SO....what's a PorPor Book ? 'PorPor' is a derogatory term my brother used, to refer to the SF and Fantasy paperbacks and comic books I eagerly read from the late 60s to the late 80s. This blog is devoted to those paperbacks and comics you can find on the shelves of second-hand bookstores...from the New Wave era and 'Dangerous Visions', to the advent of the cyberpunks and 'Neuromancer'. And with a leavening of pop culture detritus, too !
Book Review: 'Floating Dragon' by Peter Straub 1 / 5 Stars 'Floating Dragon' first was published in 1982 in hardback by Underwood-Miller. This Berkley Books paperback edition (595 pp.) was issued in March, 1984. I remember reading this Paperback from Hell back in 1984, and finding it underwhelming. Is it any better when revisited 42 years later ? The answer is, unfortunately, no .......... The…
Playboy August 1971 August, 1971. Atop the Top 40 chart are the newly reunited Bee Gees, with their single 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.' Looking at the cover of the August issue of Playboy magazine, we see an emphasis on 'hot pants,' a fashion sported by many young women in those halcyon days of '71. They arguably are the progenitor of the 'booty shorts' that are popular here and now, in…
'Midnight Thud' from Penitentiary III (1987) Penitentiary III, released in 1987, featured one of the more unusual characters in the series. 'Midnight Thud' was a ferocious dwarf, used by prison boss 'Mr. Serengeti' (Anthony Geary, of 'Luke and Laura' / General Hospital renown) to attack any inmate who crossed Serengeti's ambitions. photo courtesy of Brady Carlson At night, Thud would crawl through…
Book Review: 'The Jewel in the Skull' by Michael Moorcock 5 / 5 Stars 'The Jewel in the Skull' first was published in the US in 1967 by Lancer Books. Moorcock was unhappy with Lancer's editing of his novel, and thus, the 'preferred' edition of 'Jewel' is that issued by DAW Books in January, 1977 (176 pp., DAW Books No. 225, cover art by Richard Clifton-Dey) . This is the first volume in the…
Book Review: 'Long Train Running: Our Story of the Doobie Brothers' by Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons with Chris Epting 5 / 5 Stars 'Long Train Running' (352 pp.) was published by St. Martin's Press in 2022. [ As I write this in early August 2026, the Doobies still are together, and touring the nation in the Fall of 2026. This core lineup includes Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons, Michael McDonald, and…
Repost: 'Baby Come On' from the Sex O'Clock USA soundtrack Fifty years ago, in 1976, this track , from the LP of the documentary film Sex O'Clock USA , entered the airwaves. No finer groove can be had, even after the passage of five decades..........
Aliens: The Original Years Volume 3 (1992-1994) Epic Collection, Marvel, 2025 So, Marvel comics, which now owns the rights to the Aliens franchise, has begun reprinting the old Dark Horse comics from the late 1980s and 1990s under Marvel's 'Epic Collection' imprint. Three Volumes, all trade paperbacks, now are out, with Volume 4 scheduled for a Fall, 2026 release. I never was much of a fan of the…
New SF art book from Adam Rowe Over at the website 'Transfer Orbit,' a post about a forthcoming new book of sf art , by Adam Rowe. Rowe's 2023 book 'Worlds Beyond Time: Sci-Fi Art of the 1970s' was well received. In this forthcoming volume, Rowe will be "....jump[ing] around between centuries and mediums." Publication date, as yet unknown.
Book Review: 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories My Mother Never Told Me' 3 / 5 Stars Well, here we go with another vintage Alfred Hitchcock anthology, published by Dell in 1965. The cover artist is uncredited, but may be Fred Banbery. All of the stories compiled in this anthology first saw print from 1927 to 1962. My capsule summaries of the contents: The Child Who Believed, by Grace Amundson:…
High Times June 1986 June, 1986. The top single in the land is the rather treacly ballad 'On My Own,' by Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald. But there are some good songs elsewhere in the top 10; the Nu Shooz had an 80s dance classic with 'I Can't Wait,' and the UK band Level 42 had a memorable hit with their reggae rocker 'Something About You.' The June issue of High Times magazine is on the…
Book Review: 'I, Weapon' by Charles W. Runyon 2 / 5 Stars Charles W. Runyon (1928-2015) wrote a sizeable number of short stories and novels in the mystery, private eye, and sf genres during the 60s and 70s. Some of these saw publication under the house name 'Ellery Queen'. An interview with Runyon and a bibliography of his works, featuring scans of the paperbacks and hardcover editions, is…
Some older paperbacks July 2026 I recently went on eBay and picked up a selection of older (1960s, 1970s) paperbacks, mainly in the suspense / crime genres. I have mild expectations that a few of these titles will be entertaining reads..........
Book Review: 'The Story of the Bee Gees: Children of the World' by Bob Stanley Pegasus Books, 2024 4 / 5 Stars 'The Story of the Bee Gees: Children of the World' (391 pp.) was published by Pegasus Books in February, 2024. Author Bob Stanley has written two books on the history of pop music, and is a musician (keyboards). [ I should note that 'Story' does not provide citations or sources, just a…
Penthouse July 1976 July, 1976. I've just turned 16, and on the Fourth, a few block from my house , there is a big parade: the local National Guard armory has rolled out its vehicles, there are high school marching bands, police cars and fire trucks, and a celebratory air: it's the Bicentennial ! What a great occasion ! On the little AM radio, we listen to the 'American Top 40' with Casey Kasem.…
Insect Fear No. 2, 1970 The Print Mint These older underground comix are getting harder and harder to find and more and more expensive when you do find them. I was able to get a rather beat-up copy of 'Insect Fear' No. 2 for $5. Some warped brilliance in this issue from S. Clay Wilson: 'Spider Joy,' and 'Insect Angst.' Still bizarre, still entertaining, 56 years later......
Book Review: 'The Viaduct' by David Wheldon 2 / 5 Stars 'The Viaduct' first was published in the UK in 1983. This Valancourt Books edition (136 pp.) was published in 2024 and features cover art by Roderick Brydon. 'The Viaduct' was the first novel from author Wheldon (1950 - 2021), a physician. Goodreads lists 10 books authored by Wheldon; these other titles include 'The Course of Instruction'…
Boxing the Compass Haircut 100 June 19, 2026 If you are a Baby Boomer and you recall the early days of MTV and the New Wave, then you're familiar with the UK band Haircut 100. In February, 1982, they released their debut LP, Pelican West , which soon charted in the UK. A single from that LP, 'Love Plus One,' was in heavy rotation on MTV that spring and summer. The band were among the most…
National Lampoon June 1973 June, 1973, and atop the singles charts is Paul McCartney and Wings, with 'My Love.' The June issue of the National Lampoon has the theme of 'violence.' This is one of the year's better issues: some good stuff in its pages. This is the golden era of album oriented rock, and the advertising reflects this. A couple of memorable album releases: Houses of the Holy , and the…
America: Original Album Series If you're a Baby Boomer, then you grew up with the music of the band 'America,' and their brand of mellow folk-rock. From 1972, with 'A Horse with No Name,' until 1982 and 'You Can Do Magic,' they were a staple of top 40 radio. First released by Rhino Records in 2012, America: Original Album Series is a boxed set of CDs representing the band's first five albums: A…
Book Review: 'The Texts of Festival' by Mick Farren 5 / 5 Stars 'The Texts of Festival' first was published in 1973; this Avon Books paperback edition was issued in November, 1975, with the cover artist uncredited. This was the first published novel for Farren (1943 - 2013) and reflects his background as a rock musician. 'Texts' is set in a near-future, post-apocalyptic UK (the eponymous,…
Penthouse June, 1976 June, 1976, and the top 40 chart reveals the impact of disco, with some classic boogie-oogie tunes present on the chart. Also appearing is ' Shannon ,' by Sha Na Na band member Henry Gross. A song about Beach Boys member Carl Wilson's dog, Gross's falsetto, in an era before Auto-tune, is amazing. The latest issue of Penthouse magazine is on the stands, and it contains an…
How it was, 47 years ago The mass-market paperback edition of Norman Spinrad's 'A World Between' was published in the Fall of 1979, so that may be around when this photograph was taken
Book Review: 'Legion from the Shadows' by Karl Edward Wagner 3 / 5 Stars 'Legion from the Shadows' (253 pp.) was published by Zebra Books in April, 1976, and features cover artwork by Jeff Jones. I remember picking up this book in that Spring of '76, and thinking it was OK........how does it hold up when re-read some fifty years later ? 'Legion' is a sequel of sorts to the Robert E. Howard short…
'Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night' by Nik Cohn New York magazine, June 7, 1976 In June of 1976, I was about to turn 16, and living in 'upstate' New York. My father was born in the city, and as a 'native New Yorker,' he routinely would pick up a copy of New York magazine to stay in touch with happenings 'downstate.' I remember sitting down to read that June 7 issue, and finishing the article…
Heavy Metal 2026 I don't usually cover contemporary sci-fi and fantasy media, as there are a number of blogs and websites (like 'Bleeding Cool' and 'The Beat') that do this in a comprehensive manner. But every now and then I like to comment on contemporary stuff through the lens of an Old School fan of print media............ I've now acquired the first five issues of the 2025- 2026 reboot of…