Comic Books, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for June 9, 2021

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

APR211576    1956 GN BOOK 01 SWEET SWEET LITTLE RAMONA (MR)    $9.95
APR211823    ADVENTURES OF TEAM POM GN VOL 01 SQUID HAPPENS    $12.99
APR211535    ALICE IN LEATHERLAND #3 (MR)    $3.99
APR211376    ANIMAL RESCUE FRIENDS GN    $9.99
APR211377    ANIMAL RESCUE FRIENDS HC GN    $13.99
APR211431    ARCHIE 80TH ANNIV EVERYTHING ARCHIE #1 CVR A DAN PARENT    $3.99
APR211432    ARCHIE 80TH ANNIV EVERYTHING ARCHIE #1 CVR B BEN CALDWELL    $3.99
APR211433    ARCHIE 80TH ANNIV EVERYTHING ARCHIE #1 CVR C RIAN GONZALES    $3.99
APR211434    ARCHIE 80TH ANNIV EVERYTHING ARCHIE #1 CVR D AARON LOPRESTI    $3.99
APR211437    ARCHIE JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #320    $7.99
APR211343    BABYTEETH #18 (RES) (MR)    $3.99
APR211438    BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #294    $7.99
APR211885    BLACK COTTON #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
APR211968    BLADE RUNNER 2019 #9-12 SYD MEAD PACK (MR)    $17.99
FEB211599    BLOODSHOT (2019) TP VOL 04    $14.99
MAR211430    BRINDILLE HC    $29.99
APR211337    BUNNY MASK #1 CVR A MUTTI    $4.99
APR211338    BUNNY MASK #1 CVR B MUTTI BUNNY MASK    $4.99
FEB211512    BUNUEL IN THE LABYRINTH OF TURTLES GN    $22.99
APR212123    CALL OF THE NIGHT GN VOL 02    $9.99
APR212091    CASTE HEAVEN GN VOL 06 (MR)    $12.99
MAR218910    CHASING THE DRAGON #1 (OF 5) 2ND PTG LINSNER    $3.99
MAR211541    CHERRY BLACKBIRD #1 (MR)    $3.99
APR211578    CLOVER PRESS MARVEL VARIANT COVER PACK    $50.00
APR211668    CRASH SITE HC    $24.99
JAN211380    DARK WING #5 (OF 10)    $2.99
APR211573    DEADWORLD VOICES FROM DEADWORLD TP    $16.99
JAN211102    DEATH BY LIFE #2 (OF 8)    $3.99
FEB211267    DF ALIEN #1 BLANK HAESER SGN RMRK    $79.00
JAN211299    DF GENERATIONS FORGED #1 JURGENS SGN    $29.99
JAN211300    DF GENERATIONS FORGED #1 JURGENS SGN PLUS 1    $49.99
FEB211282    DF JOKER #1 BLANK HAESER SGN RMRK    $69.99
MAR211261    DF XMEN LEGENDS #3 SIMONSON SGN    $43.00
APR211689    DOPE RIDER A FISTFUL OF DELIRIUM GN (MR)    $32.00
FEB211439    DRAGON RACER TP    $12.99
OCT200995    DUEL IDENTITY #3 CVR A BERGOS (RES)    $4.99
OCT200996    DUEL IDENTITY #3 CVR B BENNY POWELL HOLOFOIL ED    $9.99
OCT200997    DUEL IDENTITY #3 CVR C GENZOMAN LENTICULAR ED    $19.99
APR211513    E-RATIC TP    $9.99
MAR211844    FOR THE KID I SAW IN MY DREAMS HC VOL 06    $17.00
MAR211143    FREAK SNOW #1 CVR A SANTOS (MR)    $3.99
MAR211144    FREAK SNOW #1 CVR B MOSS (MR)    $3.99
MAR211145    FREAK SNOW #1 CVR C PANTAZIS (MR)    $3.99
FEB211703    GENTLE NOBLES VACATION RECOMMENDATION GN VOL 03    $12.99
MAR211216    GIFT GN    $18.00
APR211721    GIRL FROM THE SEA GN    $14.99
APR211722    GIRL FROM THE SEA HC GN    $24.99
APR212067    GRIMM HERCULES PAYNE VS SCORPION QUEEN CVR A BARRIONUEVO    $5.99
APR212068    GRIMM HERCULES PAYNE VS SCORPION QUEEN CVR B VITORINO    $5.99
APR212069    GRIMM HERCULES PAYNE VS SCORPION QUEEN CVR C DIPASCALE    $5.99
MAR211543    GUTT GHOST TP VOL 00    $14.99
APR211574    HARVEST OF HORROR TP    $12.99
MAR211847    HINOWA GA CRUSH GN VOL 05    $13.00
JAN211101    HORROR COMICS #4    $3.99
APR212122    HOW DO WE RELATIONSHIP GN VOL 03    $9.99
AUG201325    IMMORTAL HULK #0 DAVID SGN    $29.99
APR211521    JUNKY CABLE #2    $3.99
MAR211831    KAKEGURUI COMPULSIVE GAMBLER GN VOL 13    $15.00
APR212109    KIRBY MANGA MANIA GN VOL 01    $9.99
MAR211393    KODT BUNDLE OF TROUBLE TP VOL 63 (RES)    $15.99
MAR211394    KODT BUNDLE OF TROUBLE TP VOL 64 (RES)    $15.99
APR212125    KOMI CANT COMMUNICATE GN VOL 13    $9.99
MAR218334    LAST KIDS ON EARTH GN VOL 01 THRILLING TALES FROM TREE HOUSE    $13.99
FEB211699    LIKE TWO PEAS IN A POD GN (MR)    $12.99
APR211349    MANIAC OF NEW YORK #5    $3.99
APR211509    MARJORIE FINNEGAN TEMPORAL CRIMINAL #2 CVR A CLARKE (MR)    $3.99
APR211510    MARJORIE FINNEGAN TEMPORAL CRIMINAL #2 CVR B PANOSIAN (MR)    $3.99
APR211723    MILES MORALES SHOCK WAVES GN    $12.99
APR211724    MILES MORALES SHOCK WAVES HC GN    $24.99
MAR211588    MINAMATA STORY GN (RES)    $14.95
JAN211418    MINERVAS MAP KEY TO A PERFECT APOCALYPSE #2    $8.99
FEB211400    MINERVAS MAP KEY TO A PERFECT APOCALYPSE #3    $8.99
MAR211410    MINERVAS MAP KEY TO A PERFECT APOCALYPSE #4    $8.99
APR211894    MURDER HOBO BIG FLOPPY ED (MR)    $9.99
APR212261    MY DRESS UP DARLING GN VOL 04 (RES)    $12.99
APR212129    ONE PIECE 3IN1 TP VOL 31    $14.99
MAR211298    ONLY THE GOOD STAY DEAD HC    $20.00
APR212049    PEANUT BUTTER & CRACKERS YR GN VOL 02 FETCH    $12.99
MAR211546    PHANTOM STARKILLER LEGENDARY EDITION    $19.99
MAR211839    PHANTOM TALES OF THE NIGHT GN VOL 07    $15.00
APR212118    POKEMON ADV COLLECTORS ED TP VOL 08    $17.99
APR211506    RESISTANCE GN    $17.00
SEP201201    RORSCHACH #1 KING SGN    $49.99
MAR211846    SAGA OF TANYA EVIL GN VOL 14 (MR)    $13.00
JAN211097    SCHOOL MEMORIES ONE SHOT    $3.99
MAR211054    SECRET GARDEN GN    $11.99
FEB211674    SHAMAN KING OMNIBUS TP VOL 02    $19.99
MAR211416    SHARK SUMMER GN    $12.99
MAR211417    SHARK SUMMER HC GN    $24.99
FEB211675    SHIKIMORIS NOT JUST A CUTIE GN VOL 04    $12.99
SEP201763    SHINO CANT SAY HER NAME GN    $12.95
APR211696    SMILIN ED COMICS COMPLETE COLLECTION TP    $29.95
APR211760    SPACE BASTARDS #6 (MR)    $4.99
APR212106    SPY X FAMILY GN VOL 05    $9.99
JAN211757    STREET FIGHTER V HC VOL 01 CHAMPIONS RISING    $49.99
MAR211854    SWORD ART ONLINE GIRLS OPS GN VOL 07    $13.00
MAR211855    TALES OF WEDDING RINGS GN VOL 09    $15.00
APR211807    TERMINAL PUNKS TP    $14.99
FEB211751    UNCLE FROM ANOTHER WORLD GN VOL 01    $15.00
MAR211384    WIZARDS OF MICKEY GN VOL 03    $16.00
APR212116    WORLD PIECE GN    $16.99
APR211579    X-MEN LEGENDS #1 KEITH VAR    $20.00
MAR211836    YOSHI NO ZUIKARA GN VOL 03 FROG WELL DOES NOT KNOW OCEAN    $15.00

MAGAZINES

APR211859    CARTOONS MAGAZINE #33    $6.99
APR211588    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1764    $PI
FEB219079    HI FRUCTOSE MAGAZINE QUARTERLY #59    $9.95
DEC201724    MEGAMI MARCH 2021    $20.00
DEC201725    NEWTYPE MARCH 2021    $20.00

BOOKS

MAR211871    DEVIL IS PART TIMER LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 19    $15.00
MAR211432    GAMORA & NEBULA YA HC NOVEL SISTERS IN ARMS    $17.99
APR212179    MAKE YOUR OWN MANGA SC    $15.99
FEB211420    MOONSTONE DOUBLE SHOT GREEN HORNET    $5.99
DEC201868    ROBOTECH VISUAL ARCHIVE GENESIS CLIMBER MOSPEADA HC (RES)    $49.99
MAR211313    SECOND WEDNESDAY DLX LTD SC NOVEL    $36.95
MAR211312    SECOND WEDNESDAY SC NOVEL    $16.95
MAR211324    STAR WARS EPISODES I-IX LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK COLLECTION    $14.99
FEB219326    TRUE BELIEVER RISE AND FALL OF STAN LEE HC (RES)    $28.00

DC Comics Shipping from Lunar Distributors for June 8, 2021

DC COMICS:

American Vampire 1976 #9 (Of 10)(Cover A Rafael Albuquerque), $3.99
American Vampire 1976 #9 (Of 10)(Cover B Jorge Fornes Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Aquaman Deep Dives TP, $16.99
Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries #3 (Of 12)(Cover A Dario Brizuela), $2.99
Batman Earth One Volume 3 HC, $24.99
Batman Fortnite Zero Point #1 (Of 6)(Mikel Janín 3rd Printing Variant Cover), $4.99
Batman Fortnite Zero Point #4 (Of 6)(Mikel Janín 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $4.99
Batman The Detective #3 (Of 6)(Cover A Andy Kubert), $3.99
Batman The Detective #3 (Of 6)(Cover B Andy Kubert Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Batman Urban Legends #4 (Cover A Jorge Molina), $7.99
Batman Urban Legends #4 (Cover B Irvin Rodriguez), $7.99
Batman Urban Legends #4 (Cover C Dustin Nguyen), $7.99
Challenge Of The Super Sons #3 (Of 7)(Cover A Simone Di Meo), $3.99
Challenge Of The Super Sons #3 (Of 7)(Cover B Jamal Campbell Card Stock Variant), $4.99
DC Comics Generations HC, $29.99
DC Pride #1 (One Shot)(Cover A Jim Lee/Scott Williams/Tamra Bonvillain), $9.99
DC Pride #1 (One Shot)(Cover B Jen Bartel Pride Month Variant), $9.99
Detective Comics #1037 (Cover A Dan Mora), $4.99
Detective Comics #1037 (Cover B Lee Bermejo Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Far Sector #12 (Of 12)(Cover A Jamal Campbell), $3.99
Far Sector #12 (Of 12)(Cover B Jen Bartel Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Future State Gotham #2 (Cover A Ladronn), $3.99
Future State Gotham #2 (Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Future State Gotham #2 (Cover C Stanley Artgerm Lau Card Stock Variant), AR
Joker #4 (Cover A Guillem March), $5.99
Joker #4 (Cover B Lucio Parrillo), $5.99
Joker #4 (Cover C Ejikure), $5.99
Joker #4 (Cover D Riccardo Federici), AR
Justice League Last Ride #2 (Cover A Darick Robertson), $3.99
Justice League Last Ride #2 (Cover B InHyuk Lee Card Stock Variant), $4.99
MAD Magazine #20, $5.99
Rorschach #9 (Of 12)(Cover A Jorge Fornes), $4.99
Rorschach #9 (Of 12)(Cover B Francesco Mattina Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Superman #32 (Cover A John Timms), $4.99
Superman #32 (Cover B InHyuk Lee Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Superman #32 (Cover C David Talaski Pride Month Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Sweet Tooth Compendium TP, $59.99
Tales From The DC Dark Multiverse II HC, $34.99
Wonder Woman #773 (Cover A Travis Moore), $4.99
Wonder Woman #773 (Cover B Joshua Middleton Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Wonder Woman #773 (Cover C Paulina Ganucheau Pride Month Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Comics Review: BATMAN: The Detective #1

BATMAN: THE DETECTIVE #1 (OF 6)
DC COMICS

STORY: Tom Taylor
ART: Andy Kubert
COLORS: Brad Anderson
LETTERS: Clem Robins
EDITOR: Ben Abernathy
COVER: Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson; Riccardo Federici
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2021)

Rated: Age 13+

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

“Batman The Detective” Part One

Batman: The Detective is a new six-issue comic book miniseries.  It is written by Tom Taylor; drawn by Andy Kubert; colored by Brad Anderson; and lettered by Clem Robins.  This miniseries takes Batman on a harrowing, action-packed European adventure, in which he will meet new allies … and new enemies.

Batman: The Detective #1 opens 36,000 feet above Lancashire, England aboard Wayne Airlines, Flight 89.  It is flying from Gotham City to London with 147 passengers when tragedy strikes – and it is all Batman's fault.  This very personal and deadly message draws Batman out of Gotham to investigate, but waiting for him is an old ghost and also a name – “Equilibrium.”  This story guest-stars Knight (Beryl Hutchinson) and introduces the new Squire (Amina).

THE LOWDOWN:  Many acclaimed artists have drawn a Batman comic book or comic book series.  My favorites tend to be artists who left their mark on Batman during the last three and a half decades of the twentieth-century:  Carmine Infantino, Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, Frank Miller, and David Mazzuchelli.  The twenty-first century has offered an entire new roster of Batman artists for me to love, including an artist who has been drawing some of the most beautiful Batman comic book art for the last 15 years, Andy Kubert.

I bought a copy of Batman: The Detective #1 so that my imagination could enjoy some gorgeous Andy Kubert Batman art, and I am still thumbing through the pages of this comic book.  Kubert's aquiline and muscular Batman/Bruce Wayne is like a coiled big cat.  My favorite Kubert Batman pages are those splash pages and partial splash pages in which Kubert fills those pages with a larger-than-life Batman or a larger-than-life character, sometimes wearing a Batman-like costume.  [Early in Kubert's run as the artist of the ongoing Batman comic book series, he drew a massive Bane in a Batman costume.  Wow!]

As for the story, Tom Taylor offers a clever gimmick and hook.  Still, I think Batman: The Detective #1 is mostly flat until the second half of the story.  There is, however, potential here, but not enough for me to spend $19.95 U.S. plus tax to read the remaining five issues.  Andy Kubert is the reason that I am giving this comic book a high grade.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Andy Kubert's Batman art will want to try Batman: The Detective.

B+

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


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

Comics Review: FUTURE STATE: Gotham #1 Yells "AKIRA!"

FUTURE STATE: GOTHAM #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Joshua Williamson and Dennis Culver
ART: Giannis Milonogiannis
LETTERS: ALW's Troy Peteri
EDITOR: Ben Abernathy
COVER: Yasmine Putri
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: James Stokoe
32pp, B&W, $3.99 U.S. (July 2021)

Rating: Age 13+

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

“Hunt the Batman” Part One: “Batman's Land”

Future State: Gotham is a new black and white comic book series written by Joshua Williamson and Dennis Culver and drawn by Giannis Milonogiannis.  The series springs out of the “Future State” miniseries, Future State: Dark Detective, and focuses on Red Hood/Jason Todd as he wages a war against the “Bat-family.”  Letter Troy Peteri completes the creative team.

Future State: Gotham #1 (Batman's Land) opens with the Red Hood battling “Mecha-Scarface” and Arnold Wesker.  Although he is victorious, Jason Todd has earned the ire of the “Peacekeepers.”  Then, disaster strikes Gotham City, and all evidence points towards “the Next Batman.”  Now, Todd must choose justice over his “Bat-family,” when he is recruited by The Magistrate, which wants the Next Batman dead or alive (more the former than the latter).  Peacekeeper Red is born!

But the Magistrate is corrupt.  So what is Jason Todd up to in this forbidding world of tomorrow?

THE LOWDOWN:  “Hunt the Batman,” the debut story arc of Future State: Gotham, will run six issues.  Series writers Joshua Williamson and Dennis Culver offer a story that is explosive and has attractive and engaging characters.  They also put Jason Todd/Red Hood in a precarious position filled with uncertainty that will make for high-wire tension and nail-biting drama.

Series artist Giannis Milonogiannis renders Future State Gotham #1 in stark black and white tones.  This art evokes a gritty, noir aesthetic that recalls both the 1982 film, Blade Runner, and Katsuhiro Otomo's classic manga, Akira (serialized in Japan's Weekly Young Magazine, 1982-90).  In fact, it is not a coincidence and is fitting that this first issue reprints the Batman short story, "The Third Mask," that Otomo wrote and drew for the first Batman: Black and White (1996) miniseries.  I think that DC Comics and the creators want us to know that they are producing a comic book that exemplifies what is true to the spirit of Akira, if not being an heir to that manga.

Troy Peteri's dynamic lettering for Future State: Gotham #1 is pitch perfect for this series.  His fonts ride Milonogiannis' manga-like action lines as if they were riding lightning.  Yes, dear readers, I am strongly recommending Future State: Gotham #1.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Jason Todd and Red Hood will want to read Future State: Gotham.

A

Future State: Gotham #1 includes the following extras:

• a Batman pinup drawn by the late French artist, Moebius
• A series design sketch by Giannis Milonogiannis
• A story from Batman: Black and White #4 (September 1996), “The Third Mask” written and drawn by Katsuhiro Otomo; translated by Jo Duffy; lettered by Bill Oakley
• A “DC Nation” “Spotlight On” Wonder Girl #1 interview with writer artist Joelle Jones

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


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

Comics Review: "NOCTERRA #4" Backwards and Forwards Good

NOCTERRA #4
IMAGE COMICS/Best Jacket Press

STORY: Scott Snyder
ART: Tony S. Daniels
COLORS: Tomeu Morey
LETTERS: Andworld Design
EDITOR: Will Dennis
COVER: Tony S. Daniels with Tomeu Morey
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jenny Frison; Tony S. Daniels with Tomeu Morey
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (June 2021)

Rated “M/ Mature”

“Full Throttle Dark” Part Four

Nocterra is a horror and science fiction comic book series from writer Scott Snyder and artist Tony S. Daniels.  Published by Image Comics, Nocterra is set on an Earth that has been experiencing an everlasting night, the “Big PM,” since the sky went dark and the world was plunged into an everlasting night over a decade ago.  Colorist Tomeu Morey and letterer Andworld Design complete the series' creative team.

In Nocterra, any living organisms left unlit in the dark for more than 10 hours start undergoing a biological transformation.  Soon, the living turn into monstrous versions of themselves, becoming something called a “Shade.”

Valentina “Val” Riggs – call sign “Sundog,” – was in the fifth grade the day the “Big PM” occurred.  Thirteen years later (“13 PM”), Val drives a big rig hauler, a heavily-illuminated 18-wheeler known as the “Sundog Convoy.”  A skilled “ferryman” Val transports people and goods along deadly unlit roads between the few remaining human outposts, and now she has her most dangerous haul – a girl with a dangerous secret and her brother, Emory “Em” Riggs, who is becoming a Shade.

Nocterra #4 opens in Val's memories of “Day Three” of the Big PM.  She and Em are trapped in the basement, as their parents are transforming into Shades.  They are knocking at the door of the basement, determined to enter and kill their children.  Val and Em have each come up with a plan, but they always follow Val's plans.  Em wants that to change.  So what now?

Back in the present, exposed to the dark for so long, Em is changing.  Val need a “solar lamp” to slow down the change, and she knows where one is located.  It's in the outpost town of Tipton; make that “brought down” outpost town.  Even if Val gets lucky, there still is the problem of getting Bailey to Sanctuary, which might not be there.

THE LOWDOWN:  As I have written in some of my earlier reviews of Nocterra, I enjoy writer Scott Snyder's creator-owned series.  I have also told you, dear readers, that I am usually happy to read a comic book drawn by Tony S. Daniels, going back to his early days writing and drawing creator-owned titles at Image, such as The Tenth.

Well, I am having a blast reading Nocterra, which reads like an old-fashioned pulp serial with its haunting settings, crazy monsters, bad-ass villains, questionable supporting characters, and one against-all-odds female hero.  Nocterra #4 even has a theme: what to do when there only two choices, and both of them are risky, but one means destruction.

Snyder and Daniels are delivering in Nocterra the kind of work that has made them superstar comic book creators.  If you are fans of either, there is no reason that you should not be reading Nocterra.

If you are a fan of colorist Tomeu Morey, then, you want to see how beautifully he colors the dark world of Nocterra.  And I always enjoy reading the lettering of Andworld Design.  Thus, it is easy for me to give this series the highest recommendation, especially when Nocterra #4 delivers a powerful chapter that is built on a riveting backstory in order to deliver a heart-stopping last act.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniels will want to sample Nocterra.

A

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


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The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 1st to 5th, 2021 - Update #14

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:   Christina Ricci has been cast in a mystery role in "The Matrix 4."

AMAZON - From InTheseTimes:  Bezos the Great and Powerful: Beyond the dangers of corporate consolidation, Amazon’s acquisition of MGM has exposed an American economy that’s mostly make-believe.

CULTURE/BLM - From THR: Tom Hanks penned a guest essay for The New York Times on Friday in which he called for the truth of the Tulsa race massacre to be taught in schools.

POLITICS - From Variety:   Facebook says that it will suspend former president Donald Trump from its Facebook and Instagram social media platforms until at least January 2023.  Further, Trump will only be reinstated "if conditions permit."

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actor, Billy Porter, and executive producer Greg Berlanti are developing a TV series, "Fruits of Thy Labor," for NBC's "Peacock" streaming service.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:   Nickelodeon has released a teaser trailer and art form the "Spongebob Squarepants" spinoff, "The Patrick Star Show."

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, Donnie Yen, is joining Keanu Reeves in "John Wick 4."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Despite all Tom Cruise's cussin' and hollarin', production on "Mission: Impossible 7" in the U.K. will shut down for 14 days because of a positive COVID-19 test.

FILM FESTIVALS - From Variety:   The lineup for the 2021 Cannes Film Festival has been announced.  This year's festival will be held from July 6th to 17th, 2021.

DISNEY - From Deadline:   "Indiana Jones 5" will begin filming in the United Kingdom next week, according to sources.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   Paramount Pictures brings resurrects movie-going with "A Quiet Place Part II" ... or do "Deadline" says.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Actor Sebastian Stan (Marvel's "Winter Soldier") has posted a new photo of himself as the rocker, Tommy Lee (of the band "Motley Crue") to promote Hulu's limited series, "Pam & Tommy."

OBITS:

From Deadline:   The actress Romy Walthall has died at the age of 57, Wednesday, 19, 2021.  Her first screen was in 1984 and her last in 2011.  Walthall made appearances in some of the biggest television series of the 1980 and 90s.  This included "T.J. Hooker," "Moonlight," "Matlock," "In the Heat of the Night," "L.A. Law," and "The X-Files," to name a few.  Walthall also had small role in the director John Woo's hit movie, "Face/Off," starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta.

From Deadline:   American stunt coordinator and film director, Buddy Van Horn, has died at the age of 92, Tuesday, May 11, 2021.  Van Horn was actor Clint Eastwood's stunt double and was credited as the stunt coordinator on Eastwood films from 1972 to 2011.  Van Horn also directed three films in which Eastwood starred, "Any Which Way You Can" (1980), "The Dead Pool" (1988), and "Pink Cadillac" (1989).

From XXL:   Dashawn Maurice Robertson, known as the rapper "Lil Loaded," has died at the age of 20, Monday, May 31, 2021.  Lil Loaded came to fame in 2019 when his song, "Blocc Baby" went viral.  He self-released his one studio album, "A Demon in Blue," October 2020, as a digital download/streaming.

 

Comics Review: "MILESTONE RETURNS: Infinite Edition #0

MILESTONE RETURNS: INFINITE EDITION 0
DC COMICS/Milestone Media

COVER: Denys Cowan with Chris Sotomayor
EDITORS: Chris Conroy; Mark Doyle and Jim Chadwick
48pp, Color, $4.99 U.S., (July 2021)

Rating: 13+

Milestone created by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle

Milestone Comics was the publishing division of Milestone Media, and its comic book titles were published and distributed by DC Comics.  Milestone was founded in 1993 by a coalition of African-American artists and writers, consisting of Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle.  Milestone Media's founders believed that minorities were severely underrepresented in American comic books and wished to address this.  In 1993, Milestone Media launched its first four titles Icon, Blood Syndicate, Static, and Hardware.  DC Comics ceased publication of all Milestone Comics titles in 1997.

There have been rumors, even press releases, saying that Milestone Comics was returning, especially the past several years.  Finally, Milestone returned in Milestone Returns: Fandome Preview, a 17-page, online digital comic that was a primer story.  It was released September 12, 2021 during one of DC's “FanDome” events.  DC Comics recently combined the contents in Milestone Returns: Fandome Preview with a new 24-page story, “The Big Bang,” to create the one-shot comic book, Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition 0 (or Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition Zero).  I'll review the two sections separately.

“The Big Bang”
STORY: Reginald Hudlin
LAYOUTS: Denys Cown
PENCILS: Denys Cowan; ChrisCross
FINISHES: Nikolas Draper-Ivey
INKS: Bill Sienkiewicz; Juan Castro
COLORS: Nikolas Draper-Ivey; Chris Sotomayor; Wil Quintana
LETTERS: Andworld Design

Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition 0 opens with “The Big Bang.”  It is a retelling or re-imagining of “the Big Bang,” the event in which the superheroes of the Milestone Comics' “Dakota Universe” received their powers.

It begins with a “Black Lives Matter” protest in the city of Dakota.  It ends when the police shot canisters filled with an untested chemical at the protesters.  Bullied teen, Virgil Ovid Hawkins, is one of the BLM protesters exposed to the chemicals, and now he has strange powers.  Virgil isn't the only one with strange new powers, and some of those other kids are his bullies.

Meanwhile, Curtis “Curt” Metcalf, a famed scientist at Alva Industries prepares to take the blame for the use of those chemicals, so he will go on the run – as the super-weapon, Hardware.  Elsewhere, an alien stranded on Earth meets the ambitious young woman who will transform his life.  Together, they become the superhero duo, “Icon and Rocket.”  Plus, a leader steps forward.

THE LOWDOWN:  Beginning this month (June 2021), DC Comics will launch three six-issue Milestone titles, Static: Season One, Icon and Rocket: Season One; Hardware: Season One.  “The Big Bang” introduces the events of the Big Bang: the police-brutality protest gone wrong that changes the face of the city of Dakota forever by unleashing a wave of superpowers across its population.

The only original Milestone Comics titles that I read on a monthly basis were Hardware and Static.  At the time, Static read like something relevant and of the moment.  That was the opposite of the contemporary mainstream, superhero comic books that DC Comics was then publishing, which seemed focused on continuity and internal fictional mythology of the “DC Universe.”  Dakota, the setting of Static, seemed like a real city where people lived real, day to day struggles.  Even with the introduction of superheroes, Dakota felt less like fantasy and more like contemporary urban world.

“The Big Bang” doesn't feel as gritty and real as the original Static.  Still, the year 2020 was marked by the “Black Lives Matter,” anti-police violence, civil rights, and human rights protests that took off in the wake of the death of George Floyd (May 25, 2020), an African-American man murdered by a white police officer.  “The Big Bang” uses the protests of 2020 as its launching point, and that includes the protests of the police-killing of a black woman, Breonna Taylor (March 13, 2020), in her apartment.  So rather than feel real world, “The Big Bang” is connected to the real world, which I think makes its superhero fantasy relevant.

“Milestone Returns: Fandome Preview”

STORY: Reginald Hudlin
PENCILS: Jim Lee; Ryan Benjamin; Denys Cowan; Khoi Pham
INKS: Jim Lee; Ryan Benjamin; Jimmy Palmiotti; Don Ho, Bill Sienkiewicz; Scott Hanna
COLORS: Alex Sinclair; Hi-Fi; Chris Sotomayor
LETTERS: Andworld Design

The second half of Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition Zero reprints the contents of “Milestone Returns: Fandome Preview,” the digital FanDome comic.  “Fandome Preview” is comprised of six vignette segments that act as origin stories or introductions to what will be the core titles of the new Milestone:  Static, Icon and Rocket, and Hardware.

THE LOWDOWN:  Overall, I can say that if you, dear readers, are previously familiar with Milestone Comics, “Milestone Returns: Fandome Preview” will make sense to you, to one extent or another.  That is also the case with “The Big Bang” story.  I did find myself clueless about several aspects of both stories and some characters.  I like the art in both sections, especially anything drawn by the great Denys Cowan, as well as ChrisCross and Ryan Benjamin.

I am ecstatic that Milestone Comics is back.  So you might want to take the following recommendation with a proverbial grain of salt:  buy Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition Zero.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Milestone Comics will want Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition 0.

B+

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


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