...No stranger to the Hollywood scene himself, Syracuse novelist William Woolfolk has crafted a "factual-fictional" account of Ava's rise to the top at M-G-M Studios in the late 1940s, in his new book, "The Sex Goddess." Woolfolk said he changed the names of characters, "to spare the feelings of those of her ex-lovers
still alive, who might find some of the graphic sexual description here offensive."
But Ava's affairs with leading entertainment figures of her day, such as impish actor Mickey Rooney, bandleader Artie Shaw, the eccentric Howard Hughes, Mafia-sponsored crooner Frank
Sinatra and an over-the-hill Clark Gable, are all recalled in dynamic detail here.
Although Woolfolk has clearly done his research, the novel reads like a blend of mystery, historical novel and romance. With it's snappy dialogue and its familiar, yet intriguing, characters "Sex Goddess" is a sheer page-turner, entertaining as it is revealing.
Snappy dialogue? How about this piece of advice from a casting couch victim who befriends an innocent Ava: "I was so dumb I even slept with a writer. You can't get much lower than that!"
...
Not only will readers learn the intimate details of this strong and talented woman's personal life, they'll also marvel at the machinations of Hollywood's behind-the-scenes studio system that so affected the development of careers and the quality of motion pictures themselves.
Woolfolk has written best-selling roman a clefs before, notably "A Beautiful Couple," about that tempestuous married pair, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. And, with it's easy-flowing prose and
episodic nature, "The Sex Goddess" deserves to be a best-seller as well. This much is guaranteed: anyone who picks it up and allows Ava's life to unfold within their mind's eyes, will
anxiously anticipate her next role and her next roll in the sack with yet another Hollywood hotshot.
... This tale of one of Tinsel Town's sweetest sexpots seems tailor made for America's ever-expanding X-rated industry.

I love books about life in Hollywood, and this is one worth waiting for. I was spellbound -- it sounds cliche to say I couldn't put it down, but it's true! Valerie Johnson (who is so obviously Ava Gardner) leapt off the page and kept me riveted. Woolfolk does a grand job of weaving his imagination among known Gardner personal details and historical realities. If you love fictional biographies, you will love the Sex Goddess!

This is a totally involving story, with characters as vivid and true to life as the originals. I agree that Ava Gardner is really the person about whom the book is written but that doesn't change the fact that her fictional alter ego is as living and breathing a presence as that glamorous beauty was. The other people in the book, her various lovers from Mickey Rooney to Artie Shaw to Frank Sinatra, her great love, and Howard Hughes--THERE'S a charactization that will live in my memory--are just as fascinating. Ava herself is sex appeal incarnated, as she was in real life, and the story is full of incident and color and action. A wonderful read!

Blackhawk, along with Sgt Rock, is arguably one of the finest war comics ever. Months before America entered World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor, readers thrilled to the adventures of these seven international aviators, none of them American, rallying behind Blackhawk, a Polish flying ace. While these stories are sheer pulp adventure, they possess a hard edge marking them as more than mere kiddie fare. Perhaps not as sophisticated as today's adult-oriented comics, but I found the stories to be engaging and exciting nonetheless. The emphasis is on plot and action, but there is also a surprising amount of character and emotion, compared to other stories from the period. Some of the stories hold up better than others, but overall, this is an entertaining collection.

What truly makes it special, however, is the art. In his introduction, Mark Evanier describes how the late Chuck Cuidera and Reed Crandall were responsible for making Blackhawk one of the best looking comics of its time, and he's not kidding. The art, reminiscent of the great Milt Canniff, is dynamic, expressive, detailed, and cinematic. Even the clunkiest of stories in this book is redeemed by the art.

Having said all that, politically correct readers should be warned that this volume does feature horribly negative stereotypes of Germans and Asians. While this is understandably a by-product of the time in which these stories were produced, I don't think they should simply be dismissed with a simple, "Well, that's how people thought back then." I do think these sorts of stories should be kept in print, warts and all, not just because they are good adventure stories with a great deal of artistic merit. Seeing how recently such racist attitudes were viewed as acceptable helps remind us how far we still have to go in terms of race relations. This sort of casual racism should be acknowledged as having existed, and not swept under the carpet.

Still, occasionally awkward stories and overt racism aside, this is still an excellent volume, and a worthy addition to any comics lover's collection.