Star Trek: The Ghost Planet (1969)

The boldly going continued for Gold Key Comics in September 1969, when The Ghost Planet was unveiled to Star Trek fans. Dick Wood continues his writing travels with the Enterprise, and Alberto Giolitti supplies the art. I remember all of the issues so far. I had them collected in The Enterprise Logs, which I read…

The First Power (1990) – Robert Resnikoff

I did Lou Diamond Phillips, and somewhere in Robert Resnikoff’s The First Power is a solid supernatural police thriller. But everything in it is painfully familiar, though some of it, like the visions characters have are strongly created. Phillips is Russell Logan a Los Angeles homicide cop who has been tracking a serial murderer christened…

Pursuit to Algiers (1945) – Roy William Neill

Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce) are at see in Pursuit to Algiers. Roy William Neill continues to direct and produce the entries, which they seem to be cranking out like clockwork. The duo find themselves on babysitting duty this time out, as they are asked to accompany Prince Nikolas (Leslie Vincent) home to…

Smallville (2001) – Cool, and Hourglass

Sure it’s another freak-of-the-week episode, but the series is still finding itself, and building its characters and narratives. Cool first aired on 13 November, 2001 and was written by Michael Green. This time out, Sean (Michael Coristine) apparently drowns in ice-covered Crater Lake. At the bottom of that crater, kryptonite-infused rocks (as usual) which give…

White Lightning (1973) – Joseph Sargent

Burt Reynolds stars as Gator McClusky, who feels like he may be a more rough and tumble relative of the Bandit. And speaking of Smokey & the Bandit, Hal Needham, who went on to direct that classic film, served as the second unit director on this film. Gator is in prison, and he’s a model…

Dead of Winter (2025) – Brian Kirk

Emma Thompson stars in this white-knuckle thriller that features a layered performance, and some stand-out moments. With Finland standing in for Minnesota, Thompson braves the cold as Barb who sets out for Lake Hilda for personal reasons. A goodbye needs to be made. Along the way, she has an unnerving encounter with a man in…

Stargate: Atlantis (2006) – No Man’s Land, and Misbegotten

Season three of Stargate: Atlantis got underway on 14 July, 2006. It was written by Martin Gero and picks up exactly where the season two finale ended. The Daedalus is still engaged with the Wraith hiveship, Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) is leading a squad of 302s against Darts and we get a huge space battle. And…

Star Trek: The Peril of Planet Quick Change (1969)

The Enterprise continues its journeys across galaxies (?) in Gold Key’s The Peril of Planet Quick Change. Once again the story was written by Dick Wood, and once again features art by Alberto Giolitti. It hit comic spinners on June 1969. The Enterprise interior still looks terrible and cluttered. I wish it was more in…

The Last Astronaut (2019) – David Wellington

Whatever 1I/2017 Oumuamua and now 3I/Atlas are, they fired my imagination. These intersolar voyagers are cloaked in mystery and possibilities. David Wellington’s novel, The Last Astronaut, takes that idea and runs with it giving us a cross of Crichton, Clarke and Lovecraft. A combination of science and wonder with unnerving horror. Sally Jansen was the…