[gregjh]

Hi guys, I'm just reserving this space to prepare my Christmas read and listen for 2025. I'll share my thoughts later.

I can only find one actual Christmas-themed radio episode. So, it's going to be The Falcon:
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=87797


and since I can't find any Christmas-themed hero or western comics, I'll go with the rather interesting Sky Fighter comic, about a missionary who kicks ass.
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=8674

If anyone has suggestions for Christmas-themed radio shows (I like detective stories or mysteries) or superhero comics, feel free to suggest them.

[paw broon]

https://comicbookplus.com/otrmp3/b8/b85b3e5f7cb1cd0c9935312d0ea44f8a.mp3
That's a Christmas Holmes story.
You tube have the Poirot radio episode, The Adventure of The Christmas Pudding. John moffat makes a good Poirot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4DEwFVRgNk
And, a Sexton Blake Christmas strip:-
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=69729
If you fancy a tale from The Schoolgirl, try this:-
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=69729https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=69729
A sexton Blake text story, and a good one:-
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=55431
Another:-
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=34050
From Nelson Lee:-
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=34050
I always make time for the hilariously ridiculous Bunter at Christmas:-
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=37395

[gregjh]

Wow thank you Paw Boon, the Bunter thing looks particularly interesting! I know Poirot is very popular but I have never read, watched or listened. Should I try?

[paw broon]

Poirot as played by John Moffat is very good. I think he gets the accent about right. You might feel a bit odd if you know the tv version with David Suchet, but bear with it.
My wife has a lot of the stories on her Kobo.
The stories are pretty good adaptations of the Christie originals.
As for Bunter, no Christmas is complete without a Bunter mystery, imo, particularly on of the "ghost/spectre" adventures.

[gregjh]

Well I finished the Sexton Blaker story. The artwork drops off as we progress into the plot but the story holds up well. It gets more and more ridiculous but Christmassy as we go along and I was kept guessing what Santa had to do with it until the very last panels.

As for Billy Bunter, I prefer my comics with panels but it did inspire me to track down "BILLY BUNTER'S CHRISTMAS PARTY" on youtube https://youtu.be/B8Zw3ewYdHE?si=DN32owEuiF1S4ePR

As an aside, I saw some body language and behavioural experts analyse some interviews with the real life fugitive and conman Nicholas Rossi, and one expert believes Rossi was genuinely trying to model his fake identity and persona after Billy Bunter!

[paw broon]

Sorry to butt in on your list greg but I'm about to open my copy of Jeeves and The Yule Tide Spirit by PG Wodehouse. It's part of a book of short Wodehouse stories and will really get me into a Christmassy mood.

[gregjh]

Sorry to butt in on your list greg but I'm about to open my copy of Jeeves and The Yule Tide Spirit by PG Wodehouse. It's part of a book of short Wodehouse stories and will really get me into a Christmassy mood.

Don't be sorry, hope you enjoy it!

[MarkWarner]

Just finished listening to the Stephen Fry Jeeves and Wooster collection. I don't think anyone can deny Wodehouse is all very samey. BUT somehow it is totally wonderful stuff!

His Blandings are still my favourite, but only just. My opinion of Bertie has certainly improved.

BTW Wodehouse wrote some great short stories about Hollywood. They are really very funny.

[paw broon]

What a coincidence Mark. I love Blandings and I always used to prefer it to Bertie's adventures.  But the Fry and Laurie TV was excellent.  The radio version with Michael Hordern and Richard Briars is very good. I think Hordern's Jeeves has a bit of disdain in his voice at times.
There was a prog on Radio 4 extra? yesterday all about Wodehouse with input from Stephen Fry.
Do love the Blandings tales though.

[MarkWarner]

Stephen Fry's audiobooks are excellent. He said he was "born to read". I've listened to most of them. 2 large Wodehouse collections  (Jeeves & Blandings) and also the complete Sherlock Holmes stories are particularly good.

[gregjh]

I enjoyed Sky Fighter more than I expected. It's basically a western with fists and bible quotes instead of pistols but the writing is good for the time. I liked the idea of having an Inuit theme with a few facts (albeit rather loose facts!) to start things of. The penwork was good and so was the drawing, although the colour palette seemed rather muted and limited.


The scan itself was of good quality, too. I noticed the year of 1950 stated in the copyright, which, I assume,w as at the very tail end of the golden age.