Comics Review: "JAMES BOND: Himeros #5" is a Royale Ending

JAMES BOND: HIMEROS #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Giorgio Pontrelli
COLORS: Adriano Augusto
LETTERS: Social Myth Studios
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jackson “Butch” Guice; Francesco Francavilla
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2022)

Rated T+

Based on the characters and stories created by Ian Fleming

“James Bond” is a fictional British Secret Service agent created by Ian Fleming, a British writer and novelist.  Fleming introduced James Bond in the 1953 novel, Casino Royale, and featured the character in 12 novels and two short-story collections.  Of course, most people know Bond because of Eon Productions' long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books, but Dynamite Entertainment has been steadily publishing James Bond comic books since early 2016.  Their latest James Bond comic book is James Bond: Himeros.  It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn alternately by Antonio Ruso, Pierluigi Minotti, and Giorgio Pontrelli; colored by Adriano Augusto; and lettered by Social Myth Studios.  In Himeros, 007's struggles to save a woman from Anton Bates, a military arms dealer who wants to keep secret his connections to billionaire financier and notorious sex trafficker, the late Richard Wilhelm, from coming to light.

James Bond: Himeros #5 opens on Wilhelm's island.  There, Bond makes his last stand to protect Sarah Richmond, Wilhelm's right hand man and keeper of his secrets.  That means taking on Bates' assassin, Kino.  Bond knows that by the end of this, not everyone is walking away with their lives.

THE LOWDOWN:  In July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is James Bond: Himeros #5, which is one of several Dynamite James Bond comic books I've read.

James Bond: Himeros #5 is the final issue of the series, and writer Rodney Barnes offers an ending so explosive that it might … blow your minds.  Barnes' certainly ends Himeros better than No Time to Die ended actor Daniel Craig's run as movies James Bond.  Still, readers may find Barnes' take on Bond to be as tough as thuggish as Craig's.

Giorgio Pontrelli proves to be the best of the three artists that drew this series.  Pontrelli draws this final chapter in widescreen which gives the story a cinematic effect, and the art makes Barnes' story hit with two-fisted authority.

I would like to see Barnes and Pontrelli attack another James Bond comic book with the same storytelling ferocity.  This comic book miniseries feels like classic Bond, and it certainly reminds me of the Bond prose that I have read.  “Himeros” is the Greek god of sexual desire, and after reading James Bond: Himeros, dear readers, I am horny for more.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of James Bond comic books will want to try James Bond: Himeros.

A

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


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


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 link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Comics Review: NEW MASTERS #1 - Something Old, Something New

NEW MASTERS #1
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Shobo
ART: Shof
COLORS: Shof with Julmae Kristoffer
COVER: Shof
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Shof
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2022)

Rated: “T+/ Teen Plus”

New Masters created by Shobo Coker & Shof Coker

New Masters is a new six-issue miniseries from brothers, writer Shobo Coker and artist Shof Coker.  New Masters is set in a version of West Africa that is under the control of alien invaders, particularly the Jovians.  The series focuses on a band of misfits and outcasts who become caught up in the struggle to control an immensely powerful ancient artifact that could rid Earth of its alien colonizers.

New Masters #1 opens in the distant future.  In the early part of the twenty-first century, the “Jovian Naviculae” slammed into Earth, spreading exotic fuels and destroying many great cities.  A thousand years later, deep in the Eko Exclusion Zone (E-Zone), a young female scavenger, Ola, hunts for a cache of Obsidium, an alien mineral.  Elsewhere, in the sinking slums of Makoko on the coast of Eko City, a couple offers the suffering residents a device that could change their lives.  Meanwhile, a high-ranking politician and her alien lover discuss The Eye of Òrùnmìlá, an ancient alien artifact that could change the fate of Earth.

THE LOWDOWN:  The wider interest in Afrofuturism, a cultural aesthetic and philosophy about the intersection of Africa, the Diaspora, the future, and technology, has been increasing for some time.  For some, their most memorable experience with Afrofuturism is the 2018 Disney/Marvel Studios film, Black Panther.  Perhaps, one of the most prominent expressions of Afrofuturism in comic books is LaGuardia (Dark Horse Comics/Berger Books), the 2019, award-winning miniseries from writer Nnedi Okorafor and artist Tana Ford.

New Masters shares a few ideas with LaGuardia.  All of it infused with (as the creators say) “...African experience, philosophy, and culture...”  I suspect that many American comic book readers will find New Masters exotic because so many of them have been exposed to science fiction that is White male, White American, and White people in general.  For some of them, anything with more than two characters that are Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) must seem like a comic from another land or an foreign artifact of some kind.

As my tastes are varied and diverse, New Masters seems only a little exotic to me, but some of it feels quite familiar.  To me, some of it looks like the wild and weird alien futures that readers could find in an issue of the seminal science fiction comics magazine, Heavy Metal.  In fact, Shof's art and colors, in terms of visuals and narrative, remind me of the work of the late French comics master, Moebius.  Overall, the visuals and the narratives of New Masters is familiar from old masters.

Shobo Coker & Shof Coker spend New Masters #1 introducing characters and settings, giving tastes of the story's overall plot and subplots.  There is a lot to take in, and so much of it piques my interest.  Truthfully, I think that this first issue would have been better served as a double-sized first issue.  The 32 pages of narrative that comprises this first issue is strained to bursting with all the beautiful story elements contained inside the covers.

New Masters #1 intrigues me too much not to come back again, and it is so fresh and inviting.  New Masters could be something special and could inject what American comic books really needs – actual new creative blood.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of science fiction comic books and of Afrofuturist fiction will want to read New Masters.

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


https://twitter.com/shobocoker
https://www.cokercoop.com/
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
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 © 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 link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Comics Review: "Nita Hawes' NIGHTMARE Blog #4" Made Me Say Ugh (Ugh) ... Na Nah Na Nah

NITA HAWES' NIGHTMARE BLOG #4
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Szymon Kudranski
COLORS: Luis Nct with mar and Silvestre Galotto
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: well-BEE
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jason Shawn Alexander
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (February 2022)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“The Fire Next Time” Part IV: “When the Music Stops”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is a new comic book series created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander.  Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is written by Barnes.  It has been drawn by the artists Jason Shawn Alexander, well-BEE, and Patrick Reynolds, with Szymon Kudranski being the artist on the current issue.  Colorist Luis Nct and letterer by Marshall Dillon complete the creative team.  The series focuses on a woman who is on a quest to root out the evil in her city.

In Baltimore, Maryland, which some call “Bodymore, Murderland,” there is a woman named Dawnita “Nita” Hawes.  She is the owner of “Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog” where citizens can contact Nita when they have a problem of a supernatural or paranormal nature.  Nita has just begun her quest to root the evil out of her city – with the help of her dead brother, Jason.

As Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog #4 (“When the Music Stops”) opens, we learn what drove legendary blues singer, “Howlin'” Henry Hawkins, to give his body over to one of the four demon kings, Corson.  In the present, Nita and Anansi the Spider-God take on Henry and discover the legion of monstrosities that Corson has placed in his body.

Nita, however, doesn't take Jason's warning as seriously as she should.  The paranormal investigator is going from hunter to prey.  Who is Corson's ultimate prize?  Plus, some Killadelphia references slide into the story.

THE LOWDOWN:  Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is a spin-off of Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander's hit vampire comic book, Killadelphia.  In fact, Dawnita “Nita” Hawes is the ex-lover of one of Killadelphia's lead characters, Jimmy Sangster, Jr.

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog has established that it is a comic book that can stand on its own.  Well, writer Rodney Barnes offers so much good storytelling in this fourth issue that if it were a cake, it would put the people who tasted it into a diabetic coma.  It is so good that I think it broke my vocabulary.  I can say that Barnes presents Henry Hawkin's back story in a way that definitely made me sympathetic in the context of the “deal with the Devil” that Henry made.

Szymon Kudranski, the artist for Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog #4, does a wonderful job creating this graphical story from Barnes' magical script.  Topped by Luis Nct's splatterfest of nightmarish neon colors, and this fourth issue is a masterpiece.  The devilish cherry on top is Marshall Dillon's lettering that shouts the dialogue like curses.

We have a winner in Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog.  I curse you to read it.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Killadelphia and of the original Hellblazer will want Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog.

A+

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


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/luisnct
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
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 © 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 link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Comics Review: "DARK BLOOD #6" - An Ending of Fire, History and Science Fiction

DARK BLOOD #6 (OF 6)
BOOM! STUDIOS

STORY: LaToya Morgan
ART:  Moisés Hidalgo
COLORS: A.H.G. with Allison Hu (pp. 18-21)
LETTERS:  Andworld Design
EDITOR: Dafna Pleban
COVER: Valentine De Landro
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Juni Ba; Valentine De Landro; Tiffany Turrill
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (January 2022)

Dark Blood created by LaToya Morgan

Dark Blood is a six-issue comic book miniseries created and written by screenwriter LaToya Morgan (AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” “Into The Badlands”).  Published by BOOM! Studios, the series is drawn by Moisés Hidalgo and Walt Barna; colored by A.H.G.; and lettered by Andworld Design.  The series focuses on a Black World War II veteran who discovers that he has strange powers.

Alabama, 1955.  After leaving his job at the diner, “Hardy's Eats,” Avery Aldridge, also known as “Double A,” has a fateful encounter with a racist.  Double A is a highly decorated World War II soldier, a former fighter pilot, a member of the soon-to-be-legendary “Red Tails.”  He is expected to act like a boy … when he is actually a very powerful man.  But this is “The Night of the Variance,” and everything is going to start to change – even the things some don't want changed.

Dark Blood #6 opens in 1955 – late into the Night of the Variance.  Avery confronts Dr. Carlisle and Dr. Marshall, and he learns that he is the “Variant,” the one who responded “positively” to their formula (apparently dubbed "Formula 687") and treatment.  Now, his powers are raging, and powerful as he is, it comes with a devastating cost.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Wright has finally caught up with Avery.  If Avery wants to see his wife, Emma, and daughter, Grace, again, the racist lawman insists that he must play by his rules.  But does he?  Can Avery make sure that no one ever goes through what he has?  Can he protect his wife and child?  Will it cost him everything to do this?

THE LOWDOWN:  I recently learned, via “CBS Evening News,” that the United States Air Force museum had been keeping a secret.  In 1949, a team from the famed all-Black “Tuskegee Airmen” won the first “Top Gun” contest.  This contest was a gunnery competition among pilots from across the Air Force.  However, the Air Force's record book listed the winner as “unknown.”

The winners' trophy was hidden in the bowels of the Air Force museum until a historian discovered it in 2005.  Now, the trophy is on display at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.  The Tuskegee Airmen have finally been recognized with Top Gun honor – 73 years after winning the first contest.

The “Red Tails” (the 332nd Fighter Group) were part of the Tuskegee Airmen, and in “Dark Blood,” Avery Aldridge” was a Red Tail.  I didn't take this revelation as mere coincidence that I learned of it less that a week before the release of the final issue of the Dark Blood comic book miniseries.

In Dark Blood, television writer-producer LaToya Morgan (AMC's “TURN: Washington's Spies”) offers a comic book that is steeped in the history of African-American participation in World War II.  Dark Blood is allegorical in the way that it references the “Tuskegee Experiment” (a study which observed the effects of untreated syphilis in Black men).  The series also opens at the dawn of the “American Civil Rights Movement” (1954-68).  Dark Blood has been historical.

Yet it was not until Dark Blood #5 that I realized how much this comic book is also a rip-roaring science fiction yarn.  The series' narrative blood is certainly Black history and culture, but Dark Blood's DNA is pulp science fiction literature.  Its pedigree is the world of weird science fiction and fantasy comic books that emerged after World War II.  While reading issue #5, the sci-fi reality of Dark Blood came at me like a space rocket.

Morgan, artists Moisés Hidalgo and Walt Barna, and colorist A.H.G. have presented readers with a comic book series that looks and feels like it came out of the 1950s.  In an alternate reality, I can see it as something that William Gaines would have published through EC Comics.  Yes, Dark Blood would have been one more nail in EC's coffin, but Morgan's mixture of reality and sci-fi would have been a perfect fit for EC's mixture of morality and blood and guts genre.

Dark Blood #6 offers both – history and drama and also the astounding yearnings of golden age science fiction.  The drama has a powerful resolution, and the super-powers are the fireworks of comic book magic.  Superheroes and mutants – Dark Blood #6 promises readers an interesting future as the series comes to an end.  Whatever may come, what we have now in Dark Blood, dear readers, it is a blast to read.  And if you haven't read it yet, Dark Blood flows at comiXology.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of golden age science fiction and of super science fiction comic books will want to read Dark Blood.

A+

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


Dark Blood trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzzXIYr_FrA&feature=youtu.be
Dark Blood first loook: https://www.boom-studios.com/wordpress/archives/dark-blood-1-first-look/
https://twitter.com/MorganicInk
https://twitter.com/WaltBarna
https://twitter.com/AHGColor
https://twitter.com/andworlddesign

https://twitter.com/boomstudios
https://www.boom-studios.com/wordpress/
https://www.facebook.com/BOOMStudiosComics
https://www.instagram.com/boom_studios/


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 link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Comics Review: "JAMES BOND: Himeros #4" Will Put the Viper on Your Ass

JAMES BOND: HIMEROS #4
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Giorgio Pontrelli
COLORS: Adriano Augusto
LETTERS: Social Myth Studios
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jackson “Butch” Guice; Francesco Francavilla
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2022)

Rated T+

Based on the characters and stories created by Ian Fleming

“James Bond” is a fictional British Secret Service agent created by Ian Fleming, a British writer and novelist.  Fleming introduced James Bond in the 1953 novel, Casino Royale, and featured the character in 12 novels and two short-story collections.  Of course, most people know Bond because of Eon Productions' long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books, but Dynamite Entertainment has been steadily publishing James Bond comic books since early 2016.  Their latest James Bond comic book is James Bond: Himeros.  It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn alternately by Antonio Ruso, Pierluigi Minotti, and Giorgio Pontrelli; colored by Adriano Augusto; and lettered by Social Myth Studios.  In Himeros, 007 finds himself caught in a web of powerful people who will kill to keep their connections to billionaire financier and notorious sex trafficker, the late Richard Wilhelm, from coming to light.

James Bond: Himeros #4 opens in West Brompton, London.  Anton Bates, an arms dealer who enjoyed Wilhelm's services, is meeting with Defense Minister Abara of Nigeria.  Bates wants to sell the minister a new weapon, called “the Viper,” but who is the viper in this deal?

Meanwhile, after having survived a series of deadly assaults by the Bates' assassin, Kino, Bond and Sarah Richmond, Wilhelm's right hand man, fly to Wilhelm's island.  There, Sarah will retrieve Wilhelm's books that, along with what she knows, have made her a target.  Can the two escape the death that seems to await them at every turn?

THE LOWDOWN:  In July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is James Bond: Himeros #4, which is one of several Dynamite James Bond comic books I've read.

Writer Rodney Barnes has been slowly building this series to its concluding fifth issue.  Like the second issue, this penultimate fourth issue simmers with drama and trauma.  Like the third issue, Barnes also throws gasoline on the fire for some hot action scenes.

This fourth issue also introduces the series' third artist.  Like the previous illustrators, Giorgio Pontrelli strikes the right tone for the secret agent style of this story and also captures its tropical and sunny settings.  Adriano Augusto's colors always strike the right look regardless of which artist is drawing an issue.  “Himeros” is the Greek god of sexual desire, and after reading James Bond: Himeros #4,  dear readers, I desire the final issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of James Bond comic books will want to try James Bond: Himeros.

A

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


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


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).

Comics Review: "Nita Hawes' NIGHTMARE Blog #3" - Me and the Devil Blues

NITA HAWES' NIGHTMARE BLOG #3
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: well-BEE
COLORS: Luis Nct with mar and Silvestre Galotto
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: well-BEE
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Jason Shawn Alexander
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (January 2022)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“The Fire Next Time” Part III: “Along Came a Spider”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is a new comic book series created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander.  Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is written by Barnes and drawn by well-BEE; colored by Luis Nct; and lettered by Marshall Dillon.  The series focuses on a woman who is on a quest to root out the evil in her city.

In Baltimore, Maryland, which some call “Bodymore, Murderland,” there is a woman named Dawnita “Nita” Hawes.  She is the owner of “Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog” where citizens can contact Nita when they have a problem of a supernatural or paranormal nature.  Nita has just begun her quest to root the evil out of her city – with the help of her dead brother, Jason.

As Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog #3 (“Along Came a Spider”) opens, Anansi, the God of Stories and Knowledge, arrives.  Detective Harden slowly comes around to seeing things Nita Hawes' way … slowly.  Nita also has a conversation with Jason.

Meanwhile, our heroine travels back to Annapolis, Maryland, in a bid to uncover the lost history of legendary blues singer, “Howlin'” Henry Hawkins.  He is now a resident of “Happy Acres Rest Home,” and his body is a vessel for the demon, Corson, who continues his plot against humanity.  As Nita gets deeper into Hawkins' history, Corson moves closer to her.  And what does Anansi want?

THE LOWDOWN:  Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is a spin off of Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander's hit vampire comic book, Killadelphia.  In fact, Dawnita “Nita” Hawes is the ex-lover of one of Killadelphia's lead characters, Jimmy Sangster, Jr.

The first three issues of Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog have established that this comic book can stand on its own.  Still, writer Rodney Barnes helps the readers find delight in the threads that connect the two series.  In Nightmare Blog, Barnes is offering a blend of dark fantasy and horror that is intense its violence, but also intimate in its telling.  This narrative is personal because it is so much about Nita Hawes, and it is vulnerable because she is vulnerable.  That is best exemplified in her conversations with her brother, Jason's spirit.  For all its lovely demonic violence, this series feels like a character study that spreads out from Nita to other characters.

[Also, both Nita and Jason have paid high costs to live in the United States, and I wonder if their unhealed wounds represent all our wounds.  When I say “our,” I mean Black and Brown people only, boo.]

The beautiful art by well-BEE, with its illustrative qualities, brings Barnes' potent imaginings to life.  There would be no comic book without the comic book artist, and well-BEE is making Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog an incredible comic book.

With Luis Nct and company's dream slash nightmarish colors and Marshall Dillon sounds of Hades lettering, the pentagram is complete.  We have a winner in Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog, the comic book I insist you read – from Hell with kisses, Leroy.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Killadelphia and of the original Hellblazer will want Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog.

A+

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


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/luisnct
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
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 © 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).

Comics Review: In "Nita Hawes NIGHTMARE Blog #2" Strange Things Happen Every Day

NITA HAWES' NIGHTMARE BLOG #2
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: well-BEE
COLORS: Luis Nct with mar and Silvestre Galotto
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: well-BEE
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jason Shawn Alexander; Patric Reynolds with Luis Nct
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (December 2021)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“The Fire Next Time” Part II: “The Last Song”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is a new comic book series created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander.  Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is written by Barnes and drawn by well-BEE; colored by Luis Nct; and lettered by Marshall Dillon.  The series focuses on a woman who is on a quest to root out the evil in her city.

In Baltimore, Maryland, which some call “Bodymore, Murderland,” there is a woman named Dawnita “Nita” Hawes.  She is the owner of “Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog” where citizens can contact Nita when they have a problem of a supernatural or paranormal nature.  Nita has just begun her quest to root the evil out of her city – with the help of her dead brother, Jason.

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog #2 (“The Last Song”) travels back to Annapolis, Maryland, September 19, 1963.  That's when blues singer, “Howlin'” Henry Hawkins, met the two young white men who would manage his musical recording career to greatness and to acclaim.  In the present day, Henry's room at the “Happy Acres Rest Home” is the scene of a gruesome murder.

Nita Hawes' paranormal-hunting “Nightmare Blog” has gotten its first cry for help, but the person calling for help is William “Bill” Crowdy,” the man whose body was found dismembered in Howlin' Henry's room.  With the case seemingly at a dead end, Nita offers her services to Detective Harden, who is investigating the murder.  Meanwhile, the demon Corson continues his plot against humanity.

THE LOWDOWN:  Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is a spin off of Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander's hit vampire comic book, Killadelphia.  In fact, Dawnita “Nita” Hawes is the ex-lover of one of Killadelphia's lead characters, Jimmy Sangster, Jr.

The first issue of Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog established that this comic book could stand on its own, and Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog #2 seconds that emotion.  Writer Rodney Barnes carries over the sharp historical, political, and religious commentary from an African-American perspective that defines much of Killadelphia.  However, Nita Hawes' life experience makes this comic book more personal and intimate.

Barnes uses Nita's life and dilemmas to drive this narrative, so Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is more like DC Comics' late, great Hellblazer, with its intimate focus on the series' lead, John Costantine.  Since DC screwed up Hellblazer, it is good to have Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog stalking the occult side of American comic books.

The beautiful art by well-BEE, with its illustrative qualities, is not only good storytelling, but it is also wonderfully moody, haunting, and imbued with evil.  As usual, Luis Nct's powerful colors come into to scare readers' asses even more.  And there is letterer Marshall Dillon, creeping around and delivering the sinister exposition of this story.  What a great creative team!

Of course, I will always recommend both Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog and Killadelphia, but you don't need to read the latter to cry for Nita's help.  This comic book can do good all by itself.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Killadelphia and of the original Hellblazer will want Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog.

A+

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


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/luisnct
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
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 © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Comics Review: "JAMES BOND: Himeros #3" is Cool

JAMES BOND: HIMEROS #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Pierluigi Minotti
COLORS: Adriano Augusto
LETTERS: Social Myth Studios
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Butch Guice; Francesco Francavilla
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2021)

Rated T+

Based on the characters and stories created by Ian Fleming

“James Bond” is a fictional British Secret Service agent created by Ian Fleming, a British writer and novelist.  Fleming introduced James Bond in the 1953 novel, Casino Royale, and featured the character in 12 novels and two short-story collections.  Of course, most people know Bond because of Eon Productions' long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books, but Dynamite Entertainment has been steadily publishing James Bond comic books since early 2016.  Their latest James Bond comic book is James Bond: Himeros.  It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Pierluigi Minotti; colored by Adriano Augusto; and lettered by Social Myth Studios.  In Himeros, 007 finds himself caught in a web of powerful people who will kill to keep their child sex trafficking secrets from coming to light.

James Bond: Himeros #3 opens in James Bond's memory – Thailand, three years ago.  He has dealt with sex traffickers in the past.  Now, he must uncover new horrors via billionaire financier and notorious sex trafficker, Richard Wilhelm, who was killed in Her Majesty's Prison Belmarsh, London.  But Wilhelm's secrets did not die with him.  

Now, Wilhelm's right hand man, Sarah Richmond, is the target of arms dealer, Anton Bates, who enjoyed the sex services Wilhelm provided and wants Richmond dead.  Bond is very good at what he does, including protection, but Bates' assassin Kino is proving hard to shake and more than capable of killing Richmond … and Bond.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is James Bond: Himeros #3, which is one of several Dynamite James Bond comic books I've read.

Writer Rodney Barnes has been slowly building this series.  In Himeros #3, he moves the story off simmer and throws some gasoline on the fire of that story.  From the rumbling volcano of a back story to the the race to escape Miami, Barnes deals in hot, hot, hot.

Last issue, artist Antonio Ruso's art and storytelling came at the readers like lightning-quick punches, capturing all the surprising kinetic action.  Now, the new artist, Pierluigi Minotti, comes with a can of gas to add to Barnes' fuel.  I like this change; it does not disrupt the story and Minotti's art has a style similar to the great Eduardo Risso's (100 Bullets).  Adriano Augusto's colors fit right in with the new artist, capturing both the moods of traditional James Bond fiction and the story's new heat.  “Himeros” is the Greek god of sexual desire, and after reading James Bond: Himeros #3,  dear readers, I desire that you desire it.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of James Bond comic books will want to try James Bond: Himeros.

A

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


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 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).

Comics Review: "DARK BLOOD #5" is Simply So Much Fun to Read

DARK BLOOD #5 (OF 6)
BOOM! STUDIOS

STORY: LaToya Morgan
ART:  Moisés Hidalgo
COLORS: A.H.G. with Allison Hu
LETTERS:  Andworld Design
EDITOR: Dafna Pleban
COVER: Valentine De Landro
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Juni Ba; Valentine De Landro; Ernanda Souza
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (December 2021)

Dark Blood created by LaToya Morgan

Dark Blood is a new six-issue comic book miniseries created and written by screenwriter LaToya Morgan (AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” “Into The Badlands”).  Published by BOOM! Studios, the series is drawn by Moisés Hidalgo and Walt Barna; colored by A.H.G.; and lettered by Andworld Design.  The series focuses on a Black World War II veteran who discovers that he has strange powers.

Alabama, 1955.  After leaving his job at the diner, “Hardy's Eats,” Avery Aldridge, also known as “Double A,” has a fateful encounter with a racist.  Double A is a highly decorated World War II soldier, a former fighter pilot, a member of the soon-to-be-legendary “Red Tails.”  He is expected to act like a boy … when he is actually a very powerful man.  But this is “The Night of the Variance,” and everything is going to start to change – even the things some don't want changed.

Dark Blood #5 opens in 1955 – the Night of the Variance.  But this night feels the weight of a time a decade earlier when World War II servicemen, Avery and Henderson, two pilots of the Red Tails, face injustice masquerading as justice in Austria.  Oh, how it resembles the same process of injustice in the United States.  What happened that night may have laid the groundwork for Avery's situation now.

What Avery discovered about himself six weeks before the Night of Variance seemed like a good thing, but this night, there is horror and there must be a reckoning.  As Avery's condition continues to manifest and become more intense, is his search for answers merely going to lead him to something far worse?

THE LOWDOWN:  In Dark Blood, television writer-producer LaToya Morgan (AMC's “TURN: Washington's Spies”) offers a comic book that flows through multiple genres, including science fiction and fantasy, horror, and history.  It has layers and subtexts.  There is metaphor and symbolism and history made reality.  Morgan presents her readers with a beautiful and complex work.

On the other hand, I see the art of Moisés Hidalgo, who has been the regular artist on this series since the third issue.  I read his signs and graphics and symbolism, and I realize that Dark Blood #5 is just so much fun to read.  I feel like a kid again discovering something every time I read a new comic book or new issue of a favorite series.  Even if I were too ignorant to figure out the layers behind this story, Hidalgo turns this tale into a wild adventure of mad scientists, Nazis, and rotten cops.  It is pure escapism, and ain't nothing wrong with that.  Hell, Dark Blood #5 is the magic and the mystery of the Golden Age of Comics before busybodies ruined this outsider art form with the “Comics Code Authority (CCA) in 1954.

A.H.G.'s beautiful colors on Hidalgo's art makes this vintage mode (so to speak) feel so real.  I hope the upcoming final issue of Dark Blood also has a touch of escapist entertainment in it.  I also hope that it isn't the end...

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of modern science fiction and dark fantasy comic books will want to drink Dark Blood.

A+

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


Dark Blood trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzzXIYr_FrA&feature=youtu.be
Dark Blood first loook: https://www.boom-studios.com/wordpress/archives/dark-blood-1-first-look/
https://twitter.com/MorganicInk
https://twitter.com/WaltBarna
https://twitter.com/AHGColor
https://twitter.com/andworlddesign

https://twitter.com/boomstudios
https://www.boom-studios.com/wordpress/
https://www.facebook.com/BOOMStudiosComics
https://www.instagram.com/boom_studios/


The text is copyright © 2021 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).

Comics Review: Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters – IG-88 #1

STAR WARS: WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS – IG-88 #1
MARVEL COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Guiu Vilanova
COLORS: Antonio Fabela
LETTERS: VC's Ariana Maher
EDITOR: Tom Groneman
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Mahmud Asrar with Matthew Wilson
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Ron Frenz and Tom Palmer with Nolan Woodard; Caspar Wijngaard; Ray-Anthony Height with Guru-eFX
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (December 2021)

Rated T

“Born to Kill”

Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters is a Marvel Comics Star Wars publishing event that is comprised of 34 individual comic books, published from May to October 2021.  The series invents a series of events that occur between the time bounty hunter, Boba Fett, collects Han Solo frozen in carbonite in 1980s The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back) and Fett's appearance in 1983's Return of the Jedi (Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi).

Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters – IG-88 #1 is the fourth of four “War of the Bounty Hunters” one-shot tie-ins that focus on the most notorious hunters and scoundrels of the Star Wars criminal underworld.  This comic book is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Guiu Vilanova; colored by Antonio Fabela; and lettered by Ariana Maher.

As Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters – IG-88 #1 (“Born to Kill”) opens, the droid, IG-88, who calls himself “the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy,” lies in the pieces.  [The reasons for this are shown in Darth Vader (2020) #17-18.]  Enter the cyborg, RB-919, who is a master at recommissioning droids.  He has been hired by Deva Lompop, the bounty hunter and member of the galactic criminal syndicate, Crimson Dawn, to restore IG-88.

Once IG-88 is back online he returns to being an advanced droid designed for death, destruction, and mayhem, flawless in design and possessing unparalleled weapons systems.  Lompop has a mission for the revived bounty hunter – find Boba Fett and steal Han Solo (frozen in carbonite) from him.  Can IG-88 find a strategy to overcome his old foe?  And what motivates him to come back from destruction time and again?

THE LOWDOWN:  Until I read Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters - IG-88 #1, I had not read a single issue of “War of the Bounty Hunters,” although I had initially planned to do so.  I am a fan of writer Rodney Barnes, so when I found out (via Twitter) that he'd written this tie-in comic book, I purchased a digital copy via comiXology.

Barnes doesn't disappoint.  I wondered if anyone could write a single-issue story that ties into “War of the Bounty Hunters” and that either illuminates IG-88's character or offers something new.  Barnes offers a credible tie-in and also a story that presents IG-88 as an intriguing character outside the main story.  Honestly, he seems more humanoid than droid, and he is an attractive character because he is both clever and homicidal.

I hugely enjoyed the art by Guiu Vilanova, which reminds me of 1990s Matt Wagner.  While stylish, Vilanova's art here conveys the edgy, violent nature of Barnes' story, while establishing a gritty sci-fi setting that recalls the original Star Wars film's Wild West vibes.  Antonio Fabela's colors light the story as if to bring together the sensibilities of Blade Runner and Star Wars.  Ariana Maher's lettering delineates this story's shifts and twists in a seamless fashion.

I will be a greedy fanboy and say that I wish there was more Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters - IG-88 #1.  I think Rodney Barnes and Guiu Vilanova could at least offer an enticing IG-88 miniseries.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Star Wars comic books will want Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters - IG-88 #1.

A

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


https://www.starwars.com/the-high-republic
https://twitter.com/Marvel
https://twitter.com/starwars
https://www.starwars.com/


The text is copyright © 2021 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 link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Comics Review: "JAMES BOND: Himeros #2"

JAMES BOND: HIMEROS #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Antonio Ruso
COLORS: Adriano Augusto
LETTERS: Social Myth Studios
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Butch Guice; Francesco Francavilla;
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2021)

Rated T+

Based on the characters and stories created by Ian Fleming

“James Bond” is a fictional British Secret Service agent created by Ian Fleming, a British writer and novelist.  Fleming introduced James Bond in the 1953 novel, Casino Royale, and featured the character in 12 novels and two short-story collections.  Of course, most people know Bond because of Eon Productions' long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books, but Dynamite Entertainment has been steadily publishing James Bond comic books since early 2016.  Their latest James Bond comic book is James Bond: Himeros.  It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Antonio Ruso; colored by Adriano Augusto; and lettered by Social Myth Studios.  In Himeros, 007 finds himself caught in a web of powerful people who will kill to keep their child sex trafficking secrets from coming to light.

James Bond: Himeros #2 opens on Wilhelm's Island in the South Pacific Ocean.  After billionaire financier and notorious sex trafficker, Richard Wilhelm, was killed in Her Majesty's Prison Belmarsh, London, it didn't mean that all his secrets died with him.  There is Wilhelm's right hand man, Sarah Richmond, and arms dealer, Anton Bates, who enjoyed the sex services Wilhelm provided, wants Richmond dead.  Enter MI6 agent, James Bond, ordered by his boss, M, to protect Richmond.

Wilhelm's Island proves to be a place of traps, and back in Florida Bond is wondering if he knows who activated those traps.  Meanwhile, someone comes calling for Richmond.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is James Bond: Himeros #2, which is one of several Dynamite James Bond comic books I've read.

As I have written many times previously, I am a huge fan of Himeros' writer, Rodney Barnes, because of his supreme vampire comic book, Killadelphia; his tragically canceled Marvel Comics series, Falcon; and his young Lando Calrissian comic book, Star Wars: Lando.  He recently dropped Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog, from Image Comics, which has huge upside, judging by the first issue.  Barnes keeps me in his harem of readers with some lovely action in Himeros #2, especially because he includes a classic 007 element of thrills.

Antonio Ruso's art and storytelling come at the readers like lightning-quick punches, capturing all the surprising kinetic action.  Adriano Augusto's colors capture the exotic settings and moods of traditional James Bond fiction, but this time, he also offers the hues of fast and furious.  “Himeros” is the Greek god of sexual desire, and after reading James Bond: Himeros #2,  dear readers, I think you will desire this series also.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of James Bond comic books will want to try James Bond: Himeros.

A

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


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 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).

Comics Review: GREY. Chapter 6

GREY. CHAPTER 6
THE GREY ROOM

STORY: Kris Hornett
ART: Ardee Arollado
EDITOR: Lisa Taylor
COVER: Annie Chrome
36pp, B&W, $10.00 U.S. (print), $5.99 U.S. (September 2021)

Age Rating: 15+ Only

Chapter 6: The H Word

Grey is an independent comic book series from writer Kris Hornett and artist Ardee Arollado.  Published by The Grey Room, Grey is a hybrid, a combination of an American comic book format and Japanese manga.  Grey is similar to what was once called “OEL manga” or “original English language” manga.  These were American graphic novels in which the storytelling borrowed or mimicked the aesthetics and sensibilities of Japanese manga (comics).

Grey is set in the realm of Ketiyama (apparently an archipelago) and takes place some time after an event known as “the Sonoma Incident.”  This outbreak of the lethal “Moon Virus” on Nacirema, one of Ketiyama's islands, led to chaos, destruction, and division.  As a sign of good faith and as a last attempt to restore order, the ruling Board of Officials allowed the people to elect a team of highly trained tactical agents, known as “the Bureau,” to serve and protect them.  Within the Bureau is an elite unit known as “Nimbus.”  The members of this team of five agents are sworn to maintain moral balance and to enforce the law.  These agents are also able to manipulate their “prana” (“life energy”).

The agents of Nimbus are Samara Asuhara, Kouken Masimuto, Shuyin Hagamuri, Manu Yagyu, and Kale Schaefer.  Belisia Asuhara, Samara's sister, is their handler and the creator of Nimbus.

Grey Chapter 6 opens as Samara, Kouken, and Shuyin enter “the Sea of Trees” in their search for the kidnapped Asuka Yagyu.  This place is the subject of numerous urban legends, including tales of people committing suicide after the trees force them to relive their biggest regrets.

Once she is separated from Kouken and Shuyin, Samara finds the sea takes a toll on her.  She begins to relive her life before Nimbus.  Samara recalls her time with a friend and with the friend's brother who becomes her lover.  And Samara also realizes why she isn't a “hero,” so how will this affect the current rescue mission?

THE LOWDOWN:  The Grey Room has released the first trade paperback collection of Grey, entitled Grey: Volume 1.  This TPB reprints Grey Chapters 1 to 5, as well as, Chapter 3.5: Astrid and Chapter 4.5: The Right Thing, both “special release chapters.”  I think this collection is the best way to read the series up to that point, as it will reinforce to readers how conceptually well-developed Grey is.

Meanwhile, Grey. Chapter 6 is available to readers.  As I have previously written, when readers start from the beginning, they discover that the world in which Grey is set has a complex history.  Readers get to watch the authors build a world in front of them and also to experience some other elements of the series, such as its engaging mysteries and sense of discovery.

In addition to the complex nature of the narrative, Grey also offers strong characters – lead and supporting – as can be seen in Grey Chapter 6.  While ostensibly about a rescue, Chapter 6 is a deeply intimate portrait of the character, Samara Asuhara.  Writer Kris Hornett does this by examining Samara's actions in the past, which are quite shocking and illuminating.  I give Hornett credit for his willingness to give his characters an edginess, a merger of the light and the dark which creates a … gray area to be explored.

Hornett does not treat his characters as if they were delicate pastries with multiple layers of tastiness.  Grey characters are crunchy with complex flavors and who knows what the aftertaste will be.  Grey is not a world of plush figures.  If the characters had to be toys, they would have sharp edges and come with warning labels on the packaging.

In Grey Chapter 6, Ardee Arollado's art, which becomes more polished with each chapter, captures the surreal nature of the flashback as well as its melodrama of deadly machinations.  His page design, with its large panels and expressive faces, conveys power to the reader, giving Chapter 6 a hypnotic quality.

So, once again I heartily recommend Grey to you, dear readers.  With a first trade paperback and the newly released Grey Chapter 6, this is a good time to come on in.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of manga-inspired comic books and of good science fiction comic books will want to read Grey.

A

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


Digital issues of Grey can be found at comiXology: https://www.comixology.com/Grey/comics-publisher/20880-0.  Readers can also purchase all issues of the series and the new first trade collection, Grey: Volume 1 at https://thegreyroom.org/.

https://thegreyroom.org/
https://www.instagram.com/thegreyroom_/
Kris Hornett: https://twitter.com/Hornett_
Lisa Taylor: https://twitter.com/Persuasion513
https://www.instagram.com/kero.beroz/?hl=en


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Comics Review: "Nita Hawes NIGHTMARE Blog #1" - Got It in My Blood

NITA HAWES' NIGHTMARE BLOG #1
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander
ART: Jason Shawn Alexander and Patric Reynolds
COLORS: Luis Nct with mar and Silvestre Galotto
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: well-BEE
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jason Shawn Alexander; Francesco Mattina; Patric Reynolds with Luis Nct
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (October 2021)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“The Fire Next Time” Part I: “Walking Into Shadows”

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is a new comic book series created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander.  It is a spin-off of their hit dark fantasy and vampire comic book series, Killadelphia (Image Comics).  Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog is written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Patric Reynolds; colored by Luis Nct; and lettered by Marshall Dillon.  The series focuses on a woman who is on a quest to root out the evil in her city.

Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog #1 (“Walking Into Shadows”) opens in Baltimore, Maryland.  Some call it “Bodymore, Murderland,” and it still is the home of Edgar Allan Poe and Freddie Gray.  We meet Dawnita “Nita” Hawes, the ex-lover of Jimmy Sangster, Jr., who has moved on from Baltimore to the vampire killing fields of Philadelphia a.k.a. “Killadelphia.”

But one does not need to leave Baltimore to find evil, which lurks the streets, adding more bodies to the name “Bodymore.”  For instance, Corson, a demon, has surfaced from the underworld and has possessed a once-wronged man.  Now, Corson's vengeance will come at the cost of humanity's despair.  Luckily for Baltimore, there is “Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog” where citizens can contact Nita, who has begun a quest to root the evil out of her city – with the help of dead brother, Jason.

THE LOWDOWN:  Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog may be Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander's spin-off of their hit horror comic book, Killadelphia, but they quickly establish the new comic book as its own thing.  Sister is doing it for herself, indeed.

Although Killadelphia is steeped in vampires, the series' river of blood begins in the poison waters of a highly-dysfunctional father-son relationship.  The narrative and plot elements are edgy and hard.  For Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog, writer Rodney Barnes offers Dawnita Hawes' wellspring of guilt and grief.  The narrative, at least this first chapter, is intimate – painfully so – and interior.  I think that by bringing in Nita's dead brother, Jason, a child killed by the “collateral damage” of American gun violence, as the voice in her head, Barnes forces readers to deal with Nita's existential crisis.  Next to that, we also get to enjoy some horror violence via Baltimore existential crisis – demons slicin', dicin', and choppin' up some human meat.

The art and graphical storytelling by Jason Shawn Alexander and Patric Reynolds bring that interplay of the intimate and the horror to life in the muted shades of Nita and in the hard-boiled gore of demonic homicide.  Alexander and Reynolds' art recalls the gloomy and imaginative art of the comic books that would give birth to DC Comics' Vertigo imprint:  Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, and The Sandman.

Luis Nct and his color team heighten the surreal and melodramatic moods of Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog #1.  Also, I think that Marshall Dillon's lettering gives this first issue what it needs, the sense of a soundtrack full of spooky sounds.  And I love it.  I hadn't even realized that this was Barnes and Alexander's new Killadelphia-related title until a few days ago.  Now, I am happy to recommend it to you, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Killadelphia will want Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog.

A+

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


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/luisnct
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
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 © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Comics Review: "DARK BLOOD #4" is Hungry Like the Wolf

DARK BLOOD #4 (OF 6)
BOOM! STUDIOS

STORY: LaToya Morgan
ART:  Moisés Hidalgo
COLORS: A.H.G.
LETTERS:  Andworld Design
EDITOR: Dafna Pleban
COVER: Valentine De Landro
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Juni Ba; Valentine De Landro; Jonboy Meyers
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (October 2021)

Dark Blood created by LaToya Morgan

Dark Blood is a new six-issue comic book miniseries created and written by screenwriter LaToya Morgan (AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” “Into The Badlands”).  Published by BOOM! Studios, the series is drawn by Walt Barna and Moisés Hidalgo; colored by A.H.G.; and lettered by Andworld Design.  The series focuses on a Black World War II veteran who discovers that he has strange new abilities.

Alabama, 1955.  After leaving his job at the diner, “Hardy's Eats,” Avery Aldridge, also known as “Double A,” has a fateful encounter with a racist.  Double A is a highly decorated World War II soldier, a former fighter pilot, a member of the soon-to-be-legendary “Red Tails.”  He is expected to act like a boy … when he is actually a very powerful man.  But this is “The Night of the Variance,” and everything is going to start to change – even the things some don't want changed.

Dark Blood #4 opens in 1955 – the Night of the Variance.  Avery is on the run with Sheriff Wright closing in on him.  Avery is certain that the police have blamed him for an accidental death that occurred behind the diner where he works.  His younger brother, Theodore “Theo” Aldridge, is waiting for him, and li'l bro will be shocked by what Avery has to reveal.

Those revelations include what happened ten years ago in World War II – behind enemy lines – when Avery had an encounter with ... werewolves.  Can Avery clear his name and find out what's really happening to him?

THE LOWDOWN:  I thought that the term “Nazi werewolves” was merely some B-movie or cheap sci-fi/horror trope.  Though Pocket, the reading list service, I discovered Lorraine Boissoneault's article for Smithsonian Magazine that detailed the World War II guerrilla fighters referred to by that name.

In Dark Blood, television writer-producer LaToya Morgan (AMC's “TURN: Washington's Spies”) offers a comic book that flows through multiple genres, including science fiction and fantasy, horror, and history.  It is a reality-based drama that treads the borders of the fantastic the way Rod Serling did in his legendary TV series, “The Twilight Zone.”

On the other hand, Dark Blood #4 throws readers into the thrill of the hunt, as two similar kinds of human wolves hunt Avery, ten years apart.  In this way, Morgan reminds us that there are thrills, chills, and action flowing in Dark Blood.  Like EC Comics' famous war comics titles, Frontline Combat and Two-Fisted Tales, Dark Blood drops readers behind enemy lines into the treachery and menace of war.  In 1955, as Avery eludes his pursuers, fans may be reminded that there is nothing like the thrill of watching an unsuspecting person wander into the Twilight Zone and end up being hunted.

In Dark Blood #4, Moisés Hidalgo, who also drew issue #3, delivers the kind of comic book storytelling that will have readers burning through the pages, and rereading much of the it.  The naturalism of his illustrative style keeps the story from being constrained by time.  What happens is more important than when it happened, making the story feel timeless.  In a sense, what occurs in Dark Blood #4 is always an occurrence – to one person and another, at one time and another.

A.H.G.'s beautiful colors on Hidalgo's art brings forth the power of this story, and for me, it's like riding lightning through Avery's (mis)adventures.  As usual, Andworld Design's lettering throws gasoline on the fire.

So, dear readers, at least you who need a change from what you read every month, here it is.  Like Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander's Killadelphia (Image Comics), Dark Blood is the … new blood your imaginations need.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of modern science fiction and dark fantasy comic books will want to drink Dark Blood.

A+

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


Dark Blood trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzzXIYr_FrA&feature=youtu.be
Dark Blood first loook: https://www.boom-studios.com/wordpress/archives/dark-blood-1-first-look/
https://twitter.com/MorganicInk
https://twitter.com/WaltBarna
https://twitter.com/AHGColor
https://twitter.com/andworlddesign

https://twitter.com/boomstudios
https://www.boom-studios.com/wordpress/
https://www.facebook.com/BOOMStudiosComics
https://www.instagram.com/boom_studios/


The text is copyright © 2021 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).

Comics Review: "KILLADELPHIA #18" - The Revolutions Begins

KILLADELPHIA #18
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Jason Shawn Alexander
PENCILS: Christopher Mitten (pp. 21-23)
COLORS: Luis Nct
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Simon Bisley
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (October 2021)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia and Elysium Gardens created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“Home is Where the Hatred Is” Part VI: “The End of Things”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander and is published by Image Comics.  At the center of this series is a police officer caught in a lurid conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia, “the City of Brotherly Love.”  Colorist Luis Nct and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr. and his father, revered Philadelphia homicide detective, James Sangster, Sr., thought to be dead.  He is actually a vampire.  Now father and son lead a ragtag team comprised of a medical examiner, a dead president, and a rebellious, but special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”) in a bid to save Philly from an ambitious and murderous former First Lady.

As Killadelphia #18 (“The End of Things”) opens, Abigail Adams and her vampire hordes and legions are tearing Philadelphia apart and tearing through its human citizens.  Meanwhile, back at the heroes' ranch, Anansi is ready to bounce, but at least he is offering some parting words of wisdom.

James Sr. is determined that Jim Jr. and Jose's unborn child – his grandchild – have a better life than he got and than what he gave Jim Jr.  So, he's off to battle … with a few friends.  There's no way they can survive Abigail Adams, so they need allies...  The reckoning for a city and a nation is finally at hand, but are all the players on the board?

THE LOWDOWN:  Killadelphia's third story arc, “Home is Where the Hatred Is,” comes to an end.  I thought that this would be the story arc that most reveals the complexities and multiple layers of Killadelphia.  I thought it would be the one that reveals this series as more dark fantasy than mere vampire comic book.  And it is.

I think I do need a break from the series.  I have run up against a rhetorical wall.  What more can I say?  Every issue I read impresses me and inspires me to create my own fiction.  So I need a few months breather before I take on the next glorious arc and more Rodney Barnes.  I'll have extra time to mine the dictionary for new words of praise and glorification.  Can you imagine what Barnes' Falcon comic book series would have been if Marvel Comics had not canceled it?

As for artist Jason Shawn Alexander:  Jason’s art continues to astound me.  He is just beyond talented.  Isn't it crazy or coincidental that we feel the say way about Jason, Mr. Barnes?  Seriously, Jason's art in this closer is like the best of elements of 1960s and 70s horror comic books, Hammer Films, and Bill Sienkiewicz – all brought together in a way only Jason can do.

Colorist Luis Nct, who has always done great work on this series, lost his mind and created a comic book coloring masterpiece in Killadelphia #18.  Marshall Dillon's lettering brings peace to the story, or at least enough so that we can read through the madness.  And I credit artist Chris Mitten for bringing his “A game” so that his guest art here blends in without a bump.

I'll end this review by saying that Killadelphia #18 is yet another chance for readers to get in now on the best of the best.  However, even if you get far behind, dear readers, it will be such fun to catch up.

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

[This issue includes an afterword by Rodney Barnes.]

A+

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


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/luisnct
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
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 © 2021 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).

Comics Review: "JAMES BOND: Himeros #1" Hits You With Its Best Shot

JAMES BOND: HIMEROS #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Antonio Ruso
COLORS: Adriano Augusto
LETTERS: Social Myth Studios
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Butch Guice; Francesco Francavilla;
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2021)

Rated T+

Based on the characters and stories created by Ian Fleming

“James Bond” is a fictional British Secret Service agent created by Ian Fleming, a British writer and novelist.  Fleming introduced James Bond in the 1953 novel, Casino Royale, and featured the character in 12 novels and two short-story collections.  Of course, most people know Bond because of Eon Productions' long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books, but Dynamite Entertainment has been steadily publishing James Bond comic books since early 2016.  Their latest James Bond comic book is James Bond: Himeros.  It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Antonio Ruso; colored by Adriano Augusto; and lettered by Social Myth Studios.  In Himeros, 007 finds himself caught in a web of powerful people who will kill to keep their child sex trafficking secrets from coming to light.

James Bond: Himeros #1 opens in Her Majesty's Prison Belmarsh, London.  Richard Wilhelm is imprisoned there.  He is the billionaire financier infamous for trafficking underage children from various parts of the world to his secret island in the South Pacific.  Before long, he is dead, and while he was murdered, the public is told that he died by suicide.

At MI6, M has called Agent James Bond to find Wilhelm's right hand man, Sarah Richmond, and bring her to London before the people that killed her boss kill her.  However, Anton Bates, the man who ordered Wilhelm killed, is well-connected to very powerful people, and he hires the best killers...

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is James Bond: Himeros #1, which is one of several Dynamite James Bond comic books I've read.

I am a huge fan of Himeros' writer, Rodney Barnes, because of his supreme vampire comic book, Killadelphia; his tragically canceled Marvel Comics series, Falcon; and his young Lando Calrissian comic book, Star Wars: Lando.  Barnes is very good at creating comic book stories in which the characters face tremendous consequences and have a lot to lose.  Barnes' narratives are also fueled a sense of dread and of menace.

Antonio Ruso's art and storytelling comes at the readers like lightning-quick punches, and Adriano Augusto colors capture the exotic settings and moods of traditional James Bond fiction.  “Himeros” is the Greek god of sexual desire, and after reading James Bond: Himeros #1, you will desire it, dear readers, and desire more.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of James Bond comic books will want to try James Bond: Himeros.

A

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


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 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).