Review of "A History of Whittington and His Cat," edited by Michael Kipps

 Review of

A History of Whittington and His Cat, edited by Michael Kipps

Five out of five stars

This short story is a retelling of one of the most charming folk stories of eighteenth century England. In physical structure, it resembles the cheap reading material that was sold by itinerant peddlers of the time. For a few pennies, a customer could buy a small book that contained a simple story.

 Dick Whittington was a small orphan boy that seemed destined for a short life of misery. Fortunately, a man on a wagon allowed him to walk alongside the wagon in his trip to town. Once there, Dick was poorly treated until a merchant took pity on him and allowed him into his home and told his servants to feed him.

 While Dick’s situation had improved, he was still mistreated by the cook, beaten for the slightest transgressions. In a manner common to the fairy tales, fortune smiled greatly on him and suddenly he is a wealthy man. As a consequence of that wealth, he is elevated to the status of a gentleman, marries the girl of his dreams and rises to a position of political power.

 This book is basically a fairy tale in the form of a pamphlet. While it is not precisely accurate, it does contain some historical accuracies. At a time of short life expectancy, there were many orphans and there was nothing in the way of social services. Most were homeless, begging for survival and enduring regular acts of mistreatment. Dick is one that finally managed to thrive after just barely surviving.

Review of "A Short History of the World Volume II," edited by A. Z. Manfred

 Review of

A Short History of the World Volume II, edited by A. Z. Manfred

Five out of five stars

A different perspective from the contents of American history books

 The editor of this book published in 1974 was an academician of the Soviet Union, so the perspective on what has happened in the world during the covered time frame is quite different from American history books. That period starts at the Russian Civil War after World War I and ends in the late 1960’s. Some of the statements are of course nonsense, not every event was caused by capitalist aggression.

 Yet, there is a great deal of truth in much of what appears in this book. For example, the French engaged in horrific colonial wars in Algeria and Southeast Asia in a futile attempt to maintain their control. To cite one example, 1.5 million Algerians died in the hopeless attempt of the French to hold onto their colony. Approximately 150,000 Indonesians died at the hands of the Dutch military in their futile attempt to retake control of Indonesia after the end of World War II.

 The brutal and deadly policies of the European nations toward their colonial areas is generally ignored in the American history books. In that sense, this book has a refreshing honesty. The same statement can be applied to the role American corporations and the U. S. military played in Central and South America.

 Another fact generally ignored in the U. S. history books is how rapid the rise of the power of the Soviet Union was after the end of the Civil War that followed World War I. An estimated 7 to 12 million people died in that Civil War that effectively ended in 1923. Yet, only 18 years later, the Soviet state was able to stand up to and essentially defeat the armies of Germany and their European allies. Despite what the history books of the western nations claim, it was the Soviet Red Army that defeated the Axis.

 In addition to this, in 1972, when American president Richard Nixon visited China, the estimated GDP of the country was $114 billion. The estimated GDP of the Chinese economy in 2020 is $14 trillion and by some measures is the largest economy in the world. Therefore, one must be very careful in dismissing the economic productivity of these two nations. By these measures, their Marxist-Leninist principles were successful.

 As a student of history, it was easy for me to flag some errors that bordered on the absurd. Yet, there is a great deal of truth in many of the statements that are uncomfortable for those of the west to read.

Review of "Doc Savage Number 19 The Air Lord Saga"

 Review of

Doc Savage Number 19 The Air Lord Saga

Five out of five stars

Vintage Doc Savage story in modern form

 Doc Savage was in many ways the model for all comic book superheroes, no less an authority than Stan Lee has stated this. Clark Savage Jr. (Doc) and his gang of five assistants first appeared in the American pulp press in the 1930’s at the height of the Great Depression. It was a time when people needed heroes and he was also the epitome of the self-made man.

 This story is set in 1937, when Doc and his talented companions are in their prime. There has been a series of deadly plane crashes and a man has sent a message that he wants to meet with Doc to give him information about the crashes. The meeting is in the street and a group of men arrive and kill the informant in a very brutal way.

 Fortunately, there is a clue that Doc is able to decode, and they all board their powerful car with Doc standing on the running board. They are able to thwart a plot to destroy a plane and learn of an even greater plot that involves the German dirigible “Hindenburg.” After jumping from a plane, Doc lands on the “Hindenburg” and attempts to defuse a bomb.

 Although the time context is the late 1930’s, the dialog is very much that of the late twentieth century. The Air Lord is a worthy adversary of Doc and his gang, and this episode ends with a historic cliffhanger. Monk and Ham are at odds, so everything is normal in this semi-classical adventure of a classical and trailblazing American hero.  

Review of "The New Teen Titans Annual, No. 3"

 Review of

The New Teen Titans Annual, No. 3

Four out of five stars

An over-the-top diva for a villain

 The opposition in this story is a villainess named Godiva and she is beautiful, ruthless and deadly. She has everything she does filmed, and she is capable of controlling a limited number of minds. She will also hire out to the highest bidder and will not hesitate to double-cross her client(s). She has been hired to destroy a spy satellite, but she captures it instead and plans on holding an auction to sell it off.

 Her opposition is the Teen Titans, and it takes all of them to take her and her group of henchpeople down. Although Godiva can take over minds, she is limited in capability and can control only a couple at a time. Therefore, her primary tactic is to control two of the Titans and have them fight the other titans.

 There is another main character called Danny, he is an adolescent, and his parents are major spies. He also has major telekinetic powers, able to withstand the power of the American Space Shuttle when it is being launched. When his parents are captured by Godiva’s forces, Danny forces an alliance with the Teen Titans in order to defeat Godiva and free his parents.

 The ending is ambiguous, while Godiva is thwarted in her immediate nefarious plans, she is not completely defeated. She is a ruthless adversary, in a significant departure from earlier comics, she is a villainess that will not hesitate to kill, even her employees that fit into her definition of misbehaving. Yet, she is powerful and a worthy adversary for a group of superheroes.

Review of "You’ve Come a Long Way, Snoopy," by Charles M. Schulz

 Review of

You’ve Come a Long Way, Snoopy, by Charles M. Schulz ISBN 0449203581

Five out of five stars

Philosophy and truth from the mouths of cartoons

 Much of the content of this book of cartoons can be summed up in the dialog of the last image of the first page. It is, “No book on psychology can be any good if one can understand it!” This thought can be applied to a great deal of professional writing. The usual cast of characters of the Peanuts comic strip are present and their problems are their normal ones.

 Charlie Brown’s baseball team is still losing all their games, sometimes for odd reasons. The relationships are all what they have been, yet the consistency is not boring. There is always enough variation to keep the strip interesting.

 In the Peanuts strip, the problems of youth that we all had are paramount. For most of us, the same issues, such as approaching a person of the opposite gender, remains throughout our entire life. Even though the characters have problems, reading a book like this always lifts your spirits.

Review of "The Adventures of Superman: Life After Death!"

 Review of

The Adventures of Superman: Life After Death!

Five out of five stars

More than a simple rebirth

 In a previous story, Superman went head to head against the powerful villain Doomsday with the result being that they beat each other to death. This caused the entire world to mourn and led to Superman’s (Clark Kent) father, Jonathan Kent having a severe heart attack. There was a major funeral for Superman and his body was placed in a tomb.

 Much of this story has Jonathan and Superman being in some sort of limbo with angelic/demonic creatures and Jonathan experiencing flashbacks to his time in the Korean War. Superman is supposedly back on Krypton and is being transported in a sedan chair. While on Earth, there appears to be little hope that Jonathan will survive.

 Several other storylines are briefly presented, including a budding gang war where extremely powerful weapons are being used by one side led by a strong villainess. Crime continues to rise when suddenly a creature invulnerable to bullets bearing a resemblance to Superman appears. However, unlike Superman, he does not hesitate to kill humans. No explanation of his origin is given.

 There is a lab where a clone has been created and has escaped confinement. He has the appearance of a teenager, the costume of a Superman and at least some of the powers. The last panel features what appears to be a combination of Superman and machine.

 With all of this context supplied and only partially described/explained there are many paths that could be followed in the continued development of this storyline. It is one of the most imaginative potential rebirth stories ever created.

Review of "Silver Sable & The Wild Pack, Number 1" Tom DeFalco, editor-in-chief

 Review of

Silver Sable & The Wild Pack, Number 1 Tom DeFalco, editor-in-chief

Five out of five stars

BA female willing to take on Hydra all alone

 Silver Sable is the head of an organization of extremely talented mercenaries, none better than her. While her organization is for hire, they specialize in higher level action, for example they do not simply murder for money. Many of their clients are governments that want something done without leaving any virtual fingerprints.

 The story opens with Silver Sable battling a gang of men that includes the classic criminal Sandman. While the action is realistic, it is in reality an audition. None of her opponents pass this most rigorous of tests, yet they do remain at the facility. As a result of previous successes, Silver Sable has some very state of the art aircraft.

 When Hydra takes the girls at a school hostage for ransom and Silver Sable’s niece is one of the hostages, Silver Sable is informed. At first, she declines mounting a rescue mission, but she then takes off on a solo mission. Peter Parker happens to be in that location, so when she moves against Hydra, Spider-Man is there to assist. Not that she wants him there, in her opinion he is a hindrance. There is a quick battle that is not as stealthy as Silver Sable would like it to be, yet her side is victorious. Although her reaction to the assistance is not one of gratitude.

 This is a great introduction to a forceful female hero that has the moxie to tell Spider-Man to get lost, stating that she needs no help from the likes of him. Silver Sable is tough, physical and very smart. She is a true BA that is also full of nasty quips aimed at everyone else, even her niece.