Comic Books, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for July 13, 2022

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

JAN221604 2000 AD JANUARY 2022 PROG PACK (MARCH ON SALE) (MR) $28.99

FEB221115 21ST CENTURIONS #9 $5.95

MAY221299 9 CIRCLES #1 CVR A KOOLASHECK (MR) $4.99

MAY221321 AIR WARRIORS WORLD WAR ONE INTERNATIONAL ACES VOL 02 (MR) $14.99

APR222179 APOTHECARY DIARIES GN VOL 05 (RES) $10.99

MAY221827 ARCHER & ARMSTRONG FOREVER #3 CVR A CHANG $3.99

MAY221828 ARCHER & ARMSTRONG FOREVER #3 CVR B ROBLES $3.99

MAR221854 ART AND MAKING OF SNIPER ELITE HC $45.00

APR222066 ATTACK ON TITAN OMNIBUS TP VOL 05 VOL 13-15 (MR) $19.99

MAY221191 B&V FRIENDS FOREVER SUMMER SURF PARTY #1 $2.99

MAR221981 BARBARIC HARVEST BLADES ONE SHOT CVR A GOODEN $5.99

MAR221982 BARBARIC HARVEST BLADES ONE SHOT CVR B PACE $5.99

FEB229811 BARBARIC HARVEST BLADES ONE SHOT CVR E HENNESSY 25 COPY INCV $5.99

MAY221062 BELIT & VALERIA #3 CVR A FIUMARA (MR) $3.99

MAY221063 BELIT & VALERIA #3 CVR B TOMASSO (MR) $3.99

MAY221064 BELIT & VALERIA #3 CVR C ROOTH (MR) $3.99

MAY221065 BELIT & VALERIA #3 CVR D BUCHEMI HOMAGE (MR) $3.99

MAR221865 BEORN #1 $4.95

MAY221657 BILL & TED ROLL DICE #2 CVR A KETNER $4.99

MAY221658 BILL & TED ROLL DICE #2 CVR B PHOTO $4.99

FEB221691 BLACK GN VOL 01 (MR) $25.99

MAY221723 BROKEN EYE #4 $3.99

MAY221324 BUGHOUSE FROM THE TOP COMPLETE BUGHOUSE (MR) $34.00

APR221791 BY THE HORNS DARK EARTH #2 (MR) $4.99

FEB211039 CARSON OF VENUS EYE OF AMTOR READER SET $10.99

APR221959 CASTE HEAVEN GN VOL 07 (MR) $12.99

APR221993 CHITOSE IS IN RAMUNE BOTTLE GN VOL 01 $13.00

MAY221726 CITIES OF MAGICK #3 $4.99

MAY221348 COMIC SHOP NEWS (100CT BUNDLE) #1821 $PI

MAR222088 DAUGHTER OF EMPEROR GN VOL 01 $20.00

MAY221518 DELUXE GIMENEZ FOURTH POWER & STARR CONSPIRACY HC (MR) $79.99

FEB221887 DETECTIVE IS ALREADY DEAD GN VOL 02 $13.00

MAY221946 DEVILS CANDY GN VOL 02 (MR) $16.99

APR221451 DF SPIDERMAN COMMISSIONED HAESER SGN RMRK SKETCH VAR $79.99

MAR221538 DIG SINK TALE #1 CVR A ALEX CORMACK (MR) $7.99

MAR221539 DIG SINK TALE #1 CVR B FRANCK UZAN FOIL STAMPED (MR) $9.99

APR222016 DIVINE RAIMENT MAGICAL GIRL HOWLING MOON GN VOL 03 (MR) $14.00

MAY221113 DOGS OF LONDON #3 $3.99

MAY221925 DONT BE CRUEL GN VOL 10 (MR) $12.99

MAY221935 DRAGON QUEST ADV OF DAI GN VOL 03 $19.99

DEC211336 EXCITING COMICS #21 $4.99

APR222071 FAIRY TAIL 100 YEARS QUEST GN VOL 10 $10.99

MAR222171 FAIRY TAIL BOX SET VOL 06 (RES) $109.90

MAR221625 FANTAGRAPHICS UNDERGROUND ONE EIGHT HUNDRED GHOSTS TP $14.99

NOV211610 FIGHT COMICS FEATURING SENORITA RIO HC VOL 01 $46.99

NOV211611 FIGHT COMICS FEATURING SENORITA RIO SLIPCASE ED VOL 01 $56.99

JAN221585 FIGHT COMICS FEATURING SENORITA RIO SOFTEE VOL 01 $29.99

APR221727 FLEXIBLE THE ART OF YO SHIMIZU SC $39.99

MAY221670 FRANK FRAZETTA DEATH DEALER #3 CVR A RENAUD (MR) $4.99

MAY221671 FRANK FRAZETTA DEATH DEALER #3 CVR B FRAZETTA (MR) $4.99

FEB221118 GHOUL AGENCY #4 $3.99

APR222073 GLEIPNIR GN VOL 11 (MR) $12.99

JUN211269 GOLD DIGGER #289 $3.99

OCT211351 GONE GN $17.99

FEB221374 HAPPY HILL #4 (OF 5) (MR) $4.99

APR222023 HAZURE SKILL LEGENDARY ASSASSIN GN VOL 04 (MR) $13.00

MAR221234 HEATHENS HUNTERS OF THE DAMNED TP $16.99

APR221537 I LIKE TO READ COMICS HC GN MEET THE SUPER DUPER SEVEN $14.99

MAY221188 JOJOS SWEET ADV HC GN VOL 02 TERRIFIC TIME TWIST $22.99

OCT211697 JUDGE DREDD THE COMPLETE CASE FILES 38 TP $25.99

MAY221131 JUSTICE WARRIORS #2 CVR A CLARKSON (MR) $4.99

MAY221132 JUSTICE WARRIORS #2 CVR B BORS (MR) $4.99

MAY221933 KAIJU NO 8 GN VOL 03 $9.99

JAN221420 KEEPING TWO HC $29.99

APR222144 KILLING STALKING DLX ED GN VOL 01 (MR) $27.99

FEB221545 KODT BUNDLE OF TROUBLE TP VOL 71 $15.99

FEB229723 KONOHANA KITAN VOL 10 $12.99

APR221627 KUNG FU LEGUME #1 CVR A MICHAEL ADAMS $4.99

APR221628 KUNG FU LEGUME #1 CVR B BEN DUNN $4.99

APR221629 KUNG FU LEGUME #1 CVR C BLANK SKETCH $9.99

MAY221152 LAUREL & HARDY CLASSICS 3 PACK $9.99

APR222018 LET THIS GRIEVING SOUL RETIRE GN VOL 03 $13.00

APR221210 LIVING CORPSE RELICS 6 ISSUE READER PACK (MR) $21.99

APR222005 LOVE OF KILL GN VOL 08 $13.00

APR221994 MAGICAL EXPLORER GN VOL 01 (MR) $13.00

MAR222252 MAME COORDINATE GN VOL 02 $13.99

MAY221866 MAN GOAT & BUNNYMAN GREEN EGGS & BLAM #1 CVR A BARRIONUEVO $5.99

MAY221867 MAN GOAT & BUNNYMAN GREEN EGGS & BLAM #1 CVR B VITORINO $5.99

MAY221868 MAN GOAT & BUNNYMAN GREEN EGGS & BLAM #1 CVR C RIVEIRO $5.99

APR228693 MAN GOAT & BUNNYMAN GREEN EGGS & BLAM #1 CVR D 10 COPY FOC I $10.00

MAY221940 MAO GN VOL 06 $9.99

APR222025 MONTHLY GIRLS NOZAKI KUN GN VOL 13 $13.00

MAY221923 MOON & SUN GN VOL 01 (MR) $12.99

OCT211353 MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS HC GN $29.99

OCT211352 MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS SC GN $17.99

MAY221731 MULLET COP FLAVOR OF DANGER ONESHOT $6.99

APR222147 MY DEER FRIEND NOKOTAN GN VOL 02 $12.99

APR222182 MY ISEKAI LIFE GN VOL 02 $10.99

MAY221639 MY LIFE BEYOND NEUROFIBROMATOSIS GN $8.99

MAY221245 NEWTHINK #2 (OF 5) CVR A RAHZAAH (MR) $3.99

MAY221246 NEWTHINK #2 (OF 5) CVR B ROSANAS (MR) $3.99

APR221718 NIGHTMARE BRIGADE GN VOL 02 INTO THE WOODS $9.99

APR221719 NIGHTMARE BRIGADE HC VOL 02 INTO THE WOODS $14.99

APR222004 NIGHTS WITH A CAT GN VOL 01 $15.00

NOV211130 OGGY & THE COCKROACHES TP & PROMO CARD SET $9.99

APR222081 PERFECT WORLD GN VOL 12 $12.99

MAY221945 POKEMON JOURNEYS SERIES GN VOL 03 $9.99

MAY221628 POTIONS INC #2 (OF 5) $3.99

NOV211614 PRE CODE CLASSICS VOODOO HC VOL 02 $46.99

NOV211615 PRE CODE CLASSICS VOODOO SLIPCASE ED VOL 02 $56.99

JAN221590 PRE CODE CLASSICS VOODOO SOFTEE VOL 02 $29.99

MAY221251 PRIMOS TP $9.99

MAY221252 PRIMOS TP SPANISH ED $9.99

DEC211775 PS ARTBOOKS CLASSIC SCI FI COMICS HC VOL 05 $46.99

OCT211683 PS ARTBOOKS PLANET COMICS SOFTEE VOL 13 $26.99

APR221907 QUESTS ASIDE #3 CVR A GOGOU $4.99

APR221908 QUESTS ASIDE #3 CVR B DIALYNAS $4.99

MAY221924 SCATTERING HIS VIRGIN BLOOM GN VOL 02 (MR) $12.99

APR221682 SEASON OF THE BRUJA #4 CVR A SOLER $3.99

APR222002 SHADOWS HOUSE GN VOL 01 $13.00

APR221325 SHEPHERD THE VALENTINE #2 (OF 3) $4.99

DEC211778 SILVER AGE CLASSICS MYSTERIES UNEXPLORED WORLDS HC VOL 04 (C $46.99

APR222089 SOMETHINGS WRONG WITH US GN VOL 09 $12.99

MAR222249 SOUL EATER PERFECT EDITION HC GN VOL 07 (MR) $22.99

MAY221256 SPACE LADY #1 CVR A WARWICK (MR) $3.99

MAY221257 SPACE LADY #1 CVR B WARWICK (MR) $3.99

MAY221258 SPACE LADY #1 CVR C WARWICK (MR) $3.99

JAN221202 SPECTREMAN HEROES #2 (OF 5) $4.99

APR221404 TALK TO MY BACK TP (MR) $29.95

MAR221260 THE GRUNCH WELCOME TO THE BRUDDERHOOD #1 CVR D CENTURY ED 10 $29.99

MAY221160 THE GRUNCH WELCOME TO THE BRUDDERHOOD #1 CVR E KS LTD ED 250 $14.99

JAN221426 THINGS WE CREATE TP $24.99

MAY221710 TWIN CITIES GN $12.99

MAY221711 TWIN CITIES HC GN $20.99

MAY221873 VAN HELSING FROM DEPTHS #1 CVR A VITORINO $5.99

MAY221874 VAN HELSING FROM DEPTHS #1 CVR B TOLIBAO $5.99

MAY221875 VAN HELSING FROM DEPTHS #1 CVR C TABANAS $5.99

JAN221854 VENICE $28.00

APR221909 WEST OF SUNDOWN #4 CVR A CAMPBELL $4.99

APR221910 WEST OF SUNDOWN #4 CVR B TERRY $4.99

APR221911 WEST OF SUNDOWN #4 CVR C SEELEY $4.99

APR221216 WILLYS WONDERLAND PREQUEL #1 CVR G KICKSTARTER LTD ED W PROM $29.99

APR222026 WITCHS PRINTING OFFICE GN VOL 06 $15.00

MAY221194 WORLD OF ARCHIE JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #121 $8.99

NOV211134 WORLD WAR 3 BATTLE OVER HOKKAIDO #3 (OF 5) $4.99

APR222013 WORLDS FINEST ASSASSIN REINCARNATED ANOTHER WORLD GN VOL 03 $13.00

MAY221170 ZORRO LAND THAT TIME FORGOT READER PACK W AM EXL CVR $17.99

MAGAZINES

APR221700 DOCTOR WHO CHRONICLES VOL 05 $20.00

FEB221596 DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE #575 $12.99

JAN221605 JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #442 $10.99

DEC211774 PS ARTBOOK CHARLTON PREMIERE CHILDREN OF DOOM MAGAZINE $16.99

NOV211617 PS ARTBOOK PSYCHO MAGAZINE #1 $18.99

APR221667 SCARY MONSTERS MAGAZINE #127 $14.99

BOOKS

JAN221897 APHRODISIACS WORLD OF AYUMI KAISAI SC (MR) $60.00

APR222042 BANISHED HEROES PARTY QUIET LIFE COUNTRYSIDE NOVEL SC VOL 06 $15.00

JAN221898 BOYS ILLUSTRATIONS INSPIRED NIGHT PARADE ONE HUNDRED DEMONS $29.99

DEC211510 DC SUPER HERO ORIGIN STORIES (RES) $19.99

SEP211936 FATE RETURN TO AVALON TAKASHI TAKEUCHI ART WORKS HC $54.99

APR222162 HEAVEN OFFICIALS BLESSING TIAN GUAN CI FU NOVEL VOL 03 (MR) $19.99

APR221499 IRON MAIDEN OFF COLORING BOOK $17.99

APR222171 KUMA KUMA KUMA BEAR NOVEL SC VOL 11 $13.99

MAY221771 LITTLE BIG BUTT BOOK HC (MR) $16.00

MAR221739 MOONSTONE DOUBLE SHOT GREEN HORNET & TRIBUNAL SC $5.49

MAY221582 STAR WARS GALACTIC BAKING GIFT SET $35.00

MAR221917 THEY SHOULDN`T HAVE KILLED HIS DOG UNCENSORED HIST JOHN WICK $28.99

APR222039 YOUTH ROMANTIC COMEDY WRONG EXPECTED NOVEL SC VOL 14 $14.00

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DC Comics Shipping from Lunar Distributors for July 12, 2022

DC COMICS:

Batgirls #8 (Cover A Jorge Corona), $3.99
Batgirls #8 (Cover B Audrey Mok Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Batgirls #8 (Cover C Rian Gonzales Card Stock Variant), AR
Batman #125 (Cover F Simone Di Meo Acetate Variant), $6.99
Batman Urban Legends #17 (Cover A Jim Cheung & Jay David Ramos), $7.99
Batman Urban Legends #17 (Cover B Gleb Melnikov), $7.99
Batman Urban Legends #17 (Cover C Sebastian Fiumara), $7.99
Batman Urban Legends #17 (Cover D Gary Frank), $7.99
Dark Crisis Worlds Without A Justice League Superman #1 (One Shot)(Cover A Chris Burnham), $4.99
Dark Crisis Worlds Without A Justice League Superman #1 (One Shot)(Cover B Steve Beach), AR
Dark Crisis Worlds Without A Justice League Superman #1 (One Shot)(Cover C Chris Burnham Foil Variant), AR
DC Connect #26, AR
DC Poster Portfolio J.H. Williams III TP, $24.99
DC Vs. Vampires Coffin Edition #1 (Cover A Carmine Di Giandomenico), $5.99
DC Vs. Vampires Coffin Edition #1 (Cover B Carmine Di Giandomenico Foil Variant), $6.99
DC Vs. Vampires Crypt Edition #1 (Cover A Carmine Di Giandomenico), $5.99
DC Vs. Vampires Crypt Edition #1 (Cover B Carmine Di Giandomenico Foil Variant), $6.99
Future State Gotham #15 (Cover A Simone Di Meo), $3.99
Future State Gotham #15 (Cover B Mike Bowden Card Stock Variant), $4.99
I Am Batman #11 (Cover A Christian Duce), $3.99
I Am Batman #11 (Cover B Salvador Larroca Card Stock Variant), $4.99
I Am Batman #11 (Cover C Rafael Albuquerque Card Stock Variant), AR
Injustice Gods Among Us Year Zero The Complete Collection TP, $16.99
Naomi Season 2 #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Jamal Campbell), $3.99
Rogues #3 (Of 4)(Cover A Sam Wolfe Connelly), $6.99
Rogues #3 (Of 4)(Cover B Leomacs), $6.99
Rogues #3 (Of 4)(Cover C Max Dunbar), AR
Superman Son Of Kal-El #13 (Cover A Travis Moore), $3.99
Superman Son Of Kal-El #13 (Cover B Al Kaplan Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Superman Son Of Kal-El #13 (Cover C Clayton Henry Card Stock Variant), AR
Teen Titans Academy Volume 1 X Marks The Spot TP, $17.99
Wonder Woman #789 (Cover A Yanick Paquette), $4.99
Wonder Woman #789 (Cover B Paul Pope Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Wonder Woman Evolution #8 (Of 8)(Cover A Mike Hawthorne), $3.99
Wonder Woman Evolution #8 (Of 8)(Cover B Liam Sharp Card Stock Variant), $4.99

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Fantagraphics Publishes Jordan Crane's Graphic Novel, "Keeping Two"

Fantagraphics Acquires Publishing Rights to "Keeping Two" by Jordan Crane

SEATTLE, WA — Fantagraphics Books announced the acquisition of the worldwide publishing rights to Keeping Two by the acclaimed cartoonist, printmaker, and designer Jordan Crane, with a publication date of July 13, 2022. Over twenty years in the making, Keeping Two follows a young couple still relatively new at building what they hope will be a lifetime together, over the course of a day. Through a series of events, they are forced to individually confront loss, grief, fear, and insecurity in ways that will either strengthen their bond or tear it apart. Touching, raw, and beautifully illustrated, Crane has crafted a graphic novel that celebrates the comics medium while exploring the depths of the human condition.

Jordan Crane is a cartoonist living in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and kids. Crane first emerged in 1996 with the iconic comics anthology NON, which he edited, designed, printed, contributed to, and published. His previous book was the critically acclaimed all-ages graphic novel The Clouds Above (2008).

In Keeping Two, Crane’s formal use of the comics medium — threading several timelines and the interior and exterior lives of its protagonists together to create an increasing, almost Hitchcockian sense of dread and paranoia — is masterful. But as the title hints, there are dualities at its core that make it one of the most exciting works of graphic literary fiction in recent memory, a brilliant adult drama that showcases a deep empathy and compassion for its characters as well as a visually arresting showcase of Crane’s considerable talents. Keeping Two is ostensibly a story about loss, but by the end, it just might also be about finding something along the way — something that had seemed irredeemable up to that point. In that way, it’s also a deeply romantic book.

“I could not be more proud to publish Keeping Two," says Fantagraphics VP/Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds. “It’s a works of comics by a master cartoonist at the very peak of his form. But it’s also a profoundly affecting story that I think strives to bring people closer by reminding us of our shared experience as human beings, at a time when we could really use it.”

Keeping Two by Jordan Crane will be available from Fantagraphics on July 12, 2022.

Keeping Two by Jordan Crane
$29.99 • July 2022 • ISBN: 9781683965183
304 pages • Hardcover • Two Color • 8.4” x 5.4”


About Fantagraphics:
For over 45 years, Fantagraphics has published the very best comics and graphic novels that the medium has to offer. Our mission is to celebrate great cartooning in all of its incarnations, from the form’s early luminaries to contemporary artists currently forging the future of visual storytelling. Not content to rest on our laurels and extensive roster of talented artists, we constantly seek out fresh voices from across the globe. Thus, we honor the rich history of comics while providing a platform for bold new stories, styles, and perspectives that push the boundaries of the medium. Fantagraphics remains peerless in our commitment to be the publisher of the world's greatest cartoonists.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 1st to 9th, 2022 - Update #17

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BREAKING NEWS - From ABC:  Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by a gunman during a campaign speech Friday in Nara, Japan.

STAR TREK - From THR:  In the final episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" Season 1, actor Paul Wesley debuts as "Captain James T. Kirk," the iconic character most famously played by the iconic actor, William Shatner.

LEGAL - From Deadline:  Oscar-nominee, Sacha Baron Cohen ("Borat"), has won an appeal in the lawsuit brought against him by failed Alabama U.S. senatorial candidate and accused sexual predator, Roy Moore.

CRIME - From TMZ:  Eric Holder, Jr. has been found guilty of 1st-degree murder for shooting rapper Nipsey Hussle to death in 2019.  He was also found guilty of five other charges.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Woody Allen has said that his next film will be a French-language project, shot in Paris with a local cast.  He just needs to get the financing set.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  James Cameron's film series, "Avatar," will apparently be comprised of five films, but Cameron recently said that he might not direct the fourth and firth films.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  "Minions: The Rise of Gru" had a four-day July 4th holiday weekend total of 125.1 million dollars at the domestic box office.

From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 7/1 to 7/3/2022 weekend box office is "Minions: The Rise of Gru" with an estimated take of 108.5 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Writer-director Jordan Peele has revealed a viral website, Jupiterclaim.com, that ties into his upcoming film, "Nope" (July 22nd).

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  CBS cancelled its "Magnum P.I." reboot after four seasons. Now, NBC has rescued the series ordering a fifth and sixth season, 10 episodes each season for a total of 20.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  The original "Buzz Lightyear," Tim Allen, speaks about the new "Lightyear" film.

TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  "In Living Color" veteran, Tommy Davidson, talks about how the demoralizing experience he had trying to develop a TV series based on Eddie Murphy's 1988 hit, "Coming to America."

OBITS:

From Variety:  The actor and comedian, Larry Storch, has died at the age of  99, Friday, July 8, 2022.  He was best known for playing "Corporal Randolph Agam" in the former ABC sitcom, "F Troop" (1965-67).  He reunited with his "F Troop" cast mate, Forrest Tucker, for the 1975 CBS Saturday morning children's series, "The Ghost Busters."  For Warner Bros. animation, Storch performed voice on numerous animated series, including "Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales," The Pink Panther," and "The Brady Kids," to name a few.

From Deadline:  The actor Tony Sirico has died at the age of 79, Friday, July 8, 2022.  Sirico was best known for playing "Paulie Walnuts" on the former HBO television series, "The Sopranos."  He also appeared in several Woody Allen films, including "Bullets Over Broadway," "Mighty Aphrodite," and "Celebrity," to name a few. 

From Variety:  The film and television actor, James Caan, has died at the age of 82, Wednesday, July 6th, 2022.  He was best known for the role of the hot-headed "Sonny Corleone" in "The Godfather" (1972), for which he received an Oscar nomination.  He also appeared in the famous television movie, "Brian's Song" (1970), which earned him an Emmy nomination.  Other notable film roles include "Rollerball" (1975), "Thief" (1981), "Gardens of Stone" (1987), and "Misery" (1990), to name a few.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple.

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ROE V. WADE - From NPR:  The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has overturned "Roe v. Wade."  It's gone, boo.

From TheRoot:  During a re-election really with Donald Trump, Congresswoman Mary Miller said that the overturning of "Roe v. Wade" a "historic victory for white life." [Sometimes, they tell you who they are - Leroy]

From GoogleDocs:  "Roe v. Wade": What you can do.

From RSNNewYorker:  We're not going back to the time before Roe. We're going somewhere worse.

From RSNVanityFair:  Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Stephen Breyer's wrote a withering dissent to the court's conservative majority. Their conclusion: this opinion is "the curtailment of women's rights, and of their status as free and equal citizens."

From Truthout:  Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) led a group of 20 Black Congresswomen who urged President Biden to to take urgent action to protect abortion rights.

From GuardianUK:  "'Fewer Rights Than Their Grandmothers': Read Three Justices' Searing Abortion Dissent"

UVALDE, TEXAS MASS SHOOTING:

From YahooAP:  An 18-year-old gunman slaughtered 19 children and two teachers on Tues., May 24th, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas.  All 21 victims were in the same 4th grade classroom at Robb Elementary.

From TheDailyBeast:  Texas's top law enforcement official, Department of Public Safety Director Steve McGraw, has said that the school shooter in Uvalde, Texas could have been taken down in three minutes.

From TheDailyBeast:  Police officers responding to last month’s mass shooting at an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school never even tried to open the door to the classroom where young children were trapped with the gunman, according to a new report. 

From Jacobin:  "The Uvalde Massacre has exposed the lies that once justified police militarization" by Branko Marcetic

From Truthout:  We don’t need more evidence that police can’t be trusted.

From Truthout:   44 percent of GOP voters view mass shootings as part of living in “Free Society”

From ABCNews:  Arnulfo Reyes, a teacher who survived the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, calls the local police "cowards" because of slow response to an active shooter at his school, Robb Elementary.  All of 11 students in his class were killed.

From DallasNews:  Joe Garcia, the husband of Irma Garcia, one of the two teachers killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, has died of a heart attack two days after the murder of his wife.  They had been married for 24 years and had been high school sweethearts.

From Axios:  Texas gubernatorial candidate, Beto O'Rourke, interrupted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's gaslighting press conference on the Uvalde elementary school mass shooting.

From USAToday:  Beto O'Rourke's outburst at Gov. Greg Abbott's Uvalde news conference shows the spine Democrats need.

From BostonGlobe:  Steve Kerr, head coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, asks "When are we going to do something?"

From NBCNews:  A Robb Elementary teacher describes "the longest 35 minutes of my life" and the terror she now feels.

From NBCNews:  The Uvalde school district had an extensive safety plan, but 19 children were killed at Robb Elementary anyway.  Even security plans that appear to be up to the latest research-based standards may have gaps and fall short of preventing the worst-case scenario, experts said.

From MSN:  Angeli Rose Gomez, the mother who was handcuffed outside Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, was able to get inside the school and rescue her two children.

From YahooNews:   Daniel Defense, the maker of the rifles used by the Uvalde massacre killer, has used "incendiary ads" in the past, including one in which a toddler holds one of its rifles.

From TheIntercept:  The police aren't obligated to protect anyone NOT in their custody, as the Supreme Court has ruled twice.

From RollingStone:  Right wing lies about the Second Amendment and why they tell them are killing America's childrne.

From Vice:  The law enforcement personnel in Texas that arrived at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas on Tues., May 24th did the opposite of what their own training documentary videos show.

From Vox:  Uvalde police keep changing their story.

From TheDailyBeast:  The families in Uvalde, Texas who lost loved one in the Robb Elementary massacre say that the cops there are "Nothing more than cowards" and that they need to pay for doing nothing while a gunman rampaged through the school last Tues, May 24th.

From TheNewYorker:  Thoughts and prayers, Uvalde, Texas. This is the America that Republicans and the right wing have being thinking about and praying for all these decades.

From ABC:  Sources say that Uvalde police and school district no longer cooperating with Texas probe of shooting of the May 24th massacre of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

From GuardianUK:  Canada plans to freeze all handgun ownership.

From RSNWashPost:  Is it time to show the true horror of mass shooting - in pictures?

From MSN:  Angeli Gomez, the Uvalde mother who rescued her two children from the Robb Elementary shooting massacre, says that a police officer threatened to arrest her if she did not stop telling her story.

From RSNTheAtlantic:  The Uvalde police chose dishonor. Where was there courage?

From RSNWashPost:  Brenda Bell:  I hid from the Texas Tower sniper (Charles Joseph Whitman) in 1966. His successors have found us all.

From RSNTheIntercept:  "AR-15s Were Made to Explode Human Bodies. In Uvalde, the Bodies Belonged to Children" by Murtaza Hussain

From RSNNPR:  The tragic history of police responding too late to active shooters.

From VICE:  There is likely bodycam footage of the school shooting in Uvalde, TX, but the public may never see it.

BLM-BUFFALO:

From ABCNews:  A 18-year-old white MAN shot 13 people, killing 10 at a Buffalo, New York Tops Friendly Markets supermarket on Saturday, May 14, 2021.

From RSNAP:  The white male suspect in the Buffalo Tops Supermarket shooting, Payton Gendron, was charged with federal hate crimes on Wed., June 15th and could face the death penalty if convicted.

From Truthout:  The racist attack in Buffalo at the Tops Friendly supermarket was crafted to terrorize us.  We can fight back, and here’s how we fight back.

From WGRZ:  Who are the victims of the Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets grocery store shooting. This comes from local station WGRZ Channel 2 and includes video and some victim photos.

From BuffaloNews:  One of the 10 Black murder victims of the Buffalo massacre was Katherine "Kat" Massey.  She was a leader in her community and civil rights activist and advocate for education.

From NewYorkPost:  One of the 10 Black murder victims of the Buffalo massacre was Andre Mackniel. He was at TOPS Supermaket to pick up a birthday cake for his son.

From Truthout:  The racist attack in Buffalo, NY at the Tops supermarket was crafted to terrorize us, so here is how we fight back.

From CNN:  What is known about the 18-year-old MAN, Payton Gendron.

From NPR:  198 mass shooting this year ... so far.

From Truthout:  White supremacist massacre of 10 people in Buffalo, NY shows that the “Alt-Right” ideology leads to murder.

From RollingStone:  Buffalo rampage killing is "Straight Up Racially Motivated Hate Crime."

From InformedComment:  Rene Binet, the originator the "great replacement" was a French Nazi, and he saw all American as "Negroes," an "impure mestizo 'race'."

From WashPost:  Only 22 people saw the live-stream of a white terrorist kill Black shoppers at the Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets supermarket, but millions have seen it since...

From GuardianUK:  Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets shooter may have been motivated by "eco-fascism," a focus on overpopulation and environmental degradation.

From RSN:  "What Lessons Have We Learned From the Buffalo Shooting?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

From Truthout:  “Innocent” White People Are Also Complicit in the Anti-Black Murders in Buffalo by George Yancy.

From Truthout:  "Black Lives Matter" cofounder discovered that Alicia Garza has learned that her name is mentioned in the Buffalo Tops supermarket killer's manifesto.

From GuardianUK:   Cornell West says, "Trump isn't out there with a gun, but he's enabled this war against Black people.

From Slate:  From the Tulsa Race Massacre to the Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets shootings: the legacy of anti-Black violence.

From Truthout:  After mass shootings, Republicans shield white supremacists from scrutiny

From MSN:  Angeli Gomez, the Uvalde mom who rescued her children from the school shooting at Robb Elementary, says that local police have threatened to have her arrested if she does not stop telling her story.

UKRAINE:

From TheDailyBeast:  Russian soldiers allegedly raped and killed a 1-year-old Ukrainian boy and have reportedly raped or sexually abused children as young as 9 months old.

HATE WATCH:

From NPR:  31 members of the white nationalist Patriot Front arrested near a "Pride Month" event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  They are believed to have been planning to riot held at a local before moving on to rioting downtown.  They were not the only haters trying to sour the "Pride in the Park" event, which included families with children.

From SpokesmanReview:  The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office released the names and photos of all 31 "Patriot Front" members who are suspects in a planned riot at the "Pride Month" event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Review: "THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER" is Full of Love and Thunder

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 42 of 2022 (No. 1854) by Leroy Douresseaux

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Running time:  119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language, some suggestive material and partial nudity
DIRECTOR:  Taika Waititi
WRITERS: Taiki Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson; from a story by Taika Waititi (based on the Marvel Comics)
PRODUCERS:  Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Barry Idoine (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Peter S. Elliot, Tim Roche, Matthew Schmidt, and Jennifer Vecchiarello
COMPOSERS:  Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION and COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring:  Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi (voice) Jaimie Alexander, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel (voice), Bradley Cooper (voice), Kieron L. Dyer, Idris Elba, Brett Goldstein, and Russell Crowe and Natalie Portman

Thor: Love and Thunder is a 2022 superhero fantasy and action-comedy directed by Taika Waititi and produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.  It is the fourth film in Marvel's Thor film series, which began with Thor (2011).  Thor is a Marvel Comics character that first appeared in the comic book, Journey into Mystery #83 (cover dated: August 1962), and is based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name.  In Love and Thunder, Thor reunites with his ex-girlfriend to fight a being who plans to make the gods extinct.

Thor: Love and Thunder finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth), using his second enchanted hammer, “Stormbreaker,” is fighting the bad guys of the galaxy with the Guardians of the Galaxy:  Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Groot (voice of Vin Diesel), and Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper).  Thor is at a crossroads in his life and is unsure of what to do next.

Back on Earth, Thor's ex-girlfriend, the astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), is battling stage four cancer.  Seeking medical treatment, Jane travels to New Asgard.  There, she has a strange encounter with Thor's broken hammer, Mjolnir.

Meanwhile, Thor has answered a distress signal from one of Asgard's warriors, Sif (Jaimie Alexander).  She warns him of Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), a being who possesses the god-killing weapon, “the Necrosword.”  When Gorr attacks New Asgard, Thor returns to join the battle.  Much to his shock, he discovers that Mjolnir has reforged and bonded with Jane Foster, transforming her into another Thor.

Now, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), King of Asgard, and Korg (voice of Taika Waititi), the rocky Kronan warrior, join Thor and Thor on a journey to fight Gorr.  But are they enough to fight a being that has already killed many gods?

The last year's worth of Marvel Studios films, five including Thor: Love and Thunder, have been different, even offbeat, much to the chagrin of some critics and fans.  People complained that Marvel's films were too much alike, and now that the studio has given us five films that are quite different from the first 11 years of films, they still aren't happy.

Anyway, I want to make it clear that there is plenty of “thunder” in Thor: Love and Thunder.  Director Taika Waititi offers some action set pieces that are either unusual or have an unusual angle to them.  As Gorr, Christian Bale gives a multi-layered performance full of pathos, humor, and maniacal glee.  It is a seemingly effortless performance from one of the best actors of the last quarter-century.  So, this superhero movie has a great villain, one who can match both Thors and is genuinely vengeful, a vengeance grounded in love.

Still, Waititi wants Thor to be something really different.  The films trades in themes of love, death, and change.  Thor Odinson and Jane Foster-Thor are both in crisis.  The Odinson is having a sort of mid-life crisis.  If he is no longer the rascally young heir to the throne of Asgard or the Avenger's lightning, thunder, and muscle, then, what is he?  Jane Foster is facing an existential crisis; her cancer is really terminal.  Should she quietly accept her fate or should she go out with a bang and some thunder as Thor, fighting their enemy to death, if need be?

Thor: Love and Thunder is a perfect film for this time.  It chooses love over despair.  It is a post-breakup movie in which Thor and Jane Foster find their way back to one another.  Although death is an end, it can also mean change, and that is what can be in store for Thor and Thor and for King Valkyrie, Korg, and a few other characters.

I love what director Taika Waititi has created in his two Thor films, this and the earlier Thor: Ragnarok (2017).  Thor: Love and Thunder finds the humor in every situation, even the dark and dangerous ones, which might put off some of its audience.  However, I like that Thor: Love and Thunder is a film made of joy, color, and wonder that travels across the galaxy and into different realms.  But no matter where it goes, Thor: Love and Thunder full of thunderous sounds and furious love.

[This film as two scenes that occur during the credits, one in the middle and one at the end.]

8 of 10
A
★★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, July 8, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "What We Do in the Shadows" Does It Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 41 of 2022 (No. 1853) by Leroy Douresseaux

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Running time:  86 minutes (1 hour, 26 minutes)
MPAA – R for bloody violent content, some sexual material and language
WRITERS/DIRECTORS:  Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi
PRODUCERS:  Emanuel Michael, Taika Waititi, and Chelsea Winstanley
CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Richard Bluck and D.J. Stipsen
EDITORS:  Tom Eagles, Yana Gorskaya, and Jonathan Woodford-Robinson
COMPOSER:  Plan 9

COMEDY/FANTASY

Starring:  Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Jonny Brugh, Stu Rutherford, Ben Fransham, Jackie Van Beek, and Elena Stejko

What We Do in the Shadows is a 2014 New Zealand comic vampire film and mockumentary (mock documentary) written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi.  The film focuses on three vampires who live together in a flat while trying to deal with the mundane aspects of modern life in Wellington, New Zealand.

What We Do in the Shadows introduces four vampires living as housemates in a flat in a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand.  They are 379-year-old Viago (Taika Waititi), 862-year-old Vladislav (Jemaine Clement), 183-year-old Deacon (Jonny Brugh), and 8000-year-old Petyr (Ben Fransham).  A documentary film crew follows them as they prepare for “the Unholy Masquerade,” a ball held by some of the monster secret societies of Wellington.

The vampires struggle with the ordinary aspects of modern life:  overcoming flatmate conflicts, keeping up with chores, dealing with demanding familiars (human servants), etc.  Most of all they struggle to navigate the city's nightclub scene where they hunt for human victims who will become their food.  One of their victims-to-be is Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer), the ex-boyfriend of Deacon's familiar, Jackie (Jackie Van Beek).  Nick is unexpectedly turned into a vampire, and the new bloodsucker brings complications into the older vampires' lives.  Nick even brings his human friend, Stu (Stu Rutherford), whom everyone wants to eat, but likes too much to eat, into the vampire world.

Plus, they still have to attend “the Unholy Masquerade” where they will meet “the Beast.”

The most famous example of a mockumentary and perhaps, the most beloved is director Rob Reiner's 1984 film, This is Spinal Tap.  With the exception of that film, I am usually bored of mockumentaries by the second half of such films.  I was surprised to discover that except for a few places, I found myself thoroughly engaged with What We Do in the Shadows.

I think the combination of the script and the acting really brings the film to life.  The actors seem to create fully functioning people by emphasizing the ordinary aspects of the human character and personality.  Although the film's leads are vampires, they manage to be only a little special, amazing, horrible, and fantastic.  They are interesting and lovable by being only a little above ordinary.  They are not too bright, not smart enough to be conniving, and rather short-sighted, and that all makes them endearing to me.

I also like that What We Do in the Shadows quotes from or references a number of vampire films, including the Blade film series, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, and Twilight, to name a few.  That helps to make it feel like a genuine vampire film, rather than being only a documentary and horror comedy.  I actually started watching (on and off) the FX cable television series, also titled “What We Do in the Shadows,” that is based on the film.  Truthfully, the film is such a delight, it feels like something that has a lot more to offer, so we are lucky to have a TV series.

I would not recommend What We Do in the Shadows to everyone who enjoys the mainstream work of the film's co-writer and co-director, Taika Waititi, such as his Thor films for Disney/Marvel Studios.  I will recommend it to film audiences who are always searching for something different, offbeat, and/or daring in modern independent and foreign films.  For being another in a long, long line of vampire films, What We Do in the Shadows manages to be fresh blood.

7 of 10
A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars

Thursday, July 7, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "PRODIGY: The Icarus Society #1" Flies So High

PRODIGY: THE ICARUS SOCIETY #1 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Matteo Buffagni
COLORS: Laura Martin
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Matteo Buffagni with David Curiel
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Bill Sienkiewicz
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2022)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy: The Icarus Society is a new five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  It is a sequel to the 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy.  The Prodigy comic books focus on the adventures of the world's smartest man, who believes that he is the go-to guy when there is a global crisis to solve.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 opens in Maine where a credit controller has just spontaneously exploded.  In fact, this is an entire afternoon of spontaneously exploding people in Maine  When the mayor and the governor don't know what to do, they call the Pentagon, and the Pentagon calls Edison Crane, the world's smartest man.

The person behind these explosions is the just the beginning of “The Icarus Society.”

THE LOWDOWN:  Of Mark Millar's recent Netflix comic book series, I am a huge fan of The Magic Order, but I am always thinking about Prodigy.  After reading the first series, Prodigy, I was intrigued and thrilled, and after re-reading it in trade paperback form, as Prodigy: The Evil Earth, I admired it all the more.

Millar uses Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 to introduce readers to Edison Crane's state of mind (more or less).  Our hero is in need of a challenge.  Millar builds the issue slyly; the new threat is all around Crane, preparing to reveal itself.  At the same time, rascally Millar teases us with this idea:  doesn't it seem as if Crane is deliberately setting himself up to be challenged and abused?...

The art by Matteo Buffagni for The Icarus Society is quiet compared to Rafael Albuquerque's fast and furious storytelling in the earlier series, The Evil Earth.  Buffagni creates a story that conveys the current malaise (of Crane) and simmers with the coming menace (from the “rival” geniuses).  Colorist Laura Martin is a master of creating the varied moods of action and violence, and here, she delivers on shadowy and secretive and sudden violence.  Clem Robins does much the same, carrying the reader through the wavy flow of time and pace in this story.

I can tell from this first issue that Millar and Buffagni are going to throw everything and many kitchen sinks at us.  Prodigy: The Icarus Society reminds us that a month with at least one Mark Millar comic book is a good month, indeed.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: The Icarus Society.

A

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


https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://www.netflix.com/
https://twitter.com/netflix
www.imagecomics.com
https://twitter.com/ImageComics


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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