Akiko #4

• Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Sirius Entertainment
• Cover Price: $2.50
• 2013 NM Price: $3.00
• Stats: 22 black & white pages plus "Letters to Akiko" and one ad
• Story & Art: Mark Crilley
• Notable Notes: A dream and a storm!

Realistic Dreams

Have you ever had a very, very realistic dream? You know - the kind where when you wake up you're shocked it wasn't real? And maybe even sad that it wasn't real? I have, and usually I feel a bit disappointed and cheated that I expended so much emotional energy on something that wasn't even real! Oh well, better that than a nightmare eh? In this issue Akiko, our favorite 4th grader, has just such a dream.

For Round 27 of our writing group, in August of 2009, we decided to write short stories that were somehow based on dreams that we'd had. Well, I'd recently dreamed of a giant ant-like alien that was screaming! Weird, I know, but I figured it could be made into a cool story. Here is my story - I also added a werewolf to create a hybrid sci-fi/fantasy tale - which some in my group said was my best writing so far. A short while later I decided to submit this story to an online magazine named Aphelion. It was accepted and has resided there ever since!

I recently stumbled upon a treasure trove of free online science fiction short stories while browsing Greg Egan's website.

Thor #338

• Date: December 1983
• Publisher: Marvel Comics Group
• Cover Price: 60¢
• 2013 NM Price: $6.00
• Stats: 22 color pages plus ads, Bullpen Bulletins and "The Hammer Strikes" letters page
• Story & Art: Walter Simonson
• Other Artists: John Workman, Jr., George Roussos
• Notable Notes: Two worthy warriors duel for Mjolnir!

Better Than A Superbowl?

Don't you love a really good game? A great fight? An evenly matched competition? I do! This issue gives us one of the best fights to take place in the Marvel Universe - and probably one of the few times that Thor gets really worried!

In the summer of 1994 I had just finished my first year of college. I had taken some Japanese language courses, and I was able to go to Japan with some of the friends I made in those classes. While staying near Yokohama, one of my Japanese friend's mom took us to The Hakone Open-air Museum - and wow, what an experience that was! It was this awesome museum that introduced me to one of my all time favorite artists: Pablo Picasso.

"Mortimer Gray's History of Death" is a 1995 science fiction novella by Brian Stableford. It is about a nearly immortal man, living in a far future Earth, who writes a life defining Magnum Opus about - you guessed it - death.

Walt Disney's Donald Duck #246

• Date: October 1986
• Publisher: Gladstone Publishing
• Cover Price: 75¢
• 2013 Price Range: $3.00 - $26.00
• Stats: 32 color pages plus Gladstone info and 2 house ads
• Writer & Artist: Carl Barks
• Notable Notes: The first issue by Gladstone!

Raiders Of The Lost Stamp?

After reading Uncle Scrooge and the Prize of Pizarro as the first comic book review for this blog, I realized that I enjoy adventure stories - especially ones that are set in the jungle. This comic is another classic adventure story from the early days of Disney comics. It reminds me of the Indiana Jones films, but with Donald Duck and his nephews filling in as the down-on-their-luck main characters. This is an excellent book and a prime example of how classic comics can be better than modern ones!

When I was in 4th grade, 45 years ago(!), I was properly introduced to soccer. (I know, I know - most of the rest of the world calls it by the name that makes the most sense: football. But I am an American, so I'll stick with what we call it.) And by "properly" I mean I learned about it. This was America, in the early 1980s, after all! Read the rest of this entry »

"The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" is a short story by Ted Chiang that has been nominated for the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novelette. It is about a fabric merchant in ancient Baghdad who discovers a time portal.

The Amazing Spider-man #249

• Date: February 1984
• Publisher: Marvel Comics Group
• Cover Price: 60¢
• 2013 Price Range: $2.00 - $16.00
• Stats: 22 color pages plus ads, Bullpen Bulletins and "The Spider's Web" letters page.
• Writer: Roger Stern
• Artists: John Romita Jr., Dan Green, Joe Rosen, Bob Sharen
• Notable Notes: The Kingpin saves Spider-man?!

A True Friend

Have you ever had a really good friend that has stood by you through thick and thin? One who knew the pain you'd been through and stuck with you through terrible mental anguish? Harry Osborn sure has a friend like that in Peter Parker! This issue shows what a good pal Peter is - and that is especially significant considering what will eventually happen!