Monday, July 25, 2022

DC Comics Shipping from Lunar Distributors for July 26, 2022

DC COMICS:

Action Comics #1045 (Cover A Lucio Parrillo), $4.99
Action Comics #1045 (Cover B Rafael Sarmento Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Aquamen #6 (Cover A Travis Moore)(Dark Crisis), $3.99
Aquamen #6 (Cover B Fico Ossio Card Stock Variant)(Dark Crisis), $4.99
Aquamen #6 (Cover C Philip Tan Card Stock Variant)(Dark Crisis), $4.99
Batman Fortress #3 (Of 8)(Cover A Darick Robertson), $3.99
Batman Fortress #3 (Of 8)(Cover B Mico Suayan Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Batman One Dark Knight #3 (Of 3)(Cover A Jock), $6.99
Batman One Dark Knight #3 (Of 3)(Cover B Bill Sienkiewicz), $6.99
Batman Rebirth The Deluxe Edition Volume 6 HC, $34.99
DC Connect #27, AR
DC Mech #1 (Of 6)(Cover A Baldemar Rivas), $3.99
DC Mech #1 (Of 6)(Cover B Dan Mora Card Stock Variant), $4.99
DC Mech #1 (Of 6)(Cover C Baldemar Rivas Team Wraparound Card Stock Variant), AR
DC Mech #1 (Of 6)(Cover D Ricardo Lopez Ortiz Card Stock Variant), AR
DC Mech #1 (Of 6)(Cover E Karl Kerschl Card Stock Variant), AR
DC Mech #1 (Of 6)(Cover F Dan Mora Card Stock Variant), AR
Deathstroke Inc. #11 (Cover A Mikel Janin), $3.99
Deathstroke Inc. #11 (Cover B Francesco Mattina Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Deathstroke Inc. #11 (Cover C Ivan Tao Card Stock Variant), AR
Detective Comics #1062 (Cover A Evan Cagle), $4.99
Detective Comics #1062 (Cover B Lee Bermejo Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Detective Comics #1062 (Cover C J.H. Williams III Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Detective Comics #1062 (Cover D InHyuk Lee Card Stock Variant), AR
Detective Comics #1062 (Cover E J.H. Williams III Foil Card Stock Variant), AR
Flash Volume 16 Wally West Returns TP, $16.99
Harley Quinn #17 (Cover A Riley Rossmo), $3.99
Harley Quinn #17 (Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Harley Quinn #17 (Cover C Lesley Leirix Li Card Stock Variant), AR
Robin #16 (Cover A Roger Cruz & Norm Rapmund), $3.99
Robin #16 (Cover B Simone Di Meo Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Robin #16 (Cover C Dan Schoening Robin ’66 Card Stock Variant), AR
Sandman Universe Nightmare Country #4 (Cover A Reiko Murakami), $3.99
Sandman Universe Nightmare Country #4 (Cover B Dani Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Sandman Universe Nightmare Country #4 (Cover C Dave Johnson Card Stock Variant), AR
Suicide Squad Volume 2 Ambushed TP, $19.99
Supergirl Woman Of Tomorrow TP, $19.99
Superman Space Age #1 (Of 3)(Cover A Mike Allred), $9.99
Superman Space Age #1 (Of 3)(Cover B Steve Rude), $9.99
Superman Space Age #1 (Of 3)(Cover C Nick Derington), AR
Superman Space Age #1 (Of 3)(Cover D Mike Allred), AR
Swamp Thing #15 (Of 16)(Cover A Mike Perkins), $3.99
Swamp Thing #15 (Of 16)(Cover B Charlie Adlard Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Task Force Z #10 (Of 12)(Cover A Eddy Barrows & Eber Ferreira), $3.99
Task Force Z #10 (Of 12)(Cover B Travis Mercer Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Task Force Z #10 (Of 12)(Cover C Ryan Brown Card Stock Variant), AR
Young Justice Targets #1 (Of 6)(Cover A Christopher Jones), $3.99
Young Justice Targets #1 (Of 6)(Cover B Meghan Hetrick Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Young Justice Targets #1 (Of 6)(Cover C Travis Mercer Card Stock Variant), AR
Zatanna The Jewel Of Gravesend TP, $16.99

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Sunday, July 24, 2022

Comics Review: The Immortal RED SONJA #4

IMMORTAL RED SONJA #4
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Dan Abnett
ARTIST: Luca Colandrea
COLORS: Ellie Wright
LETTERS: Jeff Eckleberry
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: David Nakayama
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Junggeun Yoon; Joseph Michael Linsner; Lesley “Leirix” Li; Lobos; Dominic Glover; David Nakayama; Gracie the Cosplay Lass and Jim Donnelly
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2022)

Rated Teen+

“The Lady's Mirror”


Red Sonja is female high fantasy and sword and sorcery hero.  She first appeared in Conan the Barbarian #23 (cover dated February 1973) and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith.  Red Sonja was loosely based on “Red Sonya of Rogatino,” a female character that appeared in the 1934 short story, “The Shadow of the Vulture,” written by Conan the Cimmerian's creator, Robert E. Howard.

In 2005, Dynamite Entertainment began publishing comic books featuring differing versions of the character.  The latest is Immortal Red Sonja.  It is written by Dan Abnett; drawn by Emiliana Pinna or Alessandro Miracolo or Luca Colandrea; colored by Luca Colandrea and Ellie Wright; and lettered by Jeff Eckleberry.  The series is set in the Britain of legend and finds Red Sonja (“Sonja the Red”) in possession of two cursed items – a soul-possessed chain mail and an accursed blade (“Gwynbur”). Neither will let her go until she saves the fallen, lost kingdom of “Logres.”

Immortal Red Sonja #4 (“The Lady's Mirror”) opens as Sonja, guided by her talking, cursed chain mail, is searching for the tower of the Lady of the Lake.  But what if they are sailing in the wrong lake and headed for the wrong Lady?  And this “Lady” is really possessive.

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 Immortal Red Sonja #4, which is one of many, many Dynamite Red Sonja comic books that I have read.

Immortal Red Sonja is Dan Abnett's spin on the Arthurian legend, with Red Sonja being the spin.  “The Lady's Mirror” is partly a standalone story, but it also serves as an opportunity for Red Sonja to find something important to her quest.  I must say that this is quite a story, as Abnett has weaved sword and sorcery and Arthurian legend into quite a tapestry.

I look forward to each issue, and I hope Immortal Red Sonja has a long run.  Inventive plots and beautiful art with pretty colors and relevant lettering … what else do you want in your comic book?

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Red Sonja comic books must read Immortal Red Sonja.

[This comic book includes “Dynamite Dispatch” July 2022, which features an interview with writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson about his new James Bond comic book series.]

A-

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


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
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The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Saturday, July 23, 2022

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 17th to 23rd, 2022 - Update #17

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

SDCC - From Variety: "John Wick 4" has a new trailer and a release date, March 24, 2023.

MOVIES - From DeadlineJordan Peele's latest film, "Nope," grosses 6.4 million dollars in Thursday night preview sales.  The film opens wide today (Fri., July 22nd).

SDCC - From Deadline:  What to expect at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, including a list of panels.

CELEBRITY - From Variety:  A look at movie star salaries - from Tom Cruise's one million plus payday for "Top Gun: Maverick" to 20 million to Joaquin Phoenix for "Joker 2."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The sequel to the 2021 "Mortal Kombat" film (a reboot of the 1990s film series) is moving forward.  Director Simon McQuiod is returning for the sequel.

MOVIES - From VarietyParamount Pictures unveils first looks at actors in costumes for "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."

SCANDAL - From Variety:  The attorney for Oscar-winning director, Roman Polanski, has indicated that he will try to resolve the director's rape case (involving a then 13-year-old girl) that has dogged Polanski for 45 years.

MOVIES - From Variety:  The character, "John Wick," was originally supposed to be 75 years old ... then, came Keanu.

MOVIES - From Variety:  "Dune: Part Two" has begun filming.  Warner Bros. and Legendary have also released a synopsis and full cast list.

AMAZON - From DeadlineEddie Murphy will star in and Reginald Hudlin will direct the holiday comedy, "Candy Cane Lane."

BREAKING - From Deadline:  A crew member for the NBC series, "Law & Order: Organized Crime" was shot and killed early this morning (Tues., 7/19).

MOVIES - From LATimes:  Actor Sylvester Stallone tells the producers of his  Oscar-winning film, "Rocky," that he wants "what's left of my rights back."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 7/15 to 7/17/2022 weekend box office is Marvel Studios' "Thor: Love and Thunder" with an estimated take of 46 million dollars.

From Here:  Negromancer's review of "Thor: Love and Thunder."

MOVIES - From THR:  The July 15th, 2022 issue of "The Hollywood Reporter" has a cover profile of Oscar-winning actor, Daniel Kaluuya.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

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.

UVALDE, TEXAS MASS SHOOTING:

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

From TexasTribune:  The Texas House of Representatives has released its "Robb Elementary Investigative Committee Report," concerning the massacre of 19 children at two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. They found that the "systematic failures" went far beyond the local police.

From RSN:  At a school board meeting, parents in Uvalde Texas demanded better school security and also demanded that Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo be fired.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From Vox:  Uvalde police keep changing their story.

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

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

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

From GuardianUK:  Canada plans to freeze all handgun ownership.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BLM-BUFFALO:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Friday, July 22, 2022

Review: Yep! Keke Palmer Steals Weird and Scary "NOPE"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 44 of 2022 (No. 1856) by Leroy Douresseaux

Nope (2022)
Running time: 135 minutes (2 hours, 15 minutes)
MPAA – R for language throughout and some violence/bloody images
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Jordan Peele
PRODUCERS:  Jordan Peele and Ian Cooper
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Hoyte Van Hoytema
EDITOR:  Nicholas Monsour
COMPOSER: Michael Abels

HORROR/SCI-FI/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring:  Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott, Steven Yeun, Wrenn Schmidt, Donna Mills, Eddie Jemison, and Keith David and Jacob Kim

Nope is a 2022 science fiction horror film and mystery-thriller written and directed by Jordan Peele.  The film focuses on two siblings who witness something uncanny and terrifying on and around their family's ranch.

Nope introduces Otis “OJ” Haywood, Jr. (Daniel Kaluuya) and his younger sister, Emerald “Em” Haywood (Keke Palmer), who own and operate “Haywood Hollywood Horses,” on their family's ranch where they train horses to perform on film and television.  Things have been difficult since their father, Otis Haywood (Keith David), died several months earlier in a mysterious accident in which random objects fell from the sky.

Since then, uncanny occurrences – strange sounds and odd sightings – have been happening in and around their isolated town with increasing frequency.  When OJ and Em begin to suspect they have an idea of what the abnormal events happening on their ranch are, they decide to capture video evidence of an unidentified flying object.  A local tech store employee, Angel Torres (Brandon Perea), injects himself into the siblings' situation.

However, the involvement of Ricky “Jupe” Park (Steven Yeun), the owner of a local amusement park, “Jupiter's Claim,” takes the mystery to a new level.  Now, OJ, Em, and Angel may come close to filming their own demise.

I am a big fan of the first two films Jordan Peele wrote and directed, the Oscar-winning Get Out (2016) and Us (2019).  I am also a fan of the 2021 sequel/reboot, Candyman, which Peele co-wrote and co-produced.  Nope isn't quite as good as his early directorial efforts, but it is not like them, nor is it like any film I have ever seen.

Nope is scary and thrilling, but also offbeat and really weird.  I want to emphasize weird, especially because the mystery the Haywoods are chasing is and isn't what they (or we) think it is.  I found myself trying to unravel the weirdness and the mystery as much as I found myself being scared.  Jordan Peele is so imaginative and inventive that he fills Nope with enough ideas and subplots for four movies.  That is something of a problem, as Nope often feels unfocused.  But I find it brilliant anyway.

Attentive viewers will notice that Nope has similarities to a number of films.  I noticed elements of two Steven Spielberg classics, Jaws (1975) and Close Encounters of the Kind (1977).  There is a touch of M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (2002).  Thematically, Nope brushes against Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993), and Peele mentioned the influence of The Wizard of Oz (1939) on him while writing Nope's screenplay, which I don't see.  The last act does recall Alien 3 (1992) for me.

Nope does feature the kind of great characters and superb character writing that defined Peele's earlier efforts.  All the characters, especially OJ and Emerald, feel like characters that have a long history before this film and will have a life beyond the confines of Nope's narrative and run time.  Daniel Kaluuya does intense and laid back with equal aplomb; in this quasi-Western film, he makes OJ Haywood a true cowboy hero.  However, I think the actress and character that get the most mileage out of this film are Keke Palmer and Emerald Haywood.  This is the first time that I have seen Palmer play a real adult woman who has lived a life that is complex in its tribulations, but is also filled with good times, even some wild times.  Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott, and child actor, Jacob Kim, are quite good in their roles, but Nope is the Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer show.

Nope has a lot of lovely cinematography, especially involving the open sky and clouds.  The sound design is also absolutely good and frequently gave me a feeling of unease.  I think that in some ways Nope is trying to make us uncomfortable, and it proves that Jordan Peele is the master of making films that get at the fault lines of America.

However, in his bid to mystify us and to get at us, Peele might have gone a bit too far this time.  Nope is a brilliant work that is as weird and obtuse as it is thrilling.  With Nope, Jordan Peele is like Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part One); he is too good for the own good of his film.

8 of 10
A
★★★★ out of 4 stars


Friday, July 22, 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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Comics Review: "ECTYRON OMNIBUS VOL. 1" is a Five Piece Spicy Graphic Novel

ECTYRON OMNIBUS VOL. 1
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS/Warning Comics

STORY: Carter Allen; Austin Allen Hamblin; Leroy Douresseaux
SCRIPT: John Ira Thomas; Austin Allen Hamblin; Leroy Douresseaux
ART: Carter Allen
LETTERS: John Ira Thomas
COVER: Carter Allen
BACK COVER: Carter Allen
MISC ART: Will Grant; Christopher Martinez
ISBN: 978-0-9895371-8-6; paperback (June 21, 2022)
136pp, Color, $24.95 U.S.

Comic book writer-artist and graphic novelist, Carter Allen, has been publishing a series of comic books and graphic novels featuring a “kaiju” character known as “Ectyron! The Radioactive Chicken!”  Candle Light Press and Allen's Warning Comics published three Ectyron comic books:  Ectyron Against Lagaxtu (2017), Ectyron: Rise of Nemehiss (2018), and Ectyron: The Invasion from the Red Star Nebula (2019).

Now, CLP and Warning Comics have collected together for the first time the first three Ectyron comic books in the graphic novel and trade paperback collection, Ectyron Omnibus Vol. 1.  This book also includes the numerous full color as illustrations that Allen has committed for this series.

Ectyron Omnibus Vol. 1 also includes bonus material.  There is a new Ectyron short story, entitled “General Clucker vs. Ectyron” written by Austin Allen Hamblin and drawn by Carter Allen.  Then, Carter and I (yes, me, Leroy Douresseaux) introduce Carter's newest kaiju, “Karapace” and our wacky superhero team, “The Big Spirits.”  This five-page preview is entitled, “Karapace: Prelude to Big Spirits” and is drawn by Carter and written by me.

All three Ectyron comics employ particular elements of various Japanese science fiction sub-genres.  “Kaiju” is a term used to describe a genre of Japanese films that feature giant monsters, and the term is also used to describe the giant monsters themselves.  [Godzilla is an example of a kaiju.]  In this case, Ectyron is a giant-sized chicken.  There is also an example of “tokusatsu” the “mecha” or giant robot superheroes.  [“Power Rangers” are an example of “tokusatsu.”]

Here is a recap of the first three Ectyron books:

Ectyron Against Lagaxtu (2017):  Here, comes the super-cyborg warrior hero, AtoM.I.K.E.  He is always on the lookout for the kind of giant monster that hides beneath the Earth before finally surfacing to wreak havoc.  Lagaxtu is one of those monsters, a “kaiju,” a beast like Japan's Godzilla.  AtoM.I.K.E. (a “tokusatsu” like character) can kick some monster butt, but he will need help from another behemoth beast, one that can sense evil.  Here, comes Ectyron!

Ectyron: Rise of Nemehiss (2018):  From the Great Basin Desert, Jake and the kaiju fighters of “Sustenatione Stabilitas Base” take on the giant-goose kaiju, “Nemehiss.”  Victory is not assured, however, unless they can get help from... Ectyron!

Ectyron: The Invasion from the Red Star Nebula (2019): The kaiju fighters of Sustenatione Stabilitas Base join the kaiju fighting mecha, “AtoM.I.K.E.”  They take on a mecha version of Ectyron, vicious alien invaders from the Red Star Nebula, and “Men in Black” agents.  But where is the real Ectyron?

Bonus stories:

General Clucker vs. Ectyron (2022):  Karl Clucker is the heir to the legacy of the “General Clucker's Chicken” fried chicken restaurant franchise.  Unfortunately for Clucker, however, people seem to be eating less chicken out of respect for Ectyron.  Embittered, Clucker decides to make himself just the kind of man or kaiju that can take on Ectyron … with unexpected results.

Karapace: Prelude to Big Spirits (2022):  Aboard a fishing boat, a sleeping psychic receives a warning about the natural world's ultimate kaiju of vengeance and balance.  But can the young woman gather enough help to stop Karapace?!

THE LOWDOWN:  Ectyron: The Invasion from the Red Star Nebula is, thus far, my favorite Ectyron publication.  It easily surpasses the first two releases, Ectyron: Rise of Nemehiss (the second) and Ectyron Against Lagaxtu (the first), which were quite good themselves.

A cartoonist and graphic designer, Carter Allen, fills his comic books with Godzilla-sized creations, which includes monsters, beasts, machines, and contraptions.  However, there also improbable heroes of all shapes, colors, genders, and sizes.  In black and white and in full color, Ectyron comics are pure comic book fun rendered in texture pencil illustrations, pencil and ink; software, and marker.  Allen recreates the wild, the weird, and the wonderful of traditional American superhero, science fiction, horror, monster, and action-adventure comic books – with the infusion of Japanese sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero, of course.

In “General Clucker vs. Ectyron,” Allen's illustrative and coloring style and techniques take a turn, which is a way that he keeps his comic books fresh.  He has also found a kindred spirit in writer Austin Allen Hamblin, as this short captures the spirit of the original Ectyron comics.  Allen's dynamic art, with it energetic array of angles, and Hamblin's mix of B-movie and monster comics elements come together to create a colorful tale of pugnacious characters that deserves an encore.

As for Carter Allen and Leroy's collabo, “Karapace: Prelude to Big Spirits,” it is a sweet sample of our comic book masala, made of ingredients from old comics and cartoons.  There is more to come.

Meanwhile, Ectyron Omnibus Vol. 1 is the best way to experience Carter Allen's way-out-there inventions of imagination.  His Ectyron comic books, like many of his works, are a sequence of unexpected events.  Allen is great solo, but Ectyron Omnibus Vol. 1 provides a look at his quirky group of collaborators.  Some of them joined him on the original Ectyron comic books and showed their originality.  And that is what Ectyron is about – originality in the spirit of originals.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of kaiju and of Carter Allen will want Ectyron Omnibus Vol. 1.

A

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


Buy Ectyron Omnibus Vol. 1:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ectyron-Omnibus-Carter-Allen/dp/0989537188/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=FPC4RCGP5FQL&keywords=ectyron+omnibus&qid=1657192587&sprefix=%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ectyron-omnibus-carter-allen/1141688819;jsessionid=4050D43796BC5832D603E92F478ED155.prodny_store02-atgap09?ean=9780989537186

Powells: https://www.powells.com/book/ectyron-omnibus-9780989537186


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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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Thursday, July 21, 2022

Comics Review: BETTIE PAGE and the Alien Agenda #5

BETTIE PAGE AND THE ALIEN AGENDA VOLUME 6 #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Ani-Mia
ART: Celor
COLORS: Farah Nurmaliza
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Joseph Michael Linsner
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Joseph Michael Linsner; Josh Burns; Stephane Roux; Jimmy Broxton; Celor; Bettie Page vintage photo cover; Ani-Mia and So Say We All Photography
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2022)

Rated Teen+

“The Truth is (Far) Out There!”

Bettie Page (1923–2008) was an American model who gained notoriety in the 1950s for her pin-up photos.  She is still referred to has the “Queen of Pinups,” and her shoulder-to-armpit-length jet-black hair with its trademark bangs and her blue eyes have inspired generations of artists, illustrators and comic book artists.

In 2017, Dynamite Entertainment made Bettie Page the star of her own comic book miniseries.  The latest is Bettie Page and the Alien Agenda Volume 6.  It is written by Ani-Mia; drawn by Celor; colored by Farah Nurmaliza; and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual.  The series finds Bettie searching for answers concerning an alien conspiracy and an “alien cache” of... something.

Bettie Page and the Alien Agenda Volume 6 #5 (“The Truth is (Far) Out There!”) opens as Bettie and her team, Kim Young-ja and Sofia Villannueva:, are aboard a jet headed towards the Pentagon in Washington D.C.  The mystery deepens and Bettie cannot rely on Colonel Westbrook, the man who sent her on this mission to unravel an alien conspiracy

Bettie and her team have traveled the world following the clues left behind for centuries, leading to alien secrets, but they also suspect that their entire mission may have been misunderstood.  Should they trust the government, which may want destroy whatever it is they find?  And what are they going to fine?  Or should they trust the aliens?  And what consequences will they face once they have made the difficult (and possibly world-ending) decision?

THE LOWDOWN:   Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  The latest is Bettie Page and the Alien Agenda Volume 6 #5, which is the eighth issue of a Dynamite Bettie Page comic book that I have read.

Bettie Page and the Alien Agenda Volume 6 #5 is the final issue of this miniseries.  Writer Ani-Mia (the pen name of Mia McLaughlin) finishes up the series with the same easy narrative pace that marked the earlier chapters of the series  I have described Alien Agenda as the comic book equivalent of easy listening music, and I am sorry to say that we've reached the end of this musical selection.

Artist Celor tells the story in a kind of “X-Files” manner – thoughtful and mysterious.  Joseph Michael Linsner's theme covers for this series add a touch of humor and a dash of sexiness.  Well, it's over, and this final issue is good enough to make me await more.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Bettie Page comic books will want to try Bettie Page and the Alien Agenda Volume 6.

[This comic book includes “Dynamite Dispatch” July 2022, which features an interview with writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson about his new James Bond comic book series.]

B+

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


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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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Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Comics Review: The Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising #1

THE ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. REANIMATOR: NECRONOMICON RISING, VOL. 1 #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Erik Burnham
ART: Eman Cassallos
COLORS: Jorge Sutil
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Tony Fleecs
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Christopher Mitten; Arthur Suydam; Stuart Sayger; Ken Haeser; Dave Wachter
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2022)

Rated Teen+

Army of Darkness is a 1992 comic horror film and the third film in the Evil Dead film franchise.  The film focuses on the series' lead character, Ash Williams (portrayed by actor Bruce Campbell), as he is trapped in the Middle Ages and battling an army of undead warriors.

“Herbert West–Reanimator” is a horror short story written by H. P. Lovecraft and first published in 1922.  The story was the basis of the 1985 horror film, Re-Animator, which spawned sequel films and other media adaptations of the Lovecraft source material.

Dynamite Entertainment currently produces comic books based on the Army of Darkness film, featuring Ash as the main character and comics based on Herbert West.  The two franchises sometime come together in a comic book miniseries.  The latest is The Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising, Volume 1.  It is written by Erik Burnham; drawn by Eman Cassallos; colored by Jorge Sutil; and lettered by Troy Peteri.  Necronomicon Rising focuses on a battle for the most notorious book of the dead between Ash Williams and Herbert West, the Reanimator.

The Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising, Volume 1 #1 opens at an archaeological dig somewhere in southwest Scotland.  The site dates back the 12th century, and the archaeologist have made a big fine.  It's head from the world of The Army of Darkness.  Later, back at Miskatonic University Medical School in America, Dr. Herbert West uses his “re-agent” to bring the head to life.  And the head teases something bad – the “Necronomicon Ex Mortis.”

Meanwhile, Ash Williams is trying to enjoy the best hamburger in three states, but a young woman named Constance Wyrdie is there to bring him trouble.  That mean old book, the Necronomicon, is back in his life – with some deadites along for fun.

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, the marketing department at Dynamite Entertainment has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is The Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising, Volume 1 #1, which is the first Reanimator comic book and the latest AoD title that I have read.

The Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising, Volume 1 #1 offers the potential for some fun, but in some ways, it seems like a retread.  However, I really enjoy the work of the art team of illustrator Eman Cassallos and colorist Jorge Sutil.  Cassallos offers strong figure drawing and solid drawing on the backgrounds and environments.  Sutil's colors match the narrative's switch from the real to the surreal in a way that emphasizes the humor.

I am willing to give The Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising a chance.  I hope for the best.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of The Army of Darkness and/or Reanimator comic books will want to read The Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising, Volume 1.

[This comic book includes “Dynamite Dispatch” July 2022, which features an interview with writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson about his new James Bond comic book series.]

A

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


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
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The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------------

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