Category Archives: Non-fiction

Non-fiction articles, and the like, go here

The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane by Eric S Brown

Released in 2004, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane collects most if not all of Robert E. Howard’s Puritan hero. The book is part of a line of paperbacks from Random House spotlighting Howard’s stories. Most know Robert Howard from … Continue reading

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The New Mutants Omnibus Vol. 1 by Eric S Brown

Chris Claremont is regarded by some as one of Marvel’s finest writers. When one hears his name mentioned, they usually think of his work on the X-Men. That said, Claremont wrote a lot more than just the Uncanny X-Men. He … Continue reading

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The Defenders: Ashes to Ashes by Eric S Brown

Marvel’s 7th Epic Collection of the original Defenders run weighs in at 440 pages. The issues within it cover the time period from 1982-1983, issues 110 through 125 and Avengers Annual 11. The book opens with an issue devoted to … Continue reading

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Nova: The Human Rocket by Eric S Brown

Though the seventies gave birth to many iconic Marvel characters, Nova the Human Rocket may be one of most beloved by comic fans. Nova wasn’t a very original character. He was essentially Marvel’s take on DC Comics’ Green Lantern. A … Continue reading

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Power Man and Iron Fist: Heroes for Hire by Eric S Brown

The seventies was a time of diversity and exploration for Marvel Comics in terms of the genres they published. Luke Cage, aka Power Man, premiered during this time. He was a street hero despite having powers that put on the … Continue reading

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The Ultimate Marvel Nostalgia by Eric S Brown

Back in the 1980’s, there was no Google or even an internet. People relied entirely on other means for their news. Marvel had released fan magazine before but at that time, they took things to a whole other level. Each … Continue reading

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Renfield by Eric S Brown

Renfield is a horror comedy with some serious teeth. It tells the story of Dracula’s familiar Renfield in the modern world. Renfield is attending a support group for those stuck in unhealthy relationships and trying to make amends for the … Continue reading

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The Last Voyage of the Demeter by Eric S Brown

Perhaps one of the best horror films released in 2023, The Last Voyage of the Demeter didn’t get a fair run on the big screen. Playing in a limited number of theaters and lost among a sea of other releases, … Continue reading

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Marvel’s War of Kings Omnibus by Eric S Brown

Marvel Comics is known for having a vast events that span the lengths and depths of their universe. Annihilation, Annihilation: Conquest, and War of Kings form a loose trilogy of sorts that are among the company’s best cosmic stories. Annihilation … Continue reading

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The Original Hills Have Eyes by Eric S Brown

Wes Craven is mostly known for the Nightmare on Elm Street films, but they are far from the only horror he created. In 1977, Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes hit the big screen. Shot on a budget of less than … Continue reading

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The Thor by Matt Fraction Omnibus by Eric S Brown

Weighing in at over thirteen hundred pages, The Thor by Matt Fraction Omnibus collects several Thor one shots, Thor: Secret Invasion 1-3, Thor (2007) 615-621, Thor (2011) 1-22, the entire, core mini-series of Fear Itself, and more. The omnibus starts … Continue reading

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Hell of the Living Dead by Eric S Brown

In 1978, Dawn of the Dead was released. It is considered the greatest zombie movie ever made by many. In its wake, the end of the 70’s and early 80’s came a slew of other, lower quality zombie films. Hell … Continue reading

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Scanners II: The New Order by Eric S Brown

In 1981, David Cronenberg gave the world Scanners. Though labeled as being part of the horror genre by many for its level of gore, Scanners and its sequels were really Science Fiction films that were well ahead of their time. … Continue reading

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She-Hulk: Jen of Hearts by Eric S Brown

Jen of Hearts is the second collected trade paperback from Rainbow Rowell’s current run on She-Hulk. It picks up with issues 6 through 10 of the series, continuing to deal with the mystery of how Jack of Hearts has returned … Continue reading

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Invaders Classic Vol. 1 by Eric S Brown

In the 1970’s, Marvel Comics was experimenting with a lot of genres. Roy Thomas (mostly known for his work on the Conan books by Marvel) created a super hero team called the Invaders that didn’t so much battle crime but … Continue reading

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After Midnight by Eric S Brown

After Midnight is a horror/romance film released in 2019. Yes, you read that correctly- horror/ROMANCE. The film, however, isn’t a comedy like Warm Bodies or just another Romeo and Juliet rip off. After Midnight has a very small cast and … Continue reading

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Ollie’s Comic Packs by Eric S Brown

Ollie’s Bargain Discount Outlets are a super fun place to go for comic collectors. Yes, you read that correctly! The outlet chain offers not only greatly discounted Marvel, DC, and even Indie trade paperbacks, but is now offering packs of … Continue reading

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Conan the Barbarian Omnibus Vol. 10 by Eric S Brown

Though the comic rights now belong to Titan Comics, Conan’s first appearance was in a Marvel series that ran for 275 issues with numerous annuals. Marvel has reprinted that entire run in 10 giant omnibus volumes averaging around 1000 pages … Continue reading

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Batman/Catwoman: The Wedding Album by Eric S Brown

Batman/Catwoman: The Wedding Album is a sleek, black hardcover. At a retail price of $18 for 130+ it’s fairly priced. The hardcover collects stories leading up to the big event. Including a large amount of artwork from variant covers as … Continue reading

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Spider-Man 2099 by Eric S Brown

For decades, Marvel has tried to create other universes than the main one (aka 616). These attempts began in the 80’s with the New Universe. In the 90’s, they tried series based in the future with the 2099 line of … Continue reading

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Punisher: War Machine Vol. 2 By Eric S Brown

     Punisher: War Machine Vol. 2 collects the issues that end Frank Castle’s time in the armor. At only one hundred and twelve pages, it’s a short, fast read. It is also a very intense and action-packed read. Captain … Continue reading

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Red Sonja: Doom of the Gods By Eric S Brown

     The title of Red Sonja: Doom of the Gods is very misleading in a sense and is often confused with Red Sonja: Wrath of the Gods. Doom of the Gods is actually a sequel collection to Red Sonja … Continue reading

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Dazzler By Eric S Brown

     One of the most bizarre superhero concepts Marvel came up with during the 1970s was certainly the Dazzler. Alison Blaire, in fact, didn’t even want to be a superhero. Her dream was to be a famous singer in … Continue reading

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Kraven’s Last Hunt By Eric S Brown

     If you grew up reading Spider-Man in the 1980s, then Marvel’s Kraven’s Last Hunt Epic Collection is not only a must read and must have addition to your comics library. The massive paperback includes almost 500 pages of … Continue reading

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Rom returns to Marvel! by Eric S Brown

          Based on a toy from Parker Brothers, Rom the Space Knight was adapted by Marvel in 1979. Legendary writer, Bill Mantlo, brought the character to life in a series that ran for 75 issues and … Continue reading

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Earth X by Eric S Brown

          Created by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger, Earth X is a dark and disturbing take on the Marvel Universe. Released in 1999, the mini-series ran for 12 issues, telling the story of a world where … Continue reading

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Hulk: Crossroads by Eric S Brown

The epic collection of Hulk entitled Crossroads collects a very interesting part of Bill Mantlo’s run on the title. Mantlo is one of those Marvel writers who worked on as many or more titles than Stan Lee, creating characters like … Continue reading

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Thor: Heroes Return Omnibus by Eric S Brown

Everyone remembers comic books in the nineties, right? Bad girls, bad writing, over the top art, market chaos, lackluster writing, and even Marvel declaring chapter 11 bankruptcy defined the decade. Still, that didn’t mean everything released in the nineties was … Continue reading

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Babylon 5: The Shadow Within by Eric S Brown

In the 1990s, Babylon 5 was one of the best SF series on TV. Today, it lives on as a classic of the genre that SF fans can currently stream for free on Tubi. There is talk of a B5 … Continue reading

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MTGRemy by Eric S Brown

I will admit, I am very addicted to Magic the Gathering. I started playing way back around the time of the third edition and have been in and out of the game ever since. Recently, I stumbled onto a YouTube … Continue reading

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Marvel Two-In-One: Cry Monster by Eric S Brown

In recent years, the Epic Collection has become a very popular format for Marvel trade paperbacks. The beauty of the Epic Collection is that they contain a hulking four hundred to five hundred pages plus of reprinted material while not … Continue reading

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Maximum Carnage: The Epic Collection by Eric S Brown

The 1990’s was a strange time for comics. Everything was hyped up in the stories, and the art was desperate to be either sexy or flashy. Marvel  was on the verge of bankruptcy while DC was killing Superman and breaking … Continue reading

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Guardians of the Galaxy: Solo Origins by Eric S Brown

There are several Guardians of the Galaxy omnibus volumes available on the market from different eras of the team. The best bang for one’s buck though is the Solo Origins volume released in 2015. It collects the early tales of … Continue reading

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Babylon 5: A Lost SF Masterpiece by Eric S Brown

When one thinks of science fiction TV shows, one likely thinks of things like Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, or perhaps even The Expanse. All of these are great in their own ways, but while short lived, running only … Continue reading

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The Adventures of Red Sonja Omnibus by Eric S Brown

Red Sonja has been a force to be reckoned with in the world of comics since her very first appearance in Conan the Barbarian #23 back in Januray, 1973. Yet, so far her stories have only been  collected in standard … Continue reading

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Savage Avengers Volume 3 – Enter the Dragon

By Eric S Brown City of Sickles and To Dine with Doom, the first two collected trades of Marvel’s Savage Avengers series set the bar very high. Sadly, the third trade, Enter the Dragon doesn’t live up. It opens with … Continue reading

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Savage Avenger Volume 2: To Dine with Doom

by Eric S Brown The second collected trade paperback of Marvel’s Savage Avengers title is wildly different than the first. City of Sickles was crazy action and tons of bloodshed. To Dine with Doom slows down the pace of the … Continue reading

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Savage Avengers Volume 1: City of Sickles

By Eric S. Brown Just when comic readers likely had thought they had seen every type of Avengers team Marvel could come up with, the company introduced Savage Avengers in May of 2019. As crazy as it sounds, this is … Continue reading

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Secret Wars: Prelude

By Eric S Brown Never let it be said that Marvel doesn’t like to milk an event for all the money that can be made from it. Often with popular events such as the X men’s Inferno, Daredevil’s Devil’s Reign, … Continue reading

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Secret Wars

By Eric S Brown ***Possible Spoilers Below*** The original Secret Wars mini-series in 1984 was a first of a kind event for Marvel. It was a year long story, spread over twelve issues, intended both to help promote a line … Continue reading

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The King in Black

By Eric S Brown It could be argued that the King in Black is perhaps the best, huge “event” that Marvel has published in some time. It is high octane action right from its opening pages onward as Earth’s heroes … Continue reading

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Daredevil: Woman Without Fear

By Eric S Brown In the last few years, Matt Murdock has been through a lot including time in prison. During his incarceration, Elektra became Daredevil to protect the residents of Matt’s beloved Hell’s Kitchen. Even after Matt is released … Continue reading

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Underwater

by Eric S Brown The horror sub genre of terror at the bottom of the ocean has always been popular. In the 1980s such classics as Deep Star Six and Levithan ruled the rental store shelves while the 1990s gave … Continue reading

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The Complete Gail Simone Red Sonja Omnibus

by Eric S Brown Gail Simone is a well known and amazingly talented comic writer. Her works include beloved runs on titles such as Birds of Prey, Batgirl, The Secret Six, and Red Sonja. The Red Sonja movie that is … Continue reading

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The Micronauts Artist Edition

by Eric S Brown At the end of the 1970s, Bill Mantlo adapted a then popular toy line called the Micronauts into a Marvel Comic. The comic with Mantlo at its helm was, for a time, one of Marvel’s best … Continue reading

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Red Sonja: Travels

by Eric S Brown After Marvel lost the rights to Red Sonja, they were picked up by Dynamite Comics who continues to publish her with new series seemingly continually being announced. Travels is a series of trade paperbacks that collects … Continue reading

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Ant-Man 3 and the Micronauts

by Eric S Brown Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is slated for release in Feb. 2023. A big question on the minds of diehard comic fans is will some version of the Micronauts be appearing in the film? The Micronauts … Continue reading

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Antlers: Review

by Eric Brown Released in 2021 after having been pushed back twice due to the Covid 19 pandemic.  The film was successful enough to recoup its budget at the box office but certainly didn’t rake in the cash.  It was … Continue reading

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Maggie: Review

Maggie is not your normal zombie movie.  It’s a film that rises above and transcends genre.  Released in 2015, Maggie tales the story of its title character, a young woman who has been infected by a zombie style virus that … Continue reading

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Daredevil: It Comes with the Claws

by Eric S Brown It Comes with the Claws is the latest Daredevil “Epic Collection” to be released by Marvel Comics.  The Epic Collection format is great for those who enjoy having a massive tome of stories about their favorite … Continue reading

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The Return of Wally West by Eric S Brown

The Return of Wally West Eric S Brown Rebirth was a universe spanning event at DC Comics which once again altered the history and worlds of their characters. The first collected trade paperback of Titans in the Rebirth timeline, The … Continue reading

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Werewolf by Night by Eric S Brown

Werewolf by Night Eric S Brown Marvel’s Disney Plus titles such as Ms. Marvel, She Hulk, and Moon Knight, to many, have lacked the quality and fun of the earlier MCU. Part of this can be attributed to these shows … Continue reading

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Swamp Thing: The Becoming by Eric S Brown

Swamp Thing: The Becoming Eric S Brown Alec Holland is no longer the Swamp Thing of the DC Universe but the Green still needs a hero.  Reaching into the world of man, the Green has chosen Levi Kamei to be … Continue reading

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The Love of Batman and Catwoman by Eric S Brown

The Love of Batman and Catwoman Eric S Brown The Love of Batman and Catwoman By Eric S Brown Detective Comics #27 features the first appearance of Batman in 1939. Merely a year later, Catwoman first appears in Batman #1 … Continue reading

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Black Mountain Side by Eric S Brown

Black Mountain Side Eric S Brown Released in 2014, Black Mountain Side is an independent film shot and produced in Canada. The company that made is called A Farewell To Kings Entertainment which one has to wonder if their name … Continue reading

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Chappie by Eric S Brown

Chappie Eric S Brown Released in 2015, Chappie was a moderately successful film at the box office but given mostly lackluster or bad reviews by critics. Chappie is set in a Judge Dredd/Robocop style future where crime is out of … Continue reading

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Raccoon Valley by Eric S Brown

Raccoon Valley Eric S Brown Raccoon Valley, released in 2018, is far from your normal virus, zombie type film. There are no zombies in the movie though there are poor people who have been infected by a virus that swells … Continue reading

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Star Brand by Eric S Brown

Star Brand Eric S Brown After two decades of roaring success in the 60s and 70s, Marvel tried to expand even further in the mid-1980s with its New Universe line of comics. These comics were supposedly more realistic than the … Continue reading

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Daredevil: Wake up by Eric S Brown

Daredevil: Wake up Eric S Brown The second series of Daredevil launched in 1998 and was quickly a huge success with readers. In its early issues huge events happen in Matt Murdock’s life from Bullseye murdering Karen Page to his … Continue reading

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Alternative Comic Collecting- The Omnibus by Eric S Brown

Alternative Comic Collecting- The Omnibus Eric S Brown There’s a growing trend in collecting comics that has arisen in the last few years and I am not talking about grading comics. No. Many are giving up monthly comics and even … Continue reading

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The Expanse by Eric S Brown

The Expanse Eric S Brown The Expanse premiered in 2015 on the Science Fiction network and was met with generally good response from critics.    The Expanse is set in a future universe where humanity is divided into three factions- … Continue reading

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Iron Man: Big Iron by Eric S Brown

Iron Man: Big Iron Eric S Brown Tony Stark isn’t who he used to be. That seems to be the theme of the trade paperback Iron Man: Big Iron which collects the first five issues of the 2017 reboot series. … Continue reading

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The Bride of Doom by Eric S Brown

The Bride of Doom Eric S Brown The eighth trade paperback in the current run of the Fantastic Four collects issues 31-35 featuring a storyline called The Bride of Doom. The latest adventure of the team begins with Dr. Doom … Continue reading

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Rai: Welcome to New Japan by Eric S Brown

Rai: Welcome to New Japan Eric S Brown In 2014, Valiant Comics rebooted their futuristic samurai warrior Rai, giving him a new ongoing seires. The first four issues are collected in a trade paperback simply titled Welcome to New Japan, … Continue reading

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Quidditch by Rain Hall-Brown

Quidditch Rain Hall-Brown In the game of Quidditch, there are seven players on each team and three types of balls that are used: the Quaffle, two Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch. Each team is broken down into three chasers, two … Continue reading

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The Wheel of Time by Eric S Brown

The Wheel of Time Eric S Brown Fans have long awaited a live action adaptation of Robert Jordon’s classic Wheel of Time series. This year, Amazon Prime delivered and at the time this is being written, five episodes have been … Continue reading

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Jumanji vs Jumanji by Eric S Brown

Jumanji vs Jumanji Eric S Brown The original Jumanji film was released in 1995 featuring Robin Williams, Kristen Dunst, and David Alan Grier in its cast. The movie was well received and reached # 1 at the boxoffice its opening … Continue reading

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Howl by Eric S Brown

Howl Eric S Brown Released in 2015, Howl is an indie, British, werewolf film that brings new life to the genre. Werewolf movies aren’t known for being as successful or well done as zombie and vampire movies, often either killed … Continue reading

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Dust Walker by Eric S Brown

Released in 2019, Dust Walker is a film full of SF tropes that still manages to be fun . . .for the most part.    Jolene Anderson plays the part of a small town sheriff, Joanne Sharp, who finds herself … Continue reading

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Lawless by Eric S Brown

Lawless Eric S Brown When people think about the world of Judge Dredd most think of: Mega City One The vast dystopian metropolis he patrols The radioactive wastelands known as the Cursed Earth which lay beyond its walls The other … Continue reading

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Sightless in the Savage Land by Rain Hall-Brown

Sightless in the Savage Land Rain Hall-Brown In Daredevil issue 10, Matt Murdock is leaving behind Karen Page and Foggy Nelson to give the two of them space and a chance for the law practice to survive but the ship … Continue reading

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Daredevil: The Man Without Fear by Rain Hall-Brown

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear Rain Hall-Brown Matt Murdock is Daredevil, but before he became the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, he just a normal kid with homework and a good heart.  He got his powers from saving the life of … Continue reading

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Army of the Dead by Eric S Brown

Army of the Dead Eric S Brown In 2004, Zack Snyder stunned the world with his remake of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. While the remake lacked the depth of the original, it was an amazingly well done and … Continue reading

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Cloak and Dagger by Eric S Brown

Cloak and Dagger Eric S Brown Specatular Spider-man issue 84 featured the debut of Cloak and Dagger, two superpowered teenagers devoted to fighting a war against drug dealers and those who would prey upon the helpless.    The characters proved … Continue reading

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The New Warriors by Eric S Brown

The New Warriors Eric S Brown The 1990s were a rough time for the comic industry. DC was struggling to hold on, Marvel Comics declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and “indie” publishers flooded the market with an endless number of variant … Continue reading

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Harbinger by Eric S Brown

Harbinger Eric S Brown At the start of the 1990s, many creators were leaving Marvel and DC Comics to start companies of their own or to work for independent publishers. Valiant was one of the new publishers that popped in … Continue reading

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Starcrash by Eric S Brown

Starcrash Eric S Brown At the end of the 1970s movie studios were scrambling to capitalize on the success of Star Wars anyway they could. There were dozens of ripoffs and perhaps most infamous among them was Luigi Cozzi’s Starcrash. … Continue reading

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The Devil Below by Eric S Brown

The Devil Below Eric S Brown The Devil Below is a film loaded with potential, but ultimately fails to deliver much. Based on the very cool concept that monsters live beneath the surface of the Earth, the movie may remind … Continue reading

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Bunnicula by Rain Hall-Brown

Bunnicula Rain Hall-Brown Bunnicula is a book about a vampire rabbit written by Deborah and James Howe. There are six more books in the series and they have been turned into several cartoon series. I think Bunnicula is a very … Continue reading

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Amazing Spider-man: Family Business by Eric S Brown

Amazing Spider-man: Family Business Eric S Brown Family Business was released as a hardcover in 2014 and it isn’t a collection of reprinted Spidey tales but rather an original, 112 page graphic novel, written by Mark Waid and illustrated by … Continue reading

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Masters of the Universe: Revelations by Eric S Brown

Masters of the Universe: Revelations Eric S Brown Masters of the Universe: Revelation, a new series, produced and written by Kevin Smith, was recently released on Netflix. Smith claimed that the series would be a direct sequel to the original … Continue reading

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The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension by Eric S Brown

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension Eric S Brown What’s good about the film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eight Dimension? It featured a mega cast of super talented actors including Peter Weller, Jeff Goldblum, … Continue reading

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Batman: Li’l Gotham: Halloween and Thanksgiving by Rain Hall-Brown

Batman: Li’l Gotham: Halloween and Thanksgiving Rain Hall-Brown In this book, Batman and Robin celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. It’s all new to Robin who was raised by the League of Assassins and doesn’t know anything about the holidays. I liked that … Continue reading

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An Interview with Land of the Lost’s Wesley Eure by Gayne C. Young

An Interview with Land of the Lost’s Wesley Eure Gayne C. Young Wesley Eure starred on the cult series Land of the Lost, is the co-creator of Dragon Tales, played Michael Horton on Days of Our Lives for seven years, … Continue reading

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Judge Dredd: Guatemala by Eric S Brown

Judge Dredd: Guatemala Eric S Brown   Guatemala, the latest trade paperback of Judge Dredd tales released by 2000 AD, collects selected stories from 2017 through 2021. The title story takes up nearly half of the trade and pits Dredd … Continue reading

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Dceased by Eric S Brown

Dceased Eric S Brown Published in 2019, Dceased was in some ways DC Comics’ answer to Marvel Zombies. Though they had already done a sort of zombie event with Blackest Night in their core universe, Dceased was an Elseworlds story, … Continue reading

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Judge Dredd: Brothers of the Blood by Eric S Brown

Judge Dredd: Brothers of the Blood Eric S Brown Brothers of the Blood isn’t just another collection of Judge Dredd stories as it deals entirely with his family: his brother Rico, a younger Dredd clone who takes up the Rico … Continue reading

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Alpha Flight Classic by Rain Hall-Brown

  Alpha Flight Rain Hall-Brown Alpha Flight is the superhero team that protects Canada. It is made up of Puck, Guardian, Shaman, Northstar, Aurora, Sasquatch, Snowbird, and Marrina. I really like Snowbird because she can change into any animal that … Continue reading

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Marvel’s Girl Power by Eric S Brown

Marvel’s Girl Power Eric S Brown Most people likely think that Marvel’s tendency to recreate their male heroes as women of power is a modern thing, but it’s not. The first popular character to be gender swapped was Captain Marvel … Continue reading

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Young Justice by Rain Hall-Brown

Young Justice Rain Hall-Brown The kids who make up the Young Justice team are: Impulse (also called Kid Flash), Superboy, Robin, Jinny Hex, Wonder Girl, and Teen Lantern.  Jinny Hex, the great, great granddaughter of Jonah Hex, and Teen Lantern … Continue reading

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Amethyst by Rain Hall-Brown

The powers of all the people of Gemworld comes from its gems. Each has its own power and purpose. Amethyst is a new version of an older DC Comics, with great artwork for the characters and their world.  I really … Continue reading

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Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium by Eric S Brown

The Legion of Super-heroes returned to the DC Universe with a new ongoing title in 2019. Brian Michael Bendis was brought onboard to script the title. Though it’s already been canceled or at least put on hiatus as of issue … Continue reading

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DC Superhero Girls: Finals Crisis by Rain Hall-Brown

DC Superhero Girls: Finals Crisis review Rain Hall-Brown One of the things I really like about DC Superhero Girls: Finals Crisis is that in the end everyone works together to win. I like that Harley thinks that Batgirl deserves a … Continue reading

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Darkstar by Eric S Brown

When one thinks of John Carpenter films, a host of classics spring to mind – The Thing, Escape from New York, The Fog, Halloween. In addition to the big hits of his career, there were also cult classics such as … Continue reading

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The Green Slime by Eric S Brown

The Green Slime Eric S Brown Released in 1968, The Green Slime is something of a strange, cult classic among fans of films from that era and was directed by Kinji Fukasaku, The movie was shot in Japan though both … Continue reading

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Death of a Dream by Eric S Brown

Death of a Dream Eric S Brown Death of a Dream is the second, collected trade, of Mark Waid’s epic run on DC’s Legion of the Superheroes as its writer. It collects issues seven through thirteen, weighing in at two … Continue reading

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The Many Origins of the Legion of Superheroes by Eric S Brown

The Many Origins of the Legion of Superheroes Eric S Brown The Legion of Superheroes is a DC Comics’ team whose adventures take place one thousand years in the future, after the days of Superman and Batman. The Legion is … Continue reading

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Etrigan, The Demon by Eric S Brown

Etrigan, The Demon Eric S Brown The Demon, Etrigan, has been a part of the DC Universe since 1972 and was created by the legendary comic artist Jack Kirby, though Kirby wasn’t exactly thrilled with the character as Etrigan’s success … Continue reading

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Attack of the Killer Tomatoes by Eric S Brown

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Eric S Brown Insanity. That’s perhaps the best word to describe the cult classic film, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, which from its opening scene with a tomato crawling out of a sink, attacking a … Continue reading

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Pacific Rim: The Black by Eric S Brown

Pacific Rim: The Black Eric S Brown The original Pacific Rim film brought big budget Mecha to the silver screen in America for the first time. It was an epic adventure of machines, monsters, and combat. Its sequel, Pacific Rim: … Continue reading

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The Void by Eric S Brown

The Void Eric S Brown Fangoria magazine called The Void “Disturbing and inconic” . . .and they’re not wrong. The Void is a rather simple horror film in many ways centering on a small town police officer who finds a … Continue reading

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Born on a Bayou: The origins of the Swamp Thing by Eric S Brown

Born on a Bayou: The origins of the Swamp Thing Eric S Brown Created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing first appeared issue 92 of the House of Mystery series. This original origin was a very simple … Continue reading

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The Many Origins of Wonder Woman by Eric S Brown

The Many Origins of Wonder Woman Eric S Brown When Wonder Woman made her debut in October of 1941, her origin story was the one that most comic fans still likely remember when they think about her beginnings. Diana was … Continue reading

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They Live by Eric S Brown

They Live Eric S Brown In 1988, John Carpenter’s They Live debuted at # 1at the box office.    The film has earned more than three times its budget over the years but more than that, They Live, is perhaps … Continue reading

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Star Wars: Alliances by Eric S Brown

Star Wars: Alliances Eric S Brown When Disney took over the Star Wars franchise, the original Grand Admiral Thrawn series was erased from canon which upset a great many fans.    Disney listened however and Timothy Zahn brought Thrawn back … Continue reading

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Wonder Woman 1984 by Eric S Brown

Wonder Woman 1984 Eric S Brown The first Wonder Woman film blew viewers away with its action, as close as possible to the comics take on the Amazon warrior, and some powerful emotional scenes.    Wonder Woman 1984 lacks the … Continue reading

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Interview with Rowan Casey

AR: Do you write poetry, prose, or a mixture of both? RC: I’ve seen poetry incorporated into prose in very creative ways, and it’s something I’d like to experiment with. AR: Have you ever done any journalistic writing? RC: I … Continue reading

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Names: SF’s Influence on Name Freedom by Herb Kauderer

Names: SF’s Influence on Name Freedom Herb Kauderer The coolest human to share my first name refused to use the name. Herbert Marshall McLuhan became a world famous philosopher and media theorist under the name Marshall McLuhan where he coined … Continue reading

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Daredevil: End of Hell by Eric S Brown

End of Hell Eric S Brown End of Hell is the fourth collected trade paperback of Chip Zdarsky’s run on the title.    It collects issues 16-20 and continues the main storyline that began in Vol 1.    These collected … Continue reading

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An Interview with Henk-Jan Bakker

Hi. My name is Henk-Jan Bakker. I’m a freelance artist from the Netherlands. Is freelance the right term? Maybe I should drop that. I’m an artist. Period. Thanks for having me for this interview. AR: What sort of art do … Continue reading

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An Interview with Kurt Wilcken

AR: What sort of art do you do? KW: I draw comics and cartoon illustrations. I’ve drawn stories for anthology comic books, and occasional illustrations for children’s books; and I currently draw an adventure webcomic set in the Pulp Era. AR: … Continue reading

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Interview with JM Williams

A.R. Do you write poetry, prose, or a mixture of both? J.M.W. Prose only. A.R. Have you every done any journalistic writing? J.M.W. I do write academically, history and law, and have been published in a peer review journal. A.R. … Continue reading

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Salvation Run by Eric S Brown

Salvation Run Eric S Brown Salvation Run was a DC Comics mini-series event published in 2008 which ran for seven issues that were later collected into a single trade paperback. Salvation Run isn’t a story about heroes but rather forty … Continue reading

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Betaal by Eric S Brown

Netflix is home to some amazing foreign horror series these days and Betaal is one of their newest. It’s an Indian zombie horror tale with some wild and cool twists that was met with some harsh treatment from critics. It … Continue reading

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Durham Red by Eric S Brown

A lot of great comic characters begin as supporting cast to an already well known hero. For example, The Legion of Superheroes was created to be part of the background of Superman’s youth, but eventually spun off into their own … Continue reading

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Should you get your comics graded? by Eric S Brown

Twenty years ago, the Certified Guaranty Company started operations and has since graded over five million comic books. The impact of the CGC, and other later companies such as CBCS and PGX, is staggering – changing much about how comics … Continue reading

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Necropolis by Eric S Brown

Judge Dredd is one of the most published comic characters in the world and has been around since the late 1970s. There are many, many classic and famous Dredd storylines but Necropolis stands out as of the best. Necropolis features … Continue reading

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THX 1138 by Eric S Brown

Not many people know that George Lucas’s first science fiction film wasn’t Star Wars. His debut film was actually a Dystopian movie entitled THX1138, a disturbing look at what things could be like if freedom was a thing of the … Continue reading

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The New Mutants by Eric S Brown

One of the first notable movies to be released during the age of Covid 19, The New Mutants has so far been a box office flop, earning back only around two thirds of its production budget. The film has numerous … Continue reading

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Avengers: War of the Vampires by Eric S Brown

War of the Vampires isn’t your normal Avengers storyline. It’s much darker, intense, and in many ways truly could be called a horror comic. The trade paperback collects issues 13-17 of the 2018 Avengers title and opens with the Shadow … Continue reading

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Elektra: Dark Reign by Eric S Brown

In the wake of Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion event, Norma Osborn came to power as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D, ushering in the event known as Dark Reign. Many characters in the MCU had been kidnapped and replaced by alien shape … Continue reading

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D.P. 7 by Eric S Brown

D.P. 7 Eric S Brown In 1986 Marvel Comics’ introduced their “New Universe”.    These were a group of all new series that were supposed to be set in the present day, real world.    Titles in in the New … Continue reading

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Interview with Dean Schreck by Eric S Brown

Interview with Dean Schreck Eric S Brown EB: Mr. Schreck, please tell us some about yourself. Schreck: Well, I just turned 71 and have been living in South Carolina for 2 ½ years now. I am a former Long Island … Continue reading

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The Stuff by Eric S Brown

The Stuff Eric S Brown One thing The Stuff didn’t have was a great soundtrack. Its supposedly catchy song about the highly addictive, alien substance is simply horrid. Nonetheless, the Stuff is considered to be a cult classic horror film … Continue reading

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Krull by Eric S Brown

At the end of the 1970s and start of the early 1980s, science fiction and fantasy films were all the rage on the big screen. Star Wars, Star Trek, Conan the Barbarian, Dragon Slayer, Clash of the Titans all proved … Continue reading

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Vampirella vs. Dracula by Eric S Brown

When you read a title like Vampirella vs. Dracula most expect an epic vampire brawl. Sadly this trade paperback is nothing of the sort. It’s a complex tale of the Dracula narrative being repeated over and over through out time. … Continue reading

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The War of the Realms: The Punisher by Eric S Brown

The War of the Realms: The Punisher Eric S Brown War of the Realms was an event which spanned the entire Marvel Universe. Malekith, the king of the Dark Elves, declared war on Midgard, and all of the horrors of … Continue reading

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Punisher: Born by Eric S Brown

Punisher: Born Eric S Brown The Punisher: Born trade paperback is part prequel, part origin story for the infamous, gun-toting vigilante. Weighing in at only 112 pages, it collects the four issue mini-series of the same title. Born opens with … Continue reading

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Immortal Hulk by Eric S Brown

In 2018, Marvel Comics’ most famous, rampaging, green giant got a brand new ongoing series and its first five issues are collected in Immortal Hulk Vol. 1.    This new series is an original take on the character and is … Continue reading

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Zombieland 2: Double Tap by Eric S Brown

Ten years after the release of the smash hit Zombieland, the film finally got a sequel.    The entire original, main cast reunited in Zombieland: Double Tap.    The question is, of course, does this sequel live up to the … Continue reading

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Dr. Strange by Eric S Brown

Dr. Strange Eric S Brown Marvel once again launched a new Dr. Strange ongoing series in 2018. Much of that series is now collected in trade paperback. The first of these trades, titled Across the Universe, begins with Dr. Strange … Continue reading

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Lazy Dialog Tags or How to keep the reader from yawning.

There’s so much fad writing/grammar/punctuation/editing advice out there that even professional get confused. The poor inexperienced author that’s just starting out hasn’t got a chance. Let’s see if we can at least help fix one small area: Dialog tags – … Continue reading

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Night of the Comet by Eric S Brown

Night of the Comet Eric S Brown Night of the Comet was shot with a budget of less than one million and released in 1984. That same year saw the release of such classics as Ghostbusters and C.H.U.D. In terms … Continue reading

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Dark Knights Rising by Eric S Brown

Dark Knights Rising Eric S Brown In 2017, the DC universe was shaken to its core by the events of a story line entitled Metal which garnered high sales for DC and was widely well received. The Metal story line … Continue reading

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Color Out of Space by Eric S Brown

Color Out of Space Eric S Brown H.P. Lovecraft wrote The Color Out of Space in 1927,and Richard Stanley’s new adaptation of it is far from the first to be produced. Die, Monster, Die! released in 1965 holds that honor … Continue reading

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Manticore: Man-Eating Hybrid Beast of Legend and Art by Richard H. Fay

Manticore: Man-Eating Hybrid Beast of Legend and Art Richard H. Fay A legendary monster that bore many names (Manticore, Manticora, Mantichora, Manticory, Manticoras, Martikhora, Mantiserra, Memecoleous, Mancomorion, and the Satyral), the fearsome Manticore featured in the lore, bestiaries, and creative … Continue reading

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C.H.U.D. by Eric S Brown

In 1984, the movie C.H.U.D. was released. While the film earned over three times its production budget, it was far from hitting blockbuster level hit. However, it was a rather unique film in many ways. Billed as science fiction/horror movie, … Continue reading

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Zombie (aka Zombi 2) by Eric S Brown

Zombie (aka Zombi 2) Eric S Brown “The boat can leave now.    Tell the crew.”    . . . And with those opening words, what is still considered one of the best films ever produced in the zombie genre … Continue reading

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Lilliana Vess by Eric S Brown

Most people have heard Magic the Gathering.But in case you haven’t, it’s a collectible card game that’s been around since the early 90s and is played all over the world.    It is so popular, it has expanded in several … Continue reading

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Daredevil: No Devils, Only God by Eric S Brown

Daredevil: No Devils, Only God is the second collected volume of Chip Zdarsky’s run on the title. It contains issues 6-10 of the current ongoing series. The story opens a small amount of time after Daredevil is presumed to have … Continue reading

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Merfolk: Sea People of Folklore and Legend by Richard H. Fay

Merfolk: Sea People of Folklore and Legend Richard H. Fay Featured in the lore of many human cultures, merfolk were said to be people of the sea, although some resided in freshwater. In their most usual form, these beings appeared … Continue reading

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