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Community Season Six: “Basic Email Security”
Community episode 6, “Basic Email Security,” self-identifies as the third entry in a trilogy consisting of “Cooperative Calligraphy” and “Cooperative Polygraphy.” Apparently they couldn’t match the “cooperative” moniker to this episode, which is pretty funny.… [more]
Chrononauts #2: The Past is History
Time travel stories are always tough to write, because most sci fi writers spend an inordinate amount of time building the “rules” of the world. Specifically, they worry about “damaging” the timeline or introducing some… [more]
The New Tale of Zatoichi : The Blind Yakuza Goes Full Colour
After the success of the speedily produced sequel to The Tale of Zatoichi, Daiei realized what they had on their hands – the makings of a proper franchise. If The Tale of Zatoichi Continues was… [more]
The Bastards of Southern Bastards #8
One question that keeps returning as we enjoy Jason Aaron and Jason Latour’s Southern Bastards is how much of it is specifically Southern, and how much qualifies as simple old-fashioned bastardry? Not being a southerner… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 18 Review
Arrow is a dark show. It started as a fairly obvious riff on the Christopher Nolan school of superheroes, and while it has since developed its own unique identity, that dour outlook persists. That’s part… [more]
Nameless #3 Balances Sanity and Madness
The new issue of Nameless is a step up in scale and in pacing from the previous issues, There’s some plot momentum happening and certain dramatic elements seem to be moving into place for a… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 17 Review
It’s becoming harder and harder to talk about the third season of Arrow without sounding like a broken record. The season keeps circling improvement but never quite manages to sort out its disparate pieces into… [more]
Community Season Six: “Laws of Robotics and Party Rights”
Episode five of the sixth season of Community, “Laws of Robotics and Party Rights”, might be the best episode of the season yet. I say “might” because it still has a few problems. Let’s get… [more]
Better Call Saul Season Finale: The Path Less Travelled By
Jimmy McGill is angry, Saul Goodman isn’t. Jimmy always has a joke, Saul doesn’t. Jimmy is all charm, Saul is all artifice and business. That first shot of the season, and the series, showing Saul… [more]
Arrow Season 3 Episode 16 Review
Television series tend to be lumbering beasts, built to move in a specific manner and slow to change course when problems arise. Series can evolve and shift direction, so it’s essential that shows figure out… [more]
Rat Queens #10: Their Finest Hour
Let’s briefly review the strongest qualities of Rat Queens as a comic. Great dialogue, rich characters whose emotional journey is completely relatable, even as their environment is a classic action-packed magical fantasy world and conflicts… [more]
Better Call Saul: Poor Jimmy
I come away from every episode of Better Call Saul these days saying, “Poor Jimmy”. This, the second-to-last episode in the season, “Pimento”, is certainly no exception. We frankly haven’t seen all of Jimmy’s past… [more]
Community Season Six: “Queer Studies and Advanced Waxing”
So by this point in a season Community has normally had at least one great episode. Not this season though. It hasn’t had a bad episode either, just average episodes. Episode four, “Queer Studies and… [more]
Lesser Known Kurosawa: The Bad Sleep Well
Japanese director Akira Kurosawa is best known for his samurai epics. Now I’ve only actually seen two of those: Yojimbo and Rashomon. Sometimes people are prone to forget that Kurosawa’s output ranges in genre and… [more]
Sexcastle: The Best Action Movie Never Made
Sexcastle, now available as a TPB from Image Comics, is the best action film never made in the 80s. It’s Big Trouble in Little China meets Kill Bill, combining the best elements of both. The… [more]
Hasty Sequels: The Tale of Zatoichi Continues
After the unanticipated success of Zatoichi, Daiei Studios knew they had to capitalize on the suddenly popular property they’d created. They weren’t entirely sure how, but they knew they had to strike quickly while the… [more]
The Fabulous McGill Brothers on Better Call Saul
This episode of Better Call Saul has one of the most devastating cold opens so far. Vince Gilligan’s previous work on The X-Files and of course Breaking Bad reflects a longstanding interest in the power… [more]
Community Season Six: “Basic Crisis Room Decorum”
The third episode of the Yahoo hosted sixth season of Dan Harmon’s quirky cult show Community continues a trend seemingly put forward by the first two. “Basic Crisis Room Decorum” sees the show at both… [more]
Invisible Republic: A Fresh and Compelling Science Fiction Comic
The new comic book Invisible Republic, by Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko, offers a fresh and intriguing take on the post-Apocalyptic genre. With moody, evocative artwork and spare, confident storytelling, it has the feel of… [more]
Community Season Six: “Ladders” and “Lawnmower Maintenance and Post-Natal Care”
Community was a little bit of a nerve-wracking affair this season. The show was running the risk of this particular reincarnation being more like the Leech Child than the behemoth of brilliance it was before.… [more]
A Pivotal Episode of Better Call Saul
This episode of Better Call Saul is a turning point. Forces and story elements that have been building since the series began come to a head here, and Jimmy McGill makes his last stand against… [more]
Chrononauts: A Boy’s Own Adventure!
Chrononauts, the new comic from Mark Millar and Sean Gordon Murphy, is a wonderful grab-bag of genres and influences. Mixing a little bit of Stargate with a bit of Time Bandits and starring leading characters… [more]