TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews

Monday, August 12, 2024

Advanced Comics Review: "BIG GUNS STUPID REDNECKS #2" Does it Bigly

BIG GUNS STUPID REDNECKS #2 (OF 3)

BAND OF BARDS

STORY: Austin Allen Hamblin

ART: Mariana Meira

COLORS: Mariana Meira

LETTERS: John Ira Thomas

EDITOR: Chuck Satterlee

COVER: Marcus Jimenez

VARIANT COVER: Scott Twells

Color, $4.99 U.S. (October 2024)

"BIG GUNS STUPID REDNECKS #2" is currently available for preorder at your local comic book shop with the "Final Order Cutoff" (FOC) date being the end of August. The comic book arrives in October 2024.

Big Guns Stupid Rednecks is a three-issue miniseries written by Austin Allen Hamblin and drawn and colored by Mariana Meira. Published by Band of Bards, the series focuses on a retired lawman who fights to the death in order to entertain an alien television audience. Letterer John Ira Thomas completes the series' creative team.

Big Guns Stupid Rednecks focuses on Clint, a retired police detective who was investigating a string of unexplained disappearances in the southern part of the United States. One of the missing was Clay, Clint's younger brother by twelve years. The search resulted in Clint being abducted... by aliens. Intergalactic cable's biggest hit show is “Big Guns Stupid Rednecks,” and the alien producers need a steady supply of rednecks, which they get by kidnapping humans. Clint is the latest combatant.

Big Guns Stupid Rednecks #2 opens with current BGSR champion, Clint, dispatching another redneck. Clint maintains a behind-the-scenes diary of the show. He struggles to please Oweful, the alien creator of BGSR, while still fighting for his life in the arena. Oweful wants bigger ratings, and comes up with the “Big Guns Stupid Rednecks” championship to juice the ratings. Little does Clint know that someone is conspiring behind his back, nor does he know that there is a huge surprise in store for him.

THE LOWDOWN: Series writer Austin Allen Hamblin hooked me up with a PDF review copy of Big Guns Stupid Rednecks #2. It is the second Band of Bards publication that I have read.

I continue to be pleasantly surprised by Big Guns Stupid Rednecks. Hamblin has recreated some of the irreverent and edgy humor that readers found in such venerable sci-fi/fantasy anthologies as Heavy Metal and 2000AD over the last five decades. Hamblin offers science fiction with no problem in loving the flavors that fantasy can add to it.

Mariana Meira's art is stylish and visually appealing. Her storytelling is solid and captures the exciting nature of Hamblin's script. Meira's menagerie of alien beings also recalls the early years of Jaime Hernandez's Locas stories in Love and Rockets. It is in that strangeness of aliens that meets with the strangeness of outsider humanity.

I hope Big Guns Stupid Rednecks #2 ends up being an unexpected hit, the same as I hope that the first issue blows up when it is shortly released. Big Guns Stupid Rednecks #2 is not perfect, but it is perfect for a comics market that needs an injection of cool weirdness.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of outrageous sci-fi comedy and of 2000AD will want to give Big Guns Stupid Rednecks a try.

A-

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

https://bandofbards.com/

Austin Allen Hamblin:

Website: www.hamblincomics.com

Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/AustinAllenHamblin

Online Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HamblinComics

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Sunday, August 11, 2024

Review: "THE HAUNTED MANSION" 2003 is Perfect for a Family Fright Night

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)

MPAA – PG for frightening images, thematic elements and language

DIRECTOR: Rob Minkoff

WRITER: David Berenbaum

PRODUCERS: Don Hahn and Andrew Gunn

CINEMATOGRAHER: Remi Adefarasin (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Priscilla Nedd-Friendly

COMPOSER: Mark Mancina

COMEDY/FAMILY/FANTASY/HORROR

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathaniel Parker, Marsha Thomason, Jennifer Tilly, Wallace Shawn, Dina Waters, Marc John Jefferies, and Aree Davis

The Haunted Mansion is a 2003 American supernatural horror-comedy film directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Eddie Murphy. Released by Walt Disney Pictures, the film is loosely based on the Disney theme park attraction, “The Haunted Mansion,” which first opened at Disneyland in 1969 and at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida in 1971. The Haunted Mansion the movie focuses on a realtor and his family who are summoned to a haunted mansion where they must learn lessons about the importance of family if they want to escape.

In the film, The Haunted Mansion, Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) is a workaholic real estate agent. He is allegedly part of a team, Evers & Evers, with his wife, Sara (Marsha Thomason, the British actress who played Martin Lawrence’s love interest in Black Knight). However, you’d hardly know that they are a team because Jim spends so much time away from Sara and their children. And since Sara (as many movie wives do) complains that he spends too much time away from the family, Jim decides to take the family on a trip to a lake.

Sara, however, gets an invitation to visit Gracey Manor, a foreboding manor locked behind a huge iron gate and nestled in a jungle of sinister vegetation. If that wasn’t enough to say “haunted house,” the mansion has a rather spacious scenic graveyard on the property. Sara alone had been invited, but Jim insists that they make the visit to Gracey as part of their vacation stop, so their children, sassy girl Megan (Aree Davis), and the seemingly perpetually terrified Michael (Marc John Jefferies) go along.

At the mansion, the imposing butler Ramsley (Terence Stamp), an emaciated and cadaverous figure with an obvious air of menace about him, greets the Evers. They meet the mansion’s owner, Master Gracey (Nathaniel Parker), a deeply troubled man who claims to be the original owner’s heir. Gracey is apparently obsessed with Sara, and gradually Jim, Michael and Megan start to figure out the dreadful truth, but is it in time to save the family? Will it take a band of ghosts to teach Jim Evers a lesson about the importance of family?

This premise for the film The Haunted Mansion, based upon a Disney World theme park ride, actually works, for the most part. Director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King, Stuart Little) displays a deft touch in keeping the film both suspenseful and funny, and he expertly juggles live action so that the special effects seamlessly fit rather than seeming to have been thrown in. Mansion is also a lot funnier than the ads for the film imply; in fact, most of the ads come across as being out of context. This movie is pure fluff, but it’s done quite well, so someone in Disney marketing should get a reprimand.

I loved the costumes, and especially the art direction (Beat Frutiger and Tomas Voth) and set decoration (Rosemary Brandenburg). The house and graveyard recall Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing, a whole host of Hammer films, as well as Abbot & Costello and four decades of Scooby-Doo cartoons. What a delightful mix! As usual, Rick Baker does stellar makeup effects work in bringing corpses to life; this man is a national treasure.

The acting is good, and Murphy gives one of his better performances as a star of family-friendly movies. Usually, his acting seems out of place and kind of awkward in films like Daddy Day Care (where he was good), but here his fit is natural and he seems inspired.

There is a peculiar racial subtext to this film that the storytellers attempt to conceal, but it will be obvious to most adults. Maybe that would have made this story richer; as it is, it gives a dark edge to the inspired fluff. Still, The Haunted Mansion is fine the way it is. The characters have a lot with which to deal, and the resolution makes sense even if the execution of the ending stumbles a bit. It’s a fine family film. It has that Disney flavor that suggests Disney films from the 1950’s and 60’s, so I think The Haunted Mansion could become a Disney Halloween stable.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Edited: Saturday, July 27, 2024

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Saturday, August 10, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 10th, 2024 - UPDATE #11

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

DISNEY - From Deadline: The official title for "Avatar 3" is "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Disney annual "D23" event also revealed a first-look at the film.

ANIMATON - BleedingCool: After 26 years, the "Cartoon Network" website (cartoonnetwork.com) is no more. Now, cartoonnetwork.com takes visitors to a "max.com" page.

BUSINESS - From Deadline: Paramount Global prepares for another round of layoffs.

POLITICS/TIM WALZ - From YahooNYT: "19 Facts to Know About Tim Walz, Harris' Pick for Vice President"

DISNEY - From Deadline: Disney finally turned a streaming profit, thanks to ESPN+, as Disney+ and Hulu still lost a combined 19 million dollars on 5.8 billion dollars in revenue.

EMMYS - From Deadline: The Emmy-winning father-son team of Eugene Levy and Dan Levy are in talks with ABC to host its telecast of the 2024 Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 15th.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are in early talks to star in A24's "The Drama," from director Kristoffer Borgli.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 8/2 to 8/4/2024 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel's Deadpool & Wolverine with an estimated take of 97 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Idris Elba has been allocated some land in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region in the East African nation of Tanzania, in which to build a film studio. Zanzibar's investment minister calls it "Zollywood."

CELEBRITY - From TheRoot: Kit Harrington isn't hearing your complaints about "Black out" nights at the West End production of Jeremy O. Harris' drama, "Slave Play."

OBITS:

From Deadline: Former Major League Baseball player, Billy Bean, has died at the age of 60, Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Bean was the second MLB player to come out as gay (after Glenn Burke of the Los
Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletic). Bean played for Detroit Tigers, Dodgers, San Diego Padres before retiring in 1995. He had been an MLB executive in the areas of includes and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) since 2014.

From YahooEntertainment: South African television and film star, Connie Chiume, has died at the age of 72, Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Chiume is best known outside of South Africa her roles in Disney/Marvel Studios "Black Panther" (2018) and "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (2022). She also starred in Beyonce's "Black is King."

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Comics Review: "PRODIGY: Slaves of Mars #1" is an Explosive Opener

PRODIGY: SLAVES OF MARS #1 (OF 5)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Stefano Landini

COLORS: Michele Assarasakorn

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Stefano Landini with Michele Assarasakorn

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Stefano Landini

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2024)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Prodigy: Slaves of Mars is a new five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar. It is the third entry in the Prodigy series, following the original 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy, and the 2022 miniseries, Prodigy: The Icarus Society. This new series' creative team is comprised of artist Stefano Landini; colorist Michele Assarasakorn; and letterer Clem Robins. Prodigy focuses on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane.

Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #1 finds Edison returning to New York City from an adventure in the Himalayas. However, all is not as it should be, as Edison finds his company, Crane Solutions, in disarray. He also learns that his father, the former Senator Whitney Crane, is dead on Mars after discovering some shocking secret.

Now, a wanted man, Edison only has one person left to whom he can turn. That would be his older, smarter brother, Elijah Crane.

THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. I mark my return with Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #1.

Of course, the first issue of Prodigy: Slaves of Mars is a blast to read. You would already know that, dear readers, if you had read Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 or read Prodigy: The Evil Earth, the trade collection of the first miniseries.

Millar uses Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #1 to introduce readers to Edison Crane's state of mind (more or less). In the previous series, The Icarus Society, Edison needed a challenge. This time, however, he is really busy, and there is a new challenger who has come in at the wrong time. This new challenger also seems to be behind all of Edison's new troubles. Kudos to Millar for offering a story that challenges both hero and readers.

The art team of illustrator Stefano Landini and colorist Michele Assarasakorn throws caution to the wind and presents graphical storytelling that races from page to page in a loose drawing style and muted coloring style. This is what conveys Edison Crane's troubles plainly and bluntly. As always, Clem Robins provided the perfect soundtrack to the chaos with his classic lettering.

Prodigy is back. The Slaves of Mars are calling us. Don't be a fool, dear readers; get this.

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

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

https://www.darkhorse.com/

https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/

https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/

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Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

Monday, August 5, 2024

BOOM! Studios Shipping from Diamond Distributors for August 7, 2024

BOOM! STUDIOS

JUN240104 GARFIELD #1 (OF 4) CVR A HARRISON $4.99

JUN240105 GARFIELD #1 (OF 4) CVR B STEPHENS $4.99

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APR240125 MAGIC TP BOOK 02 (C: 0-1-2) $24.99

APR240074 ONCE & FUTURE DLX ED HC SLIPCASE BOOK 02 (C: 0-1-2) $69.99

JUN240093 RANGER ACADEMY #9 CVR A MERCADO (C: 1-0-0) $3.99

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DC Comics Shipping from Lunar Distributors for August 7, 2024

DC COMICS:

Absolute Power #1 (Of 4)(2nd Printing Cover A Mikel Janin Wraparound Variant), $4.99

Absolute Power #2 (Of 4)(Cover A Dan Mora), $4.99

Absolute Power #2 (Of 4)(Cover B Stephen Bliss Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Absolute Power #2 (Of 4)(Cover C Lucio Parrillo Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Absolute Power #2 (Of 4)(Cover D Tyler Kirkham Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Absolute Power #2 (Of 4)(Cover E Nathan Szerdy Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Absolute Power #2 (Of 4)(Cover F Simone Di Meo Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Absolute Power #2 (Of 4)(Cover G John Timms Connecting Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Absolute Power #2 (Of 4)(Cover H Ben Oliver Raised UV Foil Variant), $7.99

Absolute Power #2 (Of 4)(Cover I Salvador Larroca Retailer Appreciation Card Stock Variant), $5.99

Batman #151 (Cover A Salvador Larroca)(Absolute Power), $4.99

Batman #151 (Cover B Guillem March Card Stock Variant)(Absolute Power), $5.99

Batman #151 (Cover C Jill Thompson Card Stock Variant)(Absolute Power), $5.99

Batman #151 (Cover D Jason Geyer & Alex Saviuk DC Super Powers Card Stock Variant)(Absolute Power), $5.99

Batman #151 (Cover E Olivier Coipel Swimsuit Card Stock Variant)(Absolute Power), $5.99

Batman #151 (Cover F Mikel Janin Resistance Card Stock Variant)(Absolute Power), $5.99

Batman #151 (Cover G Gabriele Dell Otto Batman 85th Anniversary Card Stock Variant)(Absolute Power), $5.99

Batman #151 (Cover H James Harren Card Stock Variant)(Absolute Power), AR

Batman #151 (Cover I Stevan Subic Card Stock Variant)(Absolute Power), AR

Batman And Robin And Howard Summer Breakdown #2 (Of 3)(Cover A Jeffrey Brown), $4.99

Batman And Robin Volume 1 Father And Son TP (2023), $19.99

Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries #8 (Cover A Erich Owen), $2.99

Batman Hush TP (DC Compact Comics Edition), $9.99

Batman Wayne Family Adventures Volume 5 TP, $14.99

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Birds Of Prey #12 (Cover B Tirso Cons Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Birds Of Prey #12 (Cover C David Nakayama Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Birds Of Prey #12 (Cover D Rian Gonzales Card Stock Variant), AR

Birds Of Prey Volume 1 Megadeath TP (2023), $19.99

Blue Beetle #11 (Cover A Adrian Gutierrez), $3.99

Blue Beetle #11 (Cover B Jacoby Salcedo Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Blue Beetle #11 (Spanish Language Version), $3.99

Boy Wonder #4 (Of 5)(Cover A Juni Ba), $5.99

Boy Wonder #4 (Of 5)(Cover B Valentina Napolitano), $5.99

Elseworlds Batman Volume 1 TP (2024 Edition), $34.99

Fire And Ice Welcome To Smallville TP, $16.99

Flash By William Messner-Loebs And Greg Larocque Omnibus Volume 1 HC, $125.00

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Gotham City Sirens #1 (Of 4)(Cover B W. Scott Forbes Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Gotham City Sirens #1 (Of 4)(Cover C Jeehyung Lee Card Stock Variant), $4.99

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Gotham City Sirens #1 (Of 4)(Cover E Jason Geyer & Alex Saviuk DC Super Powers Card Stock Variant), $4.99

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Gotham City Sirens #1 (Of 4)(Cover i Terry Dodson Virgin Card Stock Variant), $49.99

Green Lantern War Journal Volume 1 Contagion TP, $19.99

Kneel Before Zod #8 (Of 8)(Cover A Jason Shawn Alexander), $3.99

Kneel Before Zod #8 (Of 8)(Cover B Lucio Parrillo Card Stock Variant), $4.99

My Adventures With Superman #3 (Of 6)(Cover A Li Cree), $3.99

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My Adventures With Superman #3 (Of 6)(Cover C TK Design Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Nightwing Year One 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition HC (Dan Mora Direct Market Cover), $29.99

Nightwing Year One 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition HC (Scott McDaniel Book Market Cover), $29.99

Police Comics #1 (Facsimile Edition), $6.99

Scooby-Doo Where Are You #129 (Cover A Valerio Chiola), $2.99

Shazam #14 (Cover A Gleb Melnikov), $3.99

Shazam #14 (Cover B Daniele Di Nicuolo Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Shazam #14 (Cover C John Timms Card Stock Variant), $4.99

Wonder Woman Earth One TP (DC Compact Comics Edition), $9.99

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DYNAMITE

MAY240183 HERCULES #4 CVR A KAMBADAIS $4.99

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