Book Review: Blacula: Return of the King by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

Blacula: Return of the King
by Rodney Barnes (writer) and Jason Shawn Alexander (artist) (741.5 Bar)

Many years ago (back in the 1980s), I saw the 1972 film Blacula, starring William Marshall as the titular black vampire…an African prince (Mamuwalde) in the 1800s, who tried appealing to Transylvanian Count Dracula for help in stopping the slave trade, only to be attacked by the vampire and lose his wife. Dracula turned Mamuwalde into a vampire, then imprisoned him in a coffin in Dracula’s own estate. In the film, Mamuwalde’s coffin is moved to Los Angeles in 1972 and opened, and mayhem happens. The name “Blacula” was actually a derogatory slur from Dracula, and the film Blacula was one of a wave of “blaxploitation” films in the early and mid-1970s. It was actually successful enough to inspire a sequel, Scream, Blacula, Scream (1973).

 

In this brand-new graphic novel sequel, set in contemporary times (2020s), the name “Blacula” has been showing up in urban graffiti all over L.A., but especially in the Watts neighborhood. A paranormal blogger, Tina Thomas, investigating the rumors of the return of a serial killer not heard from since the 1970s, connects with a group of other “vampire hunters” seeking vengeance for lost family members.

 

Meanwhile, Prince Mamuwalde, in Hell, appeals to Lucifer to be released — he is only there because he was cursed beyond his own control. Though denied by Lucifer, Mamuwalde somehow escapes and returns to the world of humanity, pledging his “undead” existence to finding and destroying Dracula. The bulk of this graphic novel follows Mamuwalde’s quest in search of Dracula, and the actions of the team of amateur vampire hunters who have to decide whether to oppose Mamuwalde or aid him.

 

The painted artwork in this graphic novel is absolutely gorgeous — atmospheric and haunting. Alexander manages to capture the looks of both the actors William Marshall (Mamuwalde) and Charles McAuley (Dracula) as they appeared in the 1972 film, and all of the new supporting characters are also extremely well-realized. Although the storytelling is done in such a way that you don’t absolutely have to have seen Blacula (1972) or Scream, Blacula, Scream (1973) in order to understand the modern update, I strongly urge readers to see at least the first film before indulging in this excellent sequel — there are many callbacks in the artwork and storytelling to the events and characters of the original film. (*Spoiler alert* — though much of the plot of this graphic novel is brought to an end, it does actually end on a cliffhanger, meaning the creative time intend for Blacula to return!)

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the films Blacula and Scream, Blacula, Scream.)

 

( official Rodney Barnes web site ) | ( official Jason Shawn Alexander web site )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Audiobook Review: The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly

The Dark Hours
by Michael Connelly, narrated by Christine Lakin and Titus Welliver (Compact Disc Connelly)

This is the fourth entry in Connelly’s Renee Ballard series, but it is also the 23rd entry in his Harry Bosch series. Unlike the previous volume, The Night Fire (2019), in which Renee and Harry took turns narrating the story, in The Dark Hours, Renee is the only point-of-view character. However, since this is an audiobook, in addition to Christine Lakin as the primary narrator, they did bring back Titus Welliver (the actor portraying Bosch in the recently-concluded Amazon Prime streaming series Bosch) to provide the voice of Harry Bosch any time his character speaks.

 

The Dark Hours follows Renee’s work on two simultaneous cases — first, she is reluctantly partnered up with a fellow female detective on the “Midnight Men” case — a pair of men working together to commit serial rape crimes against specifically targeted single women. And then, when a hispanic man, a former gang member who got out of that life, is killed by a gunshot during the chaos of midnight gunfire citywide as Angelinos go into the streets to fire their guns in the air at the toll of midnight on December 31st, 2020, Renee intuits that the death was not accidental but instead an intentional murder. Ballistics matches the gun used in the New Years Eve killing to an old, unsolved case from Bosch’s era — the retired detective and the young late shift detective combine notes and efforts to research that case. Meanwhile, Renee also follows a few promising leads on identifying a pattern to the tag-team rapists to try to predict their next move and prevent another woman from being victimized — while dealing with a burned-out colleague and lack of support from her supervisors.

 

Connelly is superb at creating realistic police procedurals, with compelling characters and tense plots. Renee Ballard has been a fascinating character to see evolve in her first four books, and her “unofficial” partnership with the older, retired Bosch as a mentor figure has been an interesting way for Connelly to keep his most-renowned character still active in recent years. I definitely appreciated the fact that in this book, we get to see how the L.A.P.D. is coping during the pandemic years — the bulk of the events take place in the first two weeks of January 2021, as even first responders in Los Angeles are mostly still awaiting COVID-19 vaccinations. With most contemporary series writers casting a blind eye towards the pandemic, it has been refreshing to see Connelly integrate the true reality of our world into his storytelling.

 

The Dark Hours is another superb Connelly title — he rarely disappoints!

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the first three Renee Ballard novels by Connelly, particularly in audiobook format, all read by Christine Lakin and Titus Welliver.)

 

( official The Dark Hours page on the official Michael Connelly web site )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: The Comedy Store by Mike Binder

The Comedy Store
written and directed by Mike Binder (DVD 792.76 Com)

This five-episode documentary originally aired on the Showtime network in 2020, and came out later on DVD in 2021. The Comedy Store is a legendary club in Los Angeles, which opened its doors in 1972, and was expanded/renovated in 1976. The original facility has three different performing spaces — a main room and two smaller spaces, and all the rooms played host to many of the stand-up comedy legends of the past 50+ years.

 

Each hour-long episode of this documentary takes a look at a different era in The Comedy Store’s history. Shortly after it launched, Mitzi Shore received The Comedy Store from her husband in a divorce settlement, and she then spent the next several decades mentoring hundreds of comics and providing for an atmosphere that fostered the development of stand-up comedy.

 

Writer/director Mike Binder managed to conduct dozens of interviews with past and present comics, as well as unearthing tons of rare footage from past performances. What results is a fast-paced melange that is part “historical documentary” and part “personal remembrance”.

 

Because The Comedy Store was produced for a pay-cable network, the language is…colorful, and unfiltered…to say the least. But if you’ve only ever heard about The Comedy Store, and never had the opportunity to visit it, this will be an educational experience. Whether you’re a fan of old-school comics like Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Pryor, Jay Leno, Andrew Dice Clay and David Letterman, or you lean more towards today’s comics, like Whitney Cummings, Joe Rogan, Andrew Santino, Ilza Shlesinger and Marc Maron, you’ll find something of interest in this look back at stand-up comedy history. I was particularly moved by the fact that this documentary not only pays tribute to so many comedians that have left us (Williams, Pryor, Sam Kinison, etc.), but also features recent interview segments with artists like Bob Saget and Louie Anderson, who’ve passed away just in the past few weeks.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the Showtime TV series, “I’m Dying Up Here“, which preceded this documentary, and addresses (in a fictionalized setting) the 1970s comedy club scene. This has NOT been released to DVD at this time.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film ) | ( official The Comedy Store documentary page on the Showtime web site )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Book Review: Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley

Devil in a Blue Dress,

by Walter Mosley (Mosley)

When the library’s Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group chose the Easy Rawlins series by Walter Mosley for their October 2021, it gave me the opportunity to try a series I had previously not appreciated. I had read the 4th Easy Rawlins mystery, Black Betty, over a dozen years ago, and not enjoyed it. But this time, I started with the very first entry in the series, Devil in a Blue Dress, and I was astonished at how much I enjoyed it.

Devil in a Blue Dress introduces us to Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, a black laborer in 1948 Los Angeles, originally from Texas. Easy served in WWII but as this novel begins, he’s had a financial setback and is in danger of losing the mortgage on his house — a house that, though simple, is still his life’s dream. Because of this, he finds himself hard pressed to turn down the offer to help a mysterious white man, who wants to hire him to find a missing white woman. Ultimately, he agrees, which sets him on a dangerous path that is ultimately to lead to multiple deaths, deceit, seductions, betrayals and sacrifices. Racial and class distinctions form a big part of the stories featuring Easy, and that’s especially true in this first volume — but there’s heroism and villainy amongst the members of all groups that are encountered here. This is part noir, part amateur detective, and part historical fiction.

 

Easy is a fascinating character, and one I found easy to grow to like. He is surrounded by a colorful collection of supporting characters, both friends and enemies, the most distinctive of which is his brutal little friend “Mouse”, who will come to play an integral part in later volumes in this series. This was supremely well-written, with an incredible sense of place and plotting. Highly recommended!

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the rest of the Easy Rawlins series, as well as the many other series that Walter Mosley writes.)

 

( Wikipedia page for Devil in a Blue Dress ) | ( official Walter Mosley web site )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Book Review: Ghosted in L.A.: Volume 3 by Sina Grace and Siobhan Keenan

Ghosted in L.A.: Volume 3

by Sina Grace (writer) and Siobhan Keenan (artist) (YA PB (Graphic Novel) Grace)

 

The Ghosted in L.A. series comes to an abrupt conclusion in this, the third graphic novel that compiles issues #9 through #12 of the comic-book series. In the earlier two volumes, college student Daphne Walters followed her boyfriend from their midwestern small town to Los Angeles, only to discover that that romantic relationship was over. Distraught, and uncertain why she was even in L.A., Daphne ended up stumbling into the grounds of an apparently empty mansion, Rycroft Manor, where she encounters a group of ghosts, all tied to the property. She ultimately became the “eyes and ears” of the ghosts, befriending them and bringing some of the comforts of the modern world into their cloistered existence. But her encounters with the paranormal are often fraught with unexpected dangers, including one of the specters who didn’t appreciate her meddling. In the second volume, the female indie rocker that Daphne has a crush on dies under odd circumstances, and her ghost ends up joining the others at Rycroft Manor.

 

In this third volume, writer Grace and illustrator Keenan wrap up most of the loose plot threads, in unforeseen ways. One major plotline that is touched on is Daphne’s ultraconservative former college roommate, who becomes a threat to all that Daphne holds dear, and a violent entity that had been entrapped in the Manor’s basement is accidentally released. In many ways, this volume felt a bit rushed, as though the artistic team knew the series was coming to an abrupt end and they needed to bring everything to a conclusion quickly. I liked several of the characters in this series, but, ultimately, volume three left we vaguely unsatisfied. None-the-less, if you’ve read the first two volumes, I do recommend this one so you know how all the storylines conclude. Strong emphasis, especially in this third volume, on LGBTQ relationships between several of the ongoing characters.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the first two volumes of Ghosted in L.A. by Sina Grace and Siobhan Keenan, Heavy Vinyl: Riot on the Radio by Carly Usdin, or Fence by C.S. Pacat.]

[ publisher’s official Ghosted in L.A. web site ] | [ official Sina Grace web site ] [ official Siobhan Keenan Twitter feed ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Book Review: Ghosted in L.A. (Volume 1) by Sina Grace and Siobhan Keenan

Ghosted in L.A.
by Sina Grace (writer), Siobhan Keenan (art), Cathy Le (colorist), DC Hopkins (lettering) (YA PB (Graphic Novel) Grace)

This graphic novel compiles the first four issues of an ongoing comic-book series by Sina Grace (writer) and Siobhan Keenan (artist). The storyline centers on Daphne Walters, a young woman who follows her long-time boyfriend from the Midwest to Los Angeles to attend college. Only, when she gets to L.A., he dumps her, she has an antagonistic relationship with her new college roommate, and after a disastrous first date with a guy who seemed to be interested in her, she finds herself trespassing on the grounds of an unoccupied mansion (with a large swimming pool). It is there that she encounters a group of ghosts, who occupy the mansion. She convinces them to allow her to stay in the mansion and serve as their hands and feet, and meanwhile they serve to give her sounding boards to try to figure out who and what she is going to become, as she’s a bit lost in life.

 

The characters are all fascinating, the artwork is terrific, and the pacing is marvelous. The plot was a little light in this first compilation, but I attribute that to needing to set everything up and in motion, and I anticipate future volumes to have a bit more “story” to them. Overall this is a charming and engaging light fantasy series, and I look forward to reading more of them as they’re released.

[ publisher’s official Ghosted in L.A. web site ] | [ official Sina Grace web site ] [ official Siobhan Keenan web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Lost Hills by Lee Goldberg

Lost Hills
by Lee Goldberg (Goldberg)

I’ve been a fan of Lee Goldberg for many years — first for his non-fiction writing (Unsold TV Pilots, Successful TV Writing), then for his series of original novels based on the Monk and Diagnosis: Murder TV series (the latter of which he produced and wrote for). I’ve subsequently found several of his other novels — some are in series, and some are stand-alone. His writing style ranges from light-hearted and comical mysteries (Monk) to incredibly serious police procedurals. Lost Hills is one of the latter.

Eve Ronin is a new detective in the homicide division of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, stationed in the hilly terrain NW of Los Angeles. Though young, she got her position after receiving some notoriety online , when she busted a big Hollywood star misbehaving, and an onlooker shared cellphone video of the incident online. She’s not quite earned the respect of her fellow detectives yet, but that may change when she and her partner field a horrific murder case. There are no bodies, but the house they investigate is soaked in the blood of what the CSI types believe is three murder victims. Ronin’s more senior partner has her take point on the case — he’s nearing retirement and doesn’t want the headaches. So we get to see the procedural details of a gruesome murder investigation, mostly from the P.O.V. of a young detective who’s still learning on the job.

This was a compelling read, and though Eve Ronin is still little more than a introductory character, with a quirky actress mother and a supportive medical doctor sister, I wanted to learn more about her. The case is interesting, and according to an author note at the end, it is based on a real case, making it all the more shocking. What little humor is present in this story is mainly in the character relationships — the case itself is deadly serious. Though perhaps not as polished and heavily detailed as some of the other police procedurals out there (it only clocks in at 224 pages), this was a good read, and I look forward to seeing more in this series, if Goldberg continues to use Eve as a character.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the Renee Ballard series by Michael Connelly.]

[ official Lee Goldberg web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library – Public Service

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Mystery Fans -- Don't forget, the Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group will be holding its monthly gathering on-line, using Zoom meeting software. Our July discussion topic is "Under-Appeciated Mystery Authors". Come join us tonight, 6:30-7:45 to share a mystery author you think more of us should be reading, plus our monthly Round Robin, in which you can share whatever else you've been reading lately! Zoom link available at the Just Desserts schedule page.

Book Review: The Night Fire by Michael Connelly (as an audiobook)

The Night Fire
by Michael Connelly (Compact Disc Connelly)

This is the third Renee Ballard novel by Michael Connelly, and the second to cross over with the Harry Bosch series (after Dark Sacred Night). Knowing that Connelly had aged Bosch out of the police force, and the author was looking for fresh LAPD ground to trod, I was very impressed by the first novel to feature his female detective Renee Ballard (The Late Show). It was obvious that that new series was set in the same storytelling universe as his Bosch novels, not to mention the Mickey Haller legal thrillers (Mickey is Bosch’s cousin). So at the end of The Late Show, I knew a cross-over with Bosch was going to be coming eventually. I was disappointed that Connelly didn’t let Ballard stand on her one for more than a single novel before his more senior sleuth showed up, and Dark Sacred Night felt a bit forced.

In The Night Fire, Ballard and Bosch’s unofficial working relationship — she’s still a cop on the Hollywood “late shift”, and he’s still a retired investigator who’s taking a shot at some cold cases — seems to have gelled a little more. As in most Connelly novels, there are multiple cases and plot threads running simultaneously, and in the end, most of those converge and end up having something to do with each other. This time, Renee feels compelled to keep an eye on the arson death of someone living on the street, and Bosch has a personal connection when his mentor dies and the murder book for one of his old cases is found among his belongings — apparently not worked on for 20 years. The arson murder is too “planned out” for it to have been spur-of-the-moment, and Bosch’s mentor appears to have been hiding things, even from his own wife.

Titus Welliver, who is playing Bosch in the Amazon Prime TV series of that title, narrates the chapters told from Bosch’s point-of-view, and Christine Lakin narrates the chapters seen through Ballard’s eyes. In the chapters where they interact, both actors narrate together. The audio version of this story was very compelling — taut storytelling, excellent police procedural plotting, and dark humor. There’s dramatic action and suspense, especially in the final 70 pages. I should also point out that Mickey Haller crosses over into this volume, as he and Harry scratch each others backs to get some mutual assistance, much to Ballard’s confusion/distrust.

I loved this one. After a brief stumble with the second Ballard, Connelly’s back on track with a winner in The Night Fire.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Connelly’s earlier Ballard novels, The Late Show, and Dark Sacred Night, or any of his Harry Bosch novels.]

[ official The Night Fire page on the official Michael Connelly web site ]

See Scott C.’s earlier reviews of both The Late Show and Dark Sacred Night as Books-on-CD here on BookGuide!

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food

L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food
by Roy Choi, Tien Nguyen and Nathasha Phan

Choi is credited with reinventing the food truck movement and creating the Korean taco. This book is both cookbook and a memoir of growing up in L.A. and absorbing all of the culinary and cultural diversity offered by the city. Some of his food, language, and experiences are not for the faint of heart, but make for a satisfying meal . . . um, read. -- recommended by Kathryn K. - Bennett Martin Public Library [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Smoke & Pickles : recipes and stories from a new southern kitchen by Lee, Edward; Fresh off the Boat : A Memoir by Huang, Eddie.]

[ Roy Choi web site ]

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American Lightning

American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, Movie-Making and the Crime of the Century

by Howard Blum [364.152 Blu]

Terrorism strikes Los Angeles in 1910 and Billy Burns (America's "Sherlock Holmes"), Clarence Darrow, and D.W. Griffith are all drawn into the mix. Should appeal to readers who enjoyed the 2006 One Book One Lincoln title, The Devil in the White City. -- recommended by Sandy W. - Gere Branch Library

[ official American Lightning web site ] [ official Howard Blum web site ]

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Ten (or more) new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.