MARVEL COMICS
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Monday, August 30, 2021
Marvel Comics Shipping from Diamond Distributors for September 1, 2021
Comic Books, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for September 1, 2021
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BOOKS
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DC Comics Shipping from Lunar Distributors for August 31, 2021
Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (One Shot) (Cover A Ivan Reis & Joe Prado), $9.99
Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (One Shot) (Cover B Michael Cho 1940s Variant), $9.99
Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (One Shot) (Cover C Ramona Fradon & Sandra Hope 1950s Variant), $9.99
Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (One Shot) (Cover D Walter Simonson 1960s Variant), $9.99
Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (One Shot) (Cover E Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez 1970s Variant), $9.99
Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (One Shot) (Cover F Chuck Patton & Kevin Nowlan 1980s Variant), $9.99
Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (One Shot) (Cover G Yvel Guichet 1990s Variant), $9.99
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Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (One Shot) (Cover I Robson Rocha 2010s Variant), $9.99
Batman Adventures Cat Got Your Tongue TP, $9.99
Batman Fear State Alpha #1 (One Shot) (Cover A Ben Oliver), $4.99
Batman Fear State Alpha #1 (One Shot) (Cover B Dylan Teague Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Batman Fear State Alpha #1 (One Shot) (Cover D Jorge Jimenez Card Stock Variant), AR
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Batman Superman 2021 Annual #1 (Cover B Francesco Francavilla Connected Flip Card Stock Variant), $6.99
Batman Zero Year TP, $29.99
Dark Nights Death Metal #2 (Of 7) (Soundtrack Special Edition Grey Daze With Flexi Single Featuring Anything Anything), AR
Dark Nights Death Metal #3 (Of 7) (Soundtrack Special Edition Denzel Curry With Flexi Single Featuring Bad Luck), AR
Harley Quinn 2021 Annual #1 (Cover A David Lafuente), $5.99
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Infinite Frontier #5 (Of 6) (Cover A Mitch Gerads), $4.99
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Midnighter 2021 Annual #1 (Cover A Michael Avon Oeming), $5.99
Midnighter 2021 Annual #1 (Cover B Aco Card Stock Variant), $6.99
Preacher The 25th Anniversary Omnibus Volume 2 HC, $125.00
Static Season One #3 (Of 6) (Cover A Khary Randolph), $3.99
Static Season One #3 (Of 6) (Cover B Nikolas Draper-Ivey Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Swamp Thing New Roots TP, $16.99
Teen Titans Academy #6 (Cover A Rafa Sandoval), $3.99
Teen Titans Academy #6 (Cover B Steve Lieber Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Wonder Girl #3 (Cover A Joelle Jones), $3.99
Wonder Girl #3 (Cover B Matteo Scalera Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Friday, August 27, 2021
Review: CANDYMAN 2021 is a Good Horror Movie and an Even Better Black Movie
Candyman (2021)
Running time: 91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)
MPAA – R for bloody horror violence, and language including some sexual references
DIRECTOR: Nia DaCosta
WRITERS: Jordan Peele & Win Rosenfeld and Nia DaCosta (based on characters created by Clive Barker and Bernard Rose)
PRODUCERS: Ian Cooper, Jordan Peele, and Win Rosenfeld
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Guleserian (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Catrin Hedström
COMPOSER: Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe
HORROR/DRAMA/FANTASY
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Kyle Kaminsky, Vanessa Williams, Brian King, Miriam Moss, Rebecca Spence, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Rodney L. Jones III, and Tony Todd
Candyman is a 2021 supernatural horror and slasher film from director Nia DaCosta. The film is written by DaCosta and Win Rosenfeld and Jordan Peele of Get Out fame. This new film is adapted from the short story, “The Forbidden,” by Clive Barker and from the 1992 film adaptation of Barker's story, entitled Candyman, which was written and directed by Bernard Rose. Candyman 2021 is also a “spiritual sequel” to the 1992 film and is set in the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood where the legend of the notorious and murderous boogeyman began.
Candyman is set in the Cabrini neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago. Visual artist and painter, Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), lives and his girlfriend, Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris), an art gallery director, live there, navigating the treacherous world of modern art. But once upon a time, Cabrini was the infamous “Cabrini-Green Homes” (projects), which have now been gentrified beyond recognition. Still, some sections of the old Cabrini-Green still exist near where Anthony and Brianna live.
Around Cabrini, there is a ghost story (of sorts) about a white woman, Helen Lyle, who went crazy and, among many things, kidnapped an African-American baby. Anthony meets William Burke, a Cabrini-Green old-timer, and William informs Anthony of Cabrini-Green's true boogeyman, the supernatural killer, Candyman. The story goes that if someone stares into a mirror and says Candyman's name five times, he will appear and kill that person.
With his art career seeming to stall, Anthony uses the horrific nature of the legend of Candyman as inspiration for a new series of paintings and art. However, Anthony is unaware that he has unleashed something that will test his sanity and that has a shocking connection to his past. And the brutal murders have begun.
Candyman is as much about African-American history and folklore as it is about the mythopoeia (mythology) of Candyman. The writers focus on a world in which Black people, especially impoverished and powerless Black people, are moved around and used as pawns by the White supremacist power structure. The history of the Cabrini-Green Homes is the perfect example. For a long time it was low income housing i.e. the projects for African-American tenants, as seen in the original Candyman film. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Cabrini gradually underwent a process of gentrification, and is now the setting of Candyman 2021.
The White power structure moved Cabrini-Green's poor and working class African-American tenants to other places in our world. In the world of Candyman 2021, the great boogeyman of poor, Black folks that populated Candyman 1992 has been replaced by an urban legend of a new and incorrect boogeyman – Helen Lyle, who was really Candyman's ultimate victim in the original film. Candyman 2021 corrects that, restoring Black folklore and stories via Anthony McCoy.
Director Nia DaCosta and her co-writers, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld, as much as they deal with issues of cultural appropriation, Black art, and history, boldly tackle the racist violence of White supremacy, here, brazenly personified as White police officers and as over-policing. Unlike the first film, which seems to (benignly) suggest that Black victims (Daniel Robitaille) become Black monsters (the Candyman), the victims in Candyman 2021 are mostly less sympathetic than Candyman.
As excellent as I think Candyman is as a “Black film,” it is less so as a horror movie. The reason is that this new film does not play with the monster/victim dynamic, which the first film did via Helen Lyle and Candyman. The victims are the bodies of Black folks, as seen in the scandalous shadow puppet animation (created by Manual Cinema) that plays across the end credits. The monster is White racist and supremacist oppression of African-Americans. In spite of this film's creepiness and weirdness, I still miss some old-fashioned final girl/slasher killer interplay.
In Candyman 2021, I didn't quite get the horror movie I thought I would get. I got the Black movie that I very much needed to get.
A
8 out of 10
Friday, August 27, 2021
The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
Read my review of the 1992 Candyman here.
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Comics Review: DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER #2
DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER, VOL. 1 #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
STORY: Dan Abnett
ART: Alessandro Miracolo
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Joseph Michael Linsner; Alessandro Miracolo; Sebastian Fiumara; (Rachel Hollon cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2021)
Rated Teen+
Based on the characters and stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Dejah Thoris and John Carter are characters that first appeared in the serialized novel, Under the Moons of Mars (The All-Story, 1912), written by Tarzan creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs. When it was first collected and published in hardcover, the novel was re-titled, A Princess of Mars (1917), the first of Burroughs' “Barsoom” novels, which were set on Barsoom, a fictional version of Mars.
Dejah was the title character of A Princess of Mars, the princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium. John Carter was a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War who was transported to Mars via “astral projection” where he got a new body that was similar to the one he left behind on Earth. John made several trips back and forth between Earth and Barsoom, and Dejah and John were married and had two children.
John Carter first appeared in comic books in the early 1950s, and Dejah has become a prominent comic book character since 2010 via Dynamite Entertainment. Now, the star-crossed lovers are the stars of Dynamite's new comic book, Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter. The series is written by Dan Abnett; drawn by Alessandro Miracolo; colored by Dearbhla Kelly; and lettered by Simon Bowland. The series finds Dejah and John caught in a war to save Mars from an ancient race, “The Longborn,” that has returned to reclaim Mars.
As Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #2 opens, Dejah Thoris, Queen of Helium, and her forces, the “Helium Warhost,” have traveled far into the distant west to Dar Shadeth. There, she hoped to confront the rogue scientist, Rotak Gall, who had allied against her with her now-dead rival, the tyrant Kurz Kurtos. Rotak claims he wants to explain his actions and to make amends.
Dejah takes a calculated risk and trusts him, believing that Rotak could aid in defending against the dreaded Longborn. She did not expect “the Black Pirates” and Rotak's scheming. And where is her former hero, John Carter?
THE LOWDOWN: Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles. One of them is Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #2, the second issue of the series that I have read.
I found the first issue of Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #1 to be likable, and I like this second issue even more. The art by Alessandro Miracolo still reminds me of the kind of art that readers would find in a Flash Gordon comic book. Miracolo's art and Dearbhla Kelly colors create the idea that the story takes place on a different planet simply by making the atmosphere and lighting look like they are part of an alien biosphere.
Writer Dan Abnett, a veteran comic book scribe, kicks the story into the next gear simply by placing Dejah in Rotak's clutches. Now, everything is on the line for the main characters, and Abnett amps up the anticipation for the next issue by using John Carter as a wild card. This second issue is more action oriented than the first issue. I have to say that I am enjoying Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter more than I thought I would, so I am recommending to fans of the franchise.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Dynamite's Dejah Thoris and Barsoom comic books will want to try Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.
B+
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.
---------------------------
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Thursday, August 26, 2021
Marvel Entertainment and 2K Announce New RPG, "Marvel's Midnight Suns"
Darkness Falls. Rise Up! Marvel’s Midnight Suns Launches Worldwide in March 2022 from Firaxis Games
Confront the darker side of the Marvel Universe and live among its legends in an all-new tactical RPG by acclaimed developer Firaxis Games and 2K; tune-in to the world premiere of gameplay on September 1, 2021
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2K and Marvel Entertainment announced today Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a new tactical RPG set in the darker side of the Marvel Universe that brings players face-to-face against supernatural forces as they team up with and live among the Midnight Suns, Earth’s last line of defense against the underworld. Marvel’s Midnight Suns is currently scheduled for launch in March 2022, and will be available on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo™ Switch, and Windows PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.
“Working with Marvel is a huge opportunity, and we're fully confident the team at Firaxis will deliver another outstanding game.”
Through a twisted marriage of magic and science, the nefarious force known as Hydra has revived Lilith, Mother of Demons, after centuries of slumber. Lilith will stop at nothing to complete an ancient prophecy and summon her evil master, Chthon. Pushed to the brink, the Avengers desperately look to fight fire with Hellfire by enlisting the help of the Midnight Suns – Nico Minoru, Blade, Magik, and Ghost Rider – young heroes with powers deeply rooted in the supernatural, formed to prevent the very prophecy Lilith aims to fulfill. Together, they resurrect an ancient warrior – the Hunter, Lilith’s forsaken child and the only hero known to have ever defeated her.
“We’re thrilled to team with Firaxis Games, who combine a history of building outstanding tactical games with an authentic love of Marvel’s supernatural side,” said Bill Rosemann, Vice President of Creative at Marvel Games. “Marvel’s Midnight Suns offers players the chance to not only live alongside legendary heroes, but to also experience an all-new, original story that dives deep into the monstrous shadows of the Marvel Universe. Darkness Falls. Rise Up!"
“I grew up reading and loving Marvel comics,” said Jake Solomon, Creative Director for Marvel’s Midnight Suns at Firaxis Games. “To be entrusted with these characters and their stories is an honor for me and the team. If you're a Marvel fan, or an RPG fan, or a fan of tactics games, Marvel’s Midnight Suns will make these beloved characters come alive in a way that you've never seen before.”
During the announcement at gamescom: Opening Night Live, 2K debuted a stunning cinematic trailer featuring the dramatic resurrection of the Hunter – the first customizable original hero in the Marvel Universe. Developed by Firaxis Games, the legendary studio behind the critically-acclaimed, world-renowned Civilization and XCOM franchises, Marvel’s Midnight Suns will feature an iconic collection of heroes spanning The Avengers, X-Men, Runaways, and more, promising cinematic tactical combat with a Super Hero flair, game-impacting friendships to forge, and an unforgettable adventure that showcases the darker side of Marvel.
“Marvel’s Midnight Suns is an incredibly ambitious title that looks to deliver a truly unique and groundbreaking experience,” said David Ismailer, President at 2K. “Working with Marvel is a huge opportunity, and we're fully confident the team at Firaxis will deliver another outstanding game."
"Collaborating with best-in-class development teams like Firaxis Games and publishers like 2K to craft exceptionally fun, fresh, and original takes on our IP is what Marvel Games strives for,” said Jay Ong, Executive Vice President of Marvel Games. “Our teams have been working closely and the results will be supernaturally exciting! We can’t wait for our fans to experience the engaging and compelling world within Marvel’s Midnight Suns."
Next week, 2K and Firaxis Games will look to reveal the world premiere of gameplay for Marvel’s Midnight Suns, showcasing a new engaging and deeply customizable tactical battle system where players assemble their team of heroes, assess the battlefield, and launch devastating iconic attacks against the forces of darkness. Viewers should tune in to www.midnightsuns.com at 11:30 a.m. PT on Wednesday, September 1, 2021.
For more information on the Marvel’s Midnight Suns, visit www.midnightsuns.com, become a fan on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube, follow on Twitter, and Instagram and join the conversation using the hashtag #DarknessFalls.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is currently rated RP for Rating Pending by the ESRB. Firaxis Games is a 2K studio. 2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).
About Marvel Entertainment:
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media. For more information visit marvel.com. © 2021 MARVEL
About Take-Two Interactive Software:
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher, and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. We develop and publish products principally through Rockstar Games, 2K, Private Division, and T2 Mobile Games. Our products are designed for console systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms, and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.
All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.
About 2K:
Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes global interactive entertainment for console and handheld gaming systems, personal computers and mobile devices, with product availability including physical retail and digital download. The Company is home to many talented development studios, including Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games, 31st Union and Cloud Chamber. 2K’s portfolio currently includes the renowned BioShock®, Borderlands™, Mafia and XCOM® franchises; NBA® 2K, the global phenomenon and highest rated** annual sports title for the current console generation; the critically acclaimed Sid Meier’s Civilization® series; the popular WWE® 2K and WWE® SuperCard franchises, as well as emerging properties NBA® 2K Playgrounds 2, Carnival Games and more. Additional information about 2K and its products may be found at 2k.com.
** According to 2008 – 2021 Metacritic.com
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified by words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," “should,” "will," or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for the Company's future business and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including: the uncertainty of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken in response thereto; the effect that measures taken to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic have on our operations, including our ability to timely deliver our titles and other products, and on the operations of our counterparties, including retailers and distributors; the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on both consumer demand and the discretionary spending patterns of our customers as the situation with the pandemic continues to evolve; the risks of conducting business internationally; the impact of reductions in interest rates by the Federal Reserve and other central banks, including on our short-term investment portfolio; the impact of potential inflation; volatility in foreign currency exchange rates; our dependence on key management and product development personnel; our dependence on our NBA 2K and Grand Theft Auto products and our ability to develop other hit titles; our ability to leverage opportunities on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S; the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games; the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games; and risks associated with international operations.
Other important factors and information are contained in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the risks summarized in the section entitled "Risk Factors," the Company’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the Company's other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Comics Review: "DARK BLOOD #2": Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, Baby
DARK BLOOD #2 (OF 6)
BOOM! STUDIOS
STORY: LaToya Morgan
ART: Walt Barna with Moisés Hidalgo (pp. 10-12, 19)
COLORS: A.H.G.
LETTERS: Andworld Design
EDITOR: Dafna Pleban
COVER: Valentine De Landro
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Juni Ba; Valentine De Landro; Taurin Clarke
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S.(August 2021)
Dark Blood created by LaToya Morgan
Dark Blood is a new six-issue comic book miniseries created and written by screenwriter LaToya Morgan (AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” “Into The Badlands”). Published by BOOM! Studios, the series is drawn by Walt Barna; colored by A.H.G.; and lettered by Andworld Design. The series focuses on a Black World War II veteran who discovers that he has strange new abilities.
Alabama, 1955. After leaving his job at the diner, “Hardy's Eats,” Avery Aldridge, also known as “Double A,” has a fateful encounter with a racist. Double A is a highly decorated World War II soldier, a former fighter pilot, a member of the soon-to-be-legendary “Red Tails.” He is expected to act like a boy … when he is actually a very powerful man. But this is “The Night of the Variance,” and everything is going to start to change – even the things some don't want changed.
Dark Blood #2 opens six months before the Variance and reflects that which occupies Avery's oft-troubled mind. He thinks of his wife, Emma, and their daughter, Grace Emmadell. We see his life in “Vale Junction,” a small Black community where everyone knows him and loves Emma's “Vale Junction Book Mobile.” Even his wartime experiences, especially from a particular time in Austria, circa 1945, flits in and out of Avery's memories.
However, reality intrudes after an altercation leaves Avery hurt. Dr. Carlisle, a white university doctor, is the unlikely bystander who steps in to help, offering Avery immediate first aid. As luck … would have it, Dr. Carlisle also operates a clinic “right outside of town on the old Rickman Farm” where he offers free medical care. But nothing is really free...
THE LOWDOWN: The indignities that Avery Aldridge suffers in Dark Blood #2 are familiar to me because I have experienced some of them and others were told to me via first hand or second hand accounts. I admire a writer who can take such things and transform them into drama. When a writer takes reality and inflicts it on make-believe people in a way that hits the audience in the soft spots (the heart, the soul, the mind), that is some mighty powerful storytelling.
Television writer-producer LaToya Morgan (AMC's “TURN: Washington's Spies”) offers in Dark Blood a comic book that is both science fiction-fantasy/horror and historical or reality-based drama. She makes the Jim Crow world in her corner of Alabama truly an awful place, but at the same time, she presents in Vale Junction a Black community permeated with love and possibilities. And that was the world that Black Americans lived not that long ago.
There are times when Avery suffers the insults of White people, and I can feel the hoary ghost of Nat Turner scratching at every window of my soul. A documentary film or a work of journalism in our world would take Avery's experiences and attempt to engage our intellect. Great drama takes those same experiences and engages our soul and ensnares our imagination. It is through such mighty and imaginative drama that Morgan makes Dark Blood work as serialized fiction, a kind of fantastic fiction born in our reality based histories.
By page design and panel composition, artist Walt Barna brings the compelling drama of Dark Blood #2 to life. With each panel, he is like a photographer working the right angles and capturing the perfect moments as he builds this chapter/issue. There are also some beautifully drawn pages by guest artist Moisés Hidalgo. Of course, A.H.G.'s gorgeous colors shift with the winds of Avery's memories, as well as with the linear jooks of Morgan's narratives. So I credit the colors with forcing me to pay attention to the graphics throughout Dark Blood, especially this second issue.
After reading the first issue, I thought that LaToya Morgan, Walt Barna, A.H.G., and Andworld Design were off to a most excellent start, offering something that had great promise. Dark Blood #2 aggressively delivers on that great promise.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of modern science fiction and dark fantasy comic books will want to drink Dark Blood.
A+
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Dark Blood trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzzXIYr_FrA&feature=youtu.be
Dark Blood first loook: https://www.boom-studios.com/wordpress/archives/dark-blood-1-first-look/
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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.
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