Episode 21.0 Junji Ito's Uzumaki series

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Twist your minds around Junji Ito's weird, nightmare manga Uzumaki. The Mikes become entangled in the tale of a small Japanese village cursed by its obsession with all things spiral.

Our first try at a graphic novel, we surprise ourselves that we have anything to say at all—or do we?


It's Cocktail Time!

Uzumaki-sake-tini
2 shots good vodka
1 shot good sake
1 long, mesmerizing coil of lemon rind

Shake the shots in crushed ice; strain into a chilled martini glass; drop in the long lemon twist. Lose yourself in its endless yellow spiraling.


Special closing music: "Twisted" by Marques Bovre and the Evil Twins, from their excellent and long-lost album Ghost Stories from Lonesome County.

Episode 20.0 Ramsey Campbell's Ancient Images

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Take a leap off of an ancient heathen tower and join the Mikes as they mumble over horror master Ramsey Campbell's novel of cinematic sleuthwork. Like a gruesome bus tour of the scones and bones set, you'll sample wholesome bread, warm half-drunk beers and the wonders of the British highway system.


Cocktail Time!

How 'bout a Little Fire, Scarecrow!

1 bottle wheat beer
1 shot triple sec
1 tbsp 151 rum

Gently pour beer into a highball glass. Wait for the foam to settle down. Then pour in the triple sec. Pour rum into a metal spoon and, with the rest of the bottle well away from you and with full knowledge of where your fire extinguisher is and how to use it, light the rum in the spoon. Gently pour onto the top of the cocktail.

Enjoy the fine blue flame for a few seconds, but then blow it out; else your glass will be too hot to lip.

Episode 19.0 Skipp and Spector's The Light At The End

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Enter the tunnel of terror commonly known as the New York Subway System in Skipp and Spector's splatterpunk saga The Light At The End. The Two Mikes find fun and fault in this genre-defining novel and speculate on the effect film making has on writing the horror novel.


Cocktail Time!

Blood Blisters

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 shot pepper vodka
1 shot smoky tequila
1 shot rum

Procure a syringe and fine needle (friends with diabetic cats can be a good source). Inject a small amount of one of the above boozes into the the tomato through the vine end. Chill well and serve in a martini glass with some fine salami and fresh mozzarella cubes.

Episode 18.0: Robert McCammon's Swan Song

Join the Two Mikes as they spend the holidays in the wasteland, nearly 1000 pages of wasteland. We'll start the new year with a discussion of Robert McCammon's epic postapocalyptic tale Swan Song. We'll touch on scabs, melty jewelry, and overstuffed symbolism. Then we'll make jello.


It's Cocktail Time!









Sister Creep's Crown

3 packages of Blue Jello
2 1/2 cups Everclear
3 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup red Maraschino cherries
1/4 cup green Maraschino cherries
1/4 cup blue Maraschino cherries

Bring the water to a boil and remove from heat. Slowly stir in the Jello until dissolved. Wait 3 minutes, then stir in the Everclear.

Prepare Jello Ring ( see Jello Tips)
Pour into a prepared Jello ring-mold and refrigerate.

When the Jello is very thick but not set, add the fruits. Refrigerate again until firmly set. Un-mold when you are ready. (You can ask your mom how to do it. Have her join you in the boozy fun or bring it to a church luncheon.)

Then, after you had some, look through the center of the ring and see into the future.