DC Comics Shipping from Lunar Distributors for September 19, 2023

DC COMICS:

Batman And Robin Eternal Omnibus HC, $100.00

Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries Volume 3 TP, $12.99

Batman Knightfall Omnibus Volume 1 HC (2023 Edition), $150.00

Batman One Dark Knight TP, $19.99

Batman Superman Worlds Finest #19 (Cover A Dan Mora), $3.99

Batman Superman Worlds Finest #19 (Cover B Tony S. Daniel & Alejandro Sanchez Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Batman Superman Worlds Finest #19 (Cover C Dan Mora Nicolas Cage Super-Variant Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Batman Superman Worlds Finest #19 (Cover D Alexander Lozano Card Stock Variant), AR

Batman Superman Worlds Finest #19 (Cover E Helene Lenoble Card Stock Variant), AR

Batman Superman World’s Finest Volume 2 Strange Visitor HC, $24.99

Batman The Audio Adventures TP, $19.99

Batman White Knight Presents Generation Joker #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Sean Murphy, $4.99

Batman White Knight Presents Generation Joker #5 (Of 6)(Cover B Mirka Andolfo), $4.99

Batman White Knight Presents Generation Joker #5 (Of 6)(Cover C Clay McCormack), AR

Catwoman #57 (Cover A David Nakayama)(Batman Catwoman The Gotham War), $3.99

Catwoman #57 (Cover B Tirso Cons Card Stock Variant)(Batman Catwoman The Gotham War), $4.99

Catwoman #57 (Cover C Joshua Sway Swaby Card Stock Variant)(Batman Catwoman The Gotham War), $4.99

Catwoman #57 (Cover D Rian Gonzales Card Stock Variant)(Batman Catwoman The Gotham War), AR

Catwoman #57 (Cover E Joe Quesada Black & White Connecting Card Stock Variant)(Batman Catwoman The Gotham War), AR

Catwoman #57 (Cover F Joe Quesada Connecting Card Stock Variant)(Batman Catwoman The Gotham War), AR

Cyborg #3 (Of 6)(Cover A Edwin Galmon), $3.99

Cyborg #3 (Of 6)(Cover B David Nakayama Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Cyborg #3 (Of 6)(Cover C Riley Rossmo Card Stock Variant), AR

Detective Comics #58 (Facsimile Edition), $6.99

Green Lantern War Journal #1 (Cover A Taj Tenfold), $3.99

Green Lantern War Journal #1 (Cover B John Giang Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Green Lantern War Journal #1 (Cover C Dave Wilkins Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Green Lantern War Journal #1 (Cover D Pablo Villalobos Hispanic Heritage Month Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Green Lantern War Journal #1 (Cover E John Stewart Glow-In-The-Dark Dog Tag Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Green Lantern War Journal #1 (Cover F Mirko Colak Card Stock Variant), AR

Green Lantern War Journal #1 (Cover G Ken Lashley Card Stock Variant), AR

Green Lantern War Journal #1 (Cover H Taj Tenfold Card Stock Variant), AR

Harley Quinn Black + White + Redder #3 (Of 6)(Cover A Cliff Chiang), $4.99

Harley Quinn Black + White + Redder #3 (Of 6)(Cover B Mirka Andolfo), $4.99

Harley Quinn Black + White + Redder #3 (Of 6)(Cover C Sanford Greene), AR

Hawkgirl #3 (Of 6)(Cover A Amancay Nahuelpan), $3.99

Hawkgirl #3 (Of 6)(Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Hawkgirl #3 (Of 6)(Cover C Pablo Villalobos Hispanic Heritage Month Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Hawkgirl #3 (Of 6)(Cover D Francis Manapul Card Stock Variant), AR

Joker The Man Who Stopped Laughing Volume 1 HC, $24.99

Nightwing #106 (Cover A Bruno Redondo), $4.99

Nightwing #106 (Cover B Dan Mora Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Nightwing #106 (Cover C Jamal Campbell Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Nightwing #106 (Cover D Vasco Georgiev Card Stock Variant), AR

Superman #6 (Cover A Jamal Campbell), $4.99

Superman #6 (Cover B Lee Bermejo Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Superman #6 (Cover C Tiago Da Silva Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Superman #6 (Cover D Rose Besch Creator Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Superman #6 (Cover E Blank Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Superman #6 (Cover F Mikel Janin Costume Acetate Variant), $6.99

Superman #6 (Cover G Alex Saviuk Card Stock Variant), AR

Superman #6 (Cover H Gleb Melnikov Wraparound Card Stock Variant), AR

Superman #6 (Cover I Hero Initiative Blank Varant),

Titans #3 (Cover A Nicola Scott), $3.99

Titans #3 (Cover B Jen Bartel Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Titans #3 (Cover C Mike Deodato Jr. Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Titans #3 (Cover D Cully Hamner Card Stock Variant), AR

Titans #3 (Cover E Nicola Scott Card Stock Variant), AR

Vigil #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Sumit Kumar), $3.99

Vigil #5 (Of 6)(Cover B Nimit Malavia Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Vigil #5 (Of 6)(Cover C Anand RK Card Stock Variant), AR

Wonder Woman #1 (Cover A Daniel Sampere), $4.99

Wonder Woman #1 (Cover B Stanley Artgerm Lau Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Wonder Woman #1 (Cover C Julian Totino Tedesco Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Wonder Woman #1 (Cover D Rose Besch Creator Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Wonder Woman #1 (Cover E Blank Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Wonder Woman #1 (Cover F Chris Bachalo Foil Variant), $7.99

Wonder Woman #1 (Cover G Matteo Scalera Card Stock Variant), AR

Wonder Woman #1 (Cover H Mikel Janin Card Stock Variant), AR

Wonder Woman #1 (Cover I Daniel Sampere Card Stock Variant), AR

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 10th to 16th, 2023 - Update #11

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Variety:  ABC has cancelled "The Wonder Years."  A reboot of the 1988-93 former ABC sitcom, the new series focused on a middle-class African-American family.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Jessica Chastain went from winning an Oscar for "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" straight to working on director Michel Franco's "Memory," which was recently shown at the Venice Film Festival.  Franco was apparently told that working with Chastain post-Oscar would be a nightmare, but it wasn't.

OSCARS - From Deadline:  Belgium has selected "Omen," the debut feature from rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji, as its entry for the "Best International Feature Film" Oscars category at the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Our mini national nightmare is over - kind of.  Disney and Charter Communications have reached a new carriage deal, ending their 10-day impasse. The deal means that Charter's Spectrum cable service has begun carrying ESPN, FX, and ABC stations in major markets. However, eight Disney-owned cable networks will not return to Spectrum, including FXM, FXX, Disney Junior, and Freeform, to name a few.

From Deadline:  Dana Walden, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, and Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN's chairman, comment on the carriage deal between Disney and Charter Communications.

From Deadline:  The 14th and final season of FXX's animated series, "Archer," is among the casualties of Disney and Charter Communications new cable TV carriage deal.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/8 to 9/10/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "The Nun" with an estimated take of 32.6 million dollars.

FILM FESTIVAL - From Deadline:  The 80th Venice Film Festival has handed out its awards and director Yorgos Lanthimos wins the top prize, the "Golden Lion," for his film, "Poor Things."

WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline:  A meeting between leading television showrunners, including Kenya Barris and Noah Hawley, and WGA leadership has been cancelled.

From Deadline:   The actors’ strike is now in its 63rd day.  Now, SAG-AFTRA leaders are ramping up their rhetoric against the studio heads, accusing them in the latest issue of the "SAG-AFTRA Magazine" of “behaving like petty tyrants,” “would-be feudal lords” and “land barons in feudal times.”

From Deadline:  Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra says that Hollywood unions need to embrace AI.

From Deadline:  The AMPTP says that the Writers Guild's claims that their is division in the ranks of the studios about the strike are false.

From Deadline:  The WGA (Writers Guild of America) told its members Friday (Sept. 8th) that despite the united front the streamers and studios (via the AMPTP) have shown in public during the guild’s 130-day strike, several of the legacy companies privately have expressed “both the desire and willingness to negotiate an agreement that adequately addresses writers’ issues.”

From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav says the industry must focus and fight to resolve the writers and actors strikes.

From Deadline:  The writers of MTV’s "Ridiculousness" are coming closer to being unionized. The show’s writing team, which was behind over 230 episodes last year, has been going through the process to unionize over the last few months, hoping to join the WGA.

From THR:  As talks with the Writers Guild of America stall, the studio trade association, AMPTP, has retained D.C.-based firm, The Levinson Group, to pursue a fresh messaging strategy.

From Deadline:  Regarding the Hollywood writers strike, the AMPTP (representing the studios) released the details of a proposed labor agreement that it made to the WGA (the Writers Guild) on August 11th.

From Deadline:  A pair of former production assistants-turned-assistant directors have created a nonprofit in hopes of providing financial aid to PAs (production assistants) who’ve been put out of work due to the strike.

From Deadline:  Writers Guild (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will resume strike talks today, Fri., Aug. 11th.

From Deadline:  Meeting for the first time in more than three months, the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Friday failed to reach an agreement to resume contract negotiations. The Writers Strike will go on indefinitely.

From Deadline:  Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes.  Among the big donors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

From Deadline:  If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety:  International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.

From Variety:  Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline:  Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From THR:  Production works at Warner Bros. Animation (66) and at Cartoon Network (22) have gone public with their attempt to unionize via The Animation Guild.

From Variety:  Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety:  Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline:  If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT  a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety:  The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline:  The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline:  Concerning the Hollywood writers strike (via the WGA), the Hollywood Studios (as represented by the AMPTP) is to let the writers go broke before resuming talks deep into the Fall.

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline:  WGA is picketing the New York City filming location of the 12th series of FX's "American Horror Story" (entitled "Delicate") after series co-creator Ryan Murphy threaten litigation against an east coast strike captain.

From THR:  TV super-producer, Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

From Deadline:  Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.

From THR:  Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

From Deadline:   President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline:  Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline:  Retaliation!  Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike.  Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.

From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline:  Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline:  The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline:  What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline:  The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.

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Comics Review: "THE MADNESS #2" is Too Legit to Quit

THE MADNESS #2 (OF 6)

AWA STUDIOS

STORY: J. Michael Straczynski

PENCILS: ACO

INKS: David Lorenzo

COLORS: Marcelo Maiolo

LETTERS: Sal Cipriano

COVER: ACO

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Valerio Giangiordano; Danielle Otrakji

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2023)

Rated: “Mature”

The Madness is a new six-issue miniseries from AWA Studios.  It is written by J. Michael Straczynski; drawn by ACO (pencils) and David Lorenzo (inks); colored by Marcelo Maiolo; and lettered by Sal Cipriano.  The series follows a woman who uses her super-powers as a thief and her quest for revenge against a group of superheroes.

The Madness introduces Sarah Ross a.k.a. “The Raven.”  She has super-powers:  flight, super speed, super strength, and invulnerability, but she can only use one at a time.  Sarah has been using her powers as a thief, stealing from the rich and giving it to herself.  She plans one more big score so that she can retire to a life of luxury.  However, she steals from the “wrong person” and that leads to brutal consequences that may drive her to utter madness.

The Madness #2 offers the origin of “The Raven,” and the hows and whys of her relationship with Sarah Ross.  Meanwhile, Sarah/The Raven continues her revenge tour – brutal and relentless and with totality.  Meanwhile, the superheroes behind the attack on her are starting to suspect something...

THE LOWDOWN:  AWA Studios marketing recently began providing me with PDF review copies of their comic book publications.  The Madness #2 is the latest.

In a sense, I don't have words to describe how writer J. Michael Straczynski is blowing my mind, stopping my heart, and making me clench a certain area of my posterior.  Maybe I can borrow the title of the song U2 contributed to the Batman Forever soundtrack, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (1995).  That is what Straczynski is doing to me with this, one of the most intense comic books of its type since Watchmen showed everyone a new path to weaving superhero drama.

Art and graphical storyteller ACO captures the intense madness of Sarah Ross and also the complex and heartbreaking interpersonal slash intrapersonal relationship betwixt Sarah and The Raven.  As I said in my review of the first issue, ACO catches the script at its electric edges, creating the right angles with a captivating sense of graphic design.  ACO certainly creates the sense that something big is going to happen every page, while maintaining a sense of intimacy that makes the bloodshed feel as it should – really frickin' personal.

This is another absolute winner from AWA Studios.  If the American comic book industry is suffering, it isn't suffering from a lack of excellent comic books.  AWA Studios does not make excuses, and they won't have to as long as they keep delivering winners like The Madness.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans looking for excellence in superhero comic books will want to try The Madness.

A+

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

THE MADNESS PAGE: https://awastudios.net/series/the-madness/

AWA Website: https://awastudios.net/

AWA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awastudiosofficial/

AWA Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWA_Studios

AWA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awastudiosofficial

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: "SHEENA Queen of the Jungle: Volume 3 #1" is Hotter Than Jungle Fever

SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE: FATAL EXAMS, VOLUME 3 #1

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Wes Clark, Jr. & Steven E. de Souza

ART: Ediano Silva

COLORS: Renato Spiller

LETTERS: Taylor Esposito

EDITOR: Joe Corallo

COVER: Lucio Parrillo

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Arthur Suydam; Joseph Michael Linsner

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2023)

Rated Teen+

Sheena originally created by S.M. “Jerry” Iger and Will Eisner; Sheena reboot by Steven E. de Souza

“Fatal Exams”

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle is an American comic book character.  She first appeared in the British magazine, Wags #46 ( January 1938), and was created by legendary American comic book creators, Will Eisner and S. M. “Jerry” Iger.  Sheena made her first American appearance in Jumbo Comics #1 (Fiction House, cover dated: September 1938) where she was a mainstay until 1953.  Sheena was also the first female comic book character to star in her own series.  A “jungle girl heroine,” Sheen was an orphan, like Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan, who had adventures featuring African natives, wild animals, and white hunters and villains.

Dynamite began publishing Sheena comics in 2017.  Dynamite's third series is Sheena: Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams, Volume 3.  It is written by Wes Clark Jr. & Steven E. de Souza; drawn by Ediano Silva; colored by Renato Spiller; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.  Fatal Exams finds Sheena enrolled in a boarding school full of questionable girls and supernatural mystery.

Sheena: Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams, Volume 3 #1 opens in Val Verde – specifically “L'ecole des Jeunes Filles du Val Verde.”  It is the world's most exclusive girl's boarding school, and Cardwell Inc. wants to put some formal education in our favorite Queen of the Jungle.  If Rachel Livingston Cardwell (a.k.a. Sheena) thought the jungle was tough, wait until she sees the blackboard jungle.  Her roommate is quite a bitch, but the rest of the girls, bitchy as they might be, are involved in something kooky, supernatural, and maybe dangerous.

If Cardwell plans on keeping their prized pupil out of the jungle while it continues to relentlessly exploit it, that will be more difficult that the corporate boss thinks.  The school is close to the jungle, and at night, Rachel becomes Sheena.  You can take the girl out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the girl.

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Sheena: Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams Volume 3 #1, which is the latest of many enjoyable Dynamite Sheena comic books that I have read.

I liked Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Volume 2.  Prolific Hollywood multi-hyphenate, Steven E. de Souza, modernized the character, making her more like Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and less like the late Tanya Roberts' Sheena, Queen of the Jungle from the 1984 film, Sheena (which I like).  De Souza's Sheena comics mixed elements that recalled Jurassic Park, King Kong, Indiana Jones, and Wonder Woman.  He made Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Volume 2 an imaginative, rip-roaring adventure defined by explosive action, imaginative settings, and rich dialogue.  It was pulp fiction that didn't feel dated, and a pulp character that didn't feel obsolete.

Fatal Exam #1 is a continuation of that success.  This first chapter is filled with elements that create a sense of anticipation via the work of series scribes, Wes Clark, Jr. and de Souza.  This first issue is beautifully drawn by artist Ediano Silva with rich graphical storytelling that recalls old-timey pulp illustration.  Renato Spiller spills some gorgeous colors, and Taylor Esposito knocks back some energetic lettering.

I would have to go out of my way to be dissatisfied with Fatal Exams #1.  This is the kind of first issue that forces the reader to come back for the second issue.  And I, dear readers, will be back for more.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Sheena will want to try Sheena: Queen of the Jungle: Fatal Exams, Volume 3.

A

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

https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics

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https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment

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: "ENTER THE DRAGON" and Bruce Lee Are Still Kicking Ass 50 Years Later

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 43 of 2023 (No. 1932) by Leroy Douresseaux

Enter the Dragon (1973)

Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)

MPAA – R for martial arts violence and brief nudity

DIRECTOR:  Robert Clouse

WRITER:  Michael Allin

PRODUCERS:  Fred Weintraub, Raymond Chow, and Paul Heller

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Gilbert Hubbs (D.o.P.)

EDITORS:  Kurt Hirschler and George Watters

COMPOSER:  Lalo Schifrin

MARTIAL ARTS/ACTION

Starring:  Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Ahna Capri, Kien Shih, Bob Wall, Angela Mao, Betty Chung, Geoffrey Weeks, Marlene Clark, Peter Archer, Ho Lee Yan, and Bolo Yeung with Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yeun Wah

Enter the Dragon is a 1973 martial arts and action film directed by Robert Clouse and starring Bruce Lee (1940-1973).  An international co-production between the United States and Hong Kong, the film debuted one month after Lee's death on July 20, 1973.  Thus, August 19, 1973 was the fiftieth anniversary of the film's American release.  Enter the Dragon focuses on a Shaolin martial artist who travels to an island fortress to compete in a martial arts tournament and to also spy on the tournament's benefactor, a mysterious drug lord.

Enter the Dragon opens on the grounds of a Shaolin temple and introduces Lee (Bruce Lee), a highly proficient martial artist, martial arts instructor, and Shaolin monk.  Braithwaite (Geoffrey Weeks), a British intelligence agent, approaches Lee about spying on a crime lord and drug kingpin named Han (Shih Kien).  Braithwaite convinces Lee to attend the high-profile martial arts tournament that Han is holding at his private island fortress.  Attending the tournament would be a good cover as Lee has already been invited.  Before he leaves for Han's island, Lee learns that the man who murdered his sister, Su-Lin (Betty Chung), is Oharra (Bob Wall), one of Han's bodyguards.

While traveling to the island, Lee meets two friends who have also been invited to the tournament.  Both are martial artists and Vietnam veterans.  They are Roper (John Saxon), a white man who is deep in debt because of gambling, and Williams (Jim Kelly), a black man with deep ties to the martial arts in his community.

Once on the island, Lee begins to gather evidence of Han's drug trafficking, but Han is no ordinary criminal.  His tournament is no ordinary martial arts tournament, and Lee, Roper, and Williams are about to discover just how dangerous Han and his tournament are. 

Enter the Dragon is considered one of the most influential action films of all time.  The film's success contributed to the mainstream worldwide interest in the martial arts, and it continues to inspire filmmakers and storytellers to this day.  In addition to film, the influence of Enter the Dragon can be seen in television productions, video games, comic books, and Japanese manga (comics) and anime (animation).  It revolutionized the way Asians, Asian-Americans, and even African-Americans are portrayed on screen, especially in action and martial arts films.  The film also had an impact on mixed martial arts (MMA), including on the clothes and uniforms that MMA fighters wear.

Enter the Dragon is obviously a huge influence on the Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter video game franchises.  The original Mortal Kombat film, 1995's Mortal Kombat, borrows numerous story elements from Enter the Dragon, so much so that it would not be incorrect to call 1995 film a re-imagining of Enter the Dragon.

Obviously, Bruce Lee is magnetic in this film.  Decades after his passing and the arrival of this film, Lee still seems like a natural born movie star.  In this film, he is both subtle and graceful and over-the-top and explosive as needed, but yet he made space for the rest of the cast to shine.  John Saxon is both world-weary and witty as the underutilized Roper, and Jim Kelley, the first African-American martial arts film star, had enough screen time to turn this into his breakthrough role.

Rich in atmosphere, Enter the Dragon is at times odd and eccentric, and it would have been better served by another ten minutes of storytelling – at least.  However, those last twenty or so minutes of the film were like nothing ever seen in American films at the time, and today, still seem revolutionary.  Here, Lee is a coiled cobra, striking like lighting.  He is both time and lightning in a bottle, unleashing his energy while blowing the minds and expectations of the audience.  Fifty years after its original theatrical release, Enter the Dragon is ageless and timeless, and, while the earthly Bruce Lee is long since gone, the cinematic Bruce Lee is eternally youthful and alive and kicking.

10 of 10

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

You can buy a 50th anniversary 4K copy of ENTER THE DRAGON here at AMAZON.

NOTES:

2004 National Film Preservation Board, USA:  National Film Registry

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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Dynamite Entertainment Shipping from Diamond Distributors for September 13, 2023

DYNAMITE

JUL210939 BETTIE PAGE UNBOUND TP VOL 02 $19.99

JUN230708 DARKWING DUCK #8 CVR N LEIRIX METAL PREMIUM (C: 0-1-2) $100.00

JUN230774 DEJAH THORIS (2023) #6 CVR L LINSNER LTD VIRGIN (C: 0-1-2) $50.00

JAN220517 DIE!NAMITE LIVES TP (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

JUN230658 DISNEY VILLAINS HADES #1 CVR T DARBOE PREMIUM METAL $100.00

JUN230726 DISNEY VILLAINS MALEFICENT #4 CVR M JAE LEE PREMIUM METAL (C $100.00

APR230584 DRACULINA BLOOD SIMPLE #5 CVR K ANACLETO LTD VIRGIN (C: 0-1- $50.00

APR230585 DRACULINA BLOOD SIMPLE #5 CVR L LINSNER LTD VIRGIN (C: 0-1-2 $50.00

JUN230796 ELVIRA IN MONSTERLAND #4 CVR J ROYLE LTD VIRGIN (C: 0-1-2) $50.00

JUN230541 FIRE AND ICE #1 CVR T SIENKIEWICZ METAL PREMIUM (C: 0-1-2) $100.00

MAY230557 GARGOYLES #8 CVR O NAKAYAMA METAL PREMIUM (C: 0-1-2) $100.00

JUN230679 GARGOYLES #9 CVR A NAKAYAMA $3.99

JUN230680 GARGOYLES #9 CVR B PARRILLO $3.99

JUN230681 GARGOYLES #9 CVR C LEIRIX $3.99

JUN230682 GARGOYLES #9 CVR D LEE $3.99

JUN230683 GARGOYLES #9 CVR E FLEECS & FORSTNER $3.99

JUN230684 GARGOYLES #9 CVR F ACTION FIGURE $3.99

JUN238827 GARGOYLES #9 CVR Q FOC HAESER ORIGINAL $3.99

JUN230677 GARGOYLES DARK AGES #2 CVR R CRAIN PREMIUM METAL (C: 0-1-2) $100.00

JUL230154 NEGADUCK #1 CVR A MIDDLETON $3.99

JUL230155 NEGADUCK #1 CVR B LEE $3.99

JUL230156 NEGADUCK #1 CVR C FORSTNER $3.99

JUL230157 NEGADUCK #1 CVR D LIEBER $3.99

JUL230158 NEGADUCK #1 CVR E PARKER ACTION FIGURE $3.99

JUL230159 NEGADUCK #1 CVR F BLANK AUTHENTIX $3.99

JUL230160 NEGADUCK #1 CVR G MIDDLETON FOIL $5.99

JUL230161 NEGADUCK #1 CVR H LEE FOIL $5.99

JUN230613 RED SONJA 2023 #2 CVR X PLATT PREMIUM METAL (C: 0-1-2) $100.00

MAY230464 RED SONJA GOLD COLL COIN #1 LEE (C: 0-1-2) $29.99

MAY230465 RED SONJA GOLD COLL COIN #2 JUSKO (C: 0-1-2) $29.99

MAY230466 RED SONJA GOLD COLL COIN #3 LINSNER (C: 0-1-2) $29.99

MAY230467 RED SONJA GOLD COLL COIN #4 PARRILLO (C: 0-1-2) $29.99

MAY230468 RED SONJA GOLD COLL COIN #5 SOZOMAIKA (C: 0-1-2) $29.99

MAY230469 RED SONJA GOLD COLL COIN CASE BONUS COIN THORNE (C: 0-1-2) $149.95

MAY230454 UNBREAKABLE RED SONJA TP (C: 0-1-2) $24.99

JUN230564 VAMPIRELLA DRACULA RAGE #1 CVR S PARRILLO PREMIUM METAL (C: $100.00

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