DC Comics Shipping from Lunar Distributors for September 28, 2021

DC COMICS:

Action Comics #1035 (Cover A Daniel Sampere), $4.99
Action Comics #1035 (Cover B Julian Totino Tedesco Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Batman Reptilian #4 (Of 6) (Cover A Liam Sharp), $4.99
Batman Reptilian #4 (Of 6) (Cover B Cully Hamner), $4.99
Batman Reptilian #4 (Of 6) (Cover C Declan Shalvey), AR
Batman Superman #22 (Cover A Ivan Reis & Danny Miki), $3.99
Batman Superman #22 (Cover B Gary Frank Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Batman Urban Legends #6 (2nd Printing Nicola Scott Cover), $7.99
Batman Vs Bigby A Wolf In Gotham #1 (Of 6)(Cover A Yanick Paquette), $3.99
Batman Vs Bigby A Wolf In Gotham #1 (Of 6)(Cover B Brian Level & Jay Leisten Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Checkmate #4 (Of 6)(Cover A Alex Maleev), $3.99
Checkmate #4 (Of 6)(Cover B Matt Taylor Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Deathstroke Inc. #1 (Cover A Howard Porter), $3.99
Deathstroke Inc. #1 (Cover B Francesco Mattina Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Deathstroke Inc. #1 (Cover C Adam Hughes Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Deathstroke Inc. #1 (Cover D Gerardo Zaffino Team Foil Card Stock Variant), AR
Deathstroke Inc. #1 (Cover E Dima Ivano Card Stock Variant), AR
Detective Comics #1043 (Cover A Dan Mora)(Fear State), $4.99
Detective Comics #1043 (Cover B Lee Bermejo Card Stock Variant)(Fear State), $5.99
Detective Comics #1043 (Cover C Kael Ngu Card Stock Variant)(Fear State), AR
Harley Quinn #7 (Cover A Riley Rossmo)(Fear State), $3.99
Harley Quinn #7 (Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant)(Fear State), $4.99
Harley Quinn #7 (Cover C Kael Ngu Card Stock Variant)(Fear State), AR
Icon And Rocket Season One #3 (Of 6)(Cover A Taurin Clarke), $3.99
Icon And Rocket Season One #3 (Of 6)(Cover B Doug Braithwaite Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Justice League #68 (Cover A David Marquez), $4.99
Justice League #68 (Cover B Alexander Lozano Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Justice League Volume 8 Death Metal TP, $16.99
Legends Of The Dark Knight #5 (Cover A Giannis Milonogiannis), $3.99
Legends Of The Dark Knight #5 (Cover B Riley Rossmo Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Legends Of The Dark Knight #5 (Cover C Jorge Fornes Card Stock Variant), AR
Locke And Key The Sandman Universe Hell And Gone #2 (Cover A Gabriel Rodriguez), $6.99
Locke And Key The Sandman Universe Hell And Gone #2 (Cover B J. H. Williams III), $6.99
Locke And Key The Sandman Universe Hell And Gone #2 (Cover C Kelley Jones), $6.99
Mister Miracle The Source Of Freedom #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Yanick Paquette), $3.99
Mister Miracle The Source Of Freedom #5 (Of 6)(Cover B Valentine De Landro Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Robin #6 (Cover A Gleb Melnikov), $3.99
Robin #6 (Cover B Francis Manapul Card Stock Variant), $4.99
RWBY Justice League #6 (Of 7) (Cover A Mirka Andolfo), $3.99
RWBY Justice League #6 (Of 7) (Cover B Simone Di Meo Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Superman ’78 #2 (Of 6) (Cover A Ben Oliver), $3.99
Superman ’78 #2 (Of 6) (Cover B Bryan Hitch Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Superman Action Comics Volume 5 The House Of Kent TP, $17.99
Superman And Lois Lane The 25th Wedding Anniversary Deluxe Edition HC, $34.99
Superman Son Of Kal-El #3 (Cover A John Timms), $3.99
Superman Son Of Kal-El #3 (Cover B InHyuk Lee Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Teen Titans Beast Boy Loves Raven TP, $16.99
Wonder Woman Black And Gold #4 (Of 6) (Cover A Tula Lotay), $5.99
Wonder Woman Black And Gold #4 (Of 6) (Cover B Joshua Middleton), $5.99
Wonder Woman Black And Gold #4 (Of 6) (Cover C Matias Bergara), AR
Wonderful Women Of The World TP, $16.99

Review: First "VENOM" is Surprisingly Entertaining and Unexpectedly Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 57 of 2021 (No. 1795) by Leroy Douresseaux

Venom (2018)
Running time:  112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for language
DIRECTOR:  Ruben Fleischer
WRITERS:  Scott Rosenberg and Kelly Marcel; from a screen story by Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg (based on the Marvel Comics)
PRODUCERS:  Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, and Matt Tolmach
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Matthew Libatique (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Alan Baumgarten and Maryann Brandon
COMPOSER:  Ludwig Göransson

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring:  Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Reid Scott, Jenny Slate, Melora Walters, Peggy Lu, Ron Cephas Jones, Stan Lee, and Woody Harrelson

Venom is a 2018 superhero fantasy-action film directed by Ruben Fleischer.  The film is based on the Marvel Comics super-villain/anti-hero characters, Eddie Brock/Venom, to which several comic book writers, artists, and editors contributed in the creation of, most especially artist Todd McFarlane and writer David Michelinie.  It is also the first film in the “Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters” series.  In Venom the film, a troubled television reporter gains superpowers after bonding with an alien entity that is part of an invasion force.

As Venom opens, a space exploration probe belonging to the bio-engineering corporation, Life Foundation, discovers a comet covered in strange lifeforms.  The probe returns to Earth with four samples of these lifeforms, but one escapes.  Later, Life Foundation CEO, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), has realized that these lifeforms are “symbiotes,” and that they cannot survive without human hosts.  However, soon after the symbiotes bond with humans, the humans' bodies start to reject the aliens.  Drake is obsessed with finding the perfect human hosts for these symbiotes, even if his experiments lead to the deaths of many humans.

Six months later, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is a failed television reporter and former star of “The Brock Report.”  He previously had a run-in with Drake, but fate has given him the opportunity to infiltrate the Life Foundation.  That is how Eddie has an unfortunate encounter with a symbiote that calls itself “Venom.”  Eddie struggles to adapt to what he calls the “parasite” inside his body and is shocked to learn that there are millions more like Venom out in space.  But Eddie will need Venom's help to stay alive when Drake and Life Foundation discover his strange union and come after him to retrieve their property – the symbiote Venom.

Except for his early comic book appearances, I have never been a fan of Venom, but I am a fan of Venom the movie.  He is one of those characters whose potential reveals itself in the movement that television and film offers.  The visual-effects crew of Venom does excellent work in creating Venom as a fascinating and alluring CGI character; noisy, chaotic, obnoxious, inconsistent, and aggressive work for this character.  In fact, there are many inconsistencies in what is supposed to be the nature of human-symbiote relationship, especially in what are the rules of Eddie Brock and Venom's merger, but I found this movie to be too much fun for me to pay attention to logic.

Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Riz Ahmed as Carlton Drake make the most of two characters that are not that well developed, and the characters make a good adversarial pair.  Even acclaimed actress and multiple Oscar nominee, Michelle Williams, manages to make Eddie's ex, Anne Weying, seem like something more than an obligatory female character.  But still, the gold in Venom is the special effect that is Venom the character.  I like Venom enough to watch a sequel...

7 of 10
B+

Monday, July 5, 2021


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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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 19th to 25th, 2021 - Update #23

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS: 

NETFLIX - From TheVerge:  Netflix launches its "Tudum" livestream event that previews over 70 TV series and 28 movies.

MARVEL - From ComicBook:  In a move that will have copyright lawyers at The Walt Disney Company sweating, the estate of late, great comic book artist, Steve Ditko, has filed two notice of copyright termination with Disney/Marvel with regard to the copyright for two classic Marvel Comics' characters, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. 

STAR TREK/CELEBRITY - From TheDailyBeast:  At the age of 90, "Star Trek" actor William Shatner is set to become the oldest man shot into space.  This will happen when he boards Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezo's Blue Origin New Shepard rocket.

POLITICS From WashPost:  Oscar-nominated actress, Uma Thurman, calls the Texas abortion law (the "Texas Heartbeat Act") a human rights crisis for American women.  She also recounts her experience with having an abortion in her late teens.

ANIMATION - From Variety:  Chris Pratt and Anya Taylor-Joy will lead the cast of a new animated "Super Mario Bros." film.

BUSINESS - From Deadline:  The IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) strike-authorization vote will begin October 1st.  Talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for a new film and TV contract broke down on Monday, Sept. 20th.

MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:  Lashana Lynch is joing Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu in "The Woman King," a film on the "Dahomey Amazons" of 18th century Africa.

From TimeOutLondon:   Speaking of Lashana Lynch, meet the new "007" of "No Time to Die," the upcoming James Bond film.

LGBTQ - From TheAdvocate:  Actress Cassandra Peterson, best known as as "Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark," has released her new memoir, "Your Cruelly, Elvira."  In the book, Peterson reveals her 19-year relationship with another woman.

SPORTS/NBA - From NBA:  Veteran shooting guard, JJ Reddick, has announced his retirement from the NBA.  The Orlando Magic drafted Reddick with the No. 11th pick in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft.  Reddick played college basketball with the Duke Blue Devils (2002-06).  Reddick played for six teams over his 15-year NBA career, spending the the 2020-21 season first with the New Orleans Pelicans and then, the Dallas Mavericks.

EMMYS - From Deadline:  If you care, here is a complete list of winners from the 2021 / 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony.

TRAILER - From THR:  Michael Myers face briefly revealed in new trailer for "Halloween Kills."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/17 to 9/19/2021 weekend box office is Marvel Studios' "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" with an estimated take of 21.7 million dollars.

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

From Deadline:  After two days in international release, Warner Bros.' film, "Dune" has grossed an estimated 8.4 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From SundayTimesUK:  "The Sunday Times" interviews notorious celebrity gossip blogger and parasite, Perez Hilton, who says he does not expect to be forgiven ... nor should he.  In fact, he should get what he wished upon others, especially what he wished on Grammy-winning recording artist and pop star, Britney Spears.

FILM FESTIVAL - From Deadline:   The winners of the 2021 TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) People's Choice Awards were announced Sat., Sept. 18th.  Director Kenneth Branagh's black and white semi-autobiographical film, "Belfast," wins the top honor, also called the "People's Choice Award."

GUILDS - From Deadline:  Lesli Linka Glatter has been elected as the new president of the Directors Guild of America.  She is only the second woman to lead the DGA.  Glatter is known for her work directing episodes of prestige television dramas such as "Homeland," "The Walking Dead," "Mad Men," and "The West Wing," to name a few.  Glatter is also a three-time winner of a DGA Award and is an eight-time Emmy Award nominee.

ANIMATION - From PopCulture:  Cult animated TV series, "Family Guy," is leaving Cartoon Network and TBS.  Starting Monday, Sept. 20th, FXX and Freeform will be the exclusive cable homes of the long running series.

OBITS:

From THR:  Actor and filmmaker and novelist and painter, Melvin Van Peeples, has died at the age of 89, Wednesday, September 22, 2021.  He was a pioneering black film director and is best known for his seminal blaxploitation film, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" (1971).  He also directed the 1970 comedy, "Watermelon Man," his only studio film.  Van Peeples was also the father of actor and director, Mario Van Peeples. 

From Deadline:   Actor David Alan Grier and directors Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, and Spike Lee are among the film and TV industry people paying tribute to pioneering Black filmmaker, Melvin Van Peeples, who died Sept. 22nd.

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

From Variety:  The television and film actor, Willie Garson, has died at the age of 57, Wednesday, September 21, 2021.  Garson appeared in over 75 films and in over 300 TV episodes.  He is best known for the roles of "Stanford Blatch" on HBO's "Sex in the City" and "Mozzie" on USA Network's "White Collar" (2009-2014).

From Deadline:   Actress and singer, Sarah Dash, has died at the age of 76, Monday, September 20, 2021.  Dash was a founding member of the all-female singing group, "Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles." In 1967, the group changed its name to "Labelle," but they did not find big success until their 1974 smash hit single, "Lady Marmalade," which reached #1 on the "Billboard 100."  Dash sang backing vocals on The Rolling Stones' 1989 album, "Steel Wheels."  She also sang vocals and backing vocals on the three studio albums released by Keith Richards of "The Rolling Stones."

From TMZ:  Actor and comedian, Anthony Johnson, has died at the age of 55, apparently sometime earlier this month.  He had his breakout role in the film "House Party" (1990), but was also known for his roles in film like "Menace II Society" (1993) and "Friday" (1995).

Apple TV+ Celebrates 11 Emmy Wins and Success of "Ted Lasso"

Apple’s global hit comedy series “Ted Lasso” scores history-making win for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards

Apple TV+ becomes first streaming service in history to land top program award in its second year of eligibility

“Ted Lasso” honored with seven Emmy Awards as Apple TV+ earns 11 Emmy Awards across five programs

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apple® became the first streaming service to secure an Emmy Award in a program category in only its second year of eligibility. After Apple’s “Ted Lasso” broke records as the most nominated freshman comedy in Emmy Award history, tonight the beloved series landed four Emmy Awards, earning prizes for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in A Comedy Series. Including the previously announced Creative Arts Emmy Awards, “Ted Lasso” took home a total of seven Emmy Awards in 2021.

    “While Ted Lasso taught us to believe that anything is possible, we are so genuinely moved that this has culminated in such a historic night for both Apple TV+ and the cast and crew of this special series”

“While Ted Lasso taught us to believe that anything is possible, we are so genuinely moved that this has culminated in such a historic night for both Apple TV+ and the cast and crew of this special series,” said Zack Van Amburg, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video. “Thank you to the Television Academy for these honors and congratulations to all of our storytellers — both behind and in front of the camera — who have worked so tirelessly to bring unique perspectives to global audiences over this past year, delivering hope, light, humor, and compelling stories when we needed it most.”

“What Jason, Bill, Brendan, Joe, and the entire creative team and cast of ‘Ted Lasso’ have accomplished within just one season speaks to the power of the intricately crafted storytelling that continues to inspire and uplift audiences all over the world,” said Jamie Erlicht, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video. “This recognition from the Television Academy is a testament to their tremendous talents, and we send our heartfelt congratulations to Team Lasso for their achievements.”

After leading the pack with the most-nominated series regulars ever for a freshman comedy, first-time nominees and stars Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, and Brett Goldstein nabbed their first-ever Emmy Awards. Star and executive producer Sudeikis also became the first lead actor in a freshman comedy series to be honored with awards for both a lead performance and best series for a freshman comedy. “Ted Lasso” casting director Theo Park also earned the award for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series.

At last week’s ceremony for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Apple landed seven Emmy Awards, including three for “Ted Lasso.” Apple TV+℠ also made history by becoming the first streaming service to win the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special in its first two years of eligibility for the acclaimed Apple Original documentary “Boys State.”

In 2021, Apple scored 11 Primetime Emmy Awards in the following categories:

    Outstanding Comedy Series: “Ted Lasso”
    Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Brett Goldstein, “Ted Lasso”
    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso”
    Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour): “Ted Lasso”
    Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series: “Ted Lasso”
    Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series: “Ted Lasso”
    Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special: “Boys State”
    Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama Or Variety Series: “Carpool Karaoke: The Series”
    Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Media: “For All Mankind: Time Capsule,” “For All Mankind”
    Outstanding Motion Design: “Calls”

In addition to the Emmy Award honors, the first season of “Ted Lasso” has also been recognized with an esteemed Peabody Award; a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Award for Sudeikis; three Critics Choice Awards for Best Comedy Series, Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Sudeikis, and Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Hannah Waddingham, sweeping all categories in which the series was nominated; a Best Actor in a Comedy Series at the Golden Globe Awards for star Sudeikis; and the Writers Guild of America crowned “Ted Lasso” with wins for both Best Comedy and Best New Series.

At last year’s Emmy Awards, Apple made its Primetime Emmy Award debut with Billy Crudup’s performance in “The Morning Show” receiving the prize for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Apple also previously landed 2020 Daytime Emmy Awards for “Ghostwriter” and “Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10,” and in 2021 took home Daytime Emmy Awards for “Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth,” “Stillwater,” and “Helpsters.”

Since its global launch on November 1, 2019, Apple has received a total of 518 awards nominations and accolades, and 152 award wins from the Critics Choice Awards, Writers Guild Association, Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards, NAACP Image Awards, Peabody Awards, and more.

"Ted Lasso”:

Jason Sudeikis is Ted Lasso, an American football coach hired to manage a British soccer team — despite having no experience. But what he lacks in knowledge, he makes up for with optimism, underdog determination — and biscuits. The widely acclaimed series also stars Hannah Waddingham, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster, and Nick Mohammed. Sarah Niles joins the cast this season as Sharon, a sports psychologist who has been brought in to work with AFC Richmond.

In addition to starring, Sudeikis serves as executive producer, alongside Bill Lawrence via his Doozer Productions, in association with Warner Bros. and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. Doozer’s Jeff Ingold also serves as an executive producer, with Liza Katzer as co-executive producer. The series was developed by Sudeikis, Lawrence, Hunt, and Joe Kelly, and is based on the pre-existing format and characters from NBC Sports.

Apple TV+:

Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL, and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.1

For more information, visit apple.com/tvpr and see the full list of supported devices.

1 Special offer is good for three months after the first activation of the eligible device. One offer per Family Sharing group. Plans automatically renew until cancelled. Other restrictions and terms apply; visit apple.com/promo for more information.

© 2021 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, and Apple TV+ are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Review: "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum" Will Help You Get Your Keanu On

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 56 of 2021 (No. 1794) by Leroy Douresseaux

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
Running time:  131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive strong violence, and some language
DIRECTOR:  Chad Stahelski
WRITERS:  Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten and Chris Collins & Marc Abrams; from a story by Derek Kolstad (based on characters created by Derek Kostad)
PRODUCERS:  Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Dan Lausten (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Evan Schiff
COMPOSERS:  Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard

ACTION/THRILLER

Starring:  Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Anjelica Huston, Said Taghmaoui, Jerome Flynn, and Randall Duk Kim

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is a 2019 action and crime-thriller starring Keanu Reeves and directed by Chad Stahelski.  It is a direct sequel to 2017's John Wick: Chapter 2 and the third film in the John Wick film series.  Parabellum finds John Wick on the run with a price on his head and assassins everywhere looking to claim the reward for killing him.

As John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum opens, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) makes his way through Manhattan.  John is on the run because he is just about to be labeled “excommunicado.”  His crime was the unauthorized killing of “High Table” (the ruling entity of the assassin's guild) crime lord, Santino D'Antonio, on the grounds of the New York Continental Hotel, a “consecrated” space where killings are not allowed.  At 6 PM Eastern Standard Time, when John is officially “excommunicado,” there will be a 14 million dollar bounty on him, and hit men and hit women everywhere are going to target him.

John turns to a few old acquaintances for help on his way out the city.  He travels to Morocco where he hopes to find the “Elder,” the boss (more or less) of the High Table, whom John believes will restore his status.  In Casablanca, John seeks help from Sofia (Halle Berry), a former friend and manager of the Moroccan Continental, but an old grudge might stand in the way of her helping him.  Meanwhile, the High Table has sent an “Adjudicator” (Asia Kate Dillon) to deal with everyone who has helped John, including the Continental's manager, Winston (Ian McShane), and the crime lord, “The Bowery King” (Laurence Fishburne).

A few weeks ago, a cable television listing reminded me that I had not seen  John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, so I turned to “DVD Netflix” for help.  In my reviews of the earlier John Wick films, I wrote that I had been a fan of Keanu Reeves since I first encountered him the 1980s in films like Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and River's Edge (1986), although I am not a fan of his popular 80s film, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).  I also wrote that I had never thought of Reeves as a great or even as a good actor; he is either way too stiff or too wooden as a performer.  Still I have enjoyed and even loved Reeves in films like the original Point Break (1991) and in The Matrix film trilogy.

Reeves' star had dimmed for several years, but the John Wick films' success and an appearance in Toy Story 4 saw people feeling that Keanu love again.  And we're supposed to get The Matrix: Resurrections in December 2021.  What can I say about John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum?  The truth is that if you enjoy Keanu Reeves' films, you will enjoy Parabellum.

I can't fake it and say that this is about the love of cinema.  I love seeing Keanu in this film's violent fight scenes and bloody shootouts, with their gunshots to the head and blood spurting and ejaculating from bodies and heads.  Parabellum gives us the added joy of marital arts sword play, with Mark Dacascos as the character “Zero.”  He is Japanese assassin leading a team of ninja-like assassins, slashing and stabbing many other characters, but their ultimate goal is John Wick.

Keanu Reeves is one of my favorite movie stars, and John Wick is one his roles that I love the most.  Yes, Parabellum's main ambition is to present itself as revenge-thriller with a little wit, a little more style, and even more stylized ultra-violence.  And I like John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum enough to give it a fairly high grade and to also eagerly await a fourth installment in this thrilling franchise.

7 of 10
B+

Thursday, September 16, 2021


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

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Comics Review: "DARK BLOOD #3" Races with the Devils

DARK BLOOD #3 (OF 6)
BOOM! STUDIOS

STORY: LaToya Morgan
ART:  Moisés Hidalgo
COLORS: A.H.G.
LETTERS:  Andworld Design
EDITOR: Dafna Pleban
COVER: Valentine De Landro
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Juni Ba; Valentine De Landro; Christian Ward
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (September 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 and Moisés Hidalgo; 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 #3 opens in 1945, ten years before the Variance.  In Alabama, Emma Aldridge, Avery's wife, feels the penetrating eyes of a member of the local wolf pack, also known as a police officer, specifically Officer Wright.  Meanwhile, near the Austrian border, Avery and a fellow pilot race for safety with another kind of wolf pack, in the form of a Nazi commandant and his soldiers, nipping at their heels.

Ten years later, back in the present, it is the “Night of the Variance.”  Once again, Emma evades a wolf, while Avery runs away from one.  As he did a decade before, Avery will once again have to decide when he should stop running and turn around and start fighting.

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.  A theme that runs throughout Dark Blood, thus far, is the notion that Black people are often being hunted.  Sometimes, even being watched is a form of being hunted; the difference is that the hunter hunts with his stare or gaze.

Television writer-producer LaToya Morgan (AMC's “TURN: Washington's Spies”) offers in Dark Blood a comic book that flows through multiple genres, including science fiction and fantasy, horror, history, and reality-based drama, to name a few.  As a television writer, she knows how to deliver action, suspense, and thrills along with the character drama.  And Dark Blood #3 offers the thrill of the hunt.

This third issue finds husband and wife, Avery and Emma Aldridge, living and surviving on the razor's edge more than once, over two time periods.  It would not be inappropriate to compare this issue's hunters, Alabama law enforcement and Nazi military personnel to one another.  After all, one was the teacher of codified racism, and the other was the student.  [I'll let you, dear readers, figure out which was which.]

Morgan delivers Dark Blood's most taut thrills and fraught drama, thus far, and this time she has a different artist as her creative partner.  Moisés Hidalgo, who drew a few pages of Dark Blood #2, returns to draw Dark Blood #3's dark nights of pursuit to life.  Hidalgo's compositions seem inspired by the surreal madness of Steve Ditko's comics and also the impressionism and and wild-eyed emotions of Japanese manga.  Here, Hidalgo makes the reader feel, as if he refuses to allow the reader to experience Morgan's story only in a rational way.  His art wants us to be fearful, desperate, and even irrational.  While reading this issue, I believed that I had to feel this story if I was really going to have a chance of understanding the characters' plights.

Once again, I must praise A.H.G.'s coloring for Dark Blood.  I read comiXology's digital editions of Dark Blood when I am reviewing the series, and A.H.G.'s colors look gorgeous in this format.  The coloring makes Dark Blood's interiors look like pages from a vintage comic book, so Dark Blood seems to be not a comic book about the past, but a comic book from the past.  It is like a memento from a time capsule, a story that has been waiting for us.

Strangely, Dark Blood #3 confirms what I have been thinking since I started reading this series.  Dark Blood is the comic book that some comic book readers need and have needed for a long time, though some may only discover this later via a Dark Blood trade paperback.  So, once gain, I highly recommend Dark Blood.

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"


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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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Comics Review: "KING SPAWN #2" is Wicked, Man!

KING SPAWN #2
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Sean Lewis with Todd McFarlane (additional dialogue)
PENCILS: Javi Fernandez
COLORS: FCO Plascencia
LETTERS: Andworld Design
EDITOR: Thomas Healy
COVER:  Don Aguillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Todd McFarlane with FCO Plascencia; Javi Fernandez
56pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (September 2021)

Rated: “T/ Teen”

Spawn created by Todd McFarlane

Spawn is a superhero/antihero character that stars in the long-running comic book series, Spawn.  Created by writer-artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1 (cover dated: May 1992).

Spawn was Albert Francis “Al” Simmons.  A career military man who becomes a highly capable assassin and dies a violent death.  He makes a deal with the devil, Malebolgia, in order to return to the living realm to see his wife one last time.  However, Al returns with almost no memories accept that his name is Al Simmons, and he learns that he is now a “Hellspawn” in service of Malebolgia.  Rebelling, Al Simmons, now “Spawn,” finds a new purpose in stopping evil.

Back in February (2021), Todd McFarlane announced his plans to build a larger, multi-character, interconnected, comic book universe based around his Spawn comic book – a “Spawn Universe.”  McFarlane also announced four new comic book titles coming out in 2021, with three of them continuing as regular monthly titles.  The first of the three titles, King Spawn, has arrived.

King Spawn is written by Sean Lewis with Todd McFarlane; drawn by Javi Fernandez; colored by FCO Plascencia; lettered by Andworld Design.  King Spawn finds Spawn battling one of his old adversaries, but it is someone only Spawn knows that exists.  And that someone want to make Spawn a king.

King Spawn #2 opens in the wake of a bombing at an elementary school in Seattle, Washington.  The bombing killed sixteen people, including fourteen children, aged five and six years old.  An underground religious group, “Psalms 137,” seem to be the culprits behind this attack, but what do they really want – beyond killing more children or “innocents?”

Al Simmons is filled with rage because he knows that someone is slaughtering children in order to draw Spawn out into the open.  He is so angry that he even calls upon a former friend to help him, but he does not want  his current crew helping him, which includes Jessica Priest, the newly minted “She-Spawn.”  However, there is an even darker reunion afoot.  One of Spawn earliest and most despicable adversaries returns, as a showdown in Washington, D.C. looms.

THE LOWDOWN:  I mentioned in my review of the first issue of King Spawn that I read Spawn #1 back in 1992, and while I had mixed feelings about it, I found myself following the series.  I was a dedicated reader and followed the series for another five or six years.

King Spawn #1 was the first time I read a Spawn first issue since I read Curse of the Spawn #1 back in 1996.  I guess I was waiting for the return of the king because after reading this second issue, I can say that King Spawn is fucking awesome.  Hell, no!  I'm not going to use the phrase, “freaking awesome,” when I know that King Spawn is “fucking awesome.”  Bitch, please! dear readers.  I'm keeping it real for your hard earned money.

Writer Sean Lewis has taken the inspired madness and crazy potential of those early years of the original Spawn and used that to turn King Spawn into a must-read.  Lewis' script for the second issue has taken Al Simmons from one angry man to one crazily vengeful man.  Lewis has also made Spawn something like the best of Frank Miller's Batman of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and of Steven Grant's The Punisher of the 1980s.

I love Javi Fernandez's art.  His graphical storytelling shares a sensibility with McFarlane's, which was more dark fantasy than vigilante fiction.  Fernandez's balances his art with both a clear-line style and with heavy textures, which makes for a fuller and richer story.  The darkness and the violent action explode off the page, but the character drama is equally forceful.

FCO Plascencia's Hell-spawned hues allow the story to operate under multiple moods and atmospheres which convey the shifting realities of the story.  Meanwhile Andworld Design's quiet lettering imparts the action and drama with a steady beat that carries the imagination through this narrative.

I heartily recommend King Spawn.  It has activated me to find my way back to the original Spawn series and to prepare for the upcoming new Spawn titles.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Spawn will want to read King Spawn.

[This comic book includes “Spawning Ground” Presents “The Breakdown,” which features an interview with Javi Fernandez.]

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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.

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

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).