Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 23rd to 30th, 2025 - UPDATE #11

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

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NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 11/28 to 11/30/2025 weekend box office is Disney's "Zootopia 2" with an estimated gross of 96.8 million dollars.

MOVIES - From THR:  Scarlett Johansson will star in director Mike Flanagan's reboot or re-imagining of the 1973 film "The Exorcist" for Universal and Blumhouse.  This new film is an attempt to reviver "The Exorcist" franchise in the wake of Universal/Blumhouse's ill-fated film, "The Exorcist: Believer" (2023).

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Apparently with a push from President Trump, "Rush Hour 4" is happening.  Brett Ratner is returning to direct Jackie Chan (as Inspector Lee) and Chris Tucker (as Detective Carter) in the film.  Paramount Pictures will distribute with Warner Bros.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  It’s been nearly two years since Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson announced he would be executive producing a documentary about imprisoned music impresario, Sean "Diddy" Combs. The project finally has a release date. The four-episode project titled "Sean Combs: The Reckoning" will drop globally on Netflix on December 2, 2025.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 11/21 to 11/23/2025 weekend box office is Universal Pictures' "Wicked: For Good" with an estimated total of $150 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Grammy-winning rapper, Kendrick Lamar, and "South Park" creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, are working on a live-action comedy. The movie will not meet its March 20, 2026 and is on indefinite delay. Lamar says they are working hard on the film.

OBITS:

From Variety:  The Czech-born, English playwright and screenwriter, Tom Stoppard, has died at the age of 88, November 2025.  Stoppard was nominated eight times for the "Best Play" Tony Award, and he won five times, including for "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" (1968).  He was twice nominated for the "Best Original Screenplay" Oscar.  He won for "Shakespeare in Love" (1998) and was nominated for "Brazil" (1985).  He also received an Emmy nomination for his work on the BBC miniseries, "Parade's End" (2012-13).

From Deadline:  Former American child actor, John Eimen, has died at the age of 76, Friday, November 21, 2025.  Eimen's career ran from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s during a time fans consider the "classic TV era."  Eimen is best known for the role of "Cadet Monk Roberts" in the former NBC children's sitcom, "McKeever and Company," appearing in 11 episodes.  Eimen appearances in such classic 50s and 60s television series as "Have Gun - Will Travel," "Leave It to Beaver," "Petticoat Junction," "The Twilight Zone," and "Wagon Train," to name a few.

From Reuters:  Jamaican multi-instrumentalist, musician, singers, songwriter, and actor, Jimmy Cliff, has died at the age of 81, Monday, November 24, 2025.  Cliff was a legendary Jamaican singer who, along with Bob Marley, popularized the Jamaican music genres: reggae, ska and rocksteady music, doing so over a six decade career.  Cliff's best known songs include "You Can Get It If You Really Want" (1970), "The Harder They Come" (1972), and also for two covers songs he did: Cat Stevens' "Wild World" (1970) and Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" (1993).  Cliff starred in the 1972 Jamaican crime film, "The Harder They Come," which helped popularize reggae worldwide through its soundtrack.  He was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in 2010.  He was a a seven-time Grammy Awards nominee and won twice.  Cliff's wife, Latifa Chambers, announced his death on Facebook on Monday.

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MOVIE AWARDS 2025-26:

From AwardsWatch:  Twenty films have made crossed the first hurdle in the race for the "Best Visual Effects" Oscar.  Those films include "Avatar: Fire and Ash," "Captain America: Brave New World," "Frankenstein," and "Sinners."  In a little under two weeks, those 20 will be cut down to 10.

From AwardsWatch:  The site has a list of all 322 films eligible for Oscar consideration in the animated, documentary, and international film categories.

From THR:  The nominations for the 2026 / 38th European Film Awards have been announced.  the winners will be announced at the 38th European Film Awards ceremony, which takes place January 17, 2026.

From Deadline:  Last week (Oct. 14th), the European Film Academy shortlisted the 67 films were available to receive nominations for the 38th European Film Awards, taking place on January 17, 2026.  The shortlist included 44 feature films, 15 documentary films, and eight animated feature films.  Among the list of feature films were "Bugonia" and "Sound of Falling."  The nominations are scheduled to be announced today (Oct. 18th).

From THR:  The nominations for the 2025 / 35th Annual Gotham Films Awards have been announced.  Director Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" tops the list of nominees with a record six nominations, including "Best Feature" and "Best Director" for Anderson.  The winners will be announced December 1, 2025.

Comics Review: "NEMESIS FOREVER #3" Meets Hubris

NEMESIS FOREVER #3 (OF 5)

DARK HORSE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Mateo Scalera

COLORS: Giovanna Niro with Laura Ciondolini

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Matteo Scalera with Giovanna Niro

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Scalera

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (November 2025) on-sale: Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Age range: 18+

Nemesis created by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven

Nemesis Forever is a new five-issue comic book miniseries from writer Mark Millar and publisher Dark Horse Comics.  It is a sequel to the miniseries, Nemesis Reloaded (2023) and Nemesis Rogues' Gallery (2024).  Besides Millar, the rest of the creative team is comprised of Matteo Scalera (artist); Giovanna Niro (colors); and Clem Robins (letters).

Nemesis Forever finds that Nemesis, the world’s most dangerous man, has now made himself into one of the richest.  No longer content just to terrorize the forces of law and order, Nemesis has a new plan:  seize control of the world itself and enslave humanity with super-technology.  For now, Kitty Tepper a.k.a. Sofie Stein, a CIA deep undercover agent, may be the only person who can impede Nemesis... at least a little.

Nemesis Forever #3 opens in Shafter Lake, Texas where Kitty has a big confrontation with a fellow member of the Nemesis terrorist cell, “Nemesis HQ Number 5.”  Is she really ready to do the terrible things required of her, or is she willing to blow her cover?

Meanwhile, Nemesis, in his guise as billionaire tech bro, Hans Berg, is making merger moves on fellow tech innovator, Deepak Bharti, who really doesn't want to play.  Nemesis has launched his biggest plan yet, but at the same time, an elite band of law enforcement is about to launch its most daring plan of action against him.

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.  Nemesis Forever #3 is the latest PDF that I have received.

I usually take the time to praise writer Mark Millar in my reviews of Millarworld titles.  As I did in my review of Issue #2, however, I want to focus on the art team of illustrator Matteo Scalera and colorist Giovanna Niro.  They continue to produce some of the prettiest art to appear in a superhero (kind of) comic book in several years, and Scalera and Niro's Nemesis recalls the best of Millar's team-up with he-of-the-heavenly-hands, Frank Quitely.  Scalera and Niro are doing some Frank Miller-Lynn Varley Elektra Lives Again-type shit here.

I must also throw it up to Clem Robins.  He does not let himself get left behind because his lettering is as tight as ever.  And of course, I still have to mention that Millar closes issue #3 with an all-time battle royale.  Such a fight might show up in the second-to-last issue of a miniseries, but Millar drops this bond in the middle issue of his five-issue, hot-as-hell miniseries.

If this series is the final chapter of Nemesis' hell-raising (and it doesn't have to be, Mark), then Nemesis Forever will end it all in a blaze of fire and beautiful glory.  You know you want this, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books of his Nemesis series will desire Nemesis Forever.

A+

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

There is a Kindle edition of "NEMESIS FOREVER #3. The trade collection paperback collection of the series is due in May 2026 and can currently be preordered at Amazon.

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/

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The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #6" Fights the Power

HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #6 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Rafael Albuquerque

COLORS: Dave McCaig

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

COVER: Rafael Albuquerque

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Rafael Albuquerque

32pp, Color, $6.99 U.S. (November 2025); November 5, 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. 

In Huck Big Bad World, Huck, his mother, Anna Polina Marianna Kozar, and the mysterious Dr. Jack Harper were on a road trip with the goal of finding Harper's lost love, Sophia.  The trio also wanted to find the other secret super-humans who have been hiding around the world.  Now, Huck has found out why so many of these super-persons were smart to be in hiding.

Huck: Big Bad World #6 finds the Lucas Trust celebrating their recent success.  This organization has been searching out people with super powers and neutralizing them for over 20 years.  The organization's “Witch Finders” are on a killing spree, and they have reduced the number of super-persons to a few.

One of the survivors is Huck, but he is now more concerned about his pregnant girlfriend, Zoe Benson, and her son, Micah.  Hiding in the woods most of the other people with remarkable abilities have been murdered, Huck is about to walk into a trap in order to save another super-person.  Can the truth about “the old lady in the forest,” the mysterious figure who has given super-powers to random people around the world, save Huck and his new family?

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 #6.

It should be no surprise that I am telling you again, dear readers, that a Mark Millar comic book is full of breathtaking surprises... because Huck: Big Bad World #6 is filled to the brim with breathtaking surprises, just as I said issue #5 was.  This final issue of the second Huck series offers shocks and revelations, as well as spinning a shocking fate for mankind.  This issue does not really set up a potential third series, but the events depicted in this issue certainly suggest the possibility of a humdinger of a next volume.

The creative team of Millar, Rafael Albuquerque, Dave McCaig, and Clem Robins deliver on the potential of this undeniably super series that issue #1 promised.  Well, dear readers, the Huck: Big Bad Day trade paperback will give you a chance to discover the awesomeness that you missed.

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"

There is a Kindle edition of HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #6. The trade paperback of HUCK VOLUME 2: BIG BAD WORLD is due in February 2026, but is available for preorder from Amazon.

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "KPOP DEMON HUNTERS" - They Will, They Will Rock You!

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 of 2025 (No. 2044) by Leroy Douresseaux

KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)

Rating:  MPA – PG for action/violence, scary images, thematic elements, some suggestive material and brief language

DIRECTORS:  Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang

WRITERS:  Danya Jimenez & Hannah McMechan and Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kanga; from a story by Maggie Kang

PRODUCER:  Michelle L.M. Wong

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Gary H. Lee

EDITOR:  Nathan Schauf

COMPOSER:  Marcelo Zarvas

ANIMATION/MUSICAL/FANTASY

Starring:  (voices) Adren Cho, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Ahn Hyo-seop, Yunjin Kim, Ken Jeong, Daniel Dae Kim,Liza Koshy, Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, Andrew Choi, and Lee Byung-hun

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

KPop Demon Hunters is one of the best and most unusual animated musical films I have ever seen

Sterling characters, jukebox rocking music, and stellar animation make it a winner

KPop Demon Hunters will not only entertain its target audience – young viewers, but it will also capture that imaginations of older folk (like me) as well

KPop Demon Hunters is a 2025 American animated musical fantasy film from directors Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang and produced by Sony Pictures Animation.  The film is a “Netflix Original” and began streaming on the service June 20, 2025.  It also received two-day limited theatrical release on August 23rd and 24th.  KPop Demon Hunters focuses on the members of a world-renowned K-Pop girl group, who are also secret demon hunters, as they confront the rising popularity of a new boy band whose members are also demons.

KPop Demon Hunters is set in a world, where long ago, demons preyed on humans and fed the souls of humans to their ruler, Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun).  Eventually, three women became demon hunters and sealed the demons away with a magical barrier called the "Honmoon."  The legacy of these women warriors continued across the generations.  With each new generation, three new women arose and used their singing voices to maintain the Honmoon.  The goal was and is to eventually strengthen the Honmoon into the “Golden Honmoon.” which is the final seal that would banish demons from the human world permanently.  Also, when demons masquerade as humans, they can be identified by marks known as “demonic patterns.”

In the present day, the new generation of demon-hunting young women are the members of the K-pop girl group, “Huntrix” (stylized as “Huntr/x”).  Huntrix is comprised of three young singers.  Rumi (Arden Cho with Ejae providing Rumi's singing voice) is the lead singer, and her hunter's weapon is a “saingeom” sword.  Mira (May Hong with Audrey Nuna providing Mira's singing voice) is the dancer and rapper, and her hunter's weapon is a “gokdo” polearm.   Zoey (Ji-young Yoo with Rei Ami providing Zoey's singing voice) is the singer-songwriter, and her hunter's weapons are “shinkal” throwing knives.

One of the members of Huntrix has a dark secret.  Rumi has a secret demon heritage, and she has demonic patterns that are slowing spreading over her body.  Rumi's foster mother, Celine (Yunjin Kim), has told her that turning the Honmoon gold (the Golden Honmoon) would cause the erasure of her demonic patterns.

However, trouble arrives in the form of a new rivals in the world k-pop for Huntrix.  In the demon world, Gwi-Ma has grown enraged at the failure of his minions to defeat Huntrix.  He creates his own K-pop boy band, the “Saja Boys,” featuring four demons and a lead singer who is a former human named Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop with Andrew Choi providing Jinu's sing voice).  The Saja Boys begin to steal Huntrix's fans, but it is Jinu's affect on Rumi that could turn the fate of the world over to Gwi-Ma.  And the “International Idol Awards” is where the final showdown will occur and where Rumi, Mira, and Zoey's fates will be decided.

Korean popular music or “K-pop” emerged in the 1990s in Korea and was heavenly influenced by American music, especially R&B, dance music, rock music, and, of course, rap and hip-hop.  [In the 1980s, many white people insisted that rap was a fad, and now, hip-hop and rap, specifically, are omnipresent and influence music and culture all over the world.]  I like K-pop, but I am really not a fan... yet.  However, after watching the deliriously entertaining KPop Demon Hunters, I could become something of a fan.

The film's characters are an utter delight, and I found myself mesmerized by Huntrix's trio and by Juni.  Juni's Saja Boys mates are also quite fetching – in their human forms.  If fiction needs interesting characters, then, KPop Demon Hunters has that in an embarrassment of riches, thanks to sparkling voice performances and sterling singing voices.

Sony Pictures Animation basically always turns out high-quality computer-animated films.  KPop Demon Hunters may be Sony's best animated film outside of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).  In terms of character movement, backgrounds and environments, colors, and special effects, KPop Demon Hunters rivals the films of DreamWorks Animation, which is also known for vibrant and their visually rich worlds and for their expressive and emotional characters.

KPop Demon Hunters is a winner.  I love it.  Its unexpected and breakout success apparently made it Netflix's most-watched title ever.  I highly recommend that you feel the music.

 

9 of 10

A+

Saturday, October 25, 2025

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site or blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "NEMESIS FOREVER #2" Simply Has the Most Beautiful Art... and Violence

NEMESIS FOREVER #2 (OF 5)

DARK HORSE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Mateo Scalera

COLORS: Giovanna Niro with Laura Ciondolini

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Matteo Scalera with Giovanna Niro

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Scalera

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (October 2025) on-sale: Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Age range: 18+

Nemesis created by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven

Nemesis Forever is a new five-issue comic book miniseries from writer Mark Millar and publisher Dark Horse Comics.  It is a sequel to the miniseries, Nemesis Reloaded (2023) and Nemesis Rogues' Gallery (2024).  Besides Millar, the rest of the creative team is comprised of Matteo Scalera (artist); Giovanna Niro (colors); and Clem Robins (letters).

Nemesis Forever finds that Nemesis, the world’s most dangerous man, has now made himself into one of the richest.  No longer content just to terrorize the forces of law and order, Nemesis has a new plan:  seize control of the world itself and enslave humanity with super-technology.  For now, Kitty Tepper a.k.a. Sofie Stein, a CIA deep undercover agent, may be the only person who can impede Nemesis... at least a little.

Nemesis Forever #2 opens in the wake of the devastation Nemesis unleashed on Singapore that killed three thousand people.  Meanwhile, Sofie's infiltration of Nemesis HQ Number 5 takes her deeper into this particular lair of henchmen.  However, Nemesis' current fake identity, that of tech billionaire, Hans Berg, has to deal with someone who has gotten too close to the truth about Hans.

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.  Nemesis Forever #2 is the latest PDF that I have received.

I usually take the time to praise writer Mark Millar in my reviews of Millarworld titles.  This time, however, I want to focus on the art team of illustrator Matteo Scalera and colorist Giovanna Niro.  Here, they have produced some of the prettiest art to appear in comic books in several years, and Scalera and Niro's Nemesis recalls the best of the team of Mark Millar and Frank Quitely.  Their depictions of Nemesis and of his Hans Berg identity are things of artistic beauty.  It's like comics rococo, and once again, a Nemesis art team is finding the wicked beauty in a ruthless bad guy.

I must also throw it up to Clem Robins.  He does not let himself get left behind because his lettering is as tight as ever.

If this is the final chapter of Nemesis' hell-raising (and it doesn't have to be, Mark), then Nemesis Forever will end it with fire and beauty.  Your serve, dear readers, and I know you want good comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books of his Nemesis series will desire Nemesis Forever.

A+

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

The Kindle edition of NEMESIS FOREVER #2 is available at Amazon. You can also preorder the NEMESIS FOREVER trade paperback collection, which is due in May 2026, at Amazon.

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/

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

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

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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

Comics Review: "HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #5" Brings the Bad Guys Out

HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #5 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Rafael Albuquerque

COLORS: Dave McCaig

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

COVER: Rafael Albuquerque

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Rafael Albuquerque

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (October 2025); October 1, 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. 

In Huck: Big Bad World, Huck, his mother, Anna Polina Marianna Kozar, and the mysterious Dr. Jack Harper are on a road trip with the goal of finding Harper's lost love, Sophia.  The trio also wants to find the other secret super-humans who have been hiding around the world.  Now, Huck is about to find out why so many of them were smart to be in hiding.

Huck: Big Bad World #5 introduces the Lucas Trust, an organization that has been searching out people with super powers and neutralizing them for over 20 years.  Now, the organization's “Witch Finders” are on a killing spree.  So many people with these special powers were in hiding because they were afraid of being found.

Huck has brought them into the open, so he has endangered himself and them.  But has Huck unwittingly revealed a powerful new possessor of these super powers?

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 #5.

It should be no surprise that I am telling you again, dear readers, that a Mark Millar comic book is full of breathtaking surprises... because Huck II #5 is.  This issue is one of those penultimate comic book issues that makes returning one more time a must for comic book readers.

The storytelling by artist Rafael Albuquerque, by turns dark and hopeful, offers a balance of raw emotion and bracing violence.  With Dave McCaig's coloring Albuquerque's art and storytelling sings out from places of both despair and hope.  As always, the lettering by Clem Robins establishes moods and then embellishes those moods to the best affect.

Huck: Big Bad Day is undeniably a superb series.  It is a great work on the way to an incredible conclusion.  I'm here for it.

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"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 24th to 31st, 2025 - UPDATE #9

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

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

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 8/29 to 8/31/2025 weekend box office is Warner Bros. Pictures' "Weapons" with an estimated take of 10.2 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Channing Tatum, Oscar Isaac, and Zazie Beetz are set to star in the New York crime story, "Kockroach," from director Matt Ross.

MOVIES - From THR:  In NYC, the set of "The Devil Wears Prada 2" is plagued by professional photographs and movie fans looking for spoilers and first-look photos.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Joaquin Phoenix may have abandoned director Todd Haynes' 1930's-set gay drama, "De Noche," but now, Pedro Pascal is circling it.

MUSIC/SPORTS - From Variety:  Grammy-winning recording artist, Taylor Swift, and NFL player and Super Bowl champion, Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs), are engaged to marry.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Netflix will not give a second season to "The Waterfront," the crime drama from creator-write-executive producer, Kevin Williamson (creator-writer of the "Scream" franchise).

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 8/22 to 8/24/2025 weekend box office is Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters Sing-Along Event" with an estimated 18 million dollars.

MOVIES/SPORTS - From Variety:   Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired a spec script based on the dramatic true story of NBA legend Kobe Bryant joining the Los Angeles Lakers. The project comes from screenwriters, Alex Sohn and Gavin Johannsen. Star Thrower and Religion of Sports will produce the project. 

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American music producer, music supervisor, and music consultant, Joel Sill, has died at the age of 78, Saturday, August 23, 2025.  Sill is best known for his work supervising music for films.  He was the "executive in charge of music" for "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982) and "Flashdance" (1983), both of which won the Oscar for "Best Original Song" for the respective years of release.  Other films in which Sill was involved include "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), "Blade Runner" (1982), "La Bamba" (1987), and "Forrest Gump" (1994), to name a few.

From Deadline:  American film and television actor, Jerry Adler, has died at the age of 96, Saturday, August 23, 2025.  Adler is best known for his roles in such TV series as "The Sopranos" (HBO), "The Good Wife" (CBS), and "The Good Fight" (CBS All-Access), to name a few.  His film roles included "The Public Eye" (1992), Woody Allen's "Manhattan Murder Myster" (1993), and "Prime" (2005).  Adler was also a Broadway veteran, having worked as both a director and stage manager.  Adler was born into the famed Adler family, which included his cousin, actress and legendary acting coach, Stella Adler.

Comics Review: "HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #4" Offers No Rest for the Weary

HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #4 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Rafael Albuquerque

COLORS: Dave McCaig

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

COVER: Rafael Albuquerque

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Rafael Albuquerque

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 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. 

In Huck Big Bad World, Huck, his mother, Anna Polina Marianna Kozar, and the mysterious Dr. Jack Harper are on a road trip with the goal of finding Harper's lost love, Sophia.  The trio also wants to find the other secret super-humans who have been hiding around the world.  But why are they in hiding, and what are they afraid of?

Huck: Big Bad World #4 opens in Montana, where Jack Harper is reunited with his Sophia who is living in hiding with her grandson, Kevin, who cannot control his powers.  And Kevin's powers can be quite deadly.  Huck and Anna say goodbye and return home to a painful reunion.  Can Anna fix this as sinister forces gather around them?

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 #4.

In both Huck series, writer Mark Millar has offered a narrative that is both charming and poignant, which is not something that genre comic books do very well.  However, this forth issue of the second series opens with the quote, “We live out here so Kevin doesn't kill anyone.”  And we're off on an adventure full of the shocks and surprises the kind at which Millar is golden.

The storytelling by artist Rafael Albuquerque, by turns dark and hopeful, is a mixture of both in unnerving ways.  Albuquerque continues to make readers feel the emotions of the characters in this chapter, as he draws them into a spider's web of shock and awe.  Dave McCaig's coloring continues to be outstanding at striking a balance between the light and the dark that finds humor and pathos in this offbeat series.  As always, the lettering by Clem Robins establishes moods and then embellishes those moods to the best affect.

Huck: Big Bad Day is undeniably a superb series.  It is a great work on the way to an incredible conclusion.  I'm totally surprised at how good it is, so, dear readers, hop to it.

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"

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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Comics Review: "NEMESIS FOREVER #1" Offers a Cap for the Entire World's Ass

NEMESIS FOREVER #1 (OF 5)

DARK HORSE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Mateo Scalera

COLORS: Giovanna Niro with Laura Ciondolini

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Matteo Scalera with Giovanna Niro

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jae Lee with June Chung

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2025)

Age range: 18+

Nemesis created by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven

Nemesis Forever is a new five-issue comic book miniseries from writer Mark Millar and publisher Dark Horse Comics.  It is a sequel to the miniseries, Nemesis Reloaded (2023) and Nemesis Rogues' Gallery (2024).  Besides Millar, the rest of the creative team is comprised of Matteo Scalera (artist); Giovanna Niro (colors); and Clem Robins (letters).

Nemesis Forever #1 opens in an apartment building on the Lower East Side of New York City.  Nemesis, the world's greatest assassin, is a billionaire, and he is tired of terrorizing the hapless forces of law and order.  His new plan is to wreak havoc on his enemies and seize control of the world itself, enslaving humanity with super-technology.

Now, a CIA undercover agent, Kitty Tepper, may be the only hope in leading the cause to stop Nemesis' mission hammer the world into submission.  But the world's greatest assassin did not become the world's greatest assassin by not knowing real from fake...

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.  Nemesis Forever #1 is the latest PDF that I have received.

I would not be surprised to learn that Nemesis is among Mark Millar's favorite creations, if not the favorite.  It is obvious in the absolute glee with which Millar fashions a suite of unrelenting cruelty on the part of his anti-hero slash villain.  In a way, Nemesis Forever recalls the opening of Millar and Steve McNiven's original Nemesis (2010) miniseries.

The always excellent Matteo Scalera creates the perfect graphical storytelling for the first issue.  He brings Millar's script to life as a symphony of inhuman cruelty, and the art is just plain beautiful, also.  Scalera's hypnotic art makes you feel the meanness and evil, and I'm not sure Millar's story would be as effective without Scalera's brilliance.

The coloring by Giovanna Niro heightens the sense of evil and immorality.  Niro's colors truly convey the absolute sinister and depraved nature of Nemesis himself.  As always, Clem Robins' elevates this comic book with a raging story of imagined sound and vision.

I didn't expect Nemesis Forever to be so good from the opening gun.  This first issue draws first and last blood.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books of his Nemesis series will desire Nemesis Forever.

A+

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

A Kindle edition of NEMESIS FOREVER #1 is available at Amazon.

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/

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

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 17th to 23rd, 2025 - UPDATE #7

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

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

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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

NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Variety:  "Dexter: Origins" will not get a Season 2, although it was initially renewed.  "Dexter: Resurrection" is getting its writers room ready for a Season 2.

MUSIC - From EW:  TV and musical icon, Donny Osmond, talks about the "offensive" advice he once got from his friend, the late cultural icon and legendary entertainer, Michael Jackson.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel:  There is a trailer for "Anemone," the first film starring Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis in eight years.  The film is also the directorial debut of Daniel's son, Ronan Day-Lewis.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The cast of director Doug Liman's XR (Extended Reality) sci-fi thriller, "Asteroid."  Among the cast is Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, DK Metcalf (formerly of the Seattle Seahawks).

TELEVISION - From Variety:  MSNBC will change its name to "MS Now" once it and several cable networks are separated from their corporate parent, NBCUniversal, into a new publicly traded company called "Versant."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 8/15 to 8/17/2025 weekend box office is Warner Bros' "Weapons" with an estimated take of 25 million dollars.

NETFLIX - From Deadline: Quentin Tarantino explains why he is not directing "The Adventures of Cliff Booth," a Netflix spinoff of his film, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."  David Fincher is directing the film.

OBIT:

From Variety:  The English actor, Terence Stamp, has died at the age of 87, Sunday, August 17, 2025.  His breakout performance in the film, "Billy Budd" (1962), earned him an Oscar nomination for "Best Supporting Actor."  Three years later, Stamp received a "Best Actor Award" at the Cannes Film Festival" for "The Collector" (1965).  His best known film roles include "General Zod" in "Superman II" (1981), "Bernadette Bassenger" in "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" (1994), "Wilson" in "The Limey" (1999), and "Supreme Chancellor Fenis Valorum" in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999).

Comics Review: "HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #3" The Gift That is a Curse

HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #3

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Rafael Albuquerque

COLORS: Dave McCaig

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

COVER: Rafael Albuquerque

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Rafael Albuquerque

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (July 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. 

In Huck Big Bad World, Huck, his mother, Anna Polina Marianna Kozar, and the mysterious Dr. Jack Harper are on a road trip with the goal of finding Harper's lost love, Sophia.  The trio also wants to find the other secret super-humans who have been hiding around the world.  But why are they in hiding, and what are they afraid of?

Huck: Big Bad World #3 opens as Huck, Anna, and Jack try to track a young woman who literally cannot be tracked because she can see what is happening for one hundred miles.  Among the other super-people they meet is a young woman who can bring pets that died before their time back to life.  But there is one meeting with a super-person that will change everything.

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 #3.

With this second Huck series, Mark Millar picks up where he left off in the original and also veers into darker territory that delves into the mysteries of other super-humans and their really creepy origins.  While this third issue does what the second issue did – offer twists and turns, it also offers hope to those seemingly made hopeless by what they can do with their super powers.  Miller shows a human side to what can be a heartbreaking angle of things beyond the natural.

The storytelling by artist Rafael Albuquerque, by turns dark and hopeful, is more hopeful in this third issue.  Albuquerque made me feel the emotions of the characters in this chapter more than simply feel the exhilaration of the supernatural and of conflict.  Dave McCaig's coloring continues to be outstanding at striking a balance between the light and the dark that finds humor and pathos in this offbeat series.  As always, the lettering by Clem Robins establishes moods and then embellishes those moods to the best affect.

The first issue of Huck: Big Bad Day did not disappoint, and since then, the series has paid off on its promise of being something extraordinary.  Dear readers, run to the store for Huck: Big Bad World.

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"

The HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD trade paperback can pre-ordered at Amazon.

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 13th to 19th, 2025 - UPDATE #11

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

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

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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

NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  ABC has announced the premiere dates for its Fall 2025 television season.  That includes a 8PM Eastern arrival for the flagship "9-1-1," and a 9 PM Eastern debut for its latest spinoff, "9-1-1 Nashville."

TELEVISION - From Variety:  Talk show host Stephen Colbert announced that CBS is cancelling "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," with the last episode scheduled for May 2026.  He also announced that CBS is ending "The Late Show" and won't replace it. Colbert has been hosting the show since 2015.

NETFLIX/ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Netflix has produced a red-band trailer for "Fixed," the R-rated animated comedy film from director Genndy Tartakovsy ("Hotel Transylvania").  The film is about a randy dog named "Bull," who is about to get neutered.

EMMYS - From Deadline:  The nominations of the 2025 / 77th Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced. The winners in 25 categories will be announced September 14, 2025, airing live on CBS and Paramount+.  The corresponding Creative Arts Emmy winners will be announced during a two-night ceremony of September 6th and 7th, 2025.  Apple TV+'s "Severance" led with 27 nominations.

From Variety:  Days after celebrating his 83rd birthday, Harrison Ford, earns his first Primetime Emmy nomination, which is in the category "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series."  He is the second oldest nominee in that category after the late Adam Arkin earned a nomination in 2020 at the age of 86.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  HBO has provided a first-look of Nick Frost as "Rubeus Hagrid" in its upcoming "Harry Potter" television series.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Blumhouse has laid off six staffers across film, television, and casting in the wake of the box office disappointment of its most recent film, "M3GAN 2.0."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 7/11 to 7/13/2025 weekend box office is Warner Bros. Picture/DC Studios' Superman with an estimated take of 122 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav celebrates a box office win with Superman saying that his is just the beginning for the "DC Universe."

STREAMING/ANIMATION - From Deadline:  "South Park" and Paramount+ are involved in negotiations involving the rights to stream the series. That has led to the long-running animated series being removed from the international version of Paramount+.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American songwriter, Alan Bergman, had died at the age of 99, Thursday, July 18, 2025.  Bergman was best known for his collaboration with his late wife, Marilyn Keith Bergman (1928-2022).  The couple won three Oscars for the film music, including twice for "Best Original Song."  The won two Grammy Awards, including "Song of the Year" (for "The Way We Were" with songwriter Marvin Hamlisch).  The couple also wrote the theme songs for the television series, "The Sandy Duncan Show," and two former CBS sitcoms, "Maude" (1972-78), and its spinoff, "Good Times" (1974-79).

From Deadline:  British television actress, Judy Loe, has died at the age of 78, Tuesday, July 15, 2025.  Loe was a regular in such British TV series as "Ace of Wands," "Edward the Seventh," and "General Hospital" (not related to the American soap opera), to name a few.  She was a guest in such series "Man at the Top," "Ripping Yarns," and "Inspector Morse," to name a few.  Loe was also the mother of actress, Kate Beckinsale, best known for her role in the "Underworld" film franchise. 

Advanced Comics Review: "THE MAGIC ORDER 5 #6" - Death Becomes Her

THE MAGIC ORDER V #6 (OF 6)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Matteo Buffagni

COLORS: Giovanna Niro with Laura Ciondolini

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Matteo Buffagni with Giovanna Niro

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Buffagni

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (July 2025)

Rating: 18+

The Magic Order created by Mark Millar at Netflix

“The Death of Cordelia Moonstone”

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 #6 opens in New Jersey where Cordelia battles Grandmaster Samuel Mott, leader of “the Fellowship of the Bell.”  Mott is just a-wringing that “Bell,” which has summoned the Fellowship's ancient gods, a group of Lovecraftian monsters.  And they are almost here.

The saga of The Magic Order concludes, and everything has been building towards “the death of Cordelia Moonstone.”  When she goes, however, there won't be anyone left to protect the world from the forces of darkness that want to consume us.  Can she bring The Magic Order together in time to save the world if not 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 #6.

It is possible for each issue of The Magic Order 5 to be crazier than the previous issue, but the sixth and final issue of this series is not about the possibilities of craziness, but it is about the destination.  Perhaps, all previous issues of this franchise were about the journey, so now Issue #6 is about the grand finale and the big goodbye.  The Magic Order is Mark Millar's best and most imaginative work, as far as I'm concerned, and along the way, his scripts became glorious comic book storytelling thanks to some really talented artists who brought The Magic Order to life.

Concerning The Magic Order V's brilliant artist-storyteller, Matteo Buffagni, I said the following in my review of Issue #5 of the series:  “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.”  That is true to the end.  Buffagni unleashes the power and the glory, and the gorgeous hues of Giovanna Niro helps with the glory.  As always, Clem Robins uses his lettering to create a soundtrack of destruction, but this time, he adds the sounds of resolution for this outro.

So this is the end of The Magic Order.  Thanks to Mark Millar for this comic book that should serve as a model for DC Comics' Dr. Fate and Marvel Comics' Doctor Strange.  Thanks to Matteo, Giovanna, and Clem for the super-graphics.  Dear readers, if you have not read The Magic Order yet, I suggest do so now.  Or you can invest in Dark Horse Comics' library editions of this series – one of the best comic books about magic ever.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of The Magic Order will want to read The Magic Order V.

A+

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

You can preorder THE MAGIC ORDER V trade paperback collection at Amazon.

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

https://x.com/themagicorder

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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

Review: Tyler Perry's "STRAW" Gets the Best of Taraji P. Henson

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 of 2025 (No. 2035) by Leroy Douresseaux

Straw (2025)

Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)

Rating: not rated by the MPA / TV-MA

WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Tyler Perry

PRODUCERS:  Tyler Perry, Angi Bones, and Tony L. Strickland 

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Justyn Moro (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Nick Coker

COMPOSER:  Dara Taylor

DRAMA/CRIME

Starring:  Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Sinbad, Rockmond Dunbar, Ashley Versher, Mike Merrill, Glynn Turman, Shalet Monique, Diva Tyler, Derek Phillips, Tilky Jones, Katrina Nelson, Justin James Boykin, and Gabby Jackson

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

-- Taraji P. Henson gives a tour-de-force performance in Straw, the third Tyler Perry film in which she has been the lead and her fourth Perry film, overall. It is a treat to watch so skilled and talented an actress in this film

-- However, as good as it is, Straw is very sad and mournful. Straw is not a tear-jerkier. It is a python of sadness that will squeeze the tears out of you, dear readers.

Straw is a 2025 psychological drama and crime film from writer-director Tyler Perry.  The film is a “Netflix Original,” and it began streaming on the service June 6, 2025.  Straw focuses on an African-American single mother who is forced by a series of unfortunate events into inadvertently taking hostages at a local bank branch.

Straw introduces Janiyah Wiltkinson (Taraji P. Henson).  She is a single mother living in a dilapidated apartment with her frequently ill daughter, Aria (Gabby Jackson).  Janiyah has been able to hold things together, but one particular day, everything starts to fall apart.  Aria's school is demanding $40 for lunch money, and the landlord at her apartment complex is threatening to evict Janiyah if she does not come up with the rent money.

Janiyah's mean boss, Richard (Glynn Turman), at the “Super Center” grocery store is also threatening to fire her over being late for work and for often having to leave work early.  Then, the unthinkable happens, and Janiyah finds herself at “Benevolent Bank & Trust,” where a misunderstanding becomes a major incident.  Now, the bank's manager, Nicole Parker (Sherri Shepherd), and a female police detective, Detective Kay Raymond (Teyana Taylor), may be the only ones who can save Janiyah from more tragedy.

Straw is the fourth Tyler Perry in which actress Taraji P. Henson has appeared, and the third one in which she has been the lead.  I have seen 2009's I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Henson's first starring role in a Perry film, but I have yet to see her second Perry lead, 2018's Acrimony.  Straw is very different from I Can Do Bad All By Myself, which also has Henson play a desperate single mother, but that film was nowhere near as heavyhearted as Straw.

Straw is so gloomy and mournful that it would not be much of an exaggeration to say that I could cut the sadness with a knife and make sandwiches out of it.  I don't want to spoil the film because as crazy as it seems that everything starts to fall apart for Janiyah on the same day, an even crazier or perhaps surreal ending to the film is in the works the entire time.

For all that is unbelievable about his film's plot, Tyler Perry has made Straw into a statement about and indictment of a system that makes it really expensive for poor African-American women to be poor.  Henson, in another sterling performance, makes Perry's eccentricities in Straw convey both his melodramatic goals and socioeconomic messages.  If people think a film like Straw is beneath Henson's talents, they would be wrong.  The very least one can say is that Tyler Perry is not under-utilizing Taraji P. Henson's talents the way the broader... film industry is.

Once again, I can say of a Tyler Perry movie that there is nothing like Straw.  It is one of Perry's better directorial efforts because for all its intensity, Straw's is less melodrama and more cinema verite-ish.  Perry and Henson make me feel that Straw is reality and that its possibilities and speculations are realistic.  Sure, the film doesn't so much as jerk the tears out of the viewer as it squeezes the tears out of the viewer.  Still, Straw reveals that in the lives of certain Americans, the last straw really has many other straws coming behind it.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, July 6, 2025

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #2" - Just Do This Last Job for Me

HUCK: BIG BAD WORLD #2

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Rafael Albuquerque

COLORS: Dave McCaig

LETTERS: Clem Robins

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

COVER: Rafael Albuquerque

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Rafael Albuquerque

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (June 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 #2 opens with a display of the talents of a young man named Lorenzo and of how he uses his very special powers in the service of his uncle, Louis Abruzzo.  Meanwhile, Huck, his mother, Anna Polina Marianna Kozar, and a mysterious man, Dr. Jack Harper, are on a road trip to find the other secret super-humans who have been hiding around the world.  So how will meeting this first one, Lorenzo, make bad deeds become one really good deed?

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 #2.

I read Huck Volume 1, the trade collection of the first miniseries, before embarking on a journey into Big Bad World.  While writer Mark Millar picks up where he left off in the original, Huck: Big Bad World veers into the dark territory that delves into the mysteries of other super-humans and their really creepy origin.  Millar consistently offers twists and turns in his comic books, and this second issue approaches being a twist-o-rama, and it always feels fresh and original.

The storytelling by artist Rafael Albuquerque is by turns dark and hopeful.  When he is at his best, Albuquerque is a superior story craftsman, mixing visual splendor and sweeping narrative pace.  Dave McCaig's coloring continues to be outstanding at striking a balance between the light and dark that finds humor and pathos in this offbeat series.  As always, the lettering by Clem Robins establishes moods and then embellishes them to the best affect.

The first issue of Huck: Big Bad Day did not disappoint, and the second issue pays off the promise of the first.  Dear readers, run to the store for Huck: Big Bad World.

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"

The HUCK VOLUME 2: BIG BAD WORLD trade paperback collection will be available in Feb. 2026 and is currently available for preorder from Amazon.

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 15th to 21st, 2025 - UPDATE #14

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

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

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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

NEWS:

MOVIES - From THR:  Oscar-winning director, Danny Boyle, gives a career spanning interview about his career and about his new film, "28 Years Later."

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  A collection of memorabilia from the late director, David Lynch, earns 4.25 million dollars at auction.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  Fine-ass actor Jason Isaacs talks about pay equity on the HBO series, "The White Lotus." Each actor makes $40000 per episode.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Oscar-winner Katherine Bigelow has a new film, "A House of Dynamite."  It will have a brief theatrical run before streaming exclusively globally on Netflix Oct. 24th, 2025.

OSCARS - From THR:  The board of governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced that Tom Cruise will received an "Honorary Oscar."  The other recipients of that honor this year are actress/producer/choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas.  Dolly Parton will receive the "Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award."  These honors will be bestowed at the 16th annual "Governors Awards.

BUSINESS - From Variety:  Warner Bros. Discover boss, David Zaslav will see his pay decrease (such as it is) in the wake of the proposed split of WBD into two separate companies.  Zaslav will see a significant reduction in his target annual compensation, including lowered his annual cash compensation opportunity, and reorientation of the total pay mix toward long-term incentives.

CELEBRITY - From Deadline: Veteran actor Al Pacino met the newly elected pontiff, Leo XIV, at the Vatican on Monday (June 16th).  Pacino met the Pope alongside Andrea Iervolino, the Italian producer behind "Maserati: The Brothers," a biopic about Italy’s legendary Maserati family that stars Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, and Andy Garcia. 

OSCARS - From Variety:  Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm, wants the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to present Disney CEO Bob Iger with an "Honorary Oscar." Not everyone is enamored with that idea.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Carla Gugino is the latest to join Brad Pitt in Netflix's "The Adventures of Cliff Booth."  The film will be directed by David Fincher and it is written by Quentin Tarantino as a follow-up to his Oscar-winning film, "Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood."  Cliff Booth, the sidekick of Leonardo DiCaprio's "Rick Dalton" in the 2019 film, is now a Hollywood fixer in the Netflix film.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 6/13 to 6/15/2025 weekend box office is Universal Studios/DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon" with an estimated take of 83.7 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Famed director Steven Spielberg has filmed a new, special introduction to his landmark 1975 film “Jaws,” which will air over three hours on Friday, June 20th, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC — the exact 50th anniversary date of when it was released. The NBC screening and Spielberg’s introduction are just some of the plans NBCUniversal has to mark the anniversary.

OBITS:

From THR:  American film, television, and stage actress, Lynn Hamilton, has died at the age of 95, Thursday, June 19, 2025.  Hamilton was best known for the recurring role of "Donna Harris," the girlfriend and later fiance of "Fred G. Sanford" on the former NBC sitcom, "Sandford and Son" (1972-77).  From 1973 to 1981, she also had the recurring role of "Verdie Foster" on the CBS drama, "The Waltons."  Hamilton also had main roles on two early 1990s soap opera series, "Dangerous Women" and "Generations."  Her film roles included appearances in such noted Black films as "Buck and the Preacher" (1972) and "Lady Sings the Blues" (1972).

From Variety:  American chef and television personality, Anne Burrell, has died at the age of 55, Tuesday, June 17, 2025.  Burrell was best known for her association with the "Food Network" cable network.  She debuted on the network by serving as the sous chef of Mario Batali during his six-season run on "Iron Chef America: The Series"  Burrell's first Food Network series was "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" (2008-12) as its "presenter."  She cohosted on "Worst Cooks in America" from 2010-2024.  She also cohosted "Chefs Wanted with Anne Burrell" (2012-13).  In 2011, Burrell received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in the category of "Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host" for her work on "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef."

From Deadline:  Television screenwriter and producer, Terry Louise Fisher, has died at the age of 79, Tuesday, June 10, 2025.  Fisher was a producer and writer on the former CBS crime drama, "Cagney & Lacey."  Her best known work as the former NBC legal drama, "L.A. Law" (1986-94), that she co-created with super-producer, Steven Bochco."  Fisher and Bochco also co-created the former ABC drama-comedy, "Hooperman" (1987-89), which starred the late John Ritter.  She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award seven times and won three:  "Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series" once (for "L.A. Law") and "Outstanding Drama Series" twice (once each for "Cagney & Lacey" and "L.A. Law").

From Deadline:  Film, television, and stage actor, Harris Yulin, has died at the age of 87, Tuesday, June 10, 2025.  In film, he was best known for roles in such films as "Scarface" (1983), "Clear and Present Danger" (1994), and "Training Day."  He played the obstinate "Judge Stephen Wexler" who has to be rescued by the Ghostbusters in "Ghostbusters II" (1989).  He was a recurring or guest star in such series as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "24," and "Ozark," to name a few.  He received an "Outstanding Guest Actor in Comedy Series" Primetime Emmy nomination for his role in a 1996 episode of the former NBC sitcom, "Frasier."

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