Author Archives: JD DeLuzio

Comic Review: Molly & Poo

Molly and Poo has been numbered the sixteenth Strangers in Paradise trade paperback, but many readers do not see it as a significant part of the story, and the official SiP site places it separate from the chronological listing of titles. Issue #14 of the second series gave readers serious pause. In place of the familiar comic-book tale of Katchoo, Francine, and David, Terry Moore served up a twisted prose story decorated with original drawings and Victorian/Edwardian clip art. The issue offered no explanation for what it might be doing in Strangers in Paradise, though we later learn that the eponymous Molly (contemporary version) once dated Francine’s brother. Years later, Moore completed the story with a fragmented comic and a second decorated prose work. The former briefly features SiP regulars and the latter includes a few pages of comics.

Continue reading →

Comic Review: 52 #13-16

This is Metropolis! It’s a city Brainiac tries to shrink to bottle size every Thursday. Don’t tell me nothing is on tonight.
–Booster Gold, #15

These issues present a quickly-planned wedding, a Marvel Family renunion, at least three different escapes, the death of a major character, and the apparent loss of another’s sanity.

We’re still in the dark with regards to those missing mad scientists.

Continue reading →

Novel Review: The Fifth Head of Cerberus

“Veil’s Hypothesis supposes the abos to have possessed the ability to mimic mankind perfectly. Veil thought that when the ships came from Earth the abos killed everyone and took their places and the ships, so they’re not dead at all, we are”(31).

Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun may be his most lasting work of speculative fiction, but the talented writer produced a number of memorable books including this quirky novel, which addresses such topics as colonialism, totalitarianism, and identity.

Continue reading →

Pluto may finally lose planetary status….

….but we should have better views of the moon landing.

The International Astronomical Union intends to finally settle the status of Pluto. Long an oddball in the planetary family, the discovery of 2003 UB312– “Xena“– forced the issue of whether to increase the official number of planets in the solar system, or demote Pluto to mere “Kuiper Belt Object” status. Further information may be found here.

In other local news, NASA searches for images of the moon landing that are much clearer than those broadcast at the time.

Strangers in Paradise: Tomorrow Now

Oh Lord… Be with us tonight! Guide our feet, especially on the staircase, and don’t let our pasties fall off because it’s a $300.00 fine! Amen.
-Casey’s pre-show prayer.

The fifteenth Strangers in Paradise trade paperback picks up a year after Francine and Brad’s wedding– the last time the central characters were together.

Continue reading →

Saturday Review: Godzilla, King of the Monsters

Fiziko is still on vacation, so I’ll be taking Saturday review for today.

Gojira: The Deluxe Collector’s Edition will be available September 5; it features the original 1954 Japanese film and the 1956 American revision, which made Godzilla an international star. The adaptors reshaped the original, excised several minutes, and added narration and scenes with Raymond Burr.

Fifty years later, with, what?– thirty sequels with at least three conflicting timelines, two cartoon series, a stint in the Marvel Universe, a terrible American remake, endless merchandise, Dr. Pepper and Nike commercials, a videogame, and a song by Blue Öyster Cult, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the big guy started out scary.

Continue reading →