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Vatican City is a new three-issue Millarworld miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. It is created and written by Mark Millar and drawn, colored, and lettered by Per Berg. Vatican City is set in a world overrun by vampires, except for Vatican City, which is the main target of the vampires.
Vatican City finds the vampire race revealing itself for the first time in ages. Their goal is “Vatican City,” the independent city-state within Rome, Italy that is the government of the “Holy See” (the Pope and the Papacy). Now, Guido Cavelti, recently of the Swiss Air Force, leads the human resistance to an invasion of monsters determined to get something that is buried deep beneath Vatican City.
Vatican City #2 opens in Russia and China, which seem to be among the last strongholds of human resistance against a vampire takeover of the world. Meanwhile, the siege of Vatican City continues as legions of vampires wait outside, afraid of the holy relics with the city.
This is something buried beneath the Vatican itself, and the vampires want it more than they want the human blood inside. What they don't know is that Guido Cavelti has decided that the humans inside need to make a last stand, and he is going to use the vampire's prize to make that stand.
THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest received is Vatican City #2.
Millar continues to throw his readers right into the action with this second issue. As always, Millar's action is a bracing action – filled with equal parts thrills and chills. I don't want to spoil anything, but, of course, there was a shocking surprise to close out the first issue, and Millar also offers the shocking retaliation that defines this second issue.
The art, colors, and letters by Per Berg (also known as Per Darwin Berg or by the pen name, “Narwhal”) are both representational and impressionistic, possibly because Berg is depicting a world that is rapidly shifting from the natural to the supernatural. One thing that Berg's storytelling certainly does is create the sense of rapid breakdown and hopelessness, which are perfect modes for apocalyptic fiction. Berg wants the reader to guess at what is happening more than know what is happening. In this second issue, Berg's impressionistic and psychological storytelling wants readers to feel humanity's struggle and resistance.
Millar and Berg gave readers a reason to come back for the second issue, and now, they've given us a reason to come back for the bloody third and final issue. I suggest that you do so, dear readers.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar, of vampire comic books, and of horror apocalypse will want to read Vatican City.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGEand BUY something(s).
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 22 of 2025 (No. 2028) by Leroy Douresseaux
The Wonderful Live of Henry Sugar (2023) – Live-Action Short Film
Running time: 40 minutes
MPA – PG for smoking
DIRECTOR: Wes Anderson
WRITER: Wes Anderson (based on the short story by Roald Dahl)
PRODUCERS: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, and Steven Rales
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Yeoman (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Andrew Weisblum and Barney Pilling
Academy Award winner
SHORT FILM – FANTASY and COMEDY/DRAMA
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade
Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a 2023 American live-action, fantasy and comedy-drama short film from director Wes Anderson. It is based on the 1977 short story, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” by Roald Dahl. [For this review, I will refer to the film as The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.] After a film festival debut and a limited theatrical release, the film began streaming on Netflix as a “Netflix Original” on September 27, 2023. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar the movie focuses mainly on the story of Henry Sugar whose life changes when he reads a story about a clairvoyant guru.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar opens in the writing hut of author Roald Dahl (Ralph Fiennes), who tells the tale of Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch). “Henry Sugar” is the pseudonym of a 41-year-old white man, a bachelor who inherited a fortune from his late father. Henry has never worked a day in his life and wanders the world aimlessly living the life of a useless rich man. While visiting the estate of his friend, “Sir William W,” Henry comes across a blue notebook containing the writings of Z Z Chatterjee (Dev Patel), the head surgeon at Lords and Ladies Hospital in Calcutta.
Chatterjee tells the story of his encounter with Imdad Kahn (Ben Kingsley), who is part of a traveling circus. Imdad is billed as “the man who sees without his eyes,” but before Imdad became this “clairvoyant guru,” he had an encountered with someone special. And the story of what happened to Imdad after this encounter will change Henry Sugar's life.
In anticipation of director Wes Anderson's new film, The Phoenician Scheme (2025), I decided to catch up on Anderson's films that I have not yet seen and re-watch some I'd previously seen. I'm also working on a “10 Best” list of Anderson's films.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is the second time Anderson has adapted a work by author Roald Dahl. The other was 2009's primarily stop-motion animated film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, which was based on Dahl's 1970 children's book, Fantastic Mr. Fox. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is also one of four live-action short films directed by Anderson and based on Dahl's work. Netflix released the four of them as the anthology film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More, in March 2024.
Like Anderson's brilliant 2021 film, The French Dispatch, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is an exercise in Anderson's distinctive style of storytelling, featuring his particular visual aesthetic. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar looks like a mixture of a stage play performed on a series of shifting sets that are similar to dioramas, jewel boxes, and cabinets of curiosities. I think that The French Dispatch, thus far, is the ultimate expression of Anderson's style only because The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is only thirty-seven percent as long as The French Dispatch in terms of runtime.
With a main cast that is comprised of Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade, there are bound to be good performances. However, these are also the kinds of actors that both fit in and rise above being mere figurines in Anderson's panoramas or in any other “auteur's” work for that matter.
As for the film, Anderson offers a charming parable of spiritual growth that has a fairy tale, once-upon-a-time quality. I am sure that fans of Wes Anderson's films (like myself) will consider The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar special. People not familiar with the last 20 years of Anderson's filmmaking may not care for this... cup of sugar.
7 of 10
A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars
Saturday, May 17, 2025
NOTES:
2024 Academy Awards, USA: 1 win: “Best Live Action Short Film” (Wes Anderson and Steven Rales)
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Rafael Albuquerque; Jae Lee with June Chung
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (May 2025)
Rated 18+
Huck created by Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque
Huck: Big Bad World is a new six-issue comic book miniseries created by writer Mark Millar and artist Rafael Albuquerque. Published by Dark Horse Comics, it is a sequel to the 2015-16 miniseries, Huck. Both series focus on Huck, an autistic man with extraordinary powers who tries to do one good deed every day. Colorist Dave McCaig and letterer Clem Robins complete the creative team.
Huck: Big Bad World #1 opens in Ukraine, 1976. What does this vision have to do with the past of Huck's mother, Anna Polina Marianna Kozar? Now, a mysterious man, Dr. Jack Harper, has arrived to tell Anna that she and her son are not the only super-people out there and that there are others in hiding that are just like them.
Meanwhile, Huck is on a rescue mission. When he returns home, however, he will need to rescue his relationship with Zoe Fox.
THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest received is Huck: Big Bad World #1.
I recently finished reading Huck Volume 1, the trade collection of the first miniseries. While writer Mark Millar picks up where he left off, Huck: Big Bad World veers into darker narrative territory. What Millar gave us in the first miniseries was just a sampler of the dark and complicated history and back story of Anna Kozar. This first issue intrigues by referencing the tone of the first, but mainly by taking us into a sinister realm.
The storytelling by artist Rafael Albuquerque conveys the darker turn of the story. It is almost as if Albuquerque is giving Huck the mood of one of those gloomy fairy tales from the world of Mike Mignola's comic book hero, Hellboy. Dave McCaig's outstanding coloring for the first issue sets the striking tone that there is more on the line here than in the previous series. As always the lettering by Clem Robins is a mood embellisher.
Wow, I really liked Huck Volume 1, and this first issue of Huck: Big Bad Day does not disappoint. I have really bought into it, and I'd really like to hurt Jimbo Burke. Yeah, this first issue got me into my feelies and made me pay attention.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar and of the first Huck series will want to try Huck: Big Bad World.
A+
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGEand BUY something(s).
Huck created by Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque
Book One: All-American
Huck was a six issue comic book miniseries created by writer Mark Millar and artist Rafael Albuquerque. Originally published from 2015 to 2016, Huck focused on a man who lives in a small town from where he anonymously travels the world doing good deeds and acts of kindness and mercy using his super powers. The series was first collected as a trade paperback graphic novel in 2016.
Huck Volume 1 opens in rural Maine. In a quiet seaside town, there are picket fences, farms, old-fashioned gas stations, and everyone knows everyone. Life is a good, and it is made better by Huck, a 34-year-old young man of mysterious origins. He humbly works at a gas station, but he has special gifts and physical abilities. Each day, he uses his gifts, such as super-strength, to do a good deed.
His neighbors return his favors by keeping Huck's abilities a secret, but a newcomer to the town – in the form of Diane Davis – sees money in revealing Huck to the media. Now, Huck is about to discover that his past had an eye on the future – a dark future of beings like him.
THE LOWDOWN: Millarwold and Netflix provide me with PDF review copies of their publications and have been doing so for several years now. I recently requested a copy of Huck Volume 1 in anticipation of Huck: Big Bad World #1, which is due in May 14, 2025.
When one considers writer Mark Millar's previous work on his creator owned series like Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Nemesis, it is not unreasonable to be shocked that Millar could write a comic book like Huck: All-American. By turns sweet and sentimental, the first issue, Huck #1, almost seems like a fanciful retelling of the early years of Clark Kent. However, it goes by way of Mayberry of former CBS sitcom, “The Andy Griffith Show,” more so than by way of Superman's Metropolis. Millar tries to create the spirit of genuine Americana, and he pulls it off in a way that is different from the way two boys from Cleveland (writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster) did it.
I initially had mixed feelings about artist Rafael Albuquerque's work on Huck #1. Albuquerque is both a distinctive stylist and storyteller, but almost a decade ago, I found his work in that first issue to be flat. Now, I find Albuquerque's art to be a revelation. Huck Volume 1 is a revelation.
Albuquerque's work in the entirety of Huck is glorious. He really depicts and captures the spirit of Huck for which Millar is aiming. Huck is not so much about good versus evil as it is about people who tirelessly do for others versus people who perpetually hurt and destroy others for their own personal gain. Dave McCaig's colors convey Huck's spirit of human goodness. The lettering by Nate Piekos is classic comics cool and gives the story a vintage 1980s sci-fi movie aesthetic.
Wow! I love this first volume of Huck. I would never go against the Moonstone family and the The Magic Order, but Huck is close to being my favorite Millarworld comic book. I must have really been having a bad time in life back when Huck was originally published to have felt so “meh” about it. [Actually, there was an awful lot of family melodrama back then. It was other people's problems, and I was letting it constantly drag me down.] Anyway, the first issue of the new series, Huck: Big Bad World, is about to drop. I think I'm in a better mood to receive Huck this time.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar and Millarworld titles will want to read Huck Volume 1.
[This volume includes a section of Rafael Albuquerque's character designs, layouts, and inked art.]
A+
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The HUCK VOLUME 1 trade paperback is available at Amazon.
Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGEand BUY something(s).
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TREATS: From AnotherCookie?: There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.
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NEWS:
TELEVISION - From Deadline: Fox Entertainment has tapped actor Josh Charles as the star of "Best Medicine," its remake of the popular British television series, "Doc Martin."
From Variety: NBC has cancelled its new legal drama, "Suits LA," the second spinoff of the former USA Network legal drama, "Suits" (2011-19).
RELIGION - From CNN: 69-year-old Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, Illinois has been elected the 267th pope of the Catholic Church. Cardinal Prevost has taken the name "Pope Leo XIV." He is the first pope from the United States.
POLITICS - From Variety: Actor Jon Voight talks in broad terms about the plan he is spearheading with President Donald Trump to "save Hollywood."
NETFLIX - From YahooEndgadget: Netflix is undergoing its first major redesign in a major overhaul of its television interface.
APPLE - From Variety: Spike Lee has released the first trailer for his A24 and Apple-backed crime thriller, “Highest 2 Lowest.” The film stars Denzel Washington, A$AP Rocky, Jeffrey Wright, and more. The movie will be released in theaters August 22, 2025 and then, stream on Apple TV+ starting September 5, 2025. “Highest 2 Lowest” is loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s film, “High and Low” (1963). Both films are reinterpretations of Ed McBain’s 1959 mystery novel “King’s Ransom” (which was part of his "87th Precinct" series).
BOX OFFICE - BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 5/2 to 5/4/2025 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel Studios' "Thunderbolts*" with an estimated take of 76 million dollars.
From Deadline: The advanced ticket sales for Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" film, which is set for a May 23rd release, seem to be quite high.
TELEVISON - From THR: Queen Latifah responds to the recent announcement that it was cancelling her CBS action series, "The Equalizer," after five seasons by teasing her next project. The last episode of the series is scheduled to air tonight, Sunday, May 4th, 2025.
From Deadline: The Comcast-owned NBCUniversal recently went through two major changes. First, there is "SpinCo," the new spinoff standalone company that will house cable networks such as E!, Syfy, Oxygen and USA Network. Then, there is the restructure that saw new roles for top executives including Pearlena Igbokwe and Frances Berwick. Now, news site "Deadline" is reporting that NBCUniversal is now starting a process of layoffs tied to these moves.
OBITS:
From CartoonBrew: American animator and musician, Jim Smith, has died at the age of 70, Friday, May 2, 2025. Smith is best known for co-founding the American animation studio, "Spumco," with John Kricfalusi, Bob Camp, and Lynne Naylor. His best known work was on such animated television series as "Tiny Toon Adventures," "The Ren & Stimpy Show," and "Samurai Jack."
From Deadline: The American actor, Charley Scalies, has died at the age of 84, Thursday, May 1, 2025. Scalies was best known for his character roles on such television series as "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and "The Wire."
From Variety: American actor, comedian, and voice performer, Ruth Buzzi, has died at the age of 88, Thursday, May 1, 2025. Buzzi is best known for her work on the former NBC sketch comedy series, "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (1968-73). Buzzi also had a long stint on PBS' "Sesame Street" (1993-2008). As a voice actor, Buzzi has roles on such animated series as "Pound Puppies," "Darkwing Duck," and "Cro," to name a few. Buzzi received five Primetime Emmy nominations for her work on "Laugh-In."
Vatican City is a new Millarworld miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. It is created and written by Mark Millar and drawn, colored, and lettered by Per Berg. Vatican City is set in a world overrun by vampires, except for Vatican City, which is the main target of the vampires.
Vatican City #1 opens in Princeton, New Jersey. There, Professor Derrida is about to discover that he is to play a key role in a vampire plot that is steadily taking over the world.
A few hours later, Guido Cavelti, recently of the Swiss Air Force, is in Vatican City, the independent city-state within Rome, Italy that is the government of the “Holy See” (the Pope and the Papacy). Cavelti is there to be interviewed about a position with the Swiss Guard, the security that protects the Pope and the Apostolic Palace.
Before he knows it, however, Cavelti is in the middle of a rescue operation, trying to save everyone inside Vatican City. There is an invasion of monsters just outside its borders.
THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest received is Vatican City #1.
While reading this, I thought of a few apocalyptic and vampire films to which Vatican City #1 has at least a passing resemblance – in one way or another. That includes 28 Days Later (2002), I Am Legend (2007), Daybreakers (2009), to name a few. Of course, Vatican City's writer, Mark Millar, has dealt with vampires before, as he has did when he launched his wonderful vampire-as-superheroes franchise with Night Club #1.
Millar throws the readers right into the action, and as always, Millar action is bracing action – filled with equal parts thrills and chills. I don't want to spoil anything, but, of course, there is a shocking surprise to close out this first issue.
The art, colors, and letters by Per Berg (also known as Per Darwin Berg or by the pen name, “Narwhal”) are both representational and impressionistic, possibly because Berg is depicting a world that is rapidly shifting from the natural to the supernatural. One thing that Berg's storytelling certainly does is create the sense of rapid breakdown and hopelessness, which are perfect modes for apocalyptic fiction. Berg wants the reader to guess at what is happening more than know what is happening.
Well, Millar and Berg have certainly given readers a reason to come back for the second issue. I suggest that you do so, dear readers.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar, of vampire comic books, and of horror apocalypse will want to read Vatican City.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGEand BUY something(s).
The Magic Order 5 is a six-issue miniseries from writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni. This is the fifth installment of The Magic Order series, which began with the 2018-19 miniseries written by Millar and drawn by Olivier Coipel. The Magic Order is a band of sorcerers, magicians, and wizards – with a focus on the Moonstone family and its leader, Cordelia Moonstone – that live ordinary lives by day, but protect humanity from darkness and monsters of impossible sizes by night. Colorist Giovanna Niro and letterer Clem Robins complete the series creative team.
The Magic Order 5 finds Cordelia preparing for her death – the punishment for using black magic (back in Volume 1). However, a new case has dropped itself in front of her, but it all may be a front for some really bad people trying to collect the price on Cordelia's head. Cordelia Moonstone is going to die soon... and there's nothing she can do about it. The end is coming in a matter of days.
The Magic Order 5 #5 opens in The Magic Order's new headquarters in Chicago. There, Clyde Bailey (the wizard who ended up with three demons inside him) and ten other wizards will try to save Cordelia from an assassination attempt by the magical world's most attractive bounty hunter. She has been sent by her mother, Sister Moon, at the behest of “the Fellowship of the Bell.”
Led by Grandmaster Samuel Mott, this splinter group has finally come into possession of the “Bell” that will summon the Fellowship's ancient gods. And Mott does not want Cordelia in his way. Cordelia has escaped death countless times, but who is going to save the master escape artist this time? Or will she have to save herself?
THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest received is The Magic Order V #5.
It is possible for each issue of The Magic Order 5 to be crazier than the previous issue, and I know that because issue #4 was nuttier than issue #3. Issue #5 decides that instead of being crazy, it's simply going to toss up a hook shot of a revelation. The Magic Order, which has always been slickly produced, offers fight comics fun, as writer Mark Millar prepares for the big finale next issue.
Line by line, artist Matteo Buffagni has created in The Magic Order V a world of such fearsome darkness, treacherous magic, and magical treachery that mesmerizes the reader. However, Buffagni can also make explosions that bring a kind of action movie mania to this series, which he does this time. The glorious hues of Giovanna Niro turn this chapter into a symphony of pyrotechnics and thrilling chases. As always, Clem Robins uses his lettering to create a soundtrack of destruction.
The Magic Order 5 is plotting something mind-bending; that I know, dear readers. Don't miss the twenty-first century's best American comic book about wizards and sorcerers. It's a shame that this is supposedly the final entry in the series.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar and of The Magic Order will want to read The Magic Order 5.
A+
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGEand BUY something(s).
Night Club II is a six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez. A Dark Horse Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club II is a sequel to the 2023 miniseries, Night Club. Both series focus on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition. Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club II's creative team.
Night Club II focuses on 17-year-old Danny Garcia. After being turned into a vampire, he passed his new found powers unto his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen. Now, they're the superheroes: Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), and Yellowbird (Amy). But jealousy has broken up this vampire-superhero trio and opened the door to a disaster of newer, more nihilistic and narcissistic vampires.
Night Club II #6 opens with the reconciliation of Danny, Sam, and Amy. But now, it's time for this trio to settle the war with Risso, Kendra, and their vampire gang. The problem is that the gang may be a wee bit larger than our heroes think it is.
In this shocking conclusion to the second volume, heroes are dead and villains are triumphant. One thing about vampire stories, however, is that even the coldest and most rotting corpses might not stay dead for long.
THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest received is Night Club II #6.
Mark Millar closes out Night Club II with a bang, and though it is full of blood and gore, Issue #6 closes out the series with a sly grin. This issue may be the most humor-infused yet, or perhaps, I'm interpreting a sense of humor that really isn't there. Still, Millar says goodbye-for-now to the series with another surprise... because that is the way it should be.
Artist Juanan Ramírez has built this narrative on capturing the reckless nature of young people with too much power, regardless of whether this power is natural or supernatural and criminal or evil. Ramirez's storytelling depicts the joy of victory with a wink and smile from start to finish. Night Club jumps off the page thanks to colorist Fabiana Mascolo funky and flashy colors. Clem Robins' lettering, as always, is a perfect accompaniment – a musical interlude of fury and funny.
Night Club II does not disappoint, dear readers. Be on the lookout for the trade collection.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club II.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGEand BUY something(s).
Night Club II is a six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez. A Dark Horse Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club II is a sequel to the 2023 miniseries, Night Club. Both series focus on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition. Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club II's creative team.
Night Club II focuses on 17-year-old Danny Garcia. After being turned into a vampire, he passed his new found powers unto his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen. Now, they're the superheroes: Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), Yellowbird (Amy). But jealousy has broken up this vampire-superhero trio and opened the door to a disaster of newer, more nihilistic and narcissistic vampires.
Night Club II #5 opens in Philadelphia, specifically at St. Luke's Hospital. Amy is there to steal blood. In fact, she has been stealing from blood banks all over the city. Why is Amy a blood thief?
Risso, Kendra, and their vampire gang killed Danny and Sam. Amy believes that if vampires are real, then, some of the stories and myths about them must be real, also. Relying mostly on old horror movies, Amy has concocted an idea of how to bring her friends back from... the wherever.
Meanwhile, Risso pays a visit to someone to whom he believes he owes a flex. Plus, the Philly police are deep into an investigation of all these missing teens.
THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest received is Night Club II #5.
Night Club II is full of surprises, and writer Mark Millar always drops surprises in his comic books. The unexpected is to be expected, and this fifth issue of Night Club II does not disappoint. The Hammer Film Productions vampire movies are clearly a point of reference here. Christopher Lee first plays Count Dracula in Hammer's 1958 film, Dracula (known as Horror of Dracula in the U.S.). In later Hammer-Lee Dracula films, the Count is revived via methods that are similar to the process Amy is using to revive her partners in superhero/vampire crime.
Artist Juanan Ramírez has built this narrative on capturing the reckless nature of young people with too much power, regardless of whether this power is natural or supernatural and criminal or evil. Ramirez's storytelling has made Night Club II a vampire comic book like no other. He brings Millar's unique concept to life with a style that is both gaudy and earthy. Night Club jumps off the page with Ramirez's incomparable graphics, and colorist Fabiana Mascolo brings the funk and flash to Ramirez's art. Clem Robins' lettering, as always, is a perfect accompaniment.
Night Club II does not disappoint, dear readers. It's vampire+.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club II.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGEand BUY something(s).
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 6 of 2025 (No. 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux
Back in Action (2025)
Running time: 114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some suggestive references and strong language, and brief teen partying
DIRECTOR: Seth Gordon
WRITERS: Seth Gordon and Brendan O'Brien
PRODUCERS: Beau Bauman, Peter Chernin, Seth Gordon, Sharla Sumpter-Bridgett, and Jenno Topping
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ken Sang (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Peter S. Elliot
COMPOSER: Christopher Lennertz
ACTION/COMEDY/SPY
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, McKenna Roberts, Rylan Jackson, Kyle Chandler, Glenn Close, Jamie Demetriou, Andrew Scott, Fola Evans-Akingbola, and Robert Besta
SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:
Back in Action is no “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” but it is an entertaining action-comedy and spy movie.
Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz work well together, well enough to make me look forward to a sequel.
Back in Action is a 2025 American action-comedy and spy film from director Seth Gordon. The film is a “Netflix Original” and began streaming on Netflix, January 17, 2025. Back in Action focuses on a husband and wife who were once CIA spies and now find themselves pulled back into the espionage game after their secrets are exposed.
Back in Action introduces the Reynolds family: wife, Emily (Cameron Diaz); husband, Matt (Jamie Foxx); daughter, Alice (McKenna Roberts); and son, Leo (Rylan Jackson). They are living the quiet suburban life until Matt and Emily's old lives intrude. You see, Matt and Emily were once “QRN” – “quick reactionary nonofficial” covert operatives for the CIA. Fifteen years ago, they were involved in a mission to capture the “ICS key” from the Polish terrorist, Balthazar Gor (Robert Besta). The mission goes bad, and Matt and Emily decide to quit the spy business and start a family.
In the present, Gor's gang of Belarusian terrorists, “the Volka,” launch an attack on Matt and Emily, who pick up their kids from school and go on the run. They head to England where they will reunite with Emily's estranged mother, Ginny Curtis (Glenn Close), a former MI6 agency head. However, a current MI6 agent, Baron Andrews (Andrew Scott), is waiting for them. Also awaiting Matt and Emily are their past and the people who will do anything to get “the Key.”
Back in Action is the fourth “Netflix Original” in which Jamie Foxx has starred (as far as I can tell), following Project Power (2020), Day Shift (2022), and They Cloned Tyrone (2023). For some reason, I felt as if I had to see Day Shift before I watched Back in Action, which I did a few days earlier. Day Shift is not great, but it is entertaining.
I can say the same about Back in Action. It isn't in the same league as 2002's Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which saw Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie play husband and wife who each worked for rival assassination firm. If you took Mr. and Mrs. Smith and mixed it with Spy Kids (2001), you might get something close to Back in Action.
I can honestly say that I enjoyed Back in Action. As a domestic comedy, it is genuinely funny, and Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx play off each other quite well. As a spy movie, Back in Action offers a lot of slick, attention grabbing car chases, fight scenes, shoot-outs, and an extended plane crash that kept me glued to the screen. The family dynamic works pretty well, although I must admit that Glenn Close seems a bit odd as a spy who is the mother of another spy.
That's all I have to say. Back in Action is not great, but it is the kind of star-driven above-average event movie that Netflix regularly offers. Such movies are how they make us feel that our Netflix subscription is worth keeping active.
USC Libraries Name Finalists for 37th-Annual Scripter Awards
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries named the finalists for the 37th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Awards, which honor the writers of the year’s most accomplished film and episodic series adaptations, as well as the writers of the works on which they are based.
The finalist writers for film adaptation are, in alphabetical order by film title:
-- James Mangold and Jay Cocks for “A Complete Unknown” based on the nonfiction book “Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties” by Elijah Wald
Peter Straughan for “Conclave” based on the novel by Robert Harris
-- RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes for “Nickel Boys” based on the book “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead
-- Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar (screenplay and story) and Clarence Maclin and John “Divine G” Whitfield (story) for “Sing Sing” based on the “Esquire” magazine article “The Sing Sing Follies” by John H. Richardson
-- Screenwriter Chris Sanders and novelist Peter Brown for “The Wild Robot”
The finalist writers for episodic series are, in alphabetical order by series title:
-- Richard Gadd for the sixth episode of “Baby Reindeer,” based on his stage play of the same name
-- Steven Zaillian for “V Lucio,” the fifth episode of “Ripley,” based on “The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith
-- Joshua Zetumer for the episode “The People in the Dirt” from “Say Nothing,” based on the nonfiction book “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland” by Patrick Radden Keefe
-- Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks for “Anjin,” the first episode of “Shōgun,” based on the novel by James Clavell
-- Will Smith for the episode “Hello Goodbye,” from “Slow Horses,” based on the novel “Spook Street” by Mick Herron
The 2025 Scripter selection committee selected the finalists from a field of 42 film and 66 episodic series adaptations. Howard Rodman, USC professor and Vice President/Secretary of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, chairs the 2025 committee.
The studios distributing the finalist films and current publishers of the printed works are:
“A Complete Unknown”—Searchlight Pictures and Dey Street Books
“Conclave”—Focus Features and Vintage Books
“Nickel Boys”—Amazon MGM Studios and Vintage Books
“Sing Sing”—A24 and Esquire
“The Wild Robot”—Universal Pictures and Little, Brown and Company
The networks and streaming platforms broadcasting the finalist episodic series and current publishers of the works are:
“Baby Reindeer”—Netflix and Methuen Drama
“Ripley”—Netflix and Vintage Books
“Say Nothing”—FX/Hulu and Vintage Books
“Shōgun”—FX/Hulu and Blackstone Publishing
“Slow Horses”—Apple TV+ and Soho Crime
The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in the Town & Gown ballroom at the University of Southern California.
Since 1988, Scripter has honored the authors of original works alongside the screenwriters who adapt their stories. For more information about Scripter, including ticket availability, please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.
The Magic Order 5 is a six-issue miniseries from writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni. This is the fifth installment of The Magic Order series, which began with the 2018-19 miniseries written by Millar and drawn by Olivier Coipel. The Magic Order is a band of sorcerers, magicians, and wizards – with a focus on the Moonstone family and its leader, Cordelia Moonstone – that live ordinary lives by day, but protect humanity from darkness and monsters of impossible sizes by night. Colorist Giovanna Niro and letterer Clem Robins complete the series creative team.
The Magic Order 5 finds Cordelia preparing for her death – the punishment for using black magic (back in Volume 1). However, a new case has dropped itself in front of her, but it all may be a front for some really bad people trying to collect the price on Cordelia's head. Cordelia Moonstone is going to die soon... and there's nothing she can do about it. The end is coming in a matter of days.
The Magic Order 5 #4 opens on a lonely, rural Texas road in 1978. This is the story of how Clyde Bailey ended up with three demons inside him. He eventually tamed the demons and tried to make up for the wrong he did because they controlled him. Now, doing good means saving Cordelia. But there are so many magical denizens after her – from “Skin-Walker Sam” the magical hit-man to the magical world's most attractive bounty hunter, who has been sent by Sister Moon.
Meanwhile, after kidnapping and killing boys for years, Grandmaster Samuel Mott and his splinter group, “the Fellowship of the Bell,” believe that they have finally found the boy with the “bell” inside his small body. It is the bell that will summon the Fellowship's ancient gods.
THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest received is The Magic Order 5 #4.
It is possible for each issue of The Magic Order 5 to be crazier than the previous issue, and I know that because issue #4 is nuttier than issue #3. And that's a good thing. However, The Magic Order has always been slickly produced, no matter how dark the narrative became, but now, the darkness seems paramount to drama, which scares me as much as it attracts me.
Millar certainly benefits from an artist who uses his favorite drawing implements to transform his scripts into glorious graphical storytelling (comic book storytelling). Line by line, artist Matteo Buffagni creates a world of such fearsome darkness, treacherous magic, and magical treachery that mesmerizes the reader. In the end, Buffagni makes The Magic Order 5 one of the best comic book series about magic ever published in North America.
The glorious hues of Giovanna Niro are a symphony of colors of light that accentuate the spellbinding aura of this narrative. Finally, there is Clem Robins – reliable Clem Robins, and his lettering is the soundtrack of this deadly game of thrones and bones.
The Magic Order 5 is plotting something mind-bending; that I know, dear readers. Don't miss the twenty-first century's best American comic book about wizards and sorcerers. It's a shame that this is supposedly the final entry in the series.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar and of The Magic Order will want to read The Magic Order 5.
A+
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 of 2025 (No. 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux
Day Shift (2022)
Running time: 113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPA – R for strong violence and gore, and language
DIRECTOR: J. J. Perry
WRITERS: Tyler Tice and Shay Hatten; from a story by Tyler Tice
PRODUCERS: Shaun Redick, Yvette Yates Redick, Jason Spitz, and Chad Stahelski
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Toby Oliver (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Paul Harb
COMPOSER: Tyler Bates
ACTION/COMEDY/HORROR
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Meagan Good, Karla Souza, Steve Howey, Scott Adkins, Oliver Masucci, Eric Lange, Peter Stormare, Zion Broadnax, and Snoop Dogg
Day Shift is a 2022 American action-comedy and vampire horror film from director J. J. Perry. The film is a “Netflix Original” and began streaming on Netflix, August 12, 2022. The film focuses on a hard-working, blue-collar dad who uses his pool-cleaning service as a front for the true source of his income – hunting and killing vampires.
Day Shift introduces Bud Jablonski (Jamie Foxx). He is the blue-collar dad of Paige (Zion Broadnax), the daughter he shares with his ex-wife, Jocelyn Jablonski (Meagan Good). On the surface, Bud is a hardworking man who runs a pool-cleaning service, “Valley Pool Services,” in San Fernando Valley, California. Bud really hunts and kills vampires in the Valley under the guise of being a pool cleaner. Every time he kills a vampire, which is very difficult, Bud collects their fangs and sells them to a pawnbroker, Troy (Peter Stormare).
However, killing vampires isn't quite earning him the income he needs, so Bud decides to return to “the Union.” That would be the “Hunters Union,” from which he was expelled. He turns to his close friend, the very successful vampire hunter, John Dante Eliott a.k.a. “Big J” or “Big John,” for help. John is able to get Bud provisionally reinstated, but union boss, Ralph Seeger (Eric Lange), won't let Bud work the “Night Shift,” which yields the most profitable vampire kills.
Instead, Bud must work the “Day Shift,” which he was already doing on his own. In addition, Bud is forced to partner-up with Seth (Dave Franco), a young union supervisor. If that were not bad enough, Bud has been targeted for revenge by Audrey (Karla Souza), an ambitious vampire who plans to take over San Fernando Valley where she poses as a real estate agent.
I was familiar with the mixed reviews that Day Shift received, and I had been putting off watching it. However, I am about to watch the latest Jamie Foxx “Netflix Original” movie, Back in Action (2025), in which he costars with Cameron Diaz. Back in Action is the fourth “Netflix Original” in which Foxx has starred (as far as I can tell), following Project Power (2020), They Cloned Tyrone (2023), and Day Shift. For some reason, I feel as if I had to see Day Shift before I watch Back in Action. Go figure.
Tyler Tice and Shay Hatten are credited with the screenplay, but apparently Tice is the originator. Tice's creation is more action-comedy than it is vampire movie, but I do recognize elements that are borrowed or are at least are similar to that of numerous vampire films. As I watched Day Shift, I found that parts of it made me think of Blacula (1972), The Lost Boys (1987), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Daybreakers (2010), and Priest (2011), to name a few. Of course, no movie featuring vampires hunters and their prey could escape the shadow of the Blade film series, and this movie seems inspired by Blade (1998), Blade II (2002), and Blade: Trinity (2004). Also, Day Shift is obviously rubbing up against Men in Black (1997) and its sequels.
Day Shift's premise is indeed a garbage soup made out of a bunch of leftover ingredients, and the fact that it throws in so many ideas makes it almost seem original... almost. Still, as garbage soup films go, Day Shift is quite tasty. It is more action-comedy than vampire-horror, and director J. J. Perry (in his directorial debut) gets the most out of his film editor, Paul Harb. When Day Shift is moving because of extended, multi-player fight scenes or through its one extended car-truck-motorcycle chase, Day Shift pops the way action movie junkies want their action movies to pop.
The best thing a popcorn entertainment action movie can do is have a star as its hero or as its villain. Day Shift has the Oscar-winning actor, Jamie Foxx (Ray), as its star, and Foxx is the one who gives this film any credibility that hit has. Yes, Dave Franco does a nice turn as Seth, the reluctant sidekick, and any comedy that manages to snag Snoop Dogg is very lucky. However, Foxx willingly buys into this film's goofiness, and the professionalism of his performance keeps Day Shift from seeming like the vampire equivalent of one of those Sharknado movies.
Prodigy: Slaves of Mars is a five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar. It is the third entry in the Prodigy series, following the original 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy, and the 2022 miniseries, Prodigy: The Icarus Society. This new series' creative team is comprised of artist Stefano Landini; colorist Michele Assarasakorn; and letterer Clem Robins. Prodigy focuses on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane.
In Prodigy: Slaves of Mars, Edison returns to New York City from an adventure in the Himalayas to find his company, Crane Solutions, in disarray. He also learns that his father, the former Senator Whitney Crane, is dead on Mars after discovering some shocking secret. Now, a wanted man, Edison only has one person left to whom he can turn. That would be his older, smarter brother, Elijah Crane.
Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #5 opens on Mars. Elijah ascertains that he and Edison's father, Whitney, discovered a series of “star gates” on Earth. So Edison and Elijah head to the most consequential star gate, the one in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka, and that's how they got to Mars.
Now, it is time to get down to three mysteries: First, who murdered their father? What is the full story behind the secret mission to Mars? And what is the terrible fate of the human race is facing sooner than it thinks? The answers are shockers.
THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest title to mark my return is Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #5.
While the fourth issue was a blast to read, Prodigy: Slaves of Mars #5 offers the reader a chance at a variety of emotions. The issue is at once humorous and then, scary. It contemplative and talkative by measures before moving onto weird conspiracies and threatening futures. Millar goes full “Ancient Aliens,” secret space programs, and the Anunnaki. You already know about Millar's love of secrets and conspiracies if you have read Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 or read Prodigy: The Evil Earth, the trade collection of the first miniseries.
The art team of illustrator Stefano Landini and colorist Michele Assarasakorn, as in the earlier issues, unveil the surprises in a steady stream of straightforward storytelling. Landini's storytelling here is more cautious, and does not race across the pages. Now, Landini wants us to savor doom, and Assarasakorn colors it all in the red hues of bad dreams. As always, Clem Robins provides the perfect soundtrack to this chapter with his classic lettering – this time more muted and ominous.
Without spoiling things, I can say that Millar's script is the kind that a father would write, with its resolutions and redemption. It is more about legacy than inheritance, and more about pointing the way than making the way. That makes Prodigy: Slaves of Mars a unique entry in a idiosyncratic franchise.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: Slaves of Mars.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGEand BUY something(s).
Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery is a five-issue comic book miniseries from writer Mark Millar. It is a sequel to the miniseries, Nemesis Reloaded (2023) and Big Game (2023). Published by Dark Horse comics, the new series finds the super-killer, Nemesis, on a mission of revenge. Rogues' Gallery is drawn by Valerio Giangiordano; colored by Lee Loughridge; and lettered by Clem Robins.
Nemesis: Rogues Gallery finds Nemesis on a mission to once again be the world's greatest super-villain. Now, out for revenge against everyone who wronged him, Nemesis must rebuild his empire and his fortune... this time with a sidekick, Pedro Hernandez, following him every step of the way.
Nemesis: Rogues Gallery #5 opens on an island where billionaires gather to indulge in the worst fantasies mankind can imagine outside the watchful eye of the authorities. That's where Nemesis is – using his Alton Albrecht identity, of course.
Nemesis is a guest of notorious billionaire, Adrian Zigo, and he plans on being a poor guest. Nemesis is on a mission that involves each and every one of these billionaires on the island and half their wealth. However, Nemesis' first sidekick, Sang, is also on the island, and he is leading an assault team in high-tech suits and bearing a hard-on for Nemesis. Is Nemesis finally trapped for real and looking at his demise or is his new sidekick, Pedro, also on the island?
THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest comic book to mark my return is Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery #5.
Writer Mark Millar offers an explosive finale for Nemesis: Rogues Gallery #5, as he did for the previous Nemesis series. His depiction of the billionaire class as plutocratic dullards who are always looking to indulge their depraved desires is timely. It is only a little ironic that a substantial portion of the readers for a comic book like Nemesis are chumps for the tech bros and would gladly serve the whims of the super-rich. Rogues Gallery is cathartic precisely because fiction is the only scenario in which the ultra-rich get their comeuppance.
Artist Valerio Giangiordano continues to deliver stellar storytelling with a gritty, crime-noir spin on violent superhero/fantasy action. If Nemesis is a take on an evil version of Batman, Giangiordano gets in on the spirit of things and draws several close ups of Nemesis that look like some of the close-ups of Batman that Frank Miller drew for his seminal graphic novel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Letterer Clem Robins captures the deranged narcissism of the title character by making us believe this comic book has a soundtrack.
Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery offers one of the best lines that I've read in a comic book in recent memory: “Do you kiss your cows with that mouth?” If you missed this series, dear readers, there should be a trade paperback available soon. That's how you can make up for this transgression... before Nemesis finds out.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar's comic books and of Valerio Giangiordano's art will desire Nemesis: Rogues' Gallery.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGEand BUY something(s).
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 of 2025 (No. 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux
The Six Triple Eight (2024)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for language including racial slurs, thematic material and some war violence
DIRECTOR: Tyler Perry
WRITER: Tyler Perry (based on the magazine article by Kevin Hymel)
PRODUCERS: Tyler Perry, Angi Bones, Nicole Avant, Carlota Espinosa, Keri Selig, and Tony L. Strickland
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael Watson (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Maysie Hoy
COMPOSER: Aaron Zigman
DRAMA/HISTORICAL/WAR
Starring: Kerry Washington, Ebony Obsidian, Milauna Jackson, Kylie Jefferson, Shanice Shantay, Sarah Jeffery, Pepi Sonuga, Moriah Brown, Jeanté Godlock, Dean Norris, Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon, Oprah Winfrey, Gregg Sulkin, Donna Biscoe, and Baadja-Lyne Odums
SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:
The Six Triple Eight is one of the most beautiful and powerful films about World War II that has ever been made.
Its true story about a battalion of Black women soldiers who broke the logjam of mail that kept overseas American servicemen and their families back home from connecting will bring tears to your eyes
The Six Triple Eight is one of the year's best films, and Kerry Washington gives the heroic performance of her career.
The Six Triple Eight is a 2024 wartime drama and historical film from writer-director Tyler Perry. The film is based on the article, “WAC Corporal Lena Derriecott and the 6888th Central Postal Battalion,” written by Kevin M. Hymel and published in the February 2019 issue of WWII History Magazine. The article details the contributions of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black and all-female battalion, in World War II.
The film is a Netflix Original,” and it began streaming on the service December 20, 2024, after a limited theatrical run that began December 6, 2024. The Six Triple Eight the movie focuses on battalion of Black women soldiers who go overseas and take on the forces that are keeping American service personnel and their families back home from simply exchanging mail.
The Six Triple Eight introduces high school students and longtime friends, Lena Derriecott (Ebony Obsidian), a Black girl, and Abram David (Gregg Sulkin), a Jewish White boy. They are reckoning with the difficulties of their budding romance in Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, a small town outside Philadelphia, in the year 1942. David is enlisting in the U.S. military in order to serve in World War II, and he wants to be a pilot. David wants Lena to wait for him to return from the war when he will propose marriage to her, and, in the meantime, he gives her a promise ring.
Meanwhile, in rural West Virginia, a mother waits everyday for news about her two sons who are serving overseas in the war. She never gets any mail from her sons, and she later discovers that this is a problem all over the country. It turns out that there is a terrible backlog of undelivered mail. The mother approaches First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Susan Sarandon), and she approaches her husband, President Franklin Roosevelt (Sam Waterston), and philanthropist and civil rights activist, Mary McLeod Bethune (Oprah Winfrey), to solve the overseas military mail problem.
Meanwhile, Lena has received terrible news, and it spurs her to join the Women's Army Corps (WAC). She travels to Georgia for basic training with the 6888th battalion – also known as “the Six Triple Eight” – where she meets her battalion commander, the indomitable Captain Chasity Addams (Kerry Washington). Despite being well trained, Capt. Adams and her battalion are never given any orders to serve from the War Department. Then, thanks to the efforts of the Roosevelts and Miss Bethune, the 6888th becomes “The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.”
Now, they must travel to Glasgow, Scotland where they have six months to sort through 17 million pieces of undelivered mail and packages. The must fight, however, a war on all fronts, fighting segregation and racism at home and abroad. Many White military commanders, officers, and soldiers do not believe they can sort through the backlog. Plus, some of these crackas will do everything to stop the Six Triple Eight from being successful.
If you, dear readers, wanted to watch World War II films based on on true events, you can find over eight decades of Hollywood films, including everything from recent films like Saving Private Ryan (1998), Hacksaw Ridge (2016), and Dunkirk (2017) to golden oldies like Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) and Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). However, the those films focus on White servicemen.
When it comes to the service of Black personnel during WWII, there is a virtual Hollywood wall of silence that has only rarely been broken by such films as the HBO television movie, The Tuskegee Airmen (1995); Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna (2008), and the George Lucas-financed Red Tails (2012). Director Budd Boetticher's Red Ball Express (1952) is about a racially integrated platoon, but the film's leads are White males.
Tyler Perry, a filmmaker whose TV and film work, has been reviled by both Black and White critics and detractors, breaks the wall of silence that exists in front of the story of African-American WWII personnel. He has done it with The Six Triple Eight, the first such film in over a decade.
The film is filled with star-making turns by a cast of young African-American actresses who could see this movie launch their careers. Ebony Obsidian as Lena Derriecott and Shanice Shantay as Johnnie Mae Burton are the most obvious, but though they shine, all the actors make the most of their roles in this film. I must say Dean Norris kills it as the Southern racist cracka-ass General Holt. However, Kerry Washington practically devours this film with her power-move turn as the wily, strong, survivor, Captain (later Major) Chasity Adams. In some ways, Adams is the co-lead with Derriecott, but there other times when the following point is clear. The real-life “Six Triple Eight” probably would have not survived without Adams, and The Six Triple Eight the film probably would not survive without Washington as Adams.
I like that Tyler Perry's direction captures the desperation of families on the home front and of the service personnel overseas who are not connecting because the mail isn't being delivered. Perry does not need to summon his usual melodramatic tropes to convey this to his audience, nor does he. Perry plainly states what his audience can clearly understand; the mail backlog is a desperate situation.
And what better way to portray how much the racist and segregated system was at work against the women of the 6888th than to detail how some thought it was more important to sabotage the women of this battalion than to actually let them do their jobs and get the mail through. Perry could have fallen back time and time again on depictions of verbal and physical racist violence, yet he didn't. The word, “nigger,” does not make many appearance in The Six Triple Eight. Perry merely had to show that in war we are sometimes our own worst enemy, and he showed the white devils who were against the “Six Triple Eight” in all their infamy.
The Six Triple Eight is Tyler Perry's best drama since 2010's For Colored Girls. Although there will likely be no Oscar nods for this film, The Six Triple Eight does not need them. It is more important that a Black filmmaker gets a chance or takes the opportunity to pierce the wall of silence about the honorable and heroic service of Black men and Black women during World War II. The Six Triple Eight is the soaring symphony that, at least for now, shatters that silence.
10 of 10
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
You can read Kevin M. Hymel's original article about the 6888th, "WAC Corporal Lena Derriecott and the 6888th Central Postal Battalion," here.
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