Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 1st to 11th, 2021 - Update #26

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

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STAR TREK - YahooPeople:   George Takei reflects on the legacy of his "Star Trek" costar, Nichelle Nichols.

MOVIES - From Variety:   Universal will stream the upcoming "Halloween Kills" on Peacock the same day as its theatrical release, October 15th. The sequel will be available on "Peacock Premium."

DISNEY - From THR:   Owen Wilson is joining LaKeith Stanfield and Tiffany Haddish in Disney's new "Haunted Mansion" film.

TRAILERS - From THR:   Here is the first trailer for the fourth film in "The Matrix" series, "The Matrix: Resurrections," which is due Dec. 22, 2021, in theaters and on HBO Max.

STAR TREK - From Deadline:  A teaser trailer reveals what "Star Trek" (The Original Series) characters are appearing in Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," which is set in the days of Capt. Pike.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The Summer 2021 movie box office was not a disaster.

CELEBRITY - From YahooUSAToday:   Jessica Chastain replies to that viral moment when Oscar Isaac kissed her arm at Venice Film Festival.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/3 to 9/5/21 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel Studios' "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" with an estimated take of 71.4 million dollars.

From Negromancer:  Here is my review of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."

From Variety:   Marvel Studios' "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is on its way to a 83.5 million dollar Labor Day four-day holiday weekend.

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STAR TREK - From Deadline:   Launching Sept. 8th, the “Boldly Go” campaign is part of the celebration of the legacy of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in what would have been his centennial year.

CELEBRITY - From Variety:  Oscar-winning actress and humanitarian, Angelina Jolie, said that "it hurt" whenever former husband, Brad Pitt, worked with disgraced studio mogul and convicted rapist, Harvey Weinstein.  Jolie alleges that Weinstein assaulted her when she was working on a film he produced, "Playing by Heart" (1998), when she was 21.

REVIEW - From Negromancer:  Here is my review of "Candyman." 

CELEBRITY - From YahooInsider:   Luke Zocchi, Chris Hemsworth's ("Thor") longtime personal trainer and friend, says protein shakes and creatine are a waste of time if you want to build muscle and burn fat.  Zocchi most recently trained Hemsworth for "Thor: Love & Thunder."

LGBTQ - From YahooBI:   In Afghanistan, The Taliban used social media to trick a gay man into meeting them. Then, they beat and raped him.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  When "Candyman" debuted at #1 last weekend, Nia DaCosta became the first Black female director to debut a film in the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office.

STAR TREK - From Deadline:  Annie Wersching will join the Season 2 cast of Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Picard" as the "Borg Queen."

From YahooCBS:   This link will take you to an article where you can watch the wonderful and inspiring "main title sequence" (opening) of the upcoming animated series, "Star Trek: Prodigy."  It features rousing theme music from Oscar-winner Michael Giacchino. "Prodigy" was developed by Emmy-winning brothers, Kevin and Dan Hageman.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Universal Studio Group has entered a new multi-year television overall deal with producer, director and Academy Award and Emmy award-winning writer, Jordan Peele, and Monkeypaw Productions, which is headed by President Win Rosenfeld.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Paramount is pushing its big Tom Cruise tent-poles to 2022. "Top Gun: Maverick" moves to May 27, Memorial Day weekend 2022, and "Mission: Impossible 7" moves to Sept. 30, 2022.

MOVIES - From Gizmodo:   "How to Nominate Movies to the Library of Congress National Film Registry." Every year, the Library of Congress chooses 25 movies to single out for preservation as part of the National Film Registry.  But did you know that the Library of Congress take suggestions from the public each year? The deadline for public nominations is coming up, but you still have time to make your voice heard.

OBITS:

From Variety:   The television and film actor, Michael K. Williams, has died at the age of 54.  He was best known for portraying Omar Little in “The Wire” and Chalky White in “Boardwalk Empire.”  Williams was the recipient of five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including one pending in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" for his performance in HBO's "Lovecraft Country."

 

From Deadline:   Michael K. Williams: a life in pictures - a photo gallery of the late actor's career.

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From THR:   Stand-up comic and actor, Art Metrano, has died at the age of 84, Wednesday, September 8, 2021.  Metrano was best known for the role of Lt/Capt. Ernie Mauser in the films "Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment" (1985) and "Police Academy 3: Back in Training" (1986).  Metrano also survived and partially recovered from breaking his neck in an accident at his home.

From ESPN:   Former NFL running back, Sam "Bam" Cunningham, has died at the age of 71, Tuesday, September 7, 2021.  An "All-American" player at USC, he won MVP honors at the 1973 Rose Bowl, where USC beat Ohio State 42 to 17 and became the first college football team to be voted the unanimous #1 team in both major polls (the AP and the UPI "Coaches' Poll," at that time).  He played his entire NFL career 1973-82 with the New England Patriots.  Cunningham's most famous game may be the September 12, 1970 game that pit USC against the Alabama Crimson Tide, which was an all-white team at the time.  Cunningham and USC's "all-black backfield" led the team to a 42-21 victory in Birmingham, Alabama.  Legend has it that Cunningham's performance led then Crimson Tide coach, "Bear" Bryant to integrate his team.

From Today:   Television personality and author, Willard Scott, has died at the age of 87, Saturday, September 4, 2021.  Scott was best known as the TV weatherman for NBC's "The Today Show," from 1980 to 1996.  Scott also created and originally portrayed, Ronald McDonald, in 1963 for the McDonald's franchise in Washington D.C.

From PittPostGaz:   Former NFL offensive tackle and sports broadcaster, Tunch Ilkin, has died at the age of 63, Saturday, September 4, 2021 from complications of ALS.  Ilkin was best known for his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1980-92), where he is also a member of the "Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team."  Ilkin was also a television and radio analyst for the Steelers from 1998 to 2020.

From ESPN:  Former NFL wide receiver, David Patten, has died at the age of 47, Thurs., September 2, 2021.  Patten was killed in a motorcycle crash.  Patten won three Super Bowl titles as a member of the New England Patriots from 2001 to 2004.

Comics Review: KISS: Phantom Obsession #2

KISS: PHANTOM OBSESSION #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Ian Edginton
ART: Celor
COLORS: Valentina Pinto
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt
COVER: Jae Lee with June Chung
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Stuart Sayger; Tim Seeley; Celor
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2021)

Rated Teen+

Kiss is an American, four-man, rock band.  It was formed in New York City in January 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss, the original line-up that is also considered classic Kiss.  Kiss is best known for its members' face paint and stage outfits, and the group rose to prominence and gained a notorious reputation in the mid to late 1970s with its shocking live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood-spitting, and pyrotechnics.

The members of Kiss have licensed their band name and likenesses for merchandising.  In a 2014 article, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Kiss had sold over one billion dollars from the sale of more than three thousand licensed items.  That merchandising includes comic books.  Kiss first officially appeared in a comic book in Marvel Comics' Howard the Duck #12 (cover dated: May 1977) and first starred in their own comic book with Marvel Comics Super Special #1 (1977).  Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Platinum Studios, Archie Comics, and IDW Publishing have published licensed Kiss comic books.

Dynamite Entertainment obtained the license to produce comic books featuring Kiss' brand and began releasing Kiss comic books in 2016.  The latest comic book is Kiss: Phantom Obsession.  It is written by Ian Edginton; drawn by Celor; colored by Valentina Pinto; and lettered by Troy Peteri.  Phantom Obsession pits the band against Darius Cho, a powerful, super-wealthy, obsessed Kiss fan who wants more than some autographs.

As Kiss: Phantom Obsession #2 opens, Paul, Gene, Ace, and Peter are prisoners of Cho.  He reveals what he wants from them, or rather, what he wants to extract from them.  It seems our heroes are the totems and talisman's of legends, and their bodies hold “God particles.”

With the help of one of Cho's few human employees, Lyra Tzen, the Masters of Rock 'n' Roll manage to momentarily slip away from this reclusive maniac.  However, even Lyra has no idea where they are, as Cho has kept the location of his compound/complex secret.  And, as luck would have it, KISS and Lyra are about to meet the “Super Sonic Monster Adventure Squad!”

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Kiss: Phantom Obsession #2, which is only the second Kiss comic book that I have ever read.

In the first issue, I liked that Ian Edginton made the members of KISS wary of their faux-benefactor, Darius Cho.  In the second issue, Edginton reveals Cho as even more dangerous and more powerful that he seems at first.  I don't know what Cho's fate will be; for now, he gives Phantom Obsession an excellent villain, but I think he would make a great long-running adversary for KISS.

The art team of illustrator Celor and colorist Valentina Pinto:  I can take them or leave them, which is what I said of them in the first issue.  Although the art isn't the prettiest readers will find, the storytelling is good, and that's most important.  I looked forward to the second issue after reading the first; now, I find myself wanting to read the third issue... now.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Kiss comic books will want to read Kiss: Phantom Obsession.

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


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"Fauci" Documentary Film Debuts Fri., Sept. 10th; NatGeo Releases Trailer

National Geographic Documentary Films Sets FAUCI Theatrical Release Date With Magnolia Pictures for Sept. 10, 2021

The Doc Will Open in Select Cities at Theaters That Have Mandated Proof of Vaccination for Entrance

The Film Is an Intimate Portrait of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Life, From Emmy®-Winning Directors John Hoffman and Janet Tobias, Oscar®- and Emmy-Winning Producing Team Dan Cogan and Liz Garbus, and Story Syndicate

See trailer here.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National Geographic Documentary Films and Magnolia Pictures released the official trailer and key art for FAUCI, the feature documentary about the nation’s top infectious disease expert and dedicated public servant, Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D.

    “As an activist, I think I’ll be tangling with Tony Fauci for the rest of my life, but I’ll never doubt his commitment to public health, nor his profound decency and humanity.”

Directed by Emmy winners John Hoffman (“The Weight of the Nation,” “Sleepless in America,” “Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman”) and Janet Tobias (“Unseen Enemy,” “No Place on Earth”), produced by Alexandra Moss (“Not Done: Women Remaking America”), Jon Bardin (“All In: The Fight for Democracy”), and executive produced by Academy Award® winner Dan Cogan (“Icarus”), and two-time Academy Award nominee Liz Garbus (“What Happened, Miss Simone?,” “The Farm: Angola, USA”), the film will debut in select theaters that have mandated proof of vaccination for entrance with masks also strongly encouraged on Sept. 10, 2021. Opening cities include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, D.C. and New Orleans.

Also releasing this fall, from National Geographic Books, comes Fauci: Expect the Unexpected, compiled from interviews in the film. The book goes on sale Nov. 2, 2021, and is available for preorder beginning Sept. 10.

FAUCI delivers a rare glimpse into the long-standing professional career and personal life of the ultimate public servant, who after a lifetime of service faced his biggest test: a pandemic whose ferocity is unmatched in modern history. With his signature blend of scientific acumen, candor and integrity, Dr. Anthony Fauci became a cultural icon during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that has come at a cost as he has also faced attacks from adversaries in a nation increasingly divided by political party lines — with science increasingly caught in the crosshairs.

A world-renowned infectious disease specialist and the longest-serving public health leader in Washington, D.C., who has served under seven presidents, Dr. Fauci has overseen the U.S. response to 40 years’ worth of outbreaks, including HIV/AIDS, SARS and Ebola. Crafted around unprecedented access to Dr. Fauci, National Geographic Documentary Films’ FAUCI is a revealing and intimate portrait of the man mostly known only from appearances on the news.

“There is only one Dr. Tony Fauci, and it’s an incredible privilege to be the first to tell the story of his life and career, including his never-ending quest to cure disease and prevent outbreaks,” said Hoffman and Tobias.

The film features insights from former President George W. Bush, Bill Gates, Bono, former national security advisor Susan Rice, National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins, former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Tom Frieden, journalists Laurie Garrett and The New York Times’ Apoorva Mandavilli, and key AIDS activists, among others. Dr. Fauci’s family, friends and former patients also provide more personal commentary about the man, his personality, and what makes him who he is.

“Janet and John did a remarkable job capturing the complex man I’ve come to know over the last three decades,” said Peter Staley, film subject and founding member of ACT UP. “As an activist, I think I’ll be tangling with Tony Fauci for the rest of my life, but I’ll never doubt his commitment to public health, nor his profound decency and humanity.”

The film is directed by John Hoffman and Janet Tobias, who have spent their careers telling important and compelling stories in the documentary space about science and public health. Over the past 36 years, Hoffman has made a specialty of communicating to a concerned public about disease, starting with HIV prevention and then addiction, Alzheimer’s, obesity, sleep, and the role of the NIH in leading the way on medical breakthroughs. Tobias’ recent film, “Unseen Enemy,” sounded a warning call about the threat of pandemics, which should not have gone unheeded.

FAUCI is produced by Alexandra Moss (“Not Done: Women Remaking America”) and edited by Amy Foote (“Father, Soldier, Son”) and Brian Chamberlain (“Not Me, Murphy”). Director of photography is Claudia Raschke (“RBG”). For Story Syndicate, executive producers are Cogan, Garbus and Jon Bardin (“All In: The Fight for Democracy”).

EDITORS NOTE: Dr. Fauci had no creative control over the film or the book. He was not paid for his participation, nor does he have any financial interest in the film or book release.

National Geographic Documentary Films previously released the Academy Award, BAFTA and seven-time Emmy Award-winning film Free Solo and the Academy Award-nominated film The Cave. Other critically acclaimed films under the banner include Ron Howard’s Rebuilding Paradise; Sundance Audience Award winners Science Fair and Sea of Shadows; Emmy winners LA 92 and Jane, both of which were included in the top 15 documentaries considered for an Academy Award in 2017; and Dupont Award winner Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS.


About National Geographic Documentary Films:
National Geographic Documentary Films is committed to bringing the world premium, feature documentaries that cover timely, provocative and globally relevant stories from the very best documentary filmmakers in the world. National Geographic Documentary Films is a division of National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between Disney and the National Geographic Society. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 133 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About Magnolia Pictures:
A leading independent film studio for 20 years, Magnolia Pictures is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, boasting a library of over 500 titles. Recent releases include double Oscar nominee COLLECTIVE, Alexander Nanau’s jaw-dropping expose of corruption at the highest levels of government; France’s Official Oscar entry TWO OF US; Udo Kier hairdresser comedy SWAN SONG; visionary comic book writer/artist/filmmaker Dash Shaw’s vibrant, fantastical animated feature CRYPTOZOO; director Prano Bailey-Bond’s Sundance thriller CENSOR; Roy Andersson’s visually stunning Venice Best Director winner ABOUT ENDLESSNESS; Rodney Ascher’s mind-bending sci-fi ride A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX; SOME KIND OF HEAVEN, Lance Oppenheim’s documentary chronicling the surreal world of The Villages, the nation’s largest retirement community in Florida; ZAPPA, Alex Winter’s unfiltered portrait of the visionary musician and artist; THE FIGHT, following a team of scrappy lawyers inside the ACLU as they battle former President Trump’s historic assault on civil liberties; JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE, Dawn Porter’s chronicle of the life and career of the legendary civil rights activist and Democratic Representative from Georgia; Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s 2018 Cannes Palme d’Or winner and Oscar-nominated SHOPLIFTERS; Box office sensation and Oscar-nominated RBG; Ruben Östlund’s 2017 Cannes Palme d’Or winner and Oscar-nominated THE SQUARE; and Raoul Peck and James Baldwin’s Oscar-nominated I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. Upcoming releases include Radu Jude’s Berlin Golden Bear-winner BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN; and Cannes Critics Week selection ANAIS IN LOVE.

About Story Syndicate:
Story Syndicate is a New York-based film and television production company devoted to premium nonfiction and scripted content. We provide a home for talented filmmakers, producers, journalists, thinkers and artists to create visual content that innovates, enriches and dazzles viewers. Story Syndicate currently has upwards of 21 films and series in development and production with premium distribution platforms including National Geographic, Hulu, Netflix, HBO, Apple, Amazon, FX, Discovery and others.

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Comics Review: "ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #2" is a Delight

ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: David Avallone
ART: Juan Samu
COLORS: Walter Pereya
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito with Elizabeth Sharland
EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt
COVER: Dave Acosta
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Dave Acosta; Juan Samu; Anthony Marques and J. Bone
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2021)

Rated Teen+

Chapter Two: “Ankhs for the Mammaries”

In 1981, actress and model Cassandra Peterson created the “horror hostess character,” known as “Elvira.”  Elvira gradually grew in popularity and eventually became a brand name.  As Elvira, Peterson endorsed many products and became a pitch-woman, appearing in numerous television commercials throughout the 1980s.

Elvira also appeared in comic books, beginning in 1986 with the short-lived series from DC Comics, Elvira's House of Mystery, which ran for eleven issues and one special issue (1987).  Eclipse Comics and Claypool Comics began the long-running Elvira: Mistress of the Dark from 1993 to 2007.  In 2018, Elvira returned to comic books via Dynamite Entertainment in the four-issue comic book miniseries, Elvira Mistress of the Dark, that actually ran for 12 issues.

Vincent Price (1911–1993) was an American actor and a legendary movie star.  Price was and still is best known for his performances in horror films, although his career spanned other genres.  Price appeared in more than 100 films, but he also performed on television, the stage, and on radio.  Thus, he has two stars on the “Hollywood Walk of Fame,” one for motion pictures and one for television.

Elvira and Vincent Price team up for the first time in the comic book miniseries, Elvira Meets Vincent Price.  The series is written by David Avallone; drawn by Juan Samu; colored by Walter Pereyra; and lettered by Taylor Esposito with Elizabeth Sharland.  The series finds Elvira and Price searching for a long-lost cult movie in order to save the world from the wrath of an awakened Egyptian god.

As Elvira Meets Vincent Price #2 opens, Vincent uses his ghostly wiles to save Elvira from a violent servant of Amun-Ra.  That's right.  That is just a taste of the Armageddon to come if Elvira and Vincent don't find the only surviving copy of the lost cult film, “Rise of the Ram.”  Price starred in the doomed, never-seen film, and now, it is time to start finding the rest of his collaborators on the film, who may know something about the whereabouts of Rise of the Ram.

So our heroic duo flies to England to find Richard “Rick” Rogue, the director of “Rise of the Ram,” and his wife, Claudia Antonelli, the Italian starlet who was Vincent's costar in the film.  But Rick and Claudia have their own problems, and Elvira is about to be the unwilling solution.

THE LOWDOWN:  I have been a fan of writer David Avallone's Elvira comic books for a few years now.  Elvira Meets Vincent Price reminds me, if I need a reminder (which I don't), why I love these comic books so much.

After a cool first issue, Avallone delivers a script for the second issue that is so witty and sparkling that I wish I had a 100 pages more of it.  It's like “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” blended with the team of Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard in The Ghost Breakers (1940).

Talented Spanish artist, Juan Samu, who has drawn Marvel Action Black Panther and Transformers comics for IDW Publishing, creates storytelling that practically bleeds charm and coolness.  Samu may be creating the first graphical presentation of supernatural comedy and screwball antics every presented in comic book form.

Walter Pereya's colors capture the sparkle and ghostly chemistry in Avallone's script, while the lettering by Taylor Esposito and Elizabeth Sharland conveys the breezy pace of the story.  I'm having a blast reading Elvira Meets Vincent Price.  It is almost too good to be true how well this crossover works.  And yes, I already want a sequel.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Elvira and of Vincent Price and of David Avallone's Elvira comic books will want to read Elvira Meets Vincent Price.

A

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


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Comics Review: The Army of Darkness 1979 #1

THE ARMY OF DARKNESS 1979 VOLUME 1 #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Tom Garcia
COLORS: Dinei Ribero
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Arthur Suydam; Junggeun Yoon; Stuart Sayger; Jason Shawn Alexander
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2021)

Rated Teen+

Army of Darkness is a 1992 comic horror film and the third film in the Evil Dead film franchise.  The film focuses on the series' lead character, Ash Williams (portrayed by actor Bruce Campbell), as he is trapped in the Middle Ages and battling an army of undead warriors.

In 1992, Dark Horse Comics released a three-issue adaptation of Army of Darkness, and in 2004, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the rights to produce comics based on the Army of Darkness film, featuring Ash as the main character.

The most recent Army of Darkness comic book in the Dynamite catalog is The Army of Darkness 1979.  It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Tom Garcia; colored by Dinei Ribero; and lettered by Troy Peteri.  In the new series, Ash Williams finds himself fighting his usual adversaries, the Deadites and the Necronomicon, in the late 1970s.

The Army of Darkness 1979 Volume 1 #1 opens in the South Bronx, circa late 1970s.  Several gangs, including The Half Deads, The Dominos, The Vikings, and The Mechanics, have called a truce in order to gather for a meeting.  Ace of the Dominos has a grand plan, and it is that the gangs should consolidate their numbers in order to rule the streets of New York City.  However, there is a new gang, “The Warlocks,” and they've decided that they can rule these streets by themselves.

Meanwhile, in Washington State, 2021:  Ash Williams is starting a new life in the hopes that he can retire and settle down – no more Necronomicon and no more Deadites.  One suddenly-appearing time portal, and Ash finds his ass in New York... circa 1970s.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is The Army of Darkness 1979 Volume 1 #1, which is the first Army of Darkness comic book I have read since I read the Dark Horse series decades ago.

I am a fan of The Army of Darkness 1979 Volume 1 writer, Rodney Barnes, because of his 2017-18 Falcon comic book for Marvel, where he also produced a Star Wars comic book, Lando, about the early years of everyone's favorite casino/star hustler, Lando Calrissian.  Of course, I am only one of a growing legion of devotees of Barnes' apocalyptic vampire comic book series, Killadelphia (Image Comics), which he produces with artist Jason Shawn Alexander, who is also the lead cover artist on The Army of Darkness 1979 Volume 1.

The Army of Darkness 1979 Volume 1 #1 is an intriguing first issue simply for the fact that Barnes introduces a bad ass group of villains, the Warlocks.  Anytime, a writer can introduce evil into the world of  Army of Darkness, evil that is as fearsome as the Necronomicon and the Deadites, readers are in for some Ash-kicking fun.

Artist Tom Garcia's illustrations are wild and unkempt, which serves the innate craziness of Ash and Army of Darkness.  Dinei Ribero's trippy colors give the Deadites a maniacally homicidal glow that is perfect … for them, of course.  So I'm interested to see where the creative team is taking us as well follow a man with a chainsaw for his right hand.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Army of Darkness comic books and of the franchise, in general, will want to read The Army of Darkness 1979.

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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BOOM! Studios Shipping from Diamond Distributors for September 8, 2021

BOOM! STUDIOS

JUL211147    EVE #5 (OF 5) CVR A ANINDITO    $3.99
JUL211148    EVE #5 (OF 5) CVR B THOROGOOD    $3.99
MAY211021    LAST WITCH GN (C: 0-1-2)    $14.99
JUL211156    MAMO #3 (OF 5) CVR A MILLEDGE    $4.99
JUL211088    MIGHTY MORPHIN #11 CVR A LEE (C: 1-0-0)    $3.99
JUL211089    MIGHTY MORPHIN #11 CVR B LEGACY VAR CARLINI (C: 1-0-0)    $3.99
JUL211093    MIGHTY MORPHIN #11 CVR F FOC REVEAL VAR TORQUE (C: 1-0-0)    $3.99

Dark Horse Comics Shipping from Diamond Distributors for September 8, 2021

DARK HORSE COMICS

OCT200305    CUPHEAD TP VOL 02 CARTOON CHRONICLES & CALAMITIES (C: 0-1-2)    $10.99
MAY210287    EC ARCHIVES SHOCK SUSPENSTORIES TP (C: 0-1-2)    $19.99
MAY210290    EMPOWERED OMNIBUS TP VOL 03 (MR) (C: 1-1-2)    $34.99
JUL210313    LAST FLIGHT OUT #1 (OF 6)    $3.99
MAY210234    MALIKA WARRIOR QUEEN TP VOL 01 (C: 0-1-2)    $24.99
APR210489    MASS EFFECT LEGENDS PUZZLE (C: 0-1-2)    $19.99
JUL210316    MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE REVELATION #3 (OF 4) CVR A WILKINS    $3.99
JUL210317    MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE REVELATION #3 (OF 4) CVR B    $3.99
JUL210285    MAZEBOOK #1 (OF 5) CVR A LEMIRE    $5.99
JUL210286    MAZEBOOK #1 (OF 5) CVR B SORRENTINO    $5.99
MAY210316    STEPHEN MCCRANIES SPACE BOY OMNIBUS TP VOL 01 (C: 0-1-2)    $19.99
MAY210271    STRANGER THINGS LIBRARY ED HC VOL 01 (C: 0-1-2)    $39.99
JUL210299    UNBELIEVABLE UNTEENS WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER #2 (OF 4) CVR A C    $3.99
JUL210300    UNBELIEVABLE UNTEENS WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER #2 (OF 4) CVR B L    $3.99