1941-42 (collected 1942) / Ecomics / 62 pages / Belgium
**
It's been long enough since the unambiguous Eastern mysticism that I was taken
aback by the exploding mushrooms and giant spiders in Tintin's first sci-fi
adventure. But before we get there, there's a nautical wacky race to run
against unseen dastardly opponents to fill out the sagging middle.
Various, The Star Wars Album
1977 / Ebook / 80 pages / USA
****
I'll always take a flimsy time capsule over a definitive retrospective, and
this stocking fodder captures a brief moment in time when the 'Droids were
considered the breakout stars and Star Wars was primarily celebrated as
a successful amalgamation of cinematic styles, rather than sweeping those out
of memory to become the new default. This slim guide satisfyingly spends
longer than is really sensible exploring those influences, from Flash and Buck
to Laurel and Hardy, so there's only time for a skimming overview of the
production after the mandatory film synopsis, interesting itself for the
alternate dialogue. It doesn't get into Joseph Campbell or Freudian symbolism,
but they needed some space for photos.
Tom Braunlich and Bill Muldowney, Official Player's Guide: Star Trek: The Next Generation Customizable Card Game
***
I longed to play this acknowledged Magic: The Gathering rip-off back in the '90s, when I bought a Deep Space Nine set, but everyone I knew was into Pokémon cards or proper roleplaying.
Reading this introduction caused a recurrence of the quarter-century itch that I'll have to scratch one day, and maybe realise I just like looking at them after all.
****
Episodic adventures become a de facto novel when the third story concocts
continuity twixt its predecessors and then just doesn't stop. The first voyage
into Earth's inner microcosmos is one of my favourite things he's written,
layering insanities like a hilarious lasagne. The globetrotting sequel and
brothel intermission considerably less so.
Fave: 'Ultima Thule'
Jo Storm,
Frak You!: The Ultimate Unauthorized Guide to Battlestar Galactica2007 / Ebook / 251 pages / Canada
***
More like 'penultimate,' as the unofficial chronicler of 80% of
Stargate SG-1 moves on to cover 75% of a superior sci-fi drama, also
never updated once the journey was over and Ti(gh)-ins less in demand. Not as
in-depth as it could have been, even then, but still a nice reminder of why
the series is a candidate for the best.
