Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 23rd to 31st, 2022 - Update #15

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

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:   The winner of the 10/28 to 10/30/2022 weekend box office is Warner Bros.' "Black Adam" with an estimated take of 27.7 million dollars.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Actor Liam Hemsworth will replace Henry Cavill as the star of Netflix's "The Witcher" when the series returns for its fourth season in 2023.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Quentin Tarantino debunks the notion that he stole the idea for his 2012 film, "Django Unchained," from disgraced recording artist Kanye West.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Village Roadshow Pictures has partnered with Chris Romero and the late George A. Romero’s Sanibel Films, Origin Story, Vertigo and Westbrook Studios on what all hope will create a new franchise from "Night of the Living Dead."  The first sequel is being written by "The Walking Dead's" LaToya Morgan and directed by Nikyatu Jusu ("Nanny") 

DC STUDIOS - From THR:  James Gunn and Peter Safran to lead the newly formed "DC Studios," which will oversee almost all films, TV, and animation based on DC Comics characters.

From THR:  Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige gives his blessing to James Gunn moving to DC Studios.  Gunn has directed Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 10/21 to 10/23/2022 weekend box office is Warner Bros./DC Film's "Black Adam" with an estimated take of 67 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Black Adam."

From Deadline:   If new release, "Black Adam," has a $60-62 million dollar opening weekend, it would be Dwayne Johnson's largest opening weekend as a solo star/leading man.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Will "Beetlejuice" director Tim Burton be involved with "Beetlejuice 2?" Burton says "nothing is out of the question."

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:   Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane, who played "Hagrid" in the "Harry Potter" films, died Fri., Oct. 14th at the age of 72.  According to many reports coming out of the United Kingdom, he died following multiple organ failure. The death certificate also noted that Coltrane had been suffering from sepsis, lower respiratory tract infection. and heart block.  He had also been diagnosed with obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Grammy-winning recording artist, Kanye West, says that he pitched the idea for the Oscar-winning film, "Django Unchained" (2012), to the film's director, Quentin Tarantino, and its star, Jamie Foxx.

OBITS:

From Variety:   Singer, songwriter, and piano player, Jerry Lee Lewis, has died at the age of 87, Friday, October 28, 2022.  Lee was a pioneer in rock 'n' roll and rockabilly music, and the 1957 song, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" shot him to worldwide fame.  He was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in 1986.

From Variety:  Film, television, and stage actor, Leslie Jordan, has died at the age of 67, Monday, October 24, 2022 in a car accident, which may have been the result of a medical emergency.  He had a career in films and a prolific career in television.  He may be best known for the role of "Beverley Leslie" in NBC's late sitcom, "Will & Grace," for which he won an Emmy Award in the category of "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series." He appeared three times in FX's horror anthology, "American Horror Story."

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From NBCNews:   Brittney Griner will enter a system of isolation, grueling labor and psychological torment when she is transferred to a penal colony, the successor to the infamous Russian gulag, to fulfill a nine-year sentence handed down Tuesday in Moscow, former prisoners and advocates said.

From NBCNews:  A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner's appeal of her nine-year prison sentence on (fake) drug charges.

From Reuters:  Russia says that it is ready to talk prisoner swamp for Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, but also scolds the U.S. Embassy.

From TheDailyBeast:   Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

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."

 

Review: Wild, Uneven "BULLET TRAIN" Has a Killer Last Act

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 66 of 2022 (No. 1878) by Leroy Douresseaux

Bullet Train (2022)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPA – R for strong and bloody violence, pervasive language, and brief sexuality
DIRECTOR:  David Leitch
WRITER:  Zak Olkewicz (based on the novel by Kotaro Isaka)
PRODUCERS:  Antoine Fuqua, David Leitch, and Kelly McCormick
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jonathan Sela (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Elisabet Ronaldsdottir
COMPOSER:  Dominic Lewis

ACTION

Starring:  Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Sandra Bullock, Benito A Martinez Ocasio (Bad Bunny), Logan Lerman, Zazie Beetz, Masi Oka, Kevin Akiyoshi Ching, Johanna White, and Karen Fukuhara with Channing Tatum and Ryan Reynolds

Bullet Train is a 2022 action movie from director David Leitch.  The film is based on the 2010 novel from author Kōtarō Isaka, Maria Beetle (which was titled Bullet Train for its U.S. and U.K. Editions).  Bullet Train the movie takes place aboard a swiftly-moving bullet train where five assassins gradually discover that they have several things in common.

Bullet Train opens in Japan and introduces “Ladybug” (Brad Pitt), an assassin turned “snatch-and-grab man.”  In Tokyo, he enters a bullet train bound for Kyoto.  He is initially wary of accepting this job from his handler, Maria (Sandra Bullock), which involves him retrieving a briefcase that contains ten million dollars.  Also on the train is a young woman known as “Prince” (Joey King); the assassin brothers, “Lemon” (Brian Tyree Henry) and “Tangerine” (Aaron Taylor-Johnson); and the revenge-seeking Yuichi Kimura (Andrew Koji).

They are all passengers on this particular bullet train, directly and indirectly, because of “The Son” (Logan Lerman), the kidnapped son of the Russian-born Yakuza boss known as the “White Death” (Michael Shannon).  Ladybug, who is begrudgingly working this job, believes that it is bringing out the worst of the bad luck that he believes plagues him.  Gradually, he finds himself fighting off an ever-growing gathering of killers and miscreants.  And waiting for everyone at their final stop in Kyoto – at least for those that survive – is an ultimate showdown with the White Death and his hired killers.

Directly or indirectly, Bullet Train is a movie influenced by the films of Oscar-winning filmmaker, Quentin Tarantino.  The dialogue – full of chatter, threats, and banter – is supposed to come across as cool, but it is merely blather from a third or fourth or fifth generation take on a Tarantino screenplay.  The characters are also Tarantino retreads, and so are their actions and inaction.  Still, I must admit that I like some of them, especially Brad Pitt's Ladybug.

So is Bullet Train any good, you might ask?

Well, two-thirds of it is uneven and moves in fits and starts of violence and murder.  I was mostly uninterested, but there are some surprising cameos that captured my interest.  For instance, Zazie Beetz is the assassin, “The Hornet,” and recording artist, Bad Bunny, is the Mexican assassin, “The Wolf.”  Both, however, are barely in the film.  I think they would have improved Bullet Train a good bit had their roles been enlarged.

However, the first 80 or so mediocre minutes of this movie are worth it for the last 40 minutes.  It is as if Bullet Train suddenly explodes in its last act to reveal a much better movie that had been hiding inside the fairly awful movie.  Everything is better, even Brad Pitt, who keeps this movie from being an absolute disaster.  Sometimes, it is worth having a genuine movie star, like a Brad Pitt, star in a genre movie.  The first two-thirds of this movie deserves a grade of “C-” at best, but the last third deserves an “A.”  So I'll average that out to a “B,” and I will recommend Bullet Train because of its last act.  It really is spectacular, and it is a pay off for your patience.

6 out of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, October 29, 2022


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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Review: Idris Elba and the Lion Be Beastin' in "BEAST"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 65 of 2022 (No. 1877) by Leroy Douresseaux

Beast (2022)
Running time:  93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPA – R for violent content, bloody images and some language
DIRECTOR:  Baltasar Kormakur
WRITERS: Ryan Engle; from a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan
PRODUCERS:  Baltasar Kormaku, James Lopez, and Will Packer
CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Philippe Rousselot and Baltasar Breki (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Jay Rabinowitz
COMPOSER:  Steven Price

THRILLER

Starring:  Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Sharlto Copley

Beast is a 2022 wildlife thriller film from director Baltasar Kormakur.  The film focuses on a widowed father and his two teenage daughters who must fight for survival after they are attacked and stalked by a rogue lion.

Beast opens in South Africa.  Recently widowed Dr. Nathaniel “Nate” Samuels (Idris Elba) and his teenage daughters, Meredith “Mare” Samuels (Iyana Halley) and Norah Samuels (Leah Sava Jeffries), travel to South Africa for a vacation.  They arrive at the Mopani Reserve where Nate reunites with his old friend and dear family friend, Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley), a biologist and manager of the Mopani Reserve.

Nate was recently widowed when his wife, Amahle, died of cancer, and he is somewhat estranged from his daughters.  Mare is argumentative and rebellious, and Norah is sensitive.  Both girls are bitter about the separation of their father and late mother prior to the latter's death.  Nate hopes that this trip will help him to reconnect with his daughters.

On the second day of the trip, Martin takes the Samuels to the reserve's restricted areas.  Along the way, they encounter an injured man that has apparently been mauled by a lion.  That same lion attacks again, and suddenly, Nate and his daughters are trapped in their vehicle.  Stranded in a remote area inside a damaged vehicle, Nate must find a way to save himself and his daughters from a bloodthirsty rogue lion that does not stop stalking its prey until it they are dead.

First, I wish that I'd seen Beast on a movie theater screen.  Secondly, the mini-melodrama between Nate and his daughters did not interest me.  I found Mare and Norah to be often irritating, and more than once, they made their plight against the lion worse.  Beside that subplot, the film is well written.  There are certainly enough death-defying moments to keep the viewer's attention on the film.

Still, Beast is very well directed and edited.  As soon as Martin, Nate, Mare and Norah leave Martin's home, director Baltasar Kormakur begins turning up the heat.  Before Beast becomes a full-on survival thriller, Kormakur makes it a riveting suspense thriller as the story moves about the reserve, visiting a local pride and moving on to a small village.  That's where the movie explodes, and the rest of the way, Beast is a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller.  Honestly, I feel like the film mesmerized me, and I certainly didn't think that I would end up liking it as much as I did … and still do.  I can see myself watching it again.

In addition to having a great monster – the rogue lion, Beast also has a great actor and true movie star, Idris Elba, as its lead.  Elba has that kind of big screen magic that can make the viewer want to vicariously experience a movie through him.  I certainly found myself following his every step, living through the obstacles and threats to Nate Samuels' very life.  Elba also convincingly plays a medical doctor and a loving and patient father, especially to two stubborn daughters.  So Beast has a lion of an actor and movie star to go along with its killer super-lion.  Both will make you feel as if you need to catch your breath, dear readers.

7 of 10
A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, October 28, 2022


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

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Review: Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (Countdown to "The Fabelmans")

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 64 of 2022 (No. 1876) by Leroy Douresseaux

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Running time:  135 minutes (2 hour, 15 minutes)
MPAA – PG
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Steven Spielberg
PRODUCERS:  Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Vilmos Zsigmond (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Michael Kahn
COMPOSER:  John Williams
Academy Award winner

SCI-FI/ADVENTURE/MYSTERY/DRAMA

Starring:  Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Terri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg.  The film follows an everyday blue-collar worker from Indiana who has a life-changing encounter with a UFO and then, embarks on a cross-country journey to the place where a momentous event is to occur.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind opens in the Sonoran Desert.  There, French scientist Claude Lacombe (François Truffaut), his American interpreter, David Laughlin (Bob Balaban), and a group of other researchers make a shocking discovery regarding a three-decade-old mystery.

Then, the film introduces Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), an rural electrical lineman living in Muncie, Indiana with his wife, Ronnie (Terri Garr), and their three children.  One night, while working on a power outage, Roy has a “close encounter” with a UFO (unidentified flying object).  The encounter is so intense that the right side of Roy's face is lightly burned, and it also becomes a kind of metaphysical experience for Roy.  He becomes fascinated with the UFO and obsessed with some kind of mountain-like image that won't leave his mind.

Roy isn't the only one who has had a close encounter.  Single mother Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) watches in horror as her three-year-old son, Barry Guiler (Cary Guffey), is abducted, apparently by a UFO.  Now, Roy and Jillian are headed to a place they have never been, Devils Tower in Moorcroft, Wyoming, where they will hopefully find answers to the questions plaguing their minds.

As I await the release of Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film, The Fabelmans, I have been re-watching and, in some cases, watching for the first time, Spielberg's early films.  Thus far, I have watched Duel (the TV film that first got Spielberg noticed), The Sugarland Express (his debut theatrical film), and Jaws (which I have seen countless times).  I did not see Close Encounters of the Third Kind when it first arrived in movie theaters, but I finally got to watch it when it debuted on television.  I recently watched a DVD release of what is known as Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Special Edition, a shortened (132 minutes long compared to the original's 135 minutes) and altered version of the film that Columbia Pictures released in August 1980.

The truth is that I have never been as crazy about Close Encounters of the Third Kind the way I have been about such Spielberg's films as Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jurassic Park.  I liked Close Encounters the first time I saw it (a few years after its theatrical release), but I had expected a lot from it after hearing such wonderful things about the film from acquaintances who had seen it in a theater.  I was a bit underwhelmed,.  I liked Close Encounters, but was not “wowed” by it, and was less so the second time I saw it a few years after the first time.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a combination of science fiction, adventure, drama, and mystery.  The drama works, especially when Spielberg depicts the trouble that Roy Neary's obsession causes his family and also the terror of the “attack” on Jillian Guiler and her son, Barry.  Roy's adventure and journey are quite captivating and result in the events of the film's final half hour, which is the part of the film that many consider to be marvelous.  Close Encounters' last act certainly offers an impressive display of special effects and a dazzling light show.

I am attracted to the sense of wonder and discovery that infuses much of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  I think my problem is that it seems like three movies in one:  Claude Lacombe and Davie Laughlin's story, Roy's story, and the the big “close encounter” at Devils Tower.  None of them really gets the time to develop properly, so the film's overall narrative and also the character development are somewhat shallow.  There is a lot to like about Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and it is an impressive display of Spielberg's filmmaking skills.  However, I am done with it.  I don't need to see it again, although I am a huge fan of UFO-related media.  I simply cannot warm to Close Encounters of the Third Kind the way I have with other Spielberg films.

7 of 10
B+
★★★½ out of 4 stars

Thursday, October 27, 2022


NOTES:
1978 Academy Awards, USA:  2 wins: “Best Cinematography” (Vilmos Zsigmond) and a “Special Achievement Award” (Frank E. Warner for sound effects editing); 7 nominations: “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” (Melinda Dillon), “Best Director” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Joe Alves, Daniel A. Lomino, and Phil Abramson), “Best Sound” (Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don MacDougall, and Gene S. Cantamessa), “Best Film Editing” (Michael Kahn), “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Roy Arbogast, Douglas Trumbull, Matthew Yuricich, Gregory Jein, and Richard Yuricich), and “Best Music, Original Score” (John Williams)

1979 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: Best Production Design/Art Direction (Joe Alves); 8 nominations: “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (John Williams); “BAFTA Film Award     Best Cinematography” (Vilmos Zsigmond), “Best Direction” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Film,” “Best Film Editing” (Michael Kahn), “Best Screenplay” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Sound” (Gene S. Cantamessa, Robert Knudson, Don MacDougall, Robert Glass, Stephen Katz, Frank E. Warner, Richard Oswald, David M. Horton, Sam Gemette, Gary S. Gerlich, Chester Slomka, and Neil Burrow), and “Best Supporting Actor? (François Truffaut)

1978 Golden Globes, USA:  4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Steven Spielberg), and “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (John Williams)

2007 National Film Preservation Board, USA:  1 win: “National Film Registry”


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

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Comics Review: "THE MAGIC ORDER 3 #4" is Beastin' on Other Comic Books

THE MAGIC ORDER 3 #4 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Gigi Cavenago
COLORS: Valentina Napolitano
LETTERS: Clem Robins
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
COVER: Gigi Cavenago
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Gigi Cavenago; Greg Tocchini
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2022)

Rated M / Mature

The Magic Order created by Mark Millar at Netflix

The Magic Order was a six-issue comic book miniseries written by Mark Millar and drawn by Olivier Coipel.  Published in 2018-19, The Magic Order focuses on the sorcerers, magicians, and wizards – in particularly the Moonstone family – who live ordinary lives by day, but protect humanity from darkness and monsters of impossible sizes by night.  A second six-issue miniseries, The Magic Order 2 (2021-22), was recently published.

The Magic Order 3 introduces the Asian chapter of the The Magic Order.  A six-issue miniseries, this third installment is written by Millar; drawn by Gigi Cavenago; colored by Valentina Napolitano; and lettered by Clem Robins.  The series finds Cordelia Moonstone focusing her attention on the Asian chapter's Sammy Liu and his impossible wealth, as the ghosts of an old conflict stir.

The Magic Order 3 #4 opens in Moonstone Castle, the place where a story 500 years in the making is about to be … made.  Meanwhile, Sasha Sanchez (“the Babysitter”) and Rosetta “Rosie” Moonstone begin their adventures in learning magic via a comic book.  Sasha may be one of the most experienced wizards in The Magic Order, but are his misgivings about Rosie correct?  And will he act on them based on nothing more than his hunch?

Plus, who is “the Wizard King of Kolthur?” And why is that a thing?

THE LOWDOWN:  My favorite Mark Millar Netflix creation is The Magic Order.  It always surprises me, but I wonder if that can always be true.  Well...

I could tell you how fabulous The Magic Order 3 #4 is, which it indeed is.  I'd rather tell you about the comic within the comic book.  It is the surprise of surprises in this series... thus far.

In order to depict the adventures of Sasha and Rosie, Mark and Gigi create their own homage to the horror comics of the late cartoonist and comic book writer-artist, Alex Toth (1982-2006).  Toth produced notable genre short stories for Warren Publications (especially in the magazine, Creepy) and DC Comics, from the mid-1960 throughout the 1970s.  Gigi is pitch-perfect with art that could pass for Toth's work, which isn't easy.  Only Toth's most skilled admirers and acolytes can mimic his style, fewer still his unique brand of storytelling.

Millar and Cavenago have done it again.  We don't deserve such consistent excellence, but they give it to us – real, real good – with every issue.  I'm waiting for The Magic Order 3 to fall off that pedestal, but apparently that spell is not in any book.  I super-freakin' highly recommend The Magic Order 3, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of The Magic Order will want to read The Magic Order 3.

A+

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


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


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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Comics Review: "AMERICAN JESUS: Revelations #1" Rocks the Heavens

AMERICAN JESUS: REVELATION  #1 (OF 3)
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Peter Gross with Tomm Coker
COLORS: Jeanne McGee with Daniel Freedman
LETTERS: Cory Petit
COVER: Jodie Muir
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Tomm Coker
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2022)

Rated M / Mature

American Jesus created by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

American Jesus is a comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and Peter Gross that is being published as three comic book miniseries.  American Jesus began life as Chosen, a three-issue miniseries that was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2004, and continued in American Jesus: The New Messiah, a three-issue series published by Image Comics in 2019-20.

The series concludes in American Jesus: Revelation, a three-issue series written by Millar; drawn by Gross with Tomm Coker; colored by Jeanne McGee with Daniel Freedman; and lettered by Corey Petit.  The series offers the epic conclusion to the greatest story ever told.

American Jesus: Revelation #1 opens before time, with a depiction of the greatest and most infamous coup attempt ever known to the Western world and like-minded parts of it.  In modern times, Jodie Christianson, the Chosen, is now President of the United States.  He is a doting father, telling his two spawn … err … children bedtime tales, a bit of family time before he initiates that terrible attack that soured the hope and promise of the twenty-first century.

Now, the world is falling apart around President Jodie, and he could give a f**k.  Europe is in flames in a war with Russia.  Plagues and lock downs cover the globe.  The financial system is on the brink of collapse.  Jodie's solution is a one world government under the rule of the Antichrist (which is he) and with the digital enslavement of all mankind.

Can even the true savior – the returned Christ – stop Jodie now?  What are her true intentions, anyway?

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sent me PDF review copies of American Jesus, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.  I had not read them until recently, and I needed to do so in preparation for American Jesus: Revelation.  But nothing could prepare me.

Mark Millar is like an incorrigible kid, running through the museum of American exceptionalism and breaking all the bric-à-brac that passes for high art and culture.  A blue-eyed, middle American, small town boy as the Anti-Christ – done.  An Afro-Latina woman as the Savior – done.  Thick bodied, dark-skinned humans as Adam and Eve – he did it.  And Millar gleefully slays the pseudo-sacred cow of 9/11.  Yes, the Scotsman went nine-eleven on 9/11.  And he blends centuries of conspiracy theories – from books, oral history, and the digital age – into a delicious comic book pop confection that I want to devour until I have diabetes.

Yes, Peter Gross, Tomm Coker, Jeanne McGee, Daniel Freedman, and Corey Petit all do stellar work.  But for this first issue, I must testify to the comic book gospel of (Saint) Mark Millar.  All joking aside, Mark and Peter and company must really respect their audience to give us such a fantastic first issue.

Dear readers, you know that not all “superstar” comic book creators go out like Mark and Peter have these past two decades.  But I won't name them; instead, I'll focus on the most excellent American Jesus: Revelation #1.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books and of the American Jesus series will want to read American Jesus: Revelation.

A+

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


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


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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Comics Review: "AMERICAN JESUS Vol. 2: The New Messiah" - Alabarla!

AMERICAN JESUS, VOL. 2
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Peter Gross
COLORS: Jeanne McGee
LETTERS: Cory Petit
EDITOR: Rachel Fulton
ISBN: 978-1-5343-0871-8; paperback (May 26, 2020)
96pp, Color, $9.99 U.S.

Rated M / Mature

American Jesus created by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

American Jesus is a comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and Peter Gross that is being published as three comic book miniseries.  American Jesus began life as Chosen, a three-issue miniseries by Millar and Gross, that was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2004.

Image Comics published the second series, American Jesus: The New Messiah #1-3 (cover dated:  December 2019 to February 2020).  Image later collected the second series in trade paperback form as American Jesus, Vol. 2: The New Messiah.

The New Messiah opens in 1970s New York City.  It introduces 14-year-old Luciana Cortez, who has just discovered that she is pregnant – a pregnant teen virgin!  According to the man that appears in her dreams, her child is the Messiah.  Now, Luciana and her 16-year-old boyfriend, Eddie Jones, must flee for their lives as the forces of Satan close in to destroy them.

Eighteen years later, their daughter, rebellious Catalina, is a non-believer, and she thinks that her parents have been brainwashed by the cultists who guard her and her parents in a compound … in Waco, Texas.  Yet there is bloodshed a plenty ahead for young Catalina, and she will be forced to stop refusing to accept her destiny as the savior of mankind.

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sent me a PDF review copy of American Jesus, Vol. 2, and this is the first time I have read the story.  I didn't read The New Messiah upon its initial release because at the time I had not read American Jesus, Vol. 1.

Sixteen years after they introduced Chosen and its star, Jodie Christianson, Mark Millar and Peter Gross returned with The New Messiah.  Whereas the first volume of American Jesus was something of a horror comedy – droll, witty, and satirical on top of the inherent creepiness, the second volume of American Jesus is a horror-fantasy infused with dramatic aspects.  Darker in tone and more thoughtful, it is a different book for a different “chosen.”

The story of Luciana Cortez and Eddie Jones is essentially a teen romantic drama, although their situation gives it elements of a supernatural teen drama.  Before long, after Catalina is born and approaches adult hood, teen drama is in service of the supernatural situation.  The New Messiah might end as a suspense thriller filled with sequences of edgy action and violence, but on the way, the narrative dances around  from one genre to the next.  Like the first series, The New Messiah challenges our expectations and often trashes them.

It is a talent of Mark Millar to blend genres and sub-genres like the Dust Brothers on the Beastie Boys' album, Paul's Boutique (1989).  Peter Gross conveys the action, drama, and nuances with a deft touch that only the best of veteran comic book artists have.  Gross draws the readers deep into this tale, and Jeanne McGee's colors warm the storytelling space with rich moods and atmosphere.  Letterer Cory Petit keeps the story even as it flies through its surprises and shocking reveals.

Millar and Gross display an even more confident hand at storytelling in American Jesus Vol. 2 than they did in American Jesus Vol. 1, which was a self-assured work.  We don't know how they'll top what they have done so far, but we can be confident that they will.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books will want to read American Jesus.

[This volume includes “The Second Coming of Millar and Gross: Sixteen Years Later,” a conversation between Millar and Gross.]

A+

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


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