TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews: Rodney Barnes

Showing posts with label Rodney Barnes. Show all posts

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Comics Review: "KILLADELPHIA #34" - Return of the King, Again

KILLADELPHIA #34

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe with Robert Melendrez

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITORS: Greg Tumbarello; Chris Robinson

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander with Lee Loughridge

VARIANT COVER: Jeremy Sorrell

36pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (March 2024)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“Death Be Not Proud” Part IV: “Every Father's Sun”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander. Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia. The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe. Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

There is a war between the Light and the Dark in Philadelphia, also known as Killadelphia. The human, James “Jim” Sangster, Jr.; Anansi the Spider-God; Toussaint Louverture and his army of killers; and a menagerie of fighters and gods and monsters are on one side or the other or both in the vampire invasion of Philadelphia. Of note is a special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”), and his activities have summoned the most famous Hellspawn, a Savage Dragon, and now, a most infamous vampire king.

Killadelphia #34 (“Every Father's Sun”) opens at an abandoned convenience store and gas station. A Black family is about to experience black-on-black crime, when the criminals open the wrong box. Enter Blacula.

Meanwhile, Malcolm Dragon has a meeting of the minds with his father, the original: “The Dragon.” And pops has something to say about right and wrong.

Elsewhere, an embittered Lord Satan frets over how Spawn destroyed his legions. Seeing an opening, Dracula, recently condemned to the realm of Satan, convinces Satan that his problem is really... Blacula.

Finally, See Saw gets a chance to reconcile with Ray, a friend he feels he betrayed, ultimately causing Ray's death. Ray has the good news, however.

THE LOWDOWN: I have had access to PDF review copies of Image Comics titles for a long time now. Killadelphia #34 is one of them.

Writer Rodney Barnes continues to build the intensity of this – the seventh story arc of the series. I don't want to spoil too much, but the addition of the classic blaxploitation character, Blacula, who appeared in two film, Blacula (1972) and Scream Blacula Scream (1973), is especially sweet. Killadelphia co-creators Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander produced a Blacula original graphic novel (OGN), Blacula: Return of the King, that was published in early 2023.

So where is Killadelphia going? And where is Blacula going with it. Dear readers, let's stay on this dark side.

[Killadelphia #34 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.]

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

[This issue includes an 11-page installment of “Johnny Gatlin” by Rodney Barnes, Syzmon Kudranski, and Marshall Dillon.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Comics Review: "KILLADELPHIA #33" - Enter the Savage Dragon

KILLADELPHIA #33

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe with Robert Melendrez

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITORS: Greg Tumbarello; Chris Robinson

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander with Lee Loughridge

VARIANT COVER: Don Aguillo

44pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (January 2024)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“Death Be Not Proud” Part III: “A Dragon Out of Chi-Town”

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr.; Anansi the Spider-God; Toussaint Louverture and his army of killers; and a menagerie of fighters and gods and monsters on one side or the other or both in the vampire invasion of Philadelphia. Of note is a special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”), and his activities have summoned the most infamous Hellspawn of all, as well as other original Image Comics characters.

Killadelphia #33 (“A Dragon Out of Chi-Town”) opens with Harold, the boy who gathers rats. He has a very special relationship with the undead, and here is how it goes...

Meanwhile, the shocking appearance of the HellSpawn was the prelude to another unexpected twist. Enter the Savage Dragon. See Saw might have stopped the Spawn from destroying what's left of our heroes, but this rag-tag team of vampires and werewolves will face their toughest challenge. Can See Saw become a dragonslayer? Does he need to be? And what's Purgatory got to do with it?

THE LOWDOWN: It's a new day for Killadelphia. The sixth story arc, “Death Be Not Proud,” has a starring role for the most famous creation from the comics universe of Todd McFarlane, Spawn. Now, Erik Larsen's most famous creation, the Savage Dragon, has arrived for the fun.

Writer Rodney Barnes has shocked and surprised readers of Killadelphia along the way. In “Death Be Not Proud,” Barnes uses the titillation of the comic book crossover to throw all new curve balls at his readers, and the result is a re-energized narrative for Killadelphia. If you needed to be reminded, dear readers, this emphasizes that this series is one of infinite possibilities. In addition, the subplot centering on the young orphan, Harold, also promises some beautiful storytelling.

Where is “Death Be Not Proud” going? Let's keep following, dear readers.

[Killadelphia #33 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.]

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

[This issue includes an 11-page installment of “Johnny Gatlin” by Rodney Barnes, Syzmon Kudranski, and Marshall Dillon.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

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Sunday, January 28, 2024

Comics Review: "KILLADELPHIA #32" - Don't Trust a White Devil While Signing Your Record Deal in the Hood

KILLADELPHIA #32

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITORS: Greg Tumbarello; Chris Robinson

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander with Lee Loughridge

44pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (December 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“Death Be Not Proud” Part II: “Whatever Happened to Blake Edwards?”

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr.; Anansi the Spider-God; Toussaint Louverture and his army of killers; and a menagerie of fighters and gods and monsters on one side or the other or both in the vampire invasion of Philadelphia. Of note is a special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”), and his activities have summoned the most infamous Hellspawn of all.

Killadelphia #32 (“Whatever Happened to Blake Edwards?”) opens in West Philadelphia, where two National Guardsmen are about to make a big mistake with Blake Edwards. But isn't Blake supposed to be dead? Well, his desire for revenge against Ron Davies, one of the world's biggest music producers, is very much alive.

Meanwhile, in North Philadelphia, See Saw, Spawn, and a pack of werewolves continue to battle the horde of demons that keep emerging from a... hellhole, while Anansi provides sass and color commentary. With Corson and Lucifer behind this invasion, victory won't come easy.

Elsewhere, Toussaint Louverture is convinced to rejoin the fight, but this time, he has a new weapon. And it's a dragon.

THE LOWDOWN: It's a new day for Killadelphia. The sixth story arc, “Death Be Not Proud,” has a starring role for the most famous creation from the comics universe of Todd McFarlane, Spawn.

To say that writer Rodney Barnes has shocked and surprised me would be to repeat myself for the umpteenth time in several years. What can I say? Here, the definition of insanity would be to keep doing the same thing (reading) and expecting a different result (not be surprised and thrilled). I must say, however, the Blake Edward subplot and the surprise appearance on the final page are almost more than my imagination can take.

The art team of Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe continue to Ragnarok and roll under the fiery coloring of Lee Loughride. Their terrifying storytelling with its stream of terrible fates is truly its own hellish Avengers: Endgame.

Where is “Death Be Not Proud” going? Let's keep following, dear readers.

[Killadelphia #32 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.]

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

[This issue includes an 12-page installment of “Johnny Gatlin” by Rodney Barnes, Syzmon Kudranski, and Marshall Dillon.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

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Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Nominations for the 36th Annual Scripter Awards Have Been Announced

USC Libraries Name Finalists for 36th-Annual Scripter Awards

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries named the finalists for the 36th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award, which honors the writers of the year’s most accomplished film and episodic series adaptations, as well as the writers of the works on which they are based.

The finalist writers for film adaptation are, in alphabetical order by film title:

Cord Jefferson for “American Fiction” based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett

Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon” based on the nonfiction book “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” by David Grann

Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer” based on the nonfiction book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

Ava DuVernay for “Origin” based on the nonfiction book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson

Screenwriter Tony McNamara and novelist Alasdair Gray for “Poor Things”

The finalist writers for episodic series are, in alphabetical order by series title:

Peter Morgan, for the episode “Sleep, Dearie Sleep,” from “The Crown,” based on his stage play "The Audience"

Scott Neustadter for the episode “Fire,” from “Daisy Jones and the Six,” based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for the episode “Long, Long Time” from “The Last of Us,” based on the video game by Neil Druckmann and Naughty Dog

Will Smith for the episode “Negotiating with Tigers,” from “Slow Horses,” based on the novel “Real Tigers” by Mick Herron

Max Borenstein, Rodney Barnes and Jim Hecht for the episode “The New World,” from “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” based on the nonfiction work “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s” by Jeff Pearlman

The 2024 Scripter selection committee selected the finalists from a field of 80 film and 56 episodic series adaptations. Howard Rodman, USC professor and Vice President/Secretary of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, chairs the 2024 committee.

The studios distributing the finalist films and current publishers of the printed works are:

“American Fiction”—Amazon MGM Studios and Graywolf Press

“Killers of the Flower Moon”—Apple Original Films and Vintage Books

“Oppenheimer”—Universal Pictures and Vintage Books

“Origin”—Neon and Random House

“Poor Things”—Searchlight Pictures and Bloomsbury

The networks and streaming platforms broadcasting the finalist episodic series and current publishers of the works are:

“The Crown”—Netflix and Dramatists Play Service Inc.

“Daisy Jones and the Six”—Amazon Prime Video and Random House

“The Last of Us”—HBO | Max and Sony Computer Entertainment

“Slow Horses”—Apple TV+ and Soho Crime

“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”—HBO | Max and Avery

The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024, in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library at the University of Southern California.

Since 1988, Scripter has honored the authors of original works alongside the screenwriters who adapt their stories. For more information about Scripter—including ticket availability, additional sponsorship opportunities, and an up-to-date list of sponsors—please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.

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Saturday, December 2, 2023

Comics Review: "ALICE COOPER Volume 2 #2" is for Those About to Rock

ALICE COOPER VOLUME 2 #2

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Edu Menna

COLORS: Adriano Lucas

LETTERS: Troy Peteri

EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt

COVER: Stuart Sayger

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Stuart Sayger; Andrew Mangum; Jae Lee

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2023)

Rated Teen+

Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier) is an American rock singer, actor, and Grammy Award-nominated recording artist. He is known for his outlandish stage shows which include fake blood, stage illusions, and pyrotechnics, to name a few elements. Originally the name of his band, Furnier made “Alice Cooper” his legal name and embarked on a solo career in the mid-1970s.

Dynamite Entertainment has preciously featured Alice Cooper as a comic book character in Alice Cooper Volume 1 (2014-15). Cooper returns to comic books in Alice Cooper Volume 2. It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Edu Menna; colored by Adriano Lucas; and lettered by Troy Peteri. The series finds Alice Cooper in the middle of a promotional tour for his new album when he notices something decidedly odd about some of his new fans. It's all part of Lucifer's plan to strike out at the rock star he hates/envies the most, Alice Cooper.

Alice Cooper Volume 2 #2 opens with Lucifer, Son of the Morning, revisiting his past. Once he was creation's greatest musical performer, but God didn't like his jams. Eventually, the cursed humans came along; Lucifer's music career faded; and that caused a rebellion...

Now, Lucifer has set his sights on Alice Cooper, who performs his hits night after night to ravenous crowds and thunderous applause. But why does Lucifer believe that Cooper is the one standing between him and (don't call it) a comeback? Enter the archangel Gabriel with a powerful musical instrument that will help Cooper clear away the devils of darkness. The real showdown, however, will begin at a small venue where the blues are played.

THE LOWDOWN: Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles. Alice Cooper Volume 2 #2 is the latest, and it is the second Alice Cooper comic book that I have ever read.

In my review of of Alice Cooper Volume 2 #1, I told you, dear readers, that I am not really a fan of Alice Cooper. I said that it was not because I did not like Cooper; I do find him interesting. By the time I discovered him, however, the legendary rock band, Kiss, was already providing me with my rock 'n' roll weirdness.

Now, I am a big fan of screenwriter, television writer-producer, and comic book author, Rodney Barnes. He is a master of dark fantasy, horror, and science fiction, but he also has a deft touch with comedy. I am having a kick reading a tale in which Lucifer is stupidly obsessed with Alice Cooper as the reason he, Lucifer, isn't at the top of the pop charts. Barnes' concept is both hilarious and witty, and I am anxious to see where this goes.

Edu Menna's art and storytelling bring Barnes story to comic book life in a variety of moods and changes of style that give this story a surreal tone grounded in a kind of everyday reality. The devilish surreal mixes with a kind of down-and-dirty reality. Menna makes this series feel like more than just another dark fantasy comic book; he makes it feel like an event.

Adriano Lucas's colors make sure this series comes off as something a little bit more than just another trip into dark fantasy, and Troy Peteri's lettering conveys the overall sense of oddness that permeates the first two issues. Alice Cooper Volume 2 has utterly surprised me, and I'm sure it will continue to delight. Let this series surprise you, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Alice Cooper and of the comic books of Rodney Barnes will want Alice Cooper Volume 2.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics

https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/

https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Comics Review: "KILLADELPHIA #31" is All About FAFO

KILLADELPHIA #31

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITORS: Greg Tumbarello; Chris Robinson

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander with Lee Loughridge

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Francesco Mattina; Jae Lee with June Chung

32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (November 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“Death Be Not Proud” Part I: “From Hell the Dead Thing Spawned”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander. Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia. The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe. Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr.; Anansi the Spider-God; Toussaint Louverture and his army of killers; and a menagerie of fighters and gods and monsters on one side or the other or both in the vampire invasion of Philadelphia. Of note is a special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”), and his activities have summoned the most infamous Hellspawn of all.

Killadelphia #31 (“From Hell the Dead Thing Spawned”) opens in the wake of the events depicted in Killadelphia #30. See Saw stopped time and now, the rulers of realms light and dark have taken notice. They all want See Saw destroyed, but Anansi is determined to protect him – even if it leads to a battle that brings Armageddon closer. Meanwhile, a Demon King has chosen American comic book's most infamous anti-hero as the champion who will bring him See Saw's head.

THE LOWDOWN: It's a new day for Killadelphia. The sixth story arc, “Death Be Not Proud,” begins with a starring role for the most famous creation from the comics universe of Todd McFarlane, Spawn.

Writer Rodney Barnes offers this series first crossover battle, and having Spawn kicking ass is a genius move considering who the guest-star for this arc is. That bodes well for future guest possibilities (Blacula? Blade? Lando Calrissian?), and this new arc retains Barnes' sharp social satirical touches.

The art team of Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe present a hellscape of Ragnarok and roll. This is their “crisis of infinite demonic Earths,” and they don't hold back. The action is heightened by Lee Loughridge storm front of infernal colors and hues for a battle royale.

Where is “Death Be Not Proud” going? Judging by everything that Killadelphia has presented to date, all Hell is breaking and bustin' loose.

Killadelphia #31 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

[This issue includes an 11-page installment of “Johnny Gatlin” by Rodney Barnes, Syzmon Kudranski, and Marshall Dillon.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Advanced Comics Review: "ALICE COOPER Volume 2 #1" is Number One with a Bullet

ALICE COOPER VOLUME 2 #1

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Edu Menna

COLORS: Adriano Lucas

LETTERS: Troy Peteri

EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Stuart Sayger; Andrew Mangum; Jason Shawn Alexander

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2023)

Rated Teen+

Dynamite Entertainment has preciously featured Alice Cooper as a comic book character in Alice Cooper Volume 1 (2014-15). Cooper returns to comic books in Alice Cooper Volume 2. It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Edu Menna; colored by Adriano Lucas; and lettered by Troy Peteri. The series finds Alice Cooper in the middle of a promotional tour for his new album when he notices something decidedly odd about some of his new fans.

Alice Cooper Volume 2 #1 opens at the “Crossroads” jazz club, located somewhere in another dimension. Tonight, Lucifer makes his debut as a blues-singing sensation, and he is quite good the first time. However, he is quickly informed that he needs to be loved above all other performers if he is going to have any staying power. Jealous, Lucifer sends out his demonic forces and suddenly, legendary rock stars start disappearing.

Meanwhile, Alice Cooper – singer, rock musician, and sometimes demon slayer – has a new album out and is in the midst of a promotional tour. Of course, it's great to see all his fans again, but everywhere he goes, he notices something strange and disturbing. Some of those fans appear to be the undead! Even more shocking, someone in the “Nightmare Place,” has a warning for him. This chapter features guest appearances by such legendary performers as Aerosmith, James Brown, Miles Davis, Buddy Holly, Michael Jackson, Mike Jagger, Elvis Presley, Prince, and Richard Pryor

THE LOWDOWN: Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles. Alice Cooper Volume 2 #1 is the latest, and it is the first Alice Cooper comic book that I have ever read.

Honestly, I am not really a fan of Alice Cooper. I don't dislike him. It's just that by the time I discovered him, the legendary rock band, Kiss, was already providing me with my rock 'n' roll weirdness, although I did find Cooper's interesting. Cooper is a fantastic, killer homeless dude in director John Carpenter's 1987 horror flick, Prince of Darkness.

The only reason that I am reading this comic book is because I am a huge fan of its writer, the amazing Rodney Barnes, who is dazzling many readers with his and Jason Shawn Alexander's vampire comic book, Killadelphia. And he doesn't disappoint me with Alice Cooper Volume 2 #1. Every subplot, every location, every scene change, and every character is an utter delight. Barnes makes every story element so intriguing and every character so likable that I want more.

Edu Menna's art and storytelling are quite potent, bringing Barnes story to comic book life in a variety of moods and changes of style that give this story a surreal tone grounded in a kind of everyday reality. Menna makes this first issue feel like more than just another dark fantasy comic book; he makes it feel like an event.

Adriano Lucas's colors help this first issue become something a little bit more than just another trip into dark fantasy, and Troy Peteri's lettering conveys the overall sense of oddness that permeates this debut. These are the finishing touches to a clever opening issue. Alice Cooper Volume 2 #1 hasn't come out yet and I already want the second issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Alice Cooper and of the comic books of Rodney Barnes will want Alice Cooper Volume 2.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics

https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/

https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Comics Review: "KILLADELPHIA #30" is Also Designed to Fill Your Mind

KILLADELPHIA #30

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander

PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe

INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander with Robert Melendrez

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: J.A.W. Cooper

32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (April 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part VI: “This One's for Ray”

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr., a ragtag team of fighters, and a menagerie of gods and monsters on one side or the other or both in the vampire invasion of Philadelphia. Of note are a special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”), Anansi the Spider-God, and the infamous rebel leader turned monster hunter, Toussaint Louverture, and his army of killers.

Killadelphia #30 (“This One's for Ray”) opens with the story of Raynard, a friend of our vampire prodigy, See Saw. In the story of Raynard, we see the origins of See Saw's curiosity and of how he views the world. It all leads to his terrible and transformational decision, one that will spawn great consequences.

Meanwhile, holed up in their apartment are Jim, Jr. and a pregnant Jose. They're about to receive a visitor, and it isn't one they expect. But it is one that had to happen, considering what Jim left behind in Baltimore, Maryland.

THE LOWDOWN: We have reached the final chapter of Killadelphia's fifth story arc, “There's No Place Like Home.” Before this arc debuted, creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander warned readers that they were not prepared for what was coming in the arc – which has proven to be true, very true – even truer than true.

In many of my previous reviews of Killadelphia, I have talked about how Barnes and artist Alexander have embraced change. The surprises and shockers aren't just story arc to story arc or even just issue to issue. Change and transformation are the foundation of the rhythms of this narrative.

Barnes has taken history, mythology, myth, and lore and used the connections that bind them to weave a complicated dark fantasy that is as much supernatural realism as it is vampire comic book. And it is a very good vampire comic book. Killadelphia is simply world-building that excepts change and chaos more than it deals with order and canonical trappings and other tropes of fictional universes.

The art team for Killadelphia #30, Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe, offer a poignant closer that explodes in preparation for what comes next. Yes, we didn't know what was coming in Killadelphia #30, but we did know that the unexpected was coming. That much is always assured.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

A+

NOTES:

- Killadelphia #30 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

- This issue includes an “Afterword” by Rodney Barnes

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

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Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Comics Review: "KILLADELPHIA #29" is Designed to Fill Your Mind

KILLADELPHIA #29

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander

PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe

INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander with Robert Melendrez

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Christopher Shy

28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (March 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part V: “My Country, 'Tis of Thee”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander. Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia. The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe. Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

As Killadelphia #29 (“My Country, 'Tis of Thee”) opens, it is the sunset of former President John Adams, slave owner turned vampire. The smoldering skeletal remains of the detective, James Sangster, Sr.; former Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson; Adams' wife Abigail; and two loyal slaves, are his to ponder.

Now, Adams must finally, truly contemplate what he and the “Founding Fathers” wrought? Was it really meant to be perfect, especially if it were created by the imperfect? And what is freedom, really? And time is short for the answering.

THE LOWDOWN: We are at the penultimate chapter of Killadelphia's fifth story arc, “There's No Place Like Home.” Before this arc debuted, creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander warned readers that they were not prepared for what was coming in the arc – which has proven to be true, very true.

I am at a loss for words again. So, I'll take the easy way out. Rodney Barnes script is great. Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe are a great art team. Lee Loughridge is always a good colorist. And Killadelphia could not be great without a great letterer – Marshall Dillon.

If The 1619 Project offends you, then, dear readers, your ass is really going to be chapped by Killadelphia. I can't imagine that public libraries and public and private school libraries in the states of the old Confederacy will allow any copies of Killadelphia trade and hardback collections on their shelves once they discover what it is. Killadelphia, however, so bold, that it'll get on those shelves anyway.

I love reading Killadelphia so much. Guys, I'm on my knees, too, but in a slightly more dignified manner.

NOTE: Killadelphia #29 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

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Thursday, March 16, 2023

Comics Review: Betcha By Golly, Wow: "MONARCH #2" Feels Like Its Building a Classic

MONARCH #2

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Alex Lins

COLORS: Luis Nct with Mar Silvestre Galotto

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello

COVER: Alex Lins with Luis Nct

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Chris Visions

28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (March 2023)

Rated “T/ Teen”

“Stranger from Above” Part II: “Home Sweet Home”

Monarch is a new young adult science fiction graphic novel from writer Rodney Barnes. It is being serialized as a comic book series by Image Comics. The rest of Monarch's creative team includes artist Alex Lins, colorist Luis Nct; and letterer Marshall Dillon. The series focuses on Travon, a boy from Compton, CA who leads the resistance to an alien invasion.

Monarch #2 (“Home Sweet Home”) opens in Compton, and like everywhere else, it is under attack by strange beings from another world. Travon finds himself captured and at the mercy of these strange beings, but what do they want with him? Why are they attacking Earth? Will he ever see his beloved Daysha again, or is he as doomed as the rest of the world?

Or will the answers to some of these questions blow Travon's mind?

THE LOWDOWN: I think that Rodney Barnes has previously stated that the science fiction alien invasion films, Independence Day (1996) and Attack the Block (2011), are influences in the creation of Monarch. The two films are vastly different, but both remain popular long after their respective theatrical releases.

I would say that Monarch is more like Attack the Block, a film that is full of surprises. Monarch certainly is a box of surprises, as this second issue reveals. This chapter, “Home Sweet Home,” is about embracing the mystery, and the best science fiction isn't just about technology and strange scenarios. It is also about exploration and discovery and a sense of mystery to go with a sense of wonder.

Artist Alex Lins perfectly captures the real qualities of Miss Wilamae's fairy-like tale and the surreal qualities of Travon's haunting new reality. Lins' graphical storytelling soars with imagination, as it must for a narrative that seems like one determined to break walls. Luis Nct's color and Marshall Dillon's letters make Monarch feel like an old-fashioned rollicking adventure comic book full of strange beings and stranger things.

Monarch #2 is also heartfelt. Barnes really takes time to consider the struggles of young minds with difficult matters, unbelievable truths, and harsh realities. I can't wait to read more, and I want you to read it now, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of YA science fiction and of alien invasions will want to read Monarch.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

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Friday, February 24, 2023

Comics Review: "KILLADELPHIA #28" ... But He Never Meant Sh*t to Me

KILLADELPHIA #28

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander

PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe

INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander with Robert Melendrez

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Chris Anthony

32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (February 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part IV: “Death of the Dream”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander. Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia. The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe. Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

As Killadelphia #28 (“Death of the Dream”) opens, immortal (vampire) Thomas Jefferson mourns the destruction of his compatriot-turned-immortal, George Washington. But why can't eternally young old Tom Jefferson show real love to the man who has loved him like he was blood, his slave turned vampire, Jupiter?

Plus, See Saw suffers an existential crisis. What has really changed in Philly since the vampire infestation, he wonders? Is shit the same in Killadelphia? Meanwhile, Anansi, a trickster god, tries to trick the great deceiver himself.

THE LOWDOWN: We are at the middle point of Killadelphia's fifth story arc, “There's No Place Like Home.” Before this arc debuted, creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander warned readers that they were not prepared for what was coming in the arc – which has proven to be true, very true.

I'm not sure what to say about Killadelphia #28, although I can say that love it … to death. Some of it reads like an enthralling, fiery Black Panther Party tract that throws jet fuel on a gasoline fire. Other parts read like a hypnotic revenge fantasy inspired by “The 1619 Project.”

In my recent reviews of comic books written by Mark Millar (such as Nemesis Reloaded), I talked about how they recall the craziness and rebellion of 1980s comic books. Killadelphia is beautifully crazy. If Fox News and other conservative, right wing, reactionary, KKK media organizations knew about Killadelphia, they would dog Rodney Barnes' name they do Nikole Hannah-Jones.

If such criticism and negativity were to become a reality, however, they would ask you a simple question, dear readers. If you aren't reading Killadelphia, then, why isn't your dumb ass reading Killadelphia?

NOTE: Killadelphia #28 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

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Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Comics Review: "MONARCH #1" is an Outstanding Debut

MONARCH #1

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Alex Lins

COLORS: Luis Nct

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello

COVER: Alex Lins

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Jason Shawn Alexander

32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (February 2023)

Rated “T/ Teen”

“Stranger from Above” Part I: “The Truth Within”

Monarch is a new science fiction-thriller comic book from writer Rodney Barnes. Published by Image Comics, it is drawn by Alex Lins; colored by Luis Nct; and lettered by Marshall Dillon. The series focuses on a boy from Compton, CA who leads the resistance to an alien invasion.

Monarch #1 (“The Truth Within”) opens in the city of Compton, CA. It introduces an African-American teenage boy named Travon. Growing up in Compton is tough, but it is even tougher when a bitter, young thugs is hunting you every day.

Everyday problems, mundane and otherwise, are about to seem less important. Alien life has made first contact with Earth and that contact is in the form of a military invasion. Death, devastation, and mayhem rain down on humanity. Now, can a single teenage boy rise to the challenge to protect his surrogate family and friends?

THE LOWDOWN: I think writer Rodney Barnes has previously stated that the science fiction alien invasion films, Independence Day (1996) and Attack the Block (2011), are influences in the creation of Monarch. The two films are vastly different, but both remain popular long after their respective theatrical releases.

Like Independence Day, Monarch is set in America and teases an intriguing ensemble cast. In Monarch #1, Barnes offers the internal monologue or thoughts of three of the characters. Like Attack the Block, Monarch presents a charismatic, young black male hero in Travon, which is an interesting name.

The art and graphical storytelling by Alex Lins conveys the grittiness and rundown quality of the environments in which Travon lives without being slavish to realism. Lins' art is representational, emotive, and fantastical the way comic book art was before the creep of faux-realism. Colorist Luis Nct does what he always does, craft mood, atmosphere, and intensity that makes the story pop on the page. Letterer Marshall Dillon, as usual, creates what seems like a soundtrack to the world (Compton) and the fantastic (the alien invasion) that brings the story to life.

I hope that readers embrace Monarch with the kind of sales that will allow it to run its course. Monarch is the kind of comic book that keeps me reading new comic books. It is a great opening chapter of a serial that seems like it is going to thrill me every time.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of science fiction and of alien invasions will want to read Monarch.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

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Thursday, February 2, 2023

Comics Review: "BLACULA: Return of the King" Revives, Saves, and Improves a Classic

BLACULA: RETURN OF THE KING

ZOMBIE LOVE STUDIOS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Jason Shawn Alexander with Scott Hampton

COLORS: Jason Shawn Alexander

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander

ISBN: 978-1-958509-00-5; paperback (January 31, 2023)

128pp, Colors, 19.99 U.S., $26.50 CAN

Rated “T+ / Teen Plus” or “16 years and up”

Blacula: Return of the King is a full-color, original graphic novel (comic book) that is based on Blacula, a 1972 vampire horror and Black exploitation film. Published by Zombie Love Studios, Blacula: Return of the King is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn and colored by Jason Shawn Alexander (with some contributions from artist Scott Hampton); and lettered by Marshall Dillon. Barnes and Alexander are the creators of the dark fantasy and vampire horror comic book, Killadelphia (Image Comics).

Blacula the film starred renowned African-American actor, William Marshall. He played the film's title role, an 18th-century African prince named Mamuwalde. In the year 1780, after a dispute, Count Dracula punishes Mamuwalde by turning him into a vampire and cursing him with the name “Blacula.” Dracula seals Mamuwalde in a coffin that he hides deep in a crypt in his castle in Transylvania. Blacula reemerges in the United States in 1972 where he pursues a human woman in what turns out to be a doomed romance.

Blacula: Return of the King opens in modern Los Angeles. Tina Thomas, a young African-American reporter, writes for “Dark Knights,” a blog that “chronicles all things unnatural, uneasy, and undead in the greater Los Angeles area.” For the past six months, people have been disappearing, and the word on the street and rumors from the shadows insist that the legendary vampire that haunted Los Angeles in the early 1970s has returned to kill. That's right; Blacula's back.

During her reporting, Tina meets Kross, a young Black man whose family has been plagued by the curse of Blacula since his first appearance. Kross leads a group of children, a band of “Lost Boys,” if you will, and all have also been hurt by the plague of undead that follows Blacula's blood lust. Kross and his boys are determined to hunt and to kill Blacula, and before long, Tina finds herself joining them.

Blacula is also on a mission – his own kind of hunt. He is searching for the one who forever changed his life centuries ago and cursed him with the mocking name, “Blacula.” His enemy's name is Count Dracula, and that's right. Dracula's back, too.

THE LOWDOWN: I want and need to convince you, dear readers, to read Blacula: Return of the King. It may be the most inventive and artistically ambitious graphic novel about a vampire since Jon J. Muth's Dracula: A Symphony in Moonlight and Nightmares, which was originally published by Marvel Comics in 1986.

The art and coloring by Jason Shawn Alexander is at times regal and elegant, as if hinting at what Prince Mamuwalde once was. At other times, it is a blustery and frantic, desperate and stormy, and impressionistic and insane. It is in these moments that the storytelling reminds reader of the backdrop to the horrific melodrama. The victims of both Blacula and Dracula, as well as their undead acolytes, are the lower classes, the poor, and those living on the edge of an already frayed society.

That is why what writer Rodney Barnes offers is a true sequel to the 1972 film. Blacula the movie was a very “Black” film, and Blacula: Return of the King is a very Black comic book. Blacula, Tina Thomas, and Kross and his lost boys are all living the legacy of slavery and bondage, which is suffering and degradation. In a way, the characters are living the best that they can, but they are cursed by history, both national and personal. Blacula may be a monster, but he kills for food, a fate forced on him. It is like fate of the young African-Americans characters here, who live in a gloomy world of abandoned and ignored neighborhoods.

Barnes and Alexander have made in Blacula: Return of the King a vampire story that is an amazing layered work – literal, metaphorical, and allegorical horror. It is a sequel that honors the original and advances the story forward in way that is faithful in spirit and in potential. And as a horror comic book, it is a damn fun read.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Blacula, of Dracula, and of great vampire fiction will want to read Blacula: Return of the King.

[This issue contains an introduction, “Blacula and Me” by Rodney Barnes. It also includes “Prince Mamuwalde Lives!: Resurrecting Blacula,” written by Stephen R. Bissette and edited by John Jennings.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/zombieloveLLC

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://rodneybarnes.substack.com/

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Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Comics Review: "Nita Hawes' NIGHTMARE Blog #12" - You're the Key to My Peace of Mind

NITA HAWES' NIGHTMARE BLOG #12

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Szymon Kudranski

COLORS: Luis Nct with mar and Silvestre Galotto

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello

COVER: Szymon Kudranski

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Davi Go

28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (February 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“Murder By Another Name” Part VI: “Acceptance”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is a comic book series created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander. Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is written by Barnes. The current artist is Szymon Kudranski. Colorist Luis Nct and letterer by Marshall Dillon complete the creative team. The series focuses on a woman who is on a quest to root out evil by helping the people who contact her blog.

In Baltimore, Maryland, which some call “Bodymore, Murderland,” there is a woman named Dawnita “Nita” Hawes. She is the owner of “Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog” where citizens can contact Nita when they have a problem of a supernatural or paranormal nature. Nita has just begun her quest to root the evil out of her city – with the help of her dead brother, Jason.

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog #12 (“Acceptance”) opens outside the empty plantation manor that is the base of operations of “Jackie the Ripper,” scourge of Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland. Police Detective Harden is ready to pop some caps in Jackie, but her erstwhile partner, Nita Hawes, knows that she must follow Jackie into the bowels of the old mansion.

Jackie the Ripper's reign of vengeance comes to a head as she faces off against Nita Hawes, the one woman who might be able to stop her. Or is Nita the one human who can help Jackie end her painful immortality? The winner of this battle will learn that victories don't come without a cost … if she didn't know that already. Plus, Anasi the Spider-God referees.

THE LOWDOWN: Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is a spin-off of Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander's hit vampire comic book, Killadelphia. The current story arc, “Murder By Another Name,” has come to an end, but not before making several direct connections to recent and ongoing events in Killadelphia.

I find that Barnes has used “Murder By Another Name” emancipate Nita Hawes, in a way. She seems liberated from the pain and suffering of her pain and suffering – so to speak. To me, this is how Barnes has evolved the series. In the beginning, Nita was like a victim helping other victims. I am assuming that going forward, when someone reaches out via the Nightmare Blog, that person will receive help from a warrior whose weapon is her empathy, which has been forged by trials and tribulations.

Szymon Kudranski's ghostly art is the perfect storytelling vehicle for this series, capturing the ethereal and murky natures of this series' action and drama. And Kudranki's art allows Luis Nct's signature shadowy and haunting colors to find their most perfect companion. Not to forget: Marshall Dillon's lettering also gives Barnes' script the sounds from beyond that it deserves.

So it seems that Nita is now headed to Philadelphia for a bit. So, this can be a break for you, dear readers; do catch up via the trades.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Killadelphia and of DC Comics' original Hellblazer will want Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog.

A+

You can buy the NITA HAWES' NIGHTMARE BLOG VOL. 2 trade paperback here at AMAZON.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/luisnct

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

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Monday, January 23, 2023

Comics Review: "KILLADELPHIA #27" - F**k Him and John Wayne

KILLADELPHIA #27

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander

PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe

INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Ben Templesmith

32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (January 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part III: “When God Turns Away”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander. Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia. The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe. Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr. and a ragtag team fighting the vampire invasion of Philadelphia. Among them are a medical examiner (Jose Padilla), werewolves, a witch, and a rebellious, but special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”). But their current adversary is an infamous rebel leader turned monster hunter and his army of killers.

As Killadelphia #27 (“When God Turns Away”) opens, Anasi the Spider-God is contemplating his place and the place of humans in all things reality. War and death and gods occupy his mind, and now, he must return to the streets of Hell for a meeting with an entity that does not seem bothered by deep thoughts.

Meanwhile, former President George Washington – the undead, vampire version of him – and his vampire army are put on the defensive as they fight for survival against Toussaint Louverture and his Haitian guardians. Will the Founding Father and his boys be able to turn the tide, or will heavy losses and insurmountable odds seal their fate as another American myth bites the dust.

The first two issues of this arc caused me sadness with their shocking endings. This time, however, writer Rodney Barnes made me happy. His glorious scripts are in tune with the current state of the good ol' U.S. of A. This nation must reckon with its racist and genocidal past, and it is too late for that racial reckoning to go down gently. At times, metaphorical and allegorical, Killadelphia is perhaps a modern Book of Revelation – with some cool vampire action driving the revelation.

New pencil artist Germán Erramouspe and colorist Lee Loughridge have joined artist Jason Shawn Alexander for this arc. The result is a fiery cataclysm of comic book storytelling that is seemingly not sparing sacred cows. Holding this comic book might cause our hands and forearms to catch fire before it is finished, dear readers.

Sometimes, it is okay not to be prepared for the shocks that a creative team is delivering. Issue #27 has left me pleased. Come share this pleasure with me.

NOTE: Killadelphia #27 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

------------------------

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Sunday, January 15, 2023

Comics Review: "Nita Hawes' NIGHTMARE Blog #11" - Never Left and She's Back at It

NITA HAWES' NIGHTMARE BLOG #11

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Szymon Kudranski

COLORS: Luis Nct with mar and Silvestre Galotto

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello

COVER: Szymon Kudranski

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Szymon Kudranski; Chris Visions

28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (January 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“Murder By Another Name” Part V: “The Wake-Up Call”

In Baltimore, Maryland, which some call “Bodymore, Murderland,” there is a woman named Dawnita “Nita” Hawes. She is the owner of “Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog” where citizens can contact Nita when they have a problem of a supernatural or paranormal nature. Nita has just begun her quest to root the evil out of her city – with the help of her dead brother, Jason.

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog #11 (“The Wake-Up Call”) opens with Nita freed from the clutches of “Jackie the Ripper.” Her savior, Anasi the Spider-God, wants Nita to show appreciation because he saved her from a Hell she never imagined. He believes that Nita can show that by not returning to the clutches of the Ripper...

… But that can't be. Nita must ignore Anansi's warnings and go looking for a formidable creature with the assistance of Detective Harden. As Nita comes one step closer to uncovering Jackie's dark secrets, she becomes her next target, again, as the killer desires to enjoy some more killing before returning to her next big sleep.

THE LOWDOWN: Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is a spin-off of Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander's hit vampire comic book, Killadelphia. The current story arc, “Murder By Another Name,” is making several direct connections to recent and ongoing events in Killadelphia, while rocking the “Killadelphia-verse” in its own way.

I like Barnes and Kudranski's take on Jack the Ripper. She is a slave turned monster by the ghosts of those who killed her. In a sense, because she was killed as chattel property and now “lives” as an murderous entity, she can never truly be a “former slave.”

I think that this story arc, “Murder By Another Name,” especially Chapter 4 (issue #10), is about Nita fully taking control of her mission. Her “Nightmare Blog” is something she took upon herself, and she must take on that mission and must embrace it in her way regardless of the pleadings of well-meaning gods and baby ghosts.

I think next issue's closing chapter of this story arc will be big. Keep reading, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Killadelphia and of the original Hellblazer will want Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog.

A+

You can buy the NITA HAWES' NIGHTMARE BLOG VOL. 2 trade paperback here at AMAZON.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex

https://twitter.com/luisnct

https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://imagecomics.com/

http://rodneybarnes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).