEMENT: DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE FROM THE DEMOCRAT PARTY – Gay man Brandon Straka became a dissident hero as he launched the #WALKAWAY movement. Straka provided organization to the ’til now random exodus from the increasingly fascistic and intolerant Democrat Party. (I myself went Independent years ago.) 

#WALKAWAY became a viral online phenomenon with video testimonials from many of us who have left the Democrats in disgust. The Democrats in the media, hilariously enough, tried to pretend it was all the work of Russian Bots! I’m not joking! Anyway, there was even a #WALKAWAY March on Washington and the group spawned offshoot organizations like #Blexit and #BlackLivesMAGA. CLICK HERE 

Fiji 3TUILAKEMBA: FIJIAN DEMIGOD – Balladeer’s Blog’s examination of the saga of Fiji’s heroic demigod Tuilakemba was a hit. I covered not just the original myths but the way Tuilakemba’s tale evolved over the centuries.

The heroic figure supposedly conquered all the islands of Fiji then departed in search of fresh conquests in the distant past. When French Missionaries made contact with Fiji the Fijians identified Napoleon with their departed conqueror Tuilakemba. CLICK HERE

Birds by Aristophanes 2ASK BALLADEER: WHY DID I LEAVE SICILY OUT OF MY EXAMINATION OF THE ANCIENT GREEK COMEDY THE BIRDS? – Many readers were curious why I left out the usual academic speculation about the invasion of Sicily in my look at Aristophanes’ comedy The Birds.

I laid out my many reasons in this blog post HERE

Flashman cutFLASHMAN: THE LOST ADVENTURES – I took advantage of the heavy interest in the reviews of my Top Five Harry Flashman Novels to go into total fanboy mode.

Using hints from George MacDonald Fraser’s offhand references to Harry’s unpublished adventures combined with research into potential Flashmanesque situations in various countries during the anti-hero’s 19th Century travels I speculated on Flashman Down Under, Flashman in the Opium War, Flashman and the Kings and The Battle Cry of Flashman. CLICK HERE

clones 2THE CLONES (1973): MOVIE REVIEW – Balladeer’s Blog reviewed this neglected science fiction suspense movie.

The storyline was dealing with what was back then the still fairly new topic of cloning.

To read the review of this hit and miss film click HERE

Scarlet GospelsCLIVE BARKER’S THE SCARLET GOSPELS (2015) – What Ridley Scott did to his Alien saga with Covenant, Clive Barker did to his Hellraiser series with his novel The Scarlet Gospels

Readers were excited to see what Barker would do with a story that pitted his Hellish masterfiend Pinhead against occult detective Harry D’Amour. This novel was a disaster in my eyes. CLICK HERE 

Zip WyattTHREE NEGLECTED GUNSLINGERS – Cash Hollister, Zip Wyatt and Black Ike don’t get as much love as names like Wild Bill Hickok, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but they had eventful lives nonetheless.

To check out their Old West antics click HERE

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JUSTICE SOCIETY 6: TWO NEW MEMBERS

Hourman 3Time for more Christmastime kid-friendliness with the 6th installment of the FIRST superhero team in history: DC Comics’ Justice Society of America. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE   

I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences. 

All-Star 8ALL-STAR COMICS #8 (December 1941)

Title: TWO NEW MEMBERS WIN THEIR SPURS

Heroes: DOCTOR MID-NITE, STARMAN, THE ATOM (Original), THE SPECTRE, DOCTOR FATE, HAWKMAN (Original), SANDMAN, JOHNNY THUNDER

Note: First appearance of Wonder Woman, but in her own separate story.  

Villains: DOCTOR ELBA, THE LIGHTNING MAKERS

Synopsis: Starman is being welcomed to the Justice Society of America when suddenly another superhero, Dr Mid-Nite, arrives unexpectedly with his new chemical concoction – Solution K. This solution will restore the sanity of assorted witnesses to heinous crimes, witnesses driven mad by drugs devised by a mysterious villain called Dr Elba. Continue reading

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BEST OF JUNE 2018

Balladeer’s Blog continues its retrospective of The Best of 2018 with this look at June’s Best.

Fiji 4GODS OF FIJI – Balladeer’s Blog’s examinations of neglected pantheons of deities from around the world are always a hit.

The ancient belief system of the islands of Fiji were covered in this blog post which featured nearly 30 Fijian gods and goddesses. CLICK HERE 

mother-jonesMOTHER JONES: RECOMMENDED TRUMP LINKS – Balladeer’s Blog once again posted a roundup of links to the most thought-provoking articles about President Donald Trump.

All of them recommended by Mother Jones.

CLICK HERE

hammett 2HAMMETT (1982) – I reviewed this 1982 Wim Wenders film that was produced by Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios. Frederic Forrest (Chef from Apocalypse Now) plays real-life mystery writer Dashiell Hammett as he gets caught up in a real-life mystery.

A friend from Hammett’s days as a Pinkerton Detective shows up asking for a favor in the mid-1920s, when Dashiell is still working for just pennies a word for Black Mask and other Pulp Magazines. What follows is a fun homage to Film Noir and to Hammett’s stories. CLICK HERE     

Phelim McAleerPHELIM MCALEER ON THE AMERICAN LEFT’S TOTALITARIANISM – Like me and so many others, Phelim McAleer used to consider himself part of the political left but was driven away by the left’s growing fondness of censorship, blacklisting, totalitarianism and their support of ONLY reactionary Muslims, not Muslims who seek reform in their faith to bring it into the 21st Century.

His excellent take can be read HERE

Hellbound HeartHELLRAISER: ORIGINS TRAILER – My love of Clive Barker’s horror novel The Hellbound Heart and the subsequent Hellraiser film series is well known.

In this spec trailer for Hellraiser: Origins you can take a look at a reimagined Pinhead and a depiction of Hell that is a bold departure from Barker’s own. CLICK HERE 

Obama hates childrenSNOPES CONFIRMS BARACK OBAMA’S ADMINISTRATION TURNED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHILDREN AT THE BORDER OVER TO HUMAN TRAFFICKERS – Just one of the many, MANY scandals of Obama’s presidency ignored by the Democrats in the media.

When even Snopes can’t slant an item to try to cover up for their beloved Hollow Man Barack you KNOW the evidence is monumental. CLICK HERE

Silas TalbotSILAS TALBOT: REVOLUTIONARY WAR HERO – Balladeer’s Blog took a look at the Revolutionary War career of Silas Talbot.

BONUS: A descendant of Talbot showed up in the comments for a quick acknowledgement of this recognition of his ancestor’s heroics.

CLICK HERE

donald-trump-and-flagTRUMP-HATERS: ARE THEY INSANE OR ONLY PRETENDING TO BE? – A look at the slobbering, psychopathic behavior of those bizarre people who devote their every waking moment to drooling hatred of de facto Third Party President Donald Trump.

To read this item you can simply CLICK HERE 

declarationTHE INDEPENDENCE DAY SPEECH THAT NEVER WAS – This item examined a much-discussed speech during the deliberations over the Declaration of Independence.

The only problem is, it never happened. But it SHOULD have! Read the fiery speech and the notes about the odd theories surrounding the man who allegedly delivered that speech. CLICK HERE Continue reading

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BEST OF MAY 2018

Balladeer’s Blog continues its retrospective of The Best of 2018 with this look at May’s Best.

SoloSOLO: BOOK REVIEW – I reviewed this Jack Higgins espionage novel. The story centered around efforts to stop an international assassin codenamed The Cretan Lover.

The Cretan (as the codename is often shortened to) is really John Mikali, Greek concert pianist from a wealthy family. During his alienated youth Mikali spent two years in the French Foreign Legion fighting in blood-drenched Algeria, providing the basic training for his career as an assassin. In hot pursuit is Welsh Colonel Asa Morgan, whose daughter died as collateral damage following one of Mikali’s killings. CLICK HERE

Pope Francis thumbs upPOPE FRANCIS, A MAN OF HIS WORD: THE WORST SUPERHERO MOVIE EVER – I reviewed the documentary about Francis as if it was a superhero movie being reviewed by one of the snarkier IMDb members.

If you are interested in reading this particular blog post CLICK HERE 

Obama pen and phoneNEW YORK TIMES OP-ED ON THE POMPOSITY OF THE AMERICAN LEFT’S TRUMP-HATERS – The title says it all.

This was written by a left-winger put off like so many of us by the pompous snobbery and hate-filled bigotry of the worst kind of anti-Trump loons. CLICK HERE

Mascot sword and pistolDYSTOPIA NATION: TECHNO-TYRANTS OF SILICON VALLEY – Balladeer’s Blog’s dystopian fiction examination of the 21st Century Robber Barons at Facebook, G**gle, Twitter and elsewhere becomes more timely by the day.

The invasion of privacy and outright attack on freedom of expression being run by the one-percenters of Silicon Valley really are like dystopian science fiction come to life. CLICK HERE

Education or indoctrination gifFACULTY LOUNGE FASCIST ROUNDUP: MAY 7th – One of the most popular installments of this ongoing series about how American colleges and universities have become churches of irrational thought.

Faculty Lounge Fascists abuse their positions to browbeat their students into agreeing with their narrow-minded worldview while filing complaints about anyone and everyone who disagrees with them. CLICK HERE

Flashman and the Mountain of Light 2FLASHMAN NOVELS: SIXTH PLACE – Because of the success and popularity of Balladeer’s Blog’s review of The Top Five Harry Flashman Novels I threw in this bonus sixth-place (out of twelve) book.

That bonus novel was Flashman and the Mountain of Light, which featured George MacDonald Fraser’s infamous antihero Harry Paget Flashman, the First Sikh War and the huge gem called the Koh-I-Noor (“Mountain of Light”) Diamond. CLICK HERE   Continue reading

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JUSTICE SOCIETY 5: WAR ORPHANS

More Christmas Season kid-friendliness from the Golden Age with the 5th installment of the very FIRST superhero team in history: DC’s Justice Society of America. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE

I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.

All-Star 7ALL-STAR COMICS #7 (October 1941)

Title: THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA RAISES A MILLION DOLLARS FOR WAR ORPHANS 

Heroes: BATMAN (Original), SPECTRE, SUPERMAN (Original), HOURMAN, GREEN LANTERN (Original), DOCTOR FATE, FLASH (Original), SANDMAN, HAWKMAN (Original), JOHNNY THUNDER, ATOM (Original)

Villains: THE GENERALISSIMO, HOTFIST AND ASSORTED GANGSTERS

SandmanSynopsis: Justice Society Chairman Green Lantern mentions the plight of war orphans in Europe and recommends that the JSA members combine their crime-fighting activities with fund-raising for those orphans.

The heroes spend the next several days collecting bounties on wanted criminals, selling exclusive rights to a newspaper to cover their war on a particular gang of mobsters and trying to recover a priceless Aztec treasure before it falls into the hands of a corrupt Mexican General and his troops.

In the end the JSA raises ONE … MILLION … DOLLARS … for orphans in war-torn Europe.  

How I Would Revise It:  Continue reading

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