Titan Books

Donna Troy has been many things, a cute kid putting up with a bunch of boys in the Teen Titans, and the heart of an older bunch. An amazon, a Darkstar, Troia, a wife, and a widow, as well as an anomaly in the multiverse, and a titan of myth. This trade goes some way towards detailing and explaining what is actually going on with this character. Straightforward, she isn't.

I had enjoyed reading The Teen Titans in the eighties and thought I knew the truth of the character of Donna Troy. She was an original memeber of the group and her background was all laid out. However when The Crisis On Infinite Earths came about, her past was shattered and not reformed until ten years later. She moved about to find her own place in the DC universe to claim her mantle of Wonder Girl after the Amazon Queen was briefly Wonder Woman in the era of the second world war. She was later found to be the mystic twin of Diana who would become the second Wonder Woman but stolen by the character Dark Angel. Rescued by the Titan Rhea, she was educated and trained by the Titans of Myth before joining the Teen Titans. The rest is revealed in the pages of this great graphic novel and if you want the rest of the story, get the Death And Return of Donna Troy! It explains so much more!

Just got this book from a friend and read it in one sitting. Donna Troy (aka Wonder Girl, Troia, Darkstar) is a DC Comics character with one of the most convoluted history ever. This volume collects her various origin stories in one volume for new readers (like me) who are trying to catch up on her stories - especially with the currently published miniseries "The Return of Donna Troy" that leads into "Infinite Crisis".

The first story is the justly classic "Who Is Donna Troy?" from New Teen Titans #38. This is Marv Wolfman and George Perez at the top of their game in the early 1980s. The highlight of the story is Dick Grayson using his detective skills to investigate the background of Donna Troy. It's essentially a "character-piece" and both Dick and Donna shines here. (The next issue begins "The Judas Contract", probably the beginning of the darkness that overcame the series...)

The second story came immediately after the aforementioned "Judas Contract" in Teen Titans #50, and is a ray of light after the doom and gloom of that particular tale. It's also a reward for longtime fans who'd invested time and money following the "soap-opera" parts of the series. It's the wedding of Donna Troy and Terry Long. Lots of wonderful vignettes from this one as nearly everyone who is anyone turned up for the wedding (including Marv Wolfman and George Perez, see if you can spot them!).

The next arc collected is the five-part story from the second New Titans series that redefined Donna Troy's life after the events of "Crisis On Infinite Earths". This arc introduces us to the Titans of Myth and how Donna was "kidnapped" by them as a baby. Marv Wolfman and George Perez reunites on this tale. Alas, the plotting is no longer as tight as their early 1980s work - and neither was the art. Perez's art, while still pretty impressive, had none of the super-tight, super-detailed, 15-panel-a-page magic of his earlier work on the title. All in all, it's a cool cosmic tale and I like it quite a lot.

The final story in the book is from the Titans/Outsiders Secret Files comic. It's a eulogy for the recently deceased Donna Troy (from the "Graduation Day" storyline). This is rather adequate as the next collection coming soon will most likely be "The Return of Donna Troy" so this two books should make a nice pair.

Interestingly, none of the John Byrne revisions are included in this volume (only mentioned in-passing on one page). Those are the stories that affected Donna the most and link her once more to the post-Crisis Wonder Woman and the Amazons.

All in all, this is a very good collection and I think DC should do more of these "character-spotlight" collections. I personally would like to have one volume books like this one to pass to people who are interested in certain less well known characters (e.g. Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Guy Gardner, Zatanna, etc.)

Recommended for fans of Greek mythology, Wonder Woman, Donna Troy, Nightwing (he's featured a lot!), Titans, Outsiders, Marv Wolfman, George Perez, Phil Jimenez, or just fine comic art in general.

Over her roughly 40 years as a DC Comics character, Donna Troy has gone through a lot of changes. Originally created (as Wonder Girl) just to keep the original Teen Titans from being an all-boys club, Donna has had her super-identity -- and indeed, the very circumstances of her existence -- revised more than once. The cover of "Who Is Donna Troy" depicts the five different stages of Donna Troy's frequently-changing life. And as I write this, I understand she is due to change again during the "Infinite Crisis" event.

Through it all, this character who started out as little more than an afterthought has become one of DC's most beloved super-beings. "New Teen Titans: Who Is Donna Troy" takes the reader through the major events in Donna's life, and is recommended reading for anyone is reading (or planning to read) the "Infinite Crisis" series. If you already know Donna as Wonder Girl, or Troia, or perhaps Darkstar, this is your chance to learn more about her. If you don't know Donna very well, you're welcome to go along as she seeks the truth of who she really is.

The Official Batman Batbook is about the 1960s Batman tv series. It has an episode guide, and it looks and the cast and crew, as well.

The book talks about the origins of the series, the environment it was created in, and the place it held in the culture at the time, and now.

This is the best Batman book I have ever seen. So jam-packed with information.

Wonderful information for any true Batfan. This book has every episode in detail and has a listing of all the episodes. Interviews from many performers on the show ( not Adam West or Burt Ward (: ) Great book but hard to find.

The "Batbook" offers an embarrassment of riches for fans of the 1960s Batman TV show. It includes all the essentials -- synopses of every episode, a good overview of the show's origins and casting, loads of photos of heroes and villains, and the lowdown on the 1966 Batman feature film. There are also tons of tidbits you never needed to know: A compendium of every "Holy...!" utterance that ever escaped Burt Ward's breathless lips, for instance, and an inventory of the bat-gadgets used in each episode.

What's best about the Batbook, though, is the behind-the-scenes insights gleaned from original interviews with Alan Napier (the show's trusty Alfred), several writers, and bit actors who played henchmen to the featured baddies. Alas, Eisner didn't get access to the Dynamic Duo or any of the big-name villains, and relies for their perspectives on excerpts of previously-published interviews. Nonetheless, it's an amusing read for anyone ZAP-ped by the mid-60s bat-bug.

Another reviewer likened Jim Smith's writing style to Robert Heinlein. It is, in that Smith (like Heinlein) is a good story teller and provides a "feel good" original story based on people. It isn't, in that Smith still lacks the polished writing that Heinlein had.

Pros: Good story, well told but with a slow background buildup, exceptional lead in to the next in his series.

Cons: Really needs someone to proof read before publication to eliminate typographical errors. This was quite distracting for me. As stated above, it was a little slow in getting started. This is understandable when introducing a completely new series and hopefully will not hinder future works.

Overall this was a book well worth buying and reading. I look forward to future books by this author.

This is a fun story which nominally recasts the clash between the original Titans and the new Olympian pantheon in Greek mythology as a struggle between galactic civilizations. What I found most enjoyable about this installment (part one of a series) was the 'realistic' detail given to both the starship armaments and their crew ... sure, there are points that require a bit of a stretch, but the interaction of the various military characters and tactics would be at home on any naval vessel that I have served on (quite unlike MOST Sci-Fi stories that I have encountered) earning the book an extra star and the gratitude of my dentist. Similarly ... The first contact / interaction with present day earth was well done, if perhaps a tad optimistic.

The book itself was well paced, with enough suspense to gently pull you through the whole story to a cliff-hanger ending; thankfully the main conflict was resolved and it appears that each installment will be able to stand on its own. There were few surprises in the story, which lacked a fair amount of intensity giving it more of a history book or clinical feel to it (especially in the beginning). I would have liked to see more grit when the story moved out of the more Spartan military settings (the potential power struggle on Olympus Prime could have been a story unto itself). Over all, the book is a quick, feel-good story that most will enjoy before fading from memory as it takes its place among other pleasant afternoons.

Finally, there were a few distracting editorial mistakes (where the wrong word spelled correctly appears), but not too bad.

This is a great book, it's basically a Space Opera with some vague similarities to BSG (not a bad thing, as it's not copied, just similar). I really enjoyed the book, the only problems I had with it were the slightly high number of acronyms used in it, sometimes I had to stop and think what each one meant.

Overall though, definitely worth a read!

I got it ... read it in one go ... Liked it ... and I'd like to review it.

Somewhat of a space opera ... Has a bit of the BATTLESTAR GALACTICAs going for it ... both the Classic series and Post 9/11 ...

Lots of back story and exposition to wade through to get up to speed, but be patient ... it's worth it.

Jim Smith has a simple, Robert Heinlein style in his writing.

Real cliff hanger at the end, but a satisfying finish to this installment nonetheless. Really has you wanting to "tune in next week." Let's see how fast Smith can get another edition on the ether.

If there is an ebook version of the "airport sci-fi" novel that you pick up on impulse to pass the time, you can trust OLYMPUS PRIME: Return Of The Titans.

First review for me here on Amazon. I just got this book based on a post on the [...]. I am not usually a Sci-Fi reader but thought I would give it a try as I was getting tired of my usual genre and needed something different.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book. I managed to breeze through it over 2 days during work breaks(I was reading on my Laptop as I got the PDF version). The writing style was very "easy" to read and not too techie. It almost felt similar in vein to an episode of Star Trek, not exactly but I got that vibe.

I like how the author mixed some Greek Mythology into his Sci-Fi universe as well as mixing in Present Day/Near Future earth with the technilogically advanced Olympian/Titan Races. Very creative and well thought out.

This book has made me want to look into more Sci-Fi now. Great Book! Can't wait for the next installments.

I was sad to see Promethea end after just five books, but this is hands down one of the most kick-@$$ stories I have ever read (this goes for the series, not just this book) and the series is a cherished part of my graphic novel collection - and I am picky! The ending caught me off-guard, but in a way it almost seems fitting the way it ended.

Promethea is the type of comic that is more than a comic. After finishing this series, I am not the same person that I was before. Alan Moore's true genius shines through as he reveals his life's work of research on magic, religion and philosophy to the lucky reader. In the fifth volume, the journey comes to an end, one that the reader may not be expecting. It is a soft ending, but one with a lot of mental punch in terms of thought and self-reflection. You haven't seen the true potential of what a comic book can do until you have read the Promethea series.

Promethea 1-4 set a remarkable standard of storytelling. Characters, despite a bit of super-ness, had enough human weaknesses and quirks to make them seem real. Artwork varied in ways that followed the varying worlds that our heroes traversed. The plot built, over the course of the books, without frustrating the newcomer or taunting the long-time reader. I expected more of that very high standard from this book.

Well, I'm wrong a lot. The style of art varied between hard comic edges for the mundane world and airburshed softness for the realm beyond, but I found the rapid alternation more distracting than enlightening. The last chapter's psychedelia not only failed its narrative purpose, but often camouflaged the written narrative. When actual motivation waned, crossover characters materialized to create plot events. There' more to object to, as well, but most of all was the ending - if there actually was one at all.

Perhaps it's best that the Promethea saga ends with this volume. Whatever there was to say, was said - as much as I like the series as a whole, this volume cost me my interest in seeing more of it.

//wiredweird

I've been reading comics for nigh on thirty-five years now, and PROMETHEA is one of my all-time favorites. This concluding volume wraps up the show in fine fashion as Promethea ushers in an "apocalypse" that is wholly unexpected, and is based on the original Greek meaning of the term. The coda issue is STUNNING, one of the most innovatively written and designed comic stories EVER, I kid you not.

As to the other poster's somewhat off-handedly critical comments about "air brushed" art: well, I do not know what technique the amazing JH Williams III used in parts of the finale story, but let me contextualize WHY he chose a new style for some scenes. In the final story imagination and reality begin to blur and Williams uses a semi-photo-realistic style to suggest "reality," as in our reality, which blurs with comic book reality. After 30-some issues of spectacular innovation Williams keeps the new design ideas flowing in this final volume.

Needless to say, you probably will not be buying this volume without having read the first four books, so you will already know if you HAVE to read v5 or not. I think it is a majestic finish to a truly remarkable work of art, and if there were seven stars, I'd grant it that (seven being a lucky number!).

PROMETHEA gets my highest possible praise, love and respect and yes, it even nudged out Neil Gaiman's incandescent SANDMAN meta-megaseries.

This is a brilliant book and particually good if your a big fan of Freddy Krueger films, like me. It tells us of Wes Cravens past and of his past and present movies.

I have been an avid fan of Wes Craven and his movies, But this book gives you more insight on his better movies, and gives you respect for his unsatisfactory movies. As well as getting inside his head and knowing what these movies really mean, After reading it you know what each movie is "really" all about. For anyone who is interested in Horror movies, or any genre of Movies, you should definately read this book.

At first thought, many people probably would have thought director Wes Craven to be some kind of unbalanced oddball because of some of the films he has made. Not to mention some of the gnarly and overly violent scenes he has created in his numerous films. What kind of a person would of made "The Last House On The Left", or "The Hills Have Eyes"?. Or have a geiser of blood shooting up from a teenaged boy's bed in the original "A Nightmare On Elm Street"?. Well, Mr. Craven. That's who. Newbies just finding his work and learning more about him, might be surprised to find that Mr. Craven is the exact opposite of what you would of thought. Instead of coming across as some crazy horror film director, he comes across more as a polished and highly intelligent man who looks and dresses like a college professor. "Freddy" star Robert Englund even once made that comment after meeting Wes for the first time after auditioning for the first Freddy movie. This book delves right into the entirety of Wes' career and offers glimpses into the makings of each ones, not to mention his own life. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 2, 1939. One other interesting note was how his family were a deeply religious baptist family. The religion and the nature of his family's religion is something Wes goes on to discuss a bit further in the book. It's also incredibly interesting to know that Wes never saw a movie until
he wasin college. The good and the bad from his work is brought to the forefront and dissected. A running theme thru the book is the effect that horror, and many of Wes' films, have had on the world. Is it good?. Is it harmful to children?. Is it responsible when someone commits a crime and says they did because of watching "Scream" or any other movie?. That is some of the interesting bits you will read about in this book. Author Brian J. Robb, an autobiogrpaher who has done work on such other people as Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, River Phoenix, and Leonardo DiCaprio, does a nice job of getting the information there and making it easily accessible and interesting to read. Granted, the book isn't entirely perfect. It's a thin and light book that could probably be read in one sitting. Also, many of the quotes seem like they were taken from many other sources. It doesn't feel like Wes had directly talked to this book or was involved in any interviews for it. I'm just guessing. It would of been better if it had a tad more in depth, but I'm not really complaining for as it is a great book. The "Nightmare On Elm Street" films are thoroughly researched and talked about here. It is kind of odd that every single one is accounted for since 4 of them had nothing really to do with Wes at all. I did get the feeling that Wes wasn't properly treated at time by New Line over the "Elm Street" series. These films were what really made Wes known, until a little movie called "Scream" came out to terrify theatergoers in 1996 and made Wes not only a household name again, but proved that he is master and back at the top of the horror list. Much talk and detail goes into all 3 of the "Scream" films as well. Overall, this is avery entertaining and enjoyable read. From his trouble with getting a film done, going without money, and the ever present cencorships board, and other things you will read about in this book, Wes Craven has had his struggles. But as always, he rolls with the punches and he always gets back on his feet again. This is a book that satisfy fans, newcomers to him and his work, and genre buffs all over the world.

This is designed for big, big, big fans of Wes Craven. It is a slim book whose text seems to be primarily based on magazine articles and newspaper clips. The book gives a fairly good overview of Craven's history and philosophy in a readable and serviceable style.

This is a good book, really. What happens when six villans live in a house, and have to start being real? Well, lots of people get shot/stabbed, for one.

After the events of the various Crises in the DC Universe, several villans team-up mostly for personal gain, but also to avoid other villans who were none too happy that they didn't join the Society of Super Villans. But mostly, they do it for the money.

Here, the main storyline is Scandal vs. her father, Vandal Savage, and all the wackiness that ensues. I can't get into too much detail because it's all spoilers.

I will say that I grew to care about the characters, but Gail Simone has a knack of doing that with the characters she writes, so that is not suprising. Heck, she even made Mad Hatter 3-dimesional! What is suprising is that Catman is able to go head-to-head with Cheshire, but I chalk that up to Cheshire going easy on him, there's no way he should be able to hang.

And my last words on this are based on the end of the book: Ragdoll's a douche.

Did you ever read Secret Society of Super Villians? Or Suicide Squad? Or Serpent Society (guest story line in 1980's Capt America?

If you enjoyed those comics, but thought they could be better then this comic is for you. It is everything those comics were and more. I'm just sorry there aren't more Secret Six graphic novels available.

While I enjoyed the Villains United (Countdown to Infinite Crisis) mini-series (featuring the debut of the "Secret Six" anti-heroes), I felt that the "Infinte Crisis"-mandated beats cut into some of the characterization and stopped the story short. Gail Simone returned with "Secret Six: Six Degrees of Devastation," a brutally funny and mature take on the super-villain squad. Fans of Grant Morrison's "Doom Patrol" and other off-beat teams will find a lot to like here. I had to double-check the cover again for a "Vertigo" logo, because I couldn't believe that DC had given Simone such free reign with the characters within the confines of the mainstream DC Universe. The Mad Hatter sleeping with his hats is priceless.

After reading Villians United, I couldn't wait to pick up this trade to see what had happened next to the Secret Six. Did "Six Degrees of Devastation" hold up to my expectations? Yes and No

First off, props to Gail Simone for writing another fantastic story. My only gripe is that the story is not as funny as the last, but that doesn't mean there aren't some hilarious scenes. (The Mad Hatter has now become one of my favorite characters, if you read this then you know what I am talking about.)

Even though the story is up to par, the art drops the ball. It's pretty muddy for the most part but does improve as the series goes on. It's a shame that there are beautiful covers but the art itself is just average.

Therefore, I gave it 4 stars due to the art. Sad that there aren't any future stories for these characters at the moment because the ending will have you wanting more. (Except, I am tired of midgits seeking revenge against the Secret Six.)

this is an ok book to read.,.. but the stories in it are kinda boring and not really funny... kinda on the same level as the futurama comics... obviously not written by gronening. the art is cool.. but lame writing makes it kinda a drag to read.

On The First Page Of It, Bart Simpson & Reverend Lovejoy & Kent Brockman
Wore A Tie but One of them are Dark Liebelia ( i.e Purple) Dark Blue & Deluxe Red. It's a FUNNNNNNNNNY BOOK!

Although the title of this book is "Barn Burner," there are no country/farm themed comics here. In fact, a golf-related title would be more appropriate as there are several golf references at the end of this book. So, if you are a fan of golf and the Simpsons, this comic book is for you! Overall, there are a lot of good ideas here, but some of them fall flat. The book gets better after the first three comics.

"How the Vest Was Won!": Bart is named "Lil' Squealer of the of the Week" on the show `Kids Commit the Darndest Crimes' and receives a bullet-proof vest that helps him avoid reprisals from the thugs on which he squealed (Nelson, Jimbo, etc.). This one had good possibilities but the ending was lame.
"A Swingin' Affair!": Swing is back and Marge wants to go dancing but Homer is too lazy (surprise). Marge goes with Flanders instead. Again, there were possiblites here but it is just an average six-page short.
"Mayor Me a Little": To overcome a morals scandal, Mayor Quimby appeases the religious constituents by banning beer on Sundays. To stop these "blue laws," Homer runs against him on the "Keg Party" ticket but soon gets caught up with the mob. This was good but, again, the ending was weak.

"Lisa's Historical Dream": 4-page short has Lisa dreaming that the Springfield folks are historical figures sent to change history by the "Past Master" (Mr. Burns). Burns wants to create Monty Land where everybody looks like him (in other words, everyone looks hideous) and thinks his thoughts (in other words, evil thoughts). The last box is very funny. This one has possibilities for a longer comic.
"Faking the Band": Homer puts together a boy band with Bart, Nelson, Roy (remember him from the episode "Itchy, and Scratchy, and Poochie" from Season 8?), Rod Flanders and Ralph as another get-rich-quick scheme. Ralph is supposed to have a great singing voice in this comic which I cannot even fathom (I wouldn't think he'd be able to keep paste out of his mouth long enough to sing a song). You might be surprised which of the "5 From `Field" changed the most from their brief flirtation with fame.
"The Man with Two Wives": Homer wins Smithers's service in a poker game and Marge feels she's in competition to tend to Homer's domestic needs. Smithers even moves in his Malibu Stacy collection. Marge resents Smithers's "husband-usurping." Meanwhile, Bart becomes Mr. Burns's new assistant and introduces paint ball to the nuclear power plant. Any comic with Smithers is guaranteed to be hilarious.

"My Sister, My Sidekick": Bart is Stretch-Dude and Lisa is Clobber Girl. Marge wants them to include Maggie, so Bart and Lisa take their baby sister to professor Frink (actually, his evil clone) to transfer some of their powers creating Bouncing Battle Baby. At first she was a real bummer, but can she be useful against a new nemesis, Snakeskin?
"The Paper Chase": Bart takes over Milhouse's paper route and tries creative ways to deliver the news, then learns he can control the news, then fabricates a giant attacking moth, then Prof. Frink shows up with an anti-moth robot that runs amok, etc. Yes, this 22-page comic goes all over the place. It's good though, with a very funny ending.
"The Bogey Man": Mr. Burns plans on building his dream golf course over the Springfield Natural Preserve, but finds something he has in common with his chief adversary, Lisa.
"If Homer Simpson Invented Golf": A funny short (water traps replaced with beer traps).

A great Simpsons comics choice. Laugh-out-loud humor and great plotlines. My personal favorite is Marge Vs. Smithers. I also really love The Paper Chase. This comic book is just crack-up great, in some spots though the humor is dry and the plots are a bit dull like A Swingin' Affair. Decent jokes there, and as well as the Groundskeeper Willie "If I Invented Golf" thing? Homer's rendition is way better. Although of the hidden flaws. No need to nitpick! This book is "banjo-fiddlin' darn-tootin' barn-burnin' fun"! My good buddy, you'll be all night reading this! I know for a fact that I slept over a friend's house [...] and he could not stop reading it! He read it before we fell asleep, and he read it for 2 hours in the morning until I woke up! Well, great fun in these easy-to-picture-as-episode comics. Toe-tapping greatness!.....OK I'll stop with the dry redneck humor. :)

A job well done as I will cherich this book for a long time thank you

Titan Books pretty much has the formula down. The Smallville series are short on synopses and long on cast and creator commentary, and so are interesting reading for any fan of the series. The color plates are usually the standard promo shots from the given season, but the review of the season arcs and the in-depth look at every finale make the books certainly worth reading, and the cast interviews are always fun.

This book is great for anyone that wants to learn more of what goes on behind the scenes of Smallville. The only thing that I would change is to have more pictures of the cast. If you want to learn more about Smallville this is definately a good buy for you

I've gotten the first four seasons on DVD so when I heard about these Smallville Companion books I decided to get this one.
I found that when you get a copy you'll see that each episode has the cast list, the writer(s) and director along with a B/W photo or two. You'll also find a trivia bit, a music list (which the DVD sets do not have), one or more lines quoted and sometimes an "article" from the Smallville Ledger or Torch (Chloe Sullivan sometimes contributing to the Ledger as well as the Torch). Each episode is covered with three or four pages in all, an opening paragraph detailing the storyline and the rest giving background information from the cast and crew. About all that's missing is an original airdate which you will find on the DVD sets. I would like more information about how each episode is produced. You get some of that in the episode sections and more in the character profiles, meet the cast and crew and Chloe Chronicles sections in the back of the book.
There is a color photo section near the center of the book, seems to be shots of the cast but not actually from episodes.
I've also got #1 & #3 on order and I'll probably get volume #4 if there is one.

What great plots on all three stories. The third story was especially scary. Norvell Page was a great author.

This Baen omnibus includes two Spider novels by Norvell Page, and one of the two Skull-Killer stories, the Octopus.

The cover is by Steranko, and references the first Spider novel, with iron men laying waste to New York streets, and there is an amusing little intro piece featuring the author and some details of his work.

Spider - 075 Satan's Murder Machines

The Spider vs Iron Man.


Iron Men, too, if you like. Rather than Ole Shellhead of course, we have a variety fo bad guy here, but with a similar methodology.

Power armour suits to wreak havoc and destruction, as opposed to saving the world.

The only man that can stop them, is, of course, Richard Wentworth, The Spider. That's if the not so swift police acquaintances will stop hassling him long enough to let him do so.

Luckily, the brave, gorgeous, and very smart Nita van Sloan is around to help, not to mention fearless muscular assistant Ram Singh.

The Spider will fight Iron Men under water, and especially will bash them with big things while doing his Iron Man act on top of a bus.

A pretty classic action finish, this one.


3 out of 5


Spider - 026 Death Reign Of the Vampire King

The Spider vs Bat Man.


This one isn't trying to strike fear and terror into the hearts of criminals, either, but quite the reverse.

He is using bats with poisoned sharp bits to slaughter hundreds of innocents in his own crazy crusade against the USA.

The Spider needs help in this one, as he cannot fly on his own like the Bat Man, and a pilot steps up to help, along with the usual crew.

The Spider realises he might have to give the whole flying bat thing a go himself before this is over.


3.5 out of 5


The Octopus - The City Condemned To Hell

Jeffrey Fairchild likely suffers from the same sort of personality disassociation problems as Moon Knight.

As Dr. Skull, a man thirty years older than he actually is, he works with Carol, a nurse, who he is definitely interested in.

He is also The Skull-Killer, and must work hard to stop one of Dr. Skull's colleagues, when he discovers he is The Octopus, turning people into devolved sea monster types with the aid of a purple ray.

3 out of 5




3.5 out of 5

This is actually THREE classic short novels, rather than two. The first two are tales of "The Spider", the kind of hero whose stereotypes are Doc Savage or The Shadow, a man whose public face is "idle rich", but by night...

The first story, SATAN'S MURDER MACHINES, finds the Spider dealing with the Robot Titans of the title. Giant walking machines which kill and ravage the city with impunity, thwarting all efforts to stop them. This story absolutely stunned me with the amount of thought and planning that went into it. I won't reveal the machine's secrets here, but I will say that Page was dealing with concepts that wouldn't re-appear in science fiction for almost thirty years, and he made the machines both believable *and* workable. Fun.

The second story, DEATH REIGN OF THE VAMPIRE KING, we find the Spider dealing with a villain who uses swarms of bats, augmented with poison fangs, to terrorize the city. The Spider ends up framed for the murders and must both catch the killer and clear his name. The aerial combat scenes were splendid, and I liked the fact that Nita, the Spider's girlfriend, is drawn by the author to be just as skilled and tough-minded as the Spider.

The final story, THE OCTOPUS: THE CITY CONDEMNED TO HELL, was a one-off that apparently never gelled as a series. It deals with "Dr. Skull", a skilled and dedicated young physician, who disguises himself as old, and fights crime and evil wherever he finds them. Here, he must deal with "The Octopus" an evil both ancient and young, who turns people into monsters to feed his empire. It's not quite up to "The Spider", but it was fun to read.

Add in cover *and* interior art by Steranko, and you've got a recipe for solid entertainment. The book also lists another volume "The Spider: City of Doom" in the works.

This was a heckuva lot of fun to read, so all I can say about the prospct of another volume is: Goodie!

The only problem I had with this book is, that as a long time collector of the Spider, I was disappointed that two of the three novels I already had in book form. As there are about a hundred Spider novels that I haven't read, I would have like some of them instead. That said, for the beginning Spider fan, this is a good place to start. Two Spiders, plus another novel, The Octopus, by Norvell Page, The main writer if the series. Recommended on that basis.

This book is quite useful and I have found data in it I was looking for for a long time, especially in the deck plans. Still, it has some quite big faults. Biggest of all is the dates, the first Enterprise served 2221-2285, not some time around the turn of the century and the NCC-1701-A did not possess a Transwarp Drive like described in the book. But overall this book is very useful for its vast amount of details not seen anywhere else

My parents bought this book for me several years ago for Christmas. My knowledge of Star Trek has grown over the years, and after reading it again recently, I've noticed a few inaccuracies. However, this book gives the reader AN EXCELLENT INCITE and information into the movie version of the starship ENTERPRISE.

Mr Scott's Guide to the Enterprise is a good book with lots of information. However, some of the information is speculation. Cool picts, it is a really popular book and I like it.

This book is the most in-depth resource available on the NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-A as they appeared in the first four Star Trek films. Its deck plans appear to match the actual sets very closely, and it refers to details of the starship model and mattes of sets such as the recreation deck in such a way that you can tell that Mr. Johnson has definitely done his homework. I recommend it to any fan of the film era or later. Many of the sets shown here would later be redressed to serve as rooms of the NCC-1701-D, the 1701-A in the fifth and sixth movies, and the USS Voyager from Star Trek: Voyager.

For years Trekkers have debated over which books are Trek "canon," and which aren't. Many fans do not consider this book to be canon. If you want to be anal about it, no Star Trek book is canon, not even the Sternbach/Okuda works, or the writer's guides or bibles themselves. Since the episodes and films contradict each other from time to time, one could argue that no single episode or film is canon when held up against the Star Trek universe as a whole.

Rick Sternbach and Michael Okuda have argued that each fan must decide what he or she believes to be canon. To me, this book is. Buy it.