Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula
The year is 1890. The city, London. Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula: Is there anything more to say? (Oh, yeah, it’s a radio drama).
All About Gu Long
It’s all about ladies, booze and mysteries for Gu Long and his most famous character, the Bondesque swordsman detective, Chu Liu-xiang. “When you hear ‘martial arts novels,’ you can think of several famous writers of Chinese literature. But when you hear ‘mystery martial arts novels,’ only one name […]
Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?
Just how many times do I have to kill this guy? It’s a question I’ve certainly asked myself while playing various games, along with Why aren’t you dead yet? and How many damn heads does it have anyway? Everybody’s version of tedium is different, but endlessly dodging around […]
A Perfect Frame
Early in Eddie Campbell’s painterly “picture novel,” The Black Diamond Detective Agency, the main character, Jackie Hardin, says, “We thought we had all the time in the world…. Tomorrow can take it all away” (7). And with the implied death of a young daughter and a bucolic description […]
The Dead Body Politic
The adage has it that truth is stranger than fiction. I swear that’s true in Mexico. One of my favourite writers, hardboiled crime novelist Paco Ignacio Taibo II, has to struggle to keep up with the absurd plot of his beloved nation. Although Taibo is a fine writer, […]
The Grouchy Snob
When people find out that I like science fiction (and write about it), they often try to find a familiar example to talk about. This is a better reaction than to say, “Oh, that crap?” or something along those lines. But recently, the example has inevitably been Star […]
The Cultural Gutter 