Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 26th to 31st, 2023 - Update #14

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

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

AWARDS - From RondoAward:  The 2023 / 21st Ronda Hatton Classic Horror Awards are currently in the midst of voting and will close April 23rd.  The awards, which honor the "best in classic horror research, creativity and film preservation," are named for the late American journalist, actor, cult film icon, and World War I veteran, Rondo Hatton (1894-1946).

AVATAR - From Deadline:  Michelle Rodriguez says that she won't let James Cameron bring her "Avatar" character, "Trudy Chacon," back to life.  Trudy was killed in the first film.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  There is apparently early development on a spinoff of the hit FX drama, "Snowfall," which is currently in its final season.  The spinoff would focus on the fan-favorite character, "Wanda," played by Gail Bean.

DISNEY - From THR:  Marvel Entertainment chairman Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter is out at Disney as part of the company's latest round of layoffs.  The billionaire, who sold the comic book giant Marvel to Disney in 2009, was told Wednesday that Disney is folding his Marvel Entertainment unit into other pats of the company and that he would be let go.  Marvel Entertainment co-president, Rob Steffens, has also been let go.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  HBO's "House of the Dragon" will have a shorter second season, eight episodes instead of the 10 the first season had.

TELEVISION - From BloodyDisgusting:  Chris Carter, creator of "The X-Files," says that Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler is developing a new take on the series.

DISNEY/TRAILER - From Deadline:  Pixar has released a trailer for its upcoming film, "Elemental," which is due in theaters, June 16th.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  DreamWorks Animation announces the third film in its "Trolls" series, "Trolls Band Together."  It is due in theaters Nov. 17th.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 3/24 to 3/26/2023 weekend box office is Lionsgate's "John Wick: Chapter 4" with an estimated take of 73.5 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Joe Drake is not ready to say goodbye to Keanu Reeves and "John Wick."

From Truthout:  Writer Nicholas Powers says that the film "Creed III" reflects the immense class divide in Black America, but fails to heal it.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Hot movie star, Jonathan Majors ("Creed III," "Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania") has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman, possibly a girlfriend.

From Deadline:  Jonathan Majors’ criminal defense lawyer is speaking out and claiming the Creed III actor is innocent and has evidence proving his innocence.

MOVIES - From BBC:  Paul Rusesabagina is a former hotel manager who was portrayed as a hero in the 2004 Hollywood film, "Hotel Rwanda."  He has been released from prison in Kigali, after being sentenced to 25 years on terrorism charges.  Actor Don Cheadle was nominated for an Oscar for play Rusesabagina in the film.

MOVIES - From CBR:  Barring last minutes changes, director Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic drama, "Oppenheimer," will run about three hours longs.  The film is due in theaters July 21st.

Comics Review: "THE AMBASSADORS #1" - Best Super-Team Debut Since March 2002

THE AMBASSADORS #1 (OF 6)

IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Frank Quitely

COLORS: Frank Quitely with Vincent Deighan

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Frank Quitely

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Gigi Cavenago; Pepe Larraz with Giovanna Niro

28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2023)

Rated M / Mature

The Ambassadors created by Mark Millar at Netflix

The Ambassadors is a new comic book miniseries written and created by Mark Millar.  The series focuses on the six people out of eight billion humans who will received super-powers.  Each issue of The Ambassadors will be drawn by a different superstar comic book artist.  The first issue is drawn and colored by Frank Quitely and lettered by Clem Robins.

The Ambassadors #1 opens in Mexico, 1986.  Here, we meet Jamie, a strange fellow with strange powers.  But the real action is in Korea.

There, Doctor Choon-He Chung is imprisoned in Cheongju Women's Correctional Institution.  However, that has not stopped her or her company, “Chung Solutions” (the world's leading authority on bio-engineering and artificial intelligence), from developing a data bank of super-powers.

Now, she is launching her latest venture.  Imagine you could gift super-powers to six people.  In a world of eight billion, whom do you choose?  “Codename Korea” will choose, and ordinary people from around the world will explain why it should be them – why they should be an “Ambassador,” representing their respective countries as superheroes.

THE LOWDOWN:  Thanks to a review copy provided by the Mark Millar division of Netflix, I got to read The Ambassadors #1 early.  It is a treat for which I have been awaiting since the announcement of the series last year.

When writer Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely dropped New X-Men #114 (cover dated: July 2001) on readers, it was like no X-Men comic book anyone had ever seen.  Quitely captured the oddness Morrison's concepts and also conveyed its disruptive nature, relative to prior X-Men comic books.  Quitely also did something that few modern comic book artists do, and that is convey the sense of wonder, of mystery, of discovery, and of super-science fiction the way superhero comic books of the early 1960s did.

Quitely brings wonder, mystery, discovery, and super-sci-fi to The Ambassadors #1.  This entire first issue in a puzzle box of competing interests and subplots, and Quitely lures the readers in with some of his best art.  And now, he also colors his own illustrations, making every panel look like a painting executed in sensuous brushstrokes.

Mark Millar wrote The Ultimates, the definitive Marvel Comics superhero team book of the 21st century.  In The Ambassadors #1, Millar offers something equally ambitious.  Honestly, neither my summary of this first issue nor the one Image Comics provides can convey the wide range of characters, backgrounds, settings, plots, intrigues, etc. The Ambassadors #1 presents.

The promotional material suggests that The Ambassadors is the most ambitious comic book of all time.  If so, I would like to see it become an ongoing series in a way similar to that of core Marvel and DC Comics titles, if for no other reason than that this first issue suggests this series has a deep pre-history.

So, yes, The Ambassadors #1 is fantastic.  And yes, The Ambassadors has potential out the ying-yang.  If The Ultimates, written by Millar and drawn by the great Bryan Hitch, could become the blueprint for a massive cinematic franchise, The Ambassadors #1 certainly has the potential to launch another.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of big concept superhero comic books will want to read The Ambassadors.

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

http://www.millarworld.tv/

www.imagecomics.com

The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "KILLADELPHIA #29" is Designed to Fill Your Mind

KILLADELPHIA #29

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes

LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander

PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe

INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander with Robert Melendrez

COLORS: Lee Loughridge

LETTERS: Marshall Dillon

EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Christopher Shy

28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (March 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part V: “My Country, 'Tis of Thee”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander.  Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia.  The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe.  Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr., a ragtag team of fighters, and a menagerie of gods and monsters on one side or the other or both in the vampire invasion of Philadelphia.  Of note are a special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”), Anansi the Spider-God, and the infamous rebel leader turned monster hunter, Toussaint Louverture, and his army of killers.

As Killadelphia #29 (“My Country, 'Tis of Thee”) opens, it is the sunset of former President John Adams, slave owner turned vampire.  The smoldering skeletal remains of the detective, James Sangster, Sr.; former Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson; Adams' wife Abigail; and two loyal slaves, are his to ponder.

Now, Adams must finally, truly contemplate what he and the “Founding Fathers” wrought?  Was it really meant to be perfect, especially if it were created by the imperfect?  And what is freedom, really?  And time is short for the answering.

THE LOWDOWN:  We are at the penultimate chapter of Killadelphia's fifth story arc, “There's No Place Like Home.”  Before this arc debuted, creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander warned readers that they were not prepared for what was coming in the arc – which has proven to be true, very true.

I am at a loss for words again.  So, I'll take the easy way out.  Rodney Barnes script is great.  Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe are a great art team.  Lee Loughridge is always a good colorist.  And Killadelphia could not be great without a great letterer – Marshall Dillon.

If The 1619 Project offends you, then, dear readers, your ass is really going to be chapped by Killadelphia.  I can't imagine that public libraries and public and private school libraries in the states of the old Confederacy will allow any copies of Killadelphia trade and hardback collections on their shelves once they discover what it is.  Killadelphia, however, so bold, that it'll get on those shelves anyway.

I love reading Killadelphia so much.  Guys, I'm on my knees, too, but in a slightly more dignified manner.

NOTE: Killadelphia #29 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

A+

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

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes

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https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259

https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ

https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/

The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: Terrific and Amazing "ARMAGEDDON TIME" Doesn't Have Time for Sentimentality

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 of 2023 (No. 1904) by Leroy Douresseaux

Armageddon Time (2022)

Running time:  114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)

MPA – R for language and some drug use involving minors

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  James Gray

PRODUCERS:  Marc Butan, James Gray, Anthony Katagas, and Rodrigo Teixeira

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Darius Khondji

EDITOR:  Scott Morris

COMPOSER:  Christopher Spelman

DRAMA

Starring:  Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb, Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Sell, Andrew Polk, Tovah Feldshuh, Marcia Haufrecht, Teddy Coluca, Richard Bekins, Dane West, Landon James Forlenza, John Diehl, and Jessica Chastain

Armageddon Time is a 2022 coming-of-age drama film from writer-director James Gray.  The film is inspired by Gray's childhood experiences growing up in Queens, New York.  Armageddon Time is a coming-of-age story about family and about the American Dream and who can have it.

Armageddon Time opens in Queens, New York City, 1980.  It introduces Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), a Jewish-American boy who is entering sixth grade at Public School (P.S.) 173.  He befriends Johnny (Jaylin Webb), a rebellious African-American classmate.  Johnny was held back a year and gets harsher treatment from their teacher, a white man named Mr. Turkeltaub (Andrew Polk), when they both joke around in class.  Paul is interested in becoming an artist, and he often disassociates from his schoolwork and draws pictures instead.

Paul lives with his somewhat financially stable family of Jewish heritage.  His parents, mother Esther (Anne Hathaway), and father Irving Graff (Jeremy Strong), are well-meaning, but are strict.  His older brother, Ted (Ryan Sell), teases him.  Irving has a temper and is prone to hit his children, especially Paul, who exasperates him.  Esther and Irving discourage Paul's artistic ambitions, but his maternal grandfather, Aaron Rabinowitz (Anthony Hopkins), encourages him.

However, Paul begins to discover the harsh reality of life.  Aaron tells Paul of how his own mother escaped antisemitic persecution and pogroms in Ukraine, eventually landing in London before coming to the United States.  Paul gets into trouble with Johnny and ends up at the private school, Forest Manor Prep School, while Johnny quits school and deals with the foster care officials who are looking for him.  Although Paul lives in a world privilege, he is forced to confront family troubles and a world of inequality and privilege.

I am totally in love with Armageddon Time, although I'm not as in love with its title.  This is also the first film directed by James Gray that I have watched.  The film takes its title from a 1979 single by the British band, “The Clash,” entitled “Armagideon Time.”  It is a cover version of the same song by Jamaican reggae musician, William Williams, that was also released in 1979.  Armageddon Time also includes a few scenes featuring a fictional version of Fred J. Trump, Donald Trump's father, and one scene featuring Maryanne Trump, Donald's sister.  Character actor John Diehl plays Fred, who is a famous businessman and financier/patron of Forest Manor in this film, in all his real-life sleazy glory.

Jessica Chastain is superb in her one scene as Maryanne, who is portrayed in Armageddon Time as a United States Attorney and as one of Forest Manor's most famous alumni.  [In reality, Maryanne Trump was an Assistant United States Attorney in 1980 and would go on to be a United States federal judge from 1983 to 2019.]

James Gray's inclusion of the Trumps, who were part of the world in which Gray grew up, his unflinching desire that Armageddon Time not be nostalgic or sentimental.  Gray presents Paul Graff as a kid who lives inside a bubble – an idealized version of the world.  Paul's estimation of his family's worth and social position are larger and more grand than they really are.  The film's narrative acts not only to wise-up the naive Paul, but to also fill in the gaps of his knowledge of how the world operates – its unfair racial inequality and its propensity to hand out “raw deals.”

If Armageddon Time has a dominant theme, it is that one must survive to have a good life.  If this film has one big fault, it is that Paul's black friend, Johnny, flits through the story as if he were a ghost or a wraith, when it seems obvious that he is very important to the narrative, the plot, and the resolution.

Gray's cast is a big part of why this film really works.  First, Anne Hathaway is so beautiful that even as a harried mother and housewife and worried daughter, she is radiant.  Jeremy Strong is Oscar-worthy as a hard-working, beat-his-kids-asses, Jewish dad.  Ryan Sell strikes the right notes in a small role as Paul's brother, Ted.  Banks Repeta as Paul and Jaylin Webb as Johnny really sell a friendship that, on the surface, seems like it could not, would not, and should not work.  [I think this entire cast would soar even higher if this story were told as television series.]

I would be remiss if I did not mention Anthony Hopkins as Paul's grandfather, Aaron.  This film would not work without him.  Armageddon Time is one of the few coming-of-age films that I have seen that absolutely refuses to be sentimental and is zealously free of nostalgia.  In Aaron, Gray embodies the film's desire to eschew good and evil in favor of depicting survival versus unfairness, inequality, and callousness.  Hopkins conveys in Aaron the good sense that Paul lacks and must learn, which is to figure out when to fit in and when to fight.

I had not heard of Armageddon Time until I was perusing the “Charter on Demand” channel of my Spectrum cable account.  The trailer for this film that Charter was showing was quite convincing, and I felt as if I had to see Armageddon Time because it was made for me.  I hope that James Gray is able to go ahead with plans to direct a semi-sequel to this film, using much of the same cast.  Even if that does not happen, Armageddon Time is a gem, a blunt and genuine coming-of-age story that willingly embraces the truth that growing pains are indeed painful.

9 of 10

A+

★★★★+ out of 4 stars

Monday, March 27, 2023

The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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NOV220463 SURVIVAL STREET TP $19.99

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