Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 15

April 23, 2025: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

Green Arrow #23 – cover art by Taurin Clarke

Green Lantern #22 – cover art by Lucio Parrillo

Green Lantern #22 – cover art by Miguel Mercado

Metamorpho: The Element Man #5 – cover art by Christian Ward

Superman #25 – cover art by Laura Braga

Infinity Watch #4 – cover art by InHyuk Lee

The Department of Truth #3- cover art by Martin Simmonds

So, which were YOUR favorites?

The post April 23, 2025: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 22, 2025: The Tuesday Update!

Akemi’s belated birthday presents arrived today courtesy of Vancouver’s Beta 5 Chocolates…

The selection included: the Brown Sugar Milk Tea yellow birdies, the Vietnamese Coffee darker chocolates, the Cookie Monster cookie-themed chocolates in blue, my personal favorite Caramelized Banada directly below them, the Peanut Caramel in pink below them, and the Matcha-Yuzu in green.

Her two favorites bars: London Fog (46% milk chocolate + earl grey tea / white chocolate + vanilla bean / digestive biscuits) and the Queen of Hearts (Freeze-dried raspberries and candied earl grey tea in 35% white chocolate).

And this bag of peanut butter eggs for me.

Stargate-related questions…

You have acquired the Infinity Gauntlet and can snap ONE Stargate episode out of existence (along with all of its ramifications and ripple effects). Do you use its power? If so, which episode are you snapping out of existence and why?

Me: Likely Emancipation as it was the first episode I watched that turned me off the series for years until Paul and I were eventually invited to pitch for the show.

What was your favorite season premiere in 17 seasons of Stargate?

Me: This one was tough and I eventually decided “Rising” (written by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper) was my favorite for the sheer spectacle and also how I felt at the time, watching the series launch.  SGU’s second season premiere, Intervention (written by my former writing partner, Paul Mullie) was a close second.

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I am presently trying to make my way through these 48 Crime Writers of Association longlist finalists ahead of the announcement of the shortlist.  Here is how I have progressed to date along the various categories:

CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION (7/12)

The most successful category by far.  3 strikeouts.  2 DNF’s.  2 recommendations.  1 promising-read-in-progress.

WHODUNITS (2/12)

2 strikeouts although I was enjoying one until the final third.

TWISTED (5/12)

2 strikes outs and 3 DNF’s.

GOLD DAGGERS (6/12)

3 strike out sand 2 DNF’s.

20 down; 38 to go!

The post April 22, 2025: The Tuesday Update! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 21, 2025: The Columbo rewatch continues with…”Any Old Port in a Storm”!

This episode aired October 7, 1973.

This was Peter Falk’s favorite episode of the series as it marked the first time his character demonstrated a fondness and respect for an adversary. “I’m very fond of the episode,”he revealed. “Columbo liked the Donald Pleasance character a lot. That character had the same obsession with excellence that Columbo had. Columbo might have been a slob with clothes, but he had a respect and admiration for excellence. The job has to be done perfectly.  He doesn’t like sloppiness in the job. Columbo was delighted by that guy. He admired him.”

“Any Old Port in a Storm” was also the first episode to feature the “This Old Man” tune that would become a recurring theme. Falk improvised Columbo humming the tune while making a call. According to Falk: “I just used to like to sing it. And one day it came out of Columbo. It’s  song that absolutely tickles me. That just happened. I whistled it in a couple of shows. It just evolved. It’s such  silly little tune.”

Adrian Carson’s reference to the 69-cents-a-gallon Marino Brothers was no doubt a jibe at Gallo Wines, America’s best-selling wine maker at the time.

Stanley Ralph Ross, who wrote this episode, also wrote a third of the episodes for the 1966 Batman series. He apparently wrote the part of Adrian Carson for actor Victor Buono who had played King Tut on Batman.

This episode was directed by Leo Penn, father of Sean Penn.

Actress Joyce Jillson, who played the grieving Joyce Stacey, was the official astrologer for the Los Angeles Dodgers. For real.

This episode would mark the first of multiple appearances by actor Victor Scotti (who played the maitre d), a good friend of Falk’s.

Julie Harris, who played Karen Fielding, was a five time Tony Award winner.

Dana Eclar, who played one of the wine dilettanti, is perhaps better known for his portrayal of Pete Thornton on MacGyver.

Actor Gary Conway, who played the part of doomed brother Enrico, actually owned a winery with his wife.

Donald Pleasance, who played Adrian Carsini, would go on to play Dr. Loomis in the Halloween film series.

My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…

I’m no wine connoisseur, but is this really the way they hold their glasses, by the base like they are balancing an egg on a spoon? Does the wine taste better when you hold it like this?

Enrico takes a page from Columbo’s bag of tricks, popping up in his brother’s office unannounced.

“I’m sure the Marino Brothers will let you lick the labels of their new carbonated rose.” Oh, that’s gonna cost you.

And I was right! Almost. Not quite dead yet.

Wow, that’s cold, leaving his brother to either bleed out or die of his wounds. Anyway, hope those knots are nice and tight.

Look at how spacious commercial planes used to be back in the day. Why can’t we have pianos in aircrafts anymore?

“You’re very generous,”marvels Karen. Yes, writing a cheque that will never be cashed.

“Interesting aftertaste.  But they left the skins in too long.” Ah, yes, an earthy bouquet redolent of the murdered farm worker buried beneath its flowering grapes.

“I was peeking at the label.” Oh, Adrian, you incorrigible rogue you.

He blinks and slightly lowers his head – and that’s enough to signal a buy!   I would be scared to death to attend one of those auctions. “SOLD to the gentleman who sniffed!”

That five thousand dollar bottle of wine would be equivalent to paying about 35k today.

Apparently, series creators Levinson and Link had several rules about Columbo, one of them being “Never show us his office”. The producers for season 3 chose to ignore that rule and I think that was a mistake. Not a huge one, but it feels weird, especially since it looks more like a P.I.’s office than that of an LAPD detective.

Maybe he got cold feet.  Married three times.  “Well I guess his feet are warm enough by now.” Great line.

“I see he’s an Italian and we Italians need to stick together.” This, I predict, will be the pinnacle Italian Columbo episode.

I like how all off Adrian’s hangers-on laugh at all his jokes. Reminds me of a sushi restaurant Akemi and I used to frequent until the day we visited and didn’t drink any sake with our order. Suddenly, the outstanding sushi was shockingly mediocre. Akemi ended up coining the term “sake magic” to explain our previous appreciation for the restaurant. In the case of Adrian Carsini’s fitfully humorous jokes, I guess it’s “wine magic”.

Oh, was his bother sealed in there without air? Is that wine cellar really airtight? Doesn’t look like it.

Uh, how does a little shrimp like Adrian fling his super athletic brother off the cliff without landing him nowhere near the water? I mean, last episode, we were obsessing over Viveca’s unlikely throw of the cosmetic jar. This one, on the other hand, seemed impossible. And wouldn’t the body have sustained several broken bones from the fall?

Columbo looking to cut down on his cigar smoking but dismisses the cop’s suggestion that he switch to a cheaper brand: “Don’t want to cut down on my standard of living.”

Hooboy, that beach bash sequence. The evolution of dance!

I thought our not hearing Columbo breaking the news to the fiancee was pretty effective.

Why is that shirtless guy wearing a sweater draped over his shoulders?

Columbo learns Enrico was planning to sell the winery. Now the wheels are turning!

This was one of the longer running episodes and, while it doesn’t really suffer from it, it’s easy to pick out the extraneous scenes – like this bar scene where Columbo struggles to listen to the news report and then spends an inordinately long time trying to find out whether or not it rained last Tuesday. I did like the chatty bum seated beside him offering a “I’m sorry that I bothered you.”, throwing one of Columbo’s trademark lines back at him.

Love Columbo on the wine tour.

The elderly worker who Columbo chats with briefly does an excellent job sounding like an old Italian man. No cliche delivery. He sounds like a lot of my relatives.

Again, I’m not a connoisseur, but all of the wines depicted in this episode look…less than robust.

Would your brother go swimming on a day like that?  “Doesn’t really make much difference if the person is underneath the water, does it?” Well played.

Aha! Why would he have left the top down?

“I didn’t realize I drank that much.” Columbo is a cheap drunk.

“Usually I don’t drink anything I can’t pronounce.” Again, words to live by.

There’s a point during Columbo’s conversation with Enrico’s fiancee and friends where Columbo is quizzing them about the dead man’s diet and they insist he ate everything, and then some guy pipes up with: “Except Brussel sprouts.” I imagine that, for years later, he would attend Columbo conventions as Brussel Sprouts Guy.

Columbo yet again trying to make off with someone else’s property, in this case the pencil.

Love the Crane Shot of Columbo heading off, whistling, and then suddenly holding up. “Oh! Mr. Carsini!”

“Believe me, sir, you’ll be the first to know.” He’s delivered variations of this line in previous episodes and I love it every time.

Columbo needs to get lost before the Alan Ladd movie starts.

Man, that is one ugly lime green phone.

Columbo invites Carisini and his secretary to for dinner. “If I get a babysitter I”ll bring my wife along.”  He DOES have a kid!

Great moment when Columbo knocks and you think he’s at the door, but we reveal he’s actually at the window:  “I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am.  I just have one more question.”

Adrian and Karen may actually be going out on a date. “Maybe if all goes well after tonight we’ll suspend the formalities altogether.” How romantic.

“Boy, you sure don’t see many more of these around,”says the valet. Then he gets in the car and it won’t start.

White wine steward or the red wine steward? That’s how you know you’ll be maxing out your credit card.

Mistake!  Columbo is puffing away on the cigar in his mouth on the OVER as he gets up and then when we turn around on him the cigar has disappeared.  I don’t usually point these out but this one’s pretty egregious.

We are all astounded by Columbo’s wine knowledge.

“An exciting meal has been ruined by the presence of this liquid filth!”

The owners of this restaurant had to have been good sports to play along with Columbo given how bad this looks to the rest of their clientele.

Love the double shot of the waiter and the maitre d sampling the port.

“That’s a heck of a way to beat the cheque.” Great.

Aha! Karen lied. But Adrian doesn’t like feeling beholden to her. Unfortunately for him, she’s not going quietly. “I gave you 12 years of my life.  Now it’s time for you to give me something.” She’s blackmailing him into marrying her. That’s a first!

“Figured you’d have to get around to disposing of the wine sooner or later,”says Columbo. I suppose, but did he really have to do it in such a conspicuous way?

Aha!  The bottle of wine at the restaurant was from his wine cellar!

“Oh, yes, I’ll confess.  There’s not remorse attached to it.” The jig is up.

“I guess freedom is pretty relative,”says Adrian.  It was either marriage or prison and he chose prison.

Nice final scene of Columbo and Adrian enjoying a dessert wine in the car before the inevitable booking.

“You’ve learned very well, lieutenant,”says Adrian.  “Thank you,”says Columbo.  “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” Great moment.

I loved this episode. A lot of great Columbo moments, humorous beats, and some wonderful character interactions. I echo Falk’s appreciation for the Columbo-Carsini relationship. I also thought the mystery, the investigation, and its solution well constructed. Special shout-out to Donald Pleasance’s performance as Adrian. I actually empathized with him and his obsessions except that, instead of wine, for me its supervillain statues. I’m sure equally expensive. But, really, this entire guest cast was phenomenal, from Julie Harris as the lovelorn secretary to Victor Scotti as the harried maitre d.

Having said all that, it’s easy to spot the scenes that were padded or added to reach the extended runtime. The scene at the bar for one. And everything that happens after the restaurant. Columbo should have revealed the bottle’s origin at the restaurant and ended it right there, but I can’t complain as it did offer us a memorable scene with Columbo andhis quarry enjoying a final drink in the car – and, of course, Karen Fielding’s marriage blackmail.

So, here’s my revised episode rankings: 1. Any Old Port in a Storm, 2. Double Shock, 3. A Stitch in Crime, 4. Death Lends a Hand, 5. Suitable for Framing, 6. Dagger of the Mind, 7 Requiem for a Falling Star, 8. Prescription: Murder, 9. Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), 10. Lady in Waiting, 11. Etude in Black, 12. The Most Crucial Game, 13. Blueprint for Murder, 14. Lovely But Lethal, 15. The Most Dangerous Match, 16. The Greenhouse Jungle 17. Dead Weight, 18. Short Fuse

Finally, it’s time to consider the evidence and decide whether our murderer will be found GUILTY or win an ACQUITTAL. Casting aside Adrian’s resignation at episode’s end, I think this is a tough one, but the circumstantial evidence (the timeline, the emptying of the wine cellar) is pretty damning. So, as much as it pains me to say it, I’m going with GUILTY.

The post April 21, 2025: The Columbo rewatch continues with…”Any Old Port in a Storm”! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 20, 2025: Sharky Sunday!

Out and About with Sharky…The Sniffle Sensorium!

Bath time!

Sharky jumps on the latest Japanese TikTok trend…

The Royal Treatment…

The pretending to sleep while holding a treat in your hand challenge…

Sharky wants to tell you a secret…

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April 19, 2025: 100 Supervillain Stories – #26-#28 (Captain Cold! Sabretooth! The Penguin!)

26  “Absolute Zero” (Flash #182)

Captain Cold maybe a thief, but is he a murderer? Maybe. And we find out why.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciler: Scott Rollins
Inker: Dan Panosian
Colorist: James Sinclair, Digital Chameleon
Letterer: Gaspar Saladino

This story offers insights into the mind of Leonard Snart, aka Captain Cold – his backstory, origin, and the tragic fate that befell his sister. While interesting, at a single it’s all too perfunctory to offer much in the way of emotional investment.

27  Sabretooth: Death Hunt (1993)

Betrayed by his telepathic girlfriend, kidnapped by the mysterious Tribune, programmed to target Mystique, challenged by Wolverine… It’s a bad day to be Sabretooth. But it’s an even worse day to oppose him!

Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: Mark Texeira
Colorist: Steve Buccelato
Letterer: Richard Starkings

The glimpse into Victor Creed’s abusive childhood offers a tantalizing peek into his psyche, but the flashbacks feel a little too tropey to offer much in terms of depth. In a similar vein, Sabretooth’s complicated relationship with the telepathic Birdy, one of the most interesting aspects of this book, is never really explored. Instead, Death Hunt leans into the action and over-the-top violence that, while certainly entertaining, ultimately culminates in a story that fails to deliver much of an emotional impact.

28  Penguin: Pain and Prejudice (2011-2012)

This story charts young Oswald Cobblepot rise from the simple apple of his mother’s eye to crime lord and one of Batman’s greatest adversaries.

Writer: Gregg Hurwitz
Artist: Szymon Kudranski
Coloris: John Kalisz
Letterer: Rob Leigh

A compelling character study of one of Batman’s lesser appreciated villains, this story delves into Oswald Cobblepot’s tragic childhood and his unwavering devotion to his mother. The flashbacks paint him in a sympathetic light, yet the current-day narrative reveals his formidable power and propensity for cruelty. The introduction of a potential love interest is well done, adding a whole other layer of vulnerability to his complicated character, but all of these elements are shortchanged by a final issue that feels rushed and doesn’t fully stick the landing. Still, a lot to love.

The post April 19, 2025: 100 Supervillain Stories – #26-#28 (Captain Cold! Sabretooth! The Penguin!) appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 18, 2025: Our Columbo rewatch continues with…Lovely But Lethal!

This episode aired September 23, 1973.

The Beauty Mark lab previously played as the operating room in “A Stitch in Crime”.

Martin Sheen offered his thoughts on Columbo creators Levinson and Link: “I just adore them. It’s just that simple. They’re just such good and decent and bright and funny guys. I laugh around them all the time. They’re very humane. I would work for them wherever, whatever.”

Sheen also revealed that one of the big reasons he accepted the role was the opportunity it would give him to meet Vincent Price: “I wanted to meet Vincent Price. Even though I knew I had no scenes with him, I knew I’d get to meet him. That was my thrill. He’s one of my favorite actors. We had great fun together. That’s my favorite memory of that whole show.”

For his part, Price had equally fond memories of Sheen and Columbo: “Well, I became an enormous fan of Martin Sheen. I loved the show, so I was very pleased to be asked to be on it.”

My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order:

Man, that is one shaky surgeon.

At first, I assumed they were working on cadavers but it was obvious the woman was very much alive. What kind of skin scare research requires the use of a scalpel on a live human subject? Do we find out what’s going on here? (Spoiler alert: We do not.)

That is some great catty back-and-forth between Viveca Scott and David Lang. Meeeow!

Wait. They went ahead with the product launch on the basis of a single test?

What the hell is Lang’s assistant wearing? It’s like a Leprechaun’s girl scout uniform.

“Wrinkles disappear and it lasts all day!”. The holy grail of skin care products!

In all fairness, that shifty Karl Lessing deserved that braining.

Oh, Columbo once again making his own breakfast. Does this mean he’s sleeping on the couch? Will he crack the egg on the microscope?

“Every time I go to the bathroom, there she is.” I laughed.

Curious. He was broke yet booked all those fancy trips.

Curious use of an eyebrow pencil!

Classic Columbo entry, stumbling onto the photo shoot.

Viveca on the phone with her assistant turns – to reveal Columbo standing right beside her, startling her. Great.

Brunettes use black eyebrow pencil, but she’s a redhead.

Bruce Kirby as lab assistant Doug doing a terrible job of emptying those waste baskets.

Aha. Her missing beauty mark. How do you apply them? “I use an eyebrow pencil of course. A black one.”

I’m curious at what point Columbo suspected Viveca. Was it her picture on the dartboard in Karl’s home?

“Viveca Scott is one of my oldest and dearest friends,”says David Lang, lying through his teeth. A true Hollywood type.

Both Lang and his assistant, Shirley, clearly lying about their connection to Lessing. Will Columbo pursue them as potential suspects as well?

Uh oh. Shirley is angling to blackmail Viveca. I predict she is soon to follow in the doomed footsteps of Tanner the butler and Lily La Sanka.

What’s with all those women in red track suits? It’s like Chinese Squid Game.

Viveca, on the other hand, looks smokin’ in that white one piece with the matching white gloves.

Classic Columbo, averting his eyes and growing flustered at the sight of the nude sunbathers.

That is one clumsily executed switcheroo on the cigarette case. Shirley is either easily distracted or incredibly near-sighted not to spot it lying on the ground.

“You really are a very stubborn man.” and “You belong in a museum.” are accurate descriptions of our affable Columbo.

In retrospect, keeping the jar in the flour tin and leaving behind that trademark hexagonal print feels…very convenient.

Hang on. She admits she dated Lessing two years ago and claims it isn’t a big deal – yet claimed she didn’t really know him after learning of his death. Clumsy.

“I like young men. Lots of them.” Uh, wut?

There’s no poison ivy in California? Is that true?

Another classic Columbo beat finds him already sitting in her office when she arrives.

He goes to leave and then suddenly holds up: “Say, I was going to tell you something funny.” Just one more thing!

She’s wearing tan gloves to match her tan outfit. Poison Ivy aside, I’m kind of loving the accessorizing and may work it into my own wardrobe. Very villainish.

Production blunder. The safe is slightly ajar when she goes through the motions of opening it, like that Blue Origin capsule. Reminds me of that time on Stargate when someone stole petty cash from the safe in accounting. When questioned, the accountants admitted they kept the safe unlocked to save time. To which my partner, Paul, remarked: “So, it’s not really a safe. It’s more of a risky.”

Why did she have to toss out the jar? I mean, it IS her product. She did commission it.

Brother-in-law George just got back from Mexico with his slides! I feel the producers missed a huge opportunity by not giving couch-surfing deadbeat George his own series.

The episode is over, but that opening sequence is never really explained.

Alas, season 3 not off to a strong start. Not a terrible episode yet not a particularly memorable one either. Some nice Columbo moments and I do love Vera Miles as Viveca, but I thought they could have made much more of the David Lang rivalry that showed so much potential in the early goings only to fade away as the episode progressed. And the whole poison ivy clue felt pretty contrived.

So, reassessing my episode rankings: 1. Double Shock, 2. A Stitch in Crime, 3. Death Lends a Hand, 4. Suitable for Framing, 5. Dagger of the Mind, 6 Requiem for a Falling Star, 7. Prescription: Murder, 8. Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), 9. Lady in Waiting, 10. Etude in Black, 11. The Most Crucial Game, 12. Blueprint for Murder, 13. Lovely But Lethal, 14. The Most Dangerous Match, 15. The Greenhouse Jungle 16. Dead Weight, 17. Short Fuse

Finally, let’s look at the evidence and decide whether Columbo secures a GUILTY verdict, or is Viveca Scott looking at at ACQUITTAL? Again, circumstantial evidence abounds but it would seem the entire case hinges on the poison ivy connection. In which case, it comes down to reasonable doubt. Viveca’s lawyer can claim she contracted the rash from Columbo given his gloveless propensity for handling things, so I’d going with ACQUITTAL.

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April 17, 2025: Who makes your Stargate team? The dog quandary! The Dagger longlist! And more Columbo on the horizon!

Assemble a four-person SG team for a new spinoff series. BUT – you must use at least one character from each the three Stargate shows (SG-1, Atlantis, Universe). Who is on your four-person SG team?

Mine…

Assemble a four-person SG team for a new spinoff series! BUT – you can’t use characters who have already ventured through the gate as either members of an SG team or the Atlantis expedition, OR as original crew members aboard the Destiny. Who is on your four-person SG team?

Mine…

Hermiod

Who you got?

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I’d love to adopt another special needs dog, preferably a senior. They’re a little more work and I’m totally comfortable with that, but the only thing holding me back is the fact that I’ll need to find someone to care of them in those rare instances when we travel. Easier said than done. Taking care of an incontinent dog is a big ask.

The Crime Writers Association has announced the longlist for the 2025 Dagger for the Best Crime Fiction in Translation. I am intrigued, so I’m going to read all 12 books. I have five weeks before they announce the shortlist. Plenty of time.

A reminder that our Columbo rewatch continues tomorrow with the show’s season 3 premiere: “Lovely But Lethal”

The formula for a miraculous wrinkle cream leads the founder of a cosmetics company to murder; Columbo is soon on the case.

Our updated (and expanded) viewing schedule…

Friday, April 18th: Lovely But Lethal
Monday, April 21st: Any Old Port in a Storm
Friday, April 25th: Candidate for Crime
Monday, April 28th: Double Exposure
Friday, May 2nd: Publish or Perish
Monday, May 5th: Mind Over Mayhem
Friday, May 9th: Swan Song
Monday, May 12th: A Friend in Deed
Friday, May 16th: An Exercise in Fatality
Monday, May 19th: Negative Reaction
Friday, May 23rd: By Dawn’s Early Light
Monday, May 26th: Troubled Waters
Friday, May 30th: Playback
Monday, June 2nd: A Deadly State of Mind

The post April 17, 2025: Who makes your Stargate team? The dog quandary! The Dagger longlist! And more Columbo on the horizon! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 16, 2025: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

Ultimate Wolverine #4 – cover art by David Aja

Wolverine #8 – cover art by Daniel Warren

WORLDTR33 #15 – cover art by Fernando Blanco

Catwoman #75 – cover art by Sebastian Fiumara

Challengers of the Unknown #5 – cover art by Jorge Fornes

Detective Comics #1096 – cover art by Bruno Redondo

Nightwing #125 – cover art by Jorge Fornes

The Loose End #3 – cover art by Claudia Caranfa

So, which were YOUR favorites?

The post April 16, 2025: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 15, 2025: 100 Supervillain Stories #22-#25: Secret Six! Superior Foes of Spider-Man! Crime Syndicate!

22 Villains United (2005)

Recruited by the mysterious Mockingbird, six rogues must work together to thwart the machinations of the Secret Society of Supervillains.

Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Dale Eaglesham, Val Semeiks
Inker: Wade von Grawbadger, Prentiss Rollins
Colorist: SNO-CONE
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher, Pat Brousseau, Nick J. Napolitano

Plenty of terrific twists, turns, shocks and surprises in this sharply written celebration of DC’s colorful roster of rogues. Wonderful character work throughout as Gail Simone ensures all six of our anti-heroes get their moments. A riveting read.

23 “Getting the Band Back Together” (The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #1-7)

Out on bail and aiming to stay out of jail, Boomerang must get his cronies on target – but does Frank Castle, the one-man army known as the Punisher, have them targeted already? The Foes have a plan and the means to pull it off, but they’re about to learn the hard way that you can’t steal the head of Silvermane without severe repercussions!
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Steve Leiber
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Nick Spencer’s scripting and Steve Leiber’s artwork compliment each other beautifully in this delightfully lunatic take on some of Marvel’s D-list villains. It’s funny and fast-paced, yet amid the deceptions and double-crosses, humor and heads of mafia dons, there are some A-list character moments. I just wish this first arc had wrapped up a little more neatly.

24 JLA: Earth 2 (2000)

They are the world’s gravest super-villains: Ultraman, Owlman, Superwoman, Power Ring and Johnny Quick, the legendary Crime Syndicate of Amerika! Nothing has ever seriously threatened the global corruption they proudly enforce, but now a twisted mirror image of the CSA has arrived from the flip side of reality. Can anything stop this so-called “Justice League”, or will the stable, perfect evil of the Earth 2 fall victim to the tyranny of law, righteousness and freedom?

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely
Colorist: Laura DePuy and Wildstorm FX
Letter: Kenny Lopez

The big picture elements are intriguing and provocative, from Owlman’s nihilistic outlook to the notion that the (a) universe is predisposed to letting evil prevail, but the emotional stakes are sparse as there isn’t much depth to the Crime Society of America beyond their fairly two-dimensional villainy. The ending also feels like a bit of a deus ex machina.

The post April 15, 2025: 100 Supervillain Stories #22-#25: Secret Six! Superior Foes of Spider-Man! Crime Syndicate! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 14, 2025: Our Columbo rewatch continues with “Double Shock”!

This episode aired March 25, 1973

This episode was written by Steven Bochco (creator of Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue) who also wrote “Murder by the Book”, “Lady in Waiting”, “Blueprint for Murder”, and “Etude in Black”.

This was one of those rare episodes of Columbo where the audience did not know who the murderer was until the very end.

The red phone in Lisa Chamber’s apartment was identical to the red Bat phone from the 1966-1968 Batman television series on which Julie Newmar played the part of Catwoman.

The $37,500 Norman owed the casino back in 1973 would be equivalent to about $275k today. Meanwhile, the $3 million inheritance Dexter and Norman look to inherit would be worth approximately $22 million today.

Via imdb: “This episode has Martin Landau as the antagonist, and two episodes earlier, A Stitch in Crime (1973), had Leonard Nimoy as the antagonist. Those two actors have a connection many don’t realize. Both had auditioned to play Spock on Star Trek (1966); Landau was the preferred choice, but he held out for more money (much the way Jack Lord had been the original choice for Captain Kirk and also held out for too much money). Just as Lord went on to star in Hawaii Five-O (1968), Landau landed in Mission: Impossible (1966). When Landau decided to leave that show (again over money), he was replaced in the cast by Nimoy, whose character name would be “Paris”, just as Landau’s character name is here.”

The episode’s much-discussed cooking show sequence was mostly ad-libbed. “We had a set that was very receptive to ideas,”said Peter Falk. “Some scenes were improvised, That one was almost totally improvised because the nature of the scene allowed it. For Columbo, there was this sudden delight about being called out of the audience and being made the center of attention.”

My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…

This episode features both Martin Landau AND Julie Newmar. We are in for a treat!

That suit Dexter is wearing is really something else.

It would seem the housekeeper has the hots for Mr. Hatheway.

This show Mrs. Peck is watching, about a football star turned surgeon, should be next up on our watch party.

“Dexter, what a surprise,”says Hathaway when Dexter walks in on him taking a bath.

If someone was playing around with a plugged in appliance by my bath, I would be understandably nervous too.

Even Columbo doesn’t know why he’s been sent to the scene of an exercise-induced heart attack.

Boy, Columbo is super sleepy here. Did he take a couple of Ambiens before driving over?

“You must belong in some pigsty,”remarks Mrs. Perks. “Do you do that in your own home? Do you?” Hell, yeah. Tell him!

Then, after his hapless attempt at a clean-up: “You’re rubbing it in!” I’m liking Mrs. Peck.

“You broke the pitcher!” Oh boy. Mrs. Peck fast becoming Columbo’s most formidable adversary.

Notices the wet towel in the hamper. Hmmmm.

Isn’t an autopsy standard anyway? Would he really need to request one?

Why would he take a bath after fencing, then head down to the gym and do another workout? Great point.

“I have terrific arches,”claims Columbo. “My doctor says I have an exceptional arch.” And then he attempts to get Dexter to compares arches. Subtle he aint.

He’s a twin! Our list of potential suspects just doubled!

Autopsy says heart attack. No burn marks though?

Landau does a wonderful job here of playing two distinct characters.

“Draw from that interspatial life force,”says Lisa Chambers. This applies to all aspects of your life.

Why is Lisa so nervous around Columbo? Did she have a hand in her fiancé’s murder?

Uh oh. A reluctant Columbo being pulled onstage for the live cooking segment. We already know the cooking is not his forte.

Columbo doesn’t know how to separate the egg yolks from the whites. But it’s nice to see him laughing and having fun.

Did he put butter in there? If so, that is one sorry-looking Hollandaise sauce.

Love how Columbo effortlessly progresses from his wife being a big fan to her never getting the recipes right to him blaming the equipment to oh-by-the-way turns out your father was killed by an electric shock to his hypothesis that someone dropped an electrical appliance in the bathtub.

Mrs. Peck does NOT want Columbo handling the precious heirlooms. And with good reason: “Bum! You’re a bum! Putting your stinking cigar butt in this silver antique dish.” Columbo, hilariously, in his defense: “I thought it was an ashtray. I have one at home that looks exactly like that.”

It’s nice that he makes the effort to make amends: “I’m just very untidy. That’s my nature.” They achieve a temporary truce and he is delighted by her offer: ““Why thank you. I’m extremely fond of health cookies.” Who isn’t?

Aha! The t.v. went out. That’s the missing piece of the puzzle.

Poor Columbo. In an attempt to patch things up with Mrs. Peck, he actually makes things worse by unwittingly disassembling her t.v. Mrs. Peck: “Out! OUT!!!”

Oh, there’s a twist. Hatheway left all his money to Catwoman!

“So if either one of you killed him it’s all for nothing because the only goes to the girl. Unless, of course…well…” This lawyer is an interesting character.

He’ll get Lisa’s copy back in exchange for an extension of his services? Getting Tanner the butler vibes from “Dagger of the Mind”. And we all know how that deal worked out for him in the end.

How does giving him the will in the event the police search her place and find it make any sense? Surely she knows that, sooner or later, people will find out about the will.

Whoa! She killed herself. Or did she? What a twist!

Columbo tells Dexter his lawyer claims he set him up. But does that really make sense? Wouldn’t this whole set-up make Dexter even more suspicious as opposed to, say, everyone assuming Linda committed suicide? Even if it was a suspicious suicide, they wouldn’t be linked to it in the same way as this scenario does.

That “Now that I think of it, I did tell him that Hathaway and Catherine were meeting at 5 o clock.” is one unbelievable afterthought.

Is Mrs. Peck watching a new show with the same actor? Is it now a show about a former football star turned surgeon turned lawyer? If so, I love it even more! He should logically leave law for a career as a private detective, using all three of his former skill-sets in his investigations. I feel a new series pitch coming on!

Columbo suffers another haranguing from Mrs. Peck in order to test his timing series.

Pretty good twinning in these scenes featuring both brothers.

I really love the fact that this is a rare episode where the viewers are completely in the dark until the end.

Phone company records show the brothers spoke 20 times in the past 12 days. Aha!

A nice little moment at the end where Columbo walks off with a shocked Mrs. Peck, consoling his one-time nemesis.

Absolutely loved this episode. Great twists, a clever mystery, some truly standout moments that see Columbo face off against the tough Mrs. Peck, and, of course, the cooking show sequence that was oodles of fun. Terrific performances all around and simply a solid and wholly enjoyable episode. I can’t believe we’ve topped “A Stitch in Crime” so quickly. While Stitch had the better Gotcha resolution, I felt this one was the slightly better overall watch. What did you think?

My revised episode rankings:
1. Double Shock, 2. A Stitch in Crime, 3. Death Lends a Hand, 4. Suitable for Framing, 5. Dagger of the Mind, 6 Requiem for a Falling Star, 7. Prescription: Murder, 8. Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie, 9. Etude in Black, 10. Lady in Waiting, 11. The Most Crucial Game, 12. Blueprint for Murder, 13. The Most Dangerous Match, 14. The Greenhouse Jungle 15. Dead Weight, 16. Short Fuse

Finally, let’s consider the evidence Columbo has gathered and decide whether he has enough for a GUILTY verdict, or are our suspects looking at an ACQUITTAL? One could argue that the evidence is largely circumstantial, but there’s a lot of it, enough I think to get a double conviction, whether the brothers flip on each other or not. GUILTY!

The post April 14, 2025: Our Columbo rewatch continues with “Double Shock”! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.