Category: Books

SGT. ROCK VS the ARMY OF THE DEAD by Bruce Campbell and Eduardo Risso!

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Bruce Campbell teamed with Eduardo Risso to create SGT. ROCK VS the ARMY OF THE DEAD.  Here’s the lowdown…

Berlin, 1944. The Nazis are besieged on all fronts by the Allied forces. Defeat is inevitable. But Hitler and his team of evil scientists attempt a last-ditch effort that may turn the tide of the war and rewrite history itself: a serum that resurrects their dead soldiers, stronger than they were in life, and sends them back into the battlefield.

Now Sgt. Frank Rock and Easy Company have been dispatched into enemy territory to face off against the strangest, most horrific enemies they’ve ever encountered: Nazi zombies!

Sgt. Rock and Easy Company are behind enemy lines, armed to the teeth, and ready to go up against the strangest-and deadliest-enemies they’ve ever encountered: zombies, and a whole lot of ’em! Strap in, soldiers, it’s you against the world…of the dead!

Horror icon Bruce Campbell and comics legend Eduardo Risso bring you a terror-soaked Sgt. Rock tale like no other!

Collects DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock vs. The Army of the Dead #1-6.

RICAHRD STARK’S PARKER THE COMPETE COLLECTION by Dawyn Cooke

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Richard Stark’s Parker The Complete Collection by Dawyn Cooke gets my highest rating.  If you’re a fan of great crime fiction, then this is for you!

The groundbreaking and multiple award-winning graphic novels by Darwyn Cooke, collected in their entirety for the first time in one softcover volume.

Collecting the four Parker graphic novels (The Hunter, The Outfit, The Score, and Slayground) as well as two shorts (The Man with the Getaway Face and The Seventh). These stories encompass all Darwyn Cooke’s sequential stories of Parker.

“Shane” (1953) directed by George Stevens, starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur & Van Heflin / Z-View

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Shane (1953)

Director: George Stevens

Screenplay: A. B. Guthrie Jr., Jack Sher based on  Shane by Jack Schaefer

Stars: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde, Jack Palance, Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanan,
Elisha Cook Jr., Douglas Spencer, John Dierkes, Ellen Corby, Edith Evanson and Leonard Strong.

Tagline:  There never was a man like SHANE. There never was a motion picture like SHANE.

The Plot…

Shane (Ladd), a gunfighter hoping to escape his past, befriends Joe Starrett (Heflin), his wife Marian (Arthur) and their young son Joey (De Wilde) when he stops for water at their small farm.  When Joe invites Shane to stay on, Shane sees the possibility of a quieter life.  But when Rufus Ryker’s men show up trying to run Starrett off, Shane knows that his gunfighter days aren’t over.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Shane was nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Palance); Best Actor in a Supporting Role (De Wilde); Best Director; Best Writing Screenplay; and won for Best Cinematography, Color (Loyal Griggs).

Shane is a classic western.  Everything came together to make it so.  George Stevens’ direction, coupled with a first rate story, and top notch cast make for a film deserving the accolades and love it’s received.

Shane is Alan Ladd’s best film and it reinvigorated his career.  It is Jean Arthur’s final feature film.  She came out of retirement to make it as a favor to director George Stevens.

Shane (1953) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Out of the Past” (1947) directed by Jacques Tourneur, starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas / Z-View

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Out of the Past (1947)

Director: Jacques Tourneur

Screenplay: Daniel Mainwaring based on Build My Gallows High by Daniel Mainwaring

Stars: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Richard Webb, Steve Brodie, Virginia Huston, Paul Valentine and Dickie Moore.

Tagline:  A MAN – Trying to run away from his past… A WOMAN – Trying to escape her future!

The Plot…

Jeff Markum (Mitchum), a private eye, is hired by an underworld figure named Whit (Douglas).  Whit wants his girl back.  She shot him and stole $40,000.  Whit doesn’t care about the money, he just wants Kathie back.  Whit promises no harm will come to Kathie (Greer).  He loves her.  Whit says Markum will understand once he meets Kathie.  Money is no object.  Kathie could be anywhere in the world, but Whit trusts Markum will find her and Whit will pay for it.

Markum catches up with Kathie in  Acapulco.  She is beautiful. There’s a mutual attraction between Markum and Kathie.  Kathie admits she shot Whit, but denies taking his money.  Markum doesn’t contact Whit.  As the days (and nights) drag on, Markum and Kathie decide to run away together.

They know that Whit will send someone to find them…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Much of Out of the Past is told in flashback that brings us up to speed and then the story is carried forward.  This storytelling device is effectively used.

Out of the Past is a classic for many reasons:

  • Director Jacques Tourneur is at the top of his game.
  • Mitchum was born to play these kinds of roles.
  • Jane Greer is excellent as the good girl/dangerous dame.
  • Kirk Douglas had only played supporting roles up to this point in his career.  I cannot think of a better actor for the role of the rich, confident man who always gets what he wants.
  • Steve Brodie plays Mitchum’s PI partner who turns out to be not much of a partner.
  • Paul Valentine is impressive as Douglas’ right hand hood.
  • Out of the Past is as noir as it gets.  There are tough guys, beautiful but dangerous dames, multiple double crosses, murders, and a shocking ending.  I love this movie more with each viewing.

Out of the Past (1947) rates 5 of 5 stars.

LONG PAST MIDNIGHT by Jonathan Maberry!

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Jonathan Maberry has a book of short stories coming out on August 22nd.  Here’s the lowdown on LONG PAST MIDNIGHT…

Five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of the Pine Deep Trilogy, weaves a chilling web of small-town terrors, local legends, and hair-raising haunts set in the eerie world of Pine Deep, Pennsylvania. Eleven terrifying tales are gathered here for the first time in a single volume — including one exclusive, brand new story!

Foreword by Josh Malerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box

Four children explore an abandoned house that’s supposed to be haunted—and discover something far more terrifying than any ghost. A rash of fatal accidents in the town of Pine Deep keeps a cemetery worker busier than ever—because the dead won’t stay buried. Ex-cop Joe Ledger searches for a missing witness in “the spookiest town in America”—but finds there is no protection program against the forces of evil. . .

SOME STORIES CAN ONLY BE TOLD . . . LONG PAST MIDNIGHT

LONG PAST MIDNIGHT  paperback

LONG PAST MIDNIGHT  kindle

CONAN THE BARBARIAN: THE OFFICIAL STORY OF THE FILM by John Walsh

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CONAN THE BARBARIAN: THE OFFICIAL STORY OF THE FILM by John Walsh comes out today.  Here’s the lowdown…

Official retrospective hardback book telling the story of the making of Conan The Barbarian, including interviews with cast and crew and featuring behind-the-scenes photography from the shoot. Author and filmmaker John Walsh has unearthed a treasure trove of new and archive material for this book.

In 1982, Robert E. Howard’s iconic literary anti-hero, Conan, slashed his way from page to screen after a perilous decades-long journey. With its potent mix of epic vistas and bloody battles, Conan the Barbarian thrilled moviegoers around the world and launched the career of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Forty years after its release, this cult-classic film is celebrated in CONAN THE BARBARIAN: THE OFFICIAL STORY OF THE FILM, a lush hardback volume that tells the full story of how the film was made. Brand new interviews with cast and crew, as well behind-the-scenes photography from the set and concept art created for the production, give fascinating insights into the development of one of the best-loved fantasy films of the 1980s.

GOTHAM CITY: YEAR ONE by Tom King and Phil Hester!

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GOTHAM CITY: YEAR ONE by Tom King (writer) and Phil Hester (artist) has been getting rave reviews.  It is coming out in hardcover and Kindle editions on September 5th.  Here’s the lowdown…

There once was a shining city on the water, a home for families, hope, and prosperity. It was Gotham and it was glorious.

The story of its fall from grace, the legend that would birth the Bat, has remained untold for 80 years.

That’s about to change.

Superstar creators Tom King and Phil Hester team up for the first time to tell the definitive origin of Gotham City: how it became the cesspool of violence and corruption it is today, and how it harbored and then unleashed the sin that led to the rise of the Dark Knight. Two generations before Batman, private investigator Slam Bradley gets tangled in the “kidnapping of the century” as the infant Wayne heir disappears in the night…and so begins a brutal, hard-boiled, epic tale of a man living on the edge and a city about to burn.

GOTHAM CITY: YEAR ONE   Hardcover

GOTHAM CITY: YEAR ONE  Kindle

“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” – Exclusive Clip (2023) Javier Botet, Stefan Kapičić

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Based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel DRACULA, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo—fifty unmarked wooden crates—from Carpathia to London.

Strange events befall the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a merciless presence onboard the ship. When the Demeter finally arrives off the shores of England, it is a charred, derelict wreck. There is no trace of the crew.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter opens in theaters on August 11.

IT DIES WITH YOU by Scott Blackburn / Z-View

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IT DIES WITH YOU by Scott Blackburn

Hardback: ‎ 304 pages
Publisher: ‎ Crooked Lane Books (June 7, 2022)

First sentence…

I was bouncing at the Red Door Taproom on a Friday night in January, which all but guaranteed I’d be earning every last cent of my paycheck.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Hudson Miller’s promising career as a boxer is on hold.  Suspended for a fight outside the ring, Miller now works as a bouncer as he waits for the commission to decide his future.  Late one night, Miller ignores a phone a call from his estranged father.  The next morning Miller learns that his dad was murdered in a robbery gone bad.  At least that’s what the cops are saying.

After the funeral, Miller is surprised to learn he is the new owner of his dad’s salvage yard.  Figuring it will pay more than bouncing, Miller decides to give it a try… at least until he can fight again.  Things go sideways when Miller learns that the salvage yard was the hub of illegal activities that may have played a part in his dad’s murder.  As Miller digs deeper, he finds himself alone and unsure of who he can trust.  His father’s only employee, Charlie Shoaf, a Viet Nam vet who doesn’t rattle easily warns Miller to leave it alone.  The cops are no help.  Miller is going to get answers even if it kills him.

IT DIES WITH YOU is Scott Blackburn’s debut novel.  He had me hooked from the first sentence.  He creates characters that feel real and you care about.  The mystery of who killed Miller’s dad propels them through a world that you can see outside your window if you live in the rural south.  I look forward to whatever Blackburn writes next.

Rating:

IT DIES WITH YOU   Hardcover
IT DIES WITH YOU   Kindle

THE LAST ACTION HEROES: THE TRIUMPHS, FLOPS, AND FEUDS OF HOLLYWOOD’S KINGS OF CARNAGE by Nick de Semlyen

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The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of Carnage by Nick de Semlyen

Hardback: ‎ 352 pages
Publisher: ‎ Crown (June 6, 2023)

First sentence…

They came from the sky.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

I was sent an advance copy of THE LAST ACTION HEROES: THE TRIUMPHS, FLOPS, AND FEUDS OF HOLLYWOOD’S KINGS OF CARNAGE by Nick de Semlyen.  I’d like to thank whoever put me on the list because THE LAST ACTION HEROES is a winner.

Nick de Semlyen takes us back to the time that action heroes ruled movie theaters around the world.  Fans eagerly waited for the next outing by Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis, Van Damme, Chan, Lundgren and Seagal.  The movies (and stars paychecks) kept getting bigger and bigger as each new outing had to outdo the last.  de Semlyen focuses on the careers of each of these super stars, taking us behind the scenes to reveal the truth behind the rumors and legends. 

de Semlyen did extensive research to create a book that’s easy to read and feels like you’re listening to a conversation.  I’m old enough to remember when these action heroes ruled the box office.  de Semlyen took me back to that time.  He confirmed some stories I’d heard and presented many that were new to me.  I love that the book includes an index of sources that were used.  Fans will love the behind the scenes stories.  

THE LAST ACTION HEROES: THE TRIUMPHS, FLOPS, AND FEUDS OF HOLLYWOOD’S KINGS OF CARNAGE by Nick de Semlyen rates 5 of 5 stars.  

Rating:

THE LAST ACTION HEROES  Hardcover
THE LAST ACTION HEROES  Kindle

Creepy Archives Volume Four

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Creepy Archives Volume Four will drop on December 12, 2023..  It’ll be 232 pages of comic greatness topped by an awesome Frank Frazetta cover.

For over two decades Creepy magazine presented some of the most gripping tales of terror, mayhem, and the supernatural ever told in graphic fiction, and was a showcase of the stellar work of comics legends Archie Goodwin, Frank Frazetta, Reed Crandall, Steve Ditko, and many more.

Long available only as expensive collectibles, Creepy Archives Volume 4 collects Creepy issues #16–#20 in a value-priced paperback edition and includes original letters pages, text features, and ads.

  Deal me in.  Pre-Orders are available now.

Creepy Archives Volume 4

“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins / Z-View

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The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Director: Jonathan Demme

Screenplay: Ted Tally based on The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, Frankie Faison, Don Brockett, Stuart Rudin, Ted Levine, Roger Corman, Charles Napier and Chris Isaac.

Tagline: Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Brilliant. Cunning. Psychotic. In his mind lies the clue to a ruthless killer. – Clarice Starling, FBI. Brilliant. Vulnerable. Alone. She must trust him to stop the killer.

The Plot…

A serial killer the press calls Buffalo Bill is murdering women.  He then skins them and leaves their bodies in water without any clues. The FBI investigation is at a standstill.

Clarice Starling (Foster), an FBI agent still in training, is personally selected to interview Dr. Hannibal Lector (Hopkins).  Lector, known as Hannibal the Cannibal, is a serial killer with a genius IQ. He murdered and ate his victims.  Now held in a maximum security prison for the criminally insane, Lector may be the only one with insight on catching Buffalo Bill.

But can Lector be trusted?  The clock is ticking…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Silence of the Lambs is an excellent adaptation of Thomas Harris’ best-selling novel.  It is rightully considered one of the finest movies ever made.

The Silence of the Lambs collected Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally).

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) rates 5 of 5 stars.

FADEAWAY JOE by Hugh Lessig

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I’ve been reading a lot of good buzz on FADEAWAY JOE by Hugh Lessig.  Here’s the lowdown…

Perfect for fans of S. A. Cosby and Allen Eskens, Joe Pendergast must go all in one last time as he grapples with the ghosts of his past–and present–in this gritty, high-stakes thriller.

Sixty-four-year-old Joe has known violence his entire life. For forty years, he’s worked as an enforcer for loan shark and close friend Maxie Smith, breaking more than a few bones along the way. When Maxie abruptly fires him, Joe isn’t sure where to lay the blame—on Maxie, the man he once considered his brother, or on the early-onset Alzheimer’s that made Maxie lose faith in him in the first place.

To keep his head above water, he begins to operate a food truck that’s barely getting by. Desperate to regain some purpose in his life, Joe makes a life-altering decision: he’s going to take down Maxie Smith by any means necessary, once and for all. However, his plan of revenge is sidelined when he meets twenty-two-year-old Paula Jessup, a wise-cracking amateur detective with a few scheming cards up her sleeve, who’s on the run from a trafficking ring she’s been investigating. The two form an unlikely bond: Paula needs some protection and Joe needs a purpose.

With the stakes running high and the clock ticking down—will this gamble pay off?

FADEAWAY JOE Hardcover

FADEAWAY JOE Kindle

“The Friends of Eddie Coyle” (1973) starring Robert Mitchum / Z-View

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The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

Director: Peter Yates

Screenplay: Paul Monash based on The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins

Stars: Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats, Alex Rocco, Joe Santos, Mitchell Ryan, Carolyn Pickman, James Tolkan and Jack Kehoe.

Tagline: It’s a grubby, violent, dangerous world. But it’s the only world they know. And they’re the only friends Eddie has.

The Plot…

Eddie Coyle (Mitchum) is a low-level criminal.  He was convicted of a truck hijacking and is waiting sentencing.  In an effort to get his conviction cleared, Coyle is secretly working as an informant for an ATF agent.  At the same time Coyle is dealing guns to a crew of robbers who have knocked off a couple of banks and look to take down more soon.  As the cops close in on the bank robbers, the time draws near for Coyle’s sentencing.  He’s going to have to make some moves to get out clean…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

This is such a great 1970s cast for a crime film.  Great source material as well.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) rates 3 of 5 stars.