The young prince Damian Wayne was raised to be the heir to the fearsome League of Assassins — to follow in the footsteps of his deadly mother, Talia, and the Demon's Head himself, his grandfather Ra's al Ghul.

But everything changed when his father, the Batman (Bruce Wayne), reclaimed him and brought him back to Gotham City.

The young prince Damian Wayne was raised to be the heir to the fearsome League of Assassins--to follow in the footsteps of his deadly mother, Talia, and the Demon's Head himself, his grandfather Ra's al Ghul. But everything changed when his father, the Batman, reclaimed him and brought him back to Gotham City.

As Robin, young Damian suddenly discovered he was merely one of a number of princes, preceded in the role by his brothers Richard Grayson (Nightwing), Jason Todd (Red Hood), and  Timothy Drake (Red Robin)... and Damian doesn't care to be merely anything.

But when his father is forced to leave the city on urgent business, and a rash of abductions is accompanied by whispers of a demon stalking Gotham's dark alleys, Damian will find himself battling alongside his adoptive brothers--and in the process, learning what the mantle of Robin really means!

​Visionary writer/artist Juni Ba makes his mark on the timeless story of Batman and Robin, synthesizing the characters' complex history into an accessible and heartrending fairy tale! Ba's lyrical text and highly stylized artwork may not be what a lot of DC Comics fans are used to, but trust me, it a wonderful diversion. 

If you're not familiar with Juni Ba's work, you can learn more about this award-winning writer and artist on his website or see his books below.  

RELATED FEATURES: Damian Wayne Collection  |  Batman Collection  |  Nightwing Collection  |  Tim Drake Collection  | Nightwing, Batman and Adoption Problems 

I read Brahms Stoker‘s Dracula when I was in college, but only recently found out that this 1903 novel was the basis for Boris Karloff’s The Mummy (1932). Because I love that movie so much, I had to sit down and read this novel right away. 

Like Dracula (1897), The Jewel of the Seven Stars is a horror novel which combines mythology, history, science, and the Victorian belief in spiritualism. The main character is a barrister (lawyer) named Malcolm Ross who is summoned to the estate of a rich nobleman fascinated with ancient Egypt. The nobleman, Abel Trelawny, has been overcome by a seemingly magical sleep. While in this impenetrable slumber, he’s attacked several times by forces unknown which seem intent on procuring a key fastened to his wrist by an unbreakable steel bracelet. Despite the horrific nature of the assaults, no suspect can be identified despite concurrent investigations from Malcolm, the local doctor, and Scotland Yard. Mr. Trelawny’s daughter, Margaret, with whom Malcolm is smitten, can shed no light on the experiences even though she’s the first to arrive on the scene after each attack. As Malcolm continues his investigation, it becomes clear that Mr. Trelawny’s interest in the Egyptian occult, and in particular a female pharaoh called Tera, may have something to do with his troubles. 

Like so many people of the Victorian era, Stoker was fascinated with ancient Egypt and clearly did a tremendous amount of research in preparation for this story. While his attention to detail is amazing, the overly mannered writing style, which often strays into minutia, can make for a difficult read. Told in first person, the reader sees very little of the actual events leading up to the book. Instead, secondary characters provide endless exposition to create the backstory. In this sense, Stoker violates a cardinal rule of a modern author: show, don’t tell. In fact, you might have to drink some coffee or go for a walk if you’re trying to get through some of the ponderous foreshadowing and long monologues.

Stoker was very much a man of his time, and his characters certainly embody his Victorian sensibilities. All the gentlemen are exceedingly proper, honorable and intelligent. They are all keenly interested in understanding the ancient Egyptian mysteries laid before them, while simultaneously considering such things the works of heathens dabbling in realms better left untouched. The central female character of Margaret (who’s almost the only female character), is everything a young Victorian gentleman would want. She’s intelligent (but not more intelligent than the men), exceedingly kind, inquisitive, and in constant and persistent need of rescue. Later in the book, when her mood changes for reasons I won’t go into, and she becomes more withdrawn and haughty, Malcolm acknowledges that he doesn’t find her as attractive as before. To the reader, there’s a clear message here: the woman’s more valuable and relevant when she’s appealing to men.

If you’re reading The Jewel of the Seven Stars as an example of Victorian horror fiction, then you will probably find it interesting, even at times fascinating. If not, you’re going to find it a slog.  In the end, I don’t know that the payoff is worth it. I found the conclusion very anti-climactic. It had a much darker ending when it was originally published, but Stoker went back and changed it a few years later. Perhaps a happy ending was more in keeping with Victorian sensibilities where “civilized” men triumph and “civilized” women get married?

In the end, Dracula's still a better book.

RELATED FEATURES: Horror Collection  |  Supernatural Collection  |  Paranormal Collection  |  Swoony Vampires and Gay Love in the Greek Islands  |  Horror Fans Collection on Bookshop.org

OTHER REVIEWS IN THIS SERIES: Raven | Beast Boy | Beast Boy Loves Raven | Robin | Starfire

Here we are... on the fourth book in the Kami Garcia / Gabriel Picolo Teen Titans series — ROBIN! This is one of my favorite books so far, but I fully admit that's because I'm a huge Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson fan and both characters figure prominently in this edition. 

If you have read any of the previous Batman / Damian Wayne literature, you know that the youngest Robin and the oldest Robin have had a checkered past. Understandably, when Damian was first introduced to Wayne Manor, he was shocked to find that Bruce already had a son "occupying" his place there. And that initial shock  gave way to a seething resentment. 

Nevermind that Bruce adopted Dick long before he even knew Damian existed. Nevermind that Bruce went out of his way to extract Damian from the League of Assassins, its leader (and Damian's grandfather) Ra's al Ghul, and give him a purpose beyond killing innocent people. Never mind that Dick, who is generous and empathetic by nature, went out of his way to welcome Damian into the family. Because Damian is overly confident, insecure and narcissistic in equal measure — taught from birth that attachment and reliance on other people are profound weaknesses.

In time, however, Dick's compassion wins over Damian and they become very close. (You can see a lot of this fomenting in Batman & Robin Vol. 1: Batman Reborn, when Bruce is out of action and Dick has to take up Batman's cowl with Damian as his sidekick.) 

​However, in Garcia's version Dick and Damian are very much at the beginning of their association, having only met each other a few months previously. When the youngest Wayne heads out on his own to assess Slade Wilson's motives and ends up saving Raven and Garfield from a H.I.V.E. laboratory (see Beast Boy Loves Raven), Dick decides to follow him using a tracker secretly hidden in Damian's clothing. Having his unwanted big brother show up uninvited only makes things worse — especially because Dick inadvertently keeps cramping Damian's style in front of his new friends and the girl he likes (Max). 

It's Max and the others who point out that Dick not only seems sincere about wanting to build a brotherly relationship with Damian, but has skills and experience that are genuinely useful to them as they try to stay ahead of Slade. This is something Dick demonstrates several times when he fixes their mistakes or covers their tracks. Ultimately however, Damian's not convinced until Dick narrowly bests him in a series of physical and mental competitions... and rather than gloating is gracious in victory.  

While it's safe to say that there will be more friction between Damian and Dick in the volumes ahead, Teen Titans: Robin brings the brothers together at the end. More importantly, it introduces Dick Grayson, the guy who actually FORMED the Teen Titans in the first place into the mix. 

​RELATED: Comics Collections | Teen Titans Fans Collection | Damian Wayne Collection | Nightwing, Batman and Adoption Problem

OTHER REVIEWS IN THIS SERIES: Raven | Beast Boy | Beast Boy Loves Raven | Robin | Starfire

​Beast Boy Loves Raven is the third installment in the reimagined and compelling Teen Titans series by Kami Garcia. While the first two books were, for lack of a better term, origin stories, #3 begins the formation of the Teen Titans team.

Raven and Beast Boy have stumbled upon each other in Nashville, Tennessee. Both have been lured there by a need to solve some persistent mysteries about their personal histories and burgeoning powers — and an ominous mercenary named Slade claims to have the answers they seek. 

Much of the book deals with the burgeoning relationship between Raven and Gar as they tour Nashville and anxiously wait for Slade to show. Over several days, their relationship slowly takes on a romantic component. This is not an easy development for either character. Raven was burned in Raven by a handsome basketball player named Tommy who turned out to be one of Slade's agents assigned to gather intelligence on her. Gar, on the other hand, is sweet but horribly awkward.  Plus, he doesn't want Raven to know he can unintentionally transform into a wild animal under certain circumstances. 

Two other characters of the future Titans team get play time in this edition. The first is Max, Raven's foster sister, who was introduced in book #1, and who has secretly followed her to Tennessee. The second is Damian Wayne, the fourth Robin and biological son of Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman. Damian has also been enticed to Tennessee by Slade, but thanks to his natural paranoia he doesn't fall so easily for the man's line of attractive patter...

When Raven and Gar are abducted when they head off to meet Slade, Damian's suspicions are confirmed.  He and Max track the pair to a hidden laboratory in the woods where they are being tortured by a scientist named Adeline Kane. Kane is trying to provoke them to use their powers — and she apparently has designs on other young people with super powers.
​
This sets up the next phase of the series... where we will undoubtedly begin to see these characters getting control of their powers and new team members being introduced.

​Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven is my favorite book in the series so far. Not just because Raven and Gar are awesome characters, but because we're beginning to see the team dynamic that Teen Titans' fans so know and love. I'm also looking forward the the next book, Robin. I'm a huge Damian Wayne fan and he promises to provide some chaos to the mix!

RELATED: Comics Collections | Teen Titans Fans Collection

If you're like me, you spend your work week looking forward to those weekend game and movie nights. Not only are they an opportunity to catch up with friends and family, but you can immerse yourself in different worlds, play out impossible adventures, and build great memories.

But if you and your group(s) are still sustaining yourselves on bags of Doritos and six-packs of Mountain Dew, it may be time to step up your game and actually make creative cooking and baking part of the experience.

For years now, my game and movie partners and I have made our culinary choices part of the overall experience. Toward that end, I've compiled some genre-specific collections of cookbooks below to help you explore new dishes to treat your palette. 

Here are some other related suggestions to enhance your pre-activity meals:

• Coordinate the food to reflect the theme of the night's movie, game or book.
• Take turns choosing the entrée and have your partners coordinate their sides and desserts accordingly.
• Skip an entrée altogether and make one night all about appetizers.
• Create a taco, baked potato or burger bar!
• Cook the food together before any other activities even begin.
• Break out of your comfort zone by trying something really unusual... like cooking authentic medieval dishes before you watch Lord of the Rings.
• Don't forget the drinks! Libations — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — can add another creative element. Many of the books shown below include drink recipes.
• Add creative table settings, centerpieces or music!

Watch my social media channels for additional tips like these! 

RELATED: Hogwart's Holiday

OTHER REVIEWS IN THIS SERIES: Raven | Beast Boy | Beast Boy Loves Raven | Robin | Starfire

Beast Boy is the second installment in Kami Garcia's interlocking origin stories of the Teen Titans. If you're not a Titans aficionado, Beast Boy (a.k.a. Garfield "Gar" Logan) is one of the original Titan members. Gar contracted a rare illness called Sakutia as a child. His scientist parents cured him using an experimental serum extracted from a rare green monkey. The serum both saved Gar's life and gave him the ability to change into any animal form and create strong psychic bonds with animals of all kinds.

As the book opens, these facts are unknown to Gar. All he knows, as a semi-insecure teenage boy, is that his parents are making him take an amino acid supplement every day which he's convinced has kept him from growing taller or bulking up. (In reality, the supplement is suppressing his superpowers.) Despite a ravenous appetite and lots of working out, poor Gar can't put on any weight and his small size makes him feel unseen among his peers and invisible to the popular girl he adores. 

In desperation, Gar decides to stop taking the supplement... and weird things begin to happen. Not only does he begin growing physically, but his confidence and impulsiveness balloon out of proportion. When he rashly decides to accept a local restaurant's challenge to eat a Carolina Reaper chili pepper, the pepper strangely has no serious effect on him — similar to a tree shew who can eat the peppers freely. Later, he shows almost catlike reflexes during dodgeball. Finally, he decides to pull an Instagram stunt by breaking into a laboratory and photographing himself with a local sport team's mascot — a massive ball python. In the process, the snake seems to form an attachment to Gar who feels compelled to free it and the laboratory's other captive animals. 

With a little experimentation, Gar discovers that not only can he communicate with animals as he did with the python and the other lab animals — he can transform into them. His parents have hidden this from him all his life, but now that the, uh, cat's out of the bag, Gar wants answers. 

Yet the answers (or the promise of them) don't come from Gar's parents, but rather a mysterious stranger called Slade Wilson. (Wilson was also a player in Raven and his true purpose remains unknown but seems nefarious.)

As with Raven, author Kami Garcia and illustrator Gabriel Piccolo do an amazing job of capturing teenage angst — even when it arises from the discovery of superpowers. Gar is a delightful underdog (no pun intended), whose false bravado turns out not to be so false after all. By the end of the book, Gar departs his home to meet Slade Wilson in Nashville... and something tells me Raven will be nearby. 

RELATED: Comics Collections | Teen Titans Fans Collection

OTHER REVIEWS IN THIS SERIES: Raven | Beast Boy | Beast Boy Loves Raven | Robin | Starfire

With Teen Titans: Starfire now available, I thought I'd take a look at the entire series written by Kami Garcia and illustrated by Gabriel Picolo.  We'll start with book one, Teen Titans: Raven. 

As some background, the series is new look at DC's Teen Titans, a group of young superheroes, most of whom began their careers as the sidekicks of Justice League members. The comic book series premiered in 1964 and was led by Dick Grayson (Robin), Wally West (Kid Flash) and Garth (Aqualad). The group was formed partly because the Titans were frustrated about operating in the shadow of their older and more famous mentors. 

Garcia's take is one that provides a decidedly modern young adult aesthetic to the story. The synopsis reads:

When a tragic accident takes the life of seventeen-year-old Raven Roth's foster mom — and Raven's memory — she moves to New Orleans to recover and finish her senior year in high school.

Starting over isn't easy. Raven remembers everyday stuff like how to solve math equations and make pass, but she can't remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. And when impossible things start happening, Raven begins to think it might even be better not to know who she was before.

But as she grows closer to her new friends, her foster sister, Max, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she's ready to face what's buried in her past... and the darkness building inside her. 

Having the story take place in New Orleans is a great choice, as the city's literally built on supernatural lore and Raven appears to have some latent supernatural powers. She has disturbing dreams about being overwhelmed by a large, raven-shaped shadow and menaced by a multi-eyed demon whose voice frequently invades her thoughts. Even more disconcerting, sometimes her thoughts, especially when she's angry or vengeful, appear to come true. On several occasions, she's unintentionally humiliated the school's resident "mean girl." Since she has no memory of her past, she has no context for these experiences... and they scare her. 

​Fortunately, her new foster mom and sister, Natalia and Max,  have some helpful abilities.  They have the  power to summon and manipulate spirits and Natalia uses these abilities to understand Raven's mysterious past,  Meanwhile, Max trains her on how to create a psychic shield so she's not constantly bombarded by the thoughts and feelings of others. This ability makes her reluctant to connect to others — even handsome Tommy Torres — who seems unusually interested in her. 

Garcia is great at infusing humor and authentic characters into her drama. The expressive artwork by Picolo, with a limited color palette emphasizing Raven's black-and-purple brand, is perfect. (The books get visually brighter in future editions, but the colors always reflect the mood and primary characters.)

All in all, Raven is a great first installment and reboot to the Teen Titans lore, setting the stage for a much longer and more complex story arc.

RELATED: Comics Collections | Teen Titans Fans Collection

As the year winds down, so does the comic book series I looked forward to the most in 2024 — Death in the Family: Robin Lives! The October edition concluded the four-part limited run.

The series is based on 1988's Batman: Death in the Family, in which fans made a seminal choice to kill off Jason Todd’s Robin. Robin Lives! is a reimagining of that storyline where we find out what would have happened if fans had voted to let Jason live. (See my previous entries on this series here  and here.)

​In Issue #3, Jason was transformed (thanks to some illicit pharmaceuticals) into The Joker's sidekick, Jokey, The Boy Lackey. As #4 opens, The Joker insists that Jokey beat a former psychiatrist to death. But Jason hesitates... he still has a moral compass, after all . He's subsequently discarded by The Joker — another humiliation on top of another humiliation. 

Pursuing the supervillain, Jason discovers that The Joker plans to poison Gotham with the same toxin he used on him. In order to stop the mass killing, Jason puts a bullet through the supervillain's skull. In doing so, he performs the one act Batman never could — ending The Joker for good.

​Bruce is initially appalled by the murder, but later he and Dick Grayson decide to cover it up. They decide that The Joker's death did indeed serve a greater good and would allow Jason to finally escape his tormentor. We see that this works. Jason goes onto college, earning advanced degrees in sociology, psychology and psychiatry. 

The narrator (Dr. Dev) tells us: "We were so proud of [Jason]. He'd faced so much, come so far — and we knew, beyond a doubt, that Jason Todd had a good, a valuable, life ahead of him. That like Bruce and Dick... he'd leave a positive imprint on this world."

​That's good new, right? Unfortunately, the story doesn't end there.

​In an M. Night Shyamalan-type twist, we witness Jason putting on clown makeup and changing his clothes... only to reveal himself as The Joker reborn.  As with most M. Night Shyamalan-type twists, this one was both ineffectual and irritating. It was also completely unneeded.  

Jason's story has already addressed — and continues to address —  his suffering at the hands of The Joker. If the idea behind Robin Lives! was to give Jason a different, less tragic ending, then maybe it was okay to let him recover and thrive?

​RELATED FEATURES: Jason Todd / Red Hood Fans  |  Batman Collection  |  Nightwing Collection  |  Jason Todd's Empty Grave

Vampires and sex have always gone hand in hand. From Bram Stoker to the modern day horror authors, vampirism is as much about seduction as it is about manipulation, fear and death. After all, the vampire can hunt by using many techniques — and getting their human prey to willingly fall into their arms appears to be one of the most enjoyable.

And where better to seduce and feed than on the sun-drenched Greek Isles?

Nick Landry is searching for his ex on the unspoiled island of Avraxos. Anthony was the love of his life, and without knowing why he left, Nick can't move on. But Anthony isn't the only one to disappear on Avraxos. Coast guard officer Alekos Kourkoulos is on the trail of another young man who disappeared there. Both men had fallen in with the glamorous set onboard a jet-black superyacht moored offshore before vanishing. As the mystery deepens, Nick and Alekos discover that the brighter the sunshine, the darker the shadows...

Acclaimed writer John Harris Dunning (Tumult. Wiper, Salem Brownstone) and talented artist Ricardo Cabral (Wiper) team up again to bring you this darkly seductive horror, described as "The Talented Mr. Ripley meets Dracula."

PREORDER FOR APRIL 2025 SHIP DATE >>

RELATED:  Pride on the Big Screen  |  Northranger: The Horror of Being Gay in Rural Texas |  Sins of the Black Flamingo: Occult Noir Meets Miami Sleeze

DC fans love the Bat Family — and especially the Robins! In 2021, DC Comics held its first Round Robin Competition, a contest that allowed fans to vote on what proposed titles would be brought to publication.  Robins: Being Robin was the clear winner.

In this six part series, which is now compiled into one graphic novel, the five heroes to have donned the Robin cape and mask find themselves at a crossroads in their lives. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne come together to discuss the big thing that binds them together: Was being Robin, and Batman's sidekick, the best choice they could've made?

But before they can get to the heart of the matter, they're ambushed by an unknown assailant with a bone to pick with them. She claims to have been the first Robin, and she's out to prove Batman should've never trained any of them.

Not wanting to turn to Batman for help, the five former wonders start to investigate on their own by digging deep into their pasts. But what is their assailant's connection to the Robin name, and why are they coming after the ex-sidekicks?

PURCHASE  >>

RELATED: Batman Collection  |  Nightwing, Batman and Adoption Problems  |  Jason Todd's Empty Grave