Showing posts with label Superhero. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Superhero. Show all posts

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Comics Review: "GEEK-GIRL #12" Breaks Out the Break-In

GEEK-GIRL, VOL. 2 #12
MARKOSIA ENTERPRISES, LTD.

STORY: Sam Johnson
ART: Carlos Granda
COLORS: Chunlin Zhao
LETTERS: Paul McLaren
COVERS: Carlos Granda with Chunlin Zhao; Flinn Douglas with Carlos Granda
24pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2023)

Rated T+ / 12+ only

Geek-Girl created by Sam Johnson

“Identity Crisis” Part 2: “Skin and Bones, Waifs and Strays”

Created by Sam Johnson, Geek-Girl is a comic book character that debuted in the 2016 Geek-Girl miniseries,  She returned in a second miniseries, 2018's Geek-Girl Vol. 2, which subsequently became an ongoing series.  Geek-Girl Vol. 2 is written by Sam Johnson; drawn by Carlos Granda; colored by Chunlin Zhao; and lettered by Paul McLaren.

Geek-Girl focuses on Ruby Kaye of Acorn Ridge, Maine, a sexy and popular college coed who inadvertently becomes a superhero.  Ruby dons a pair of super-tech eye glasses that give her super-powers.  Ruby's BFF, Summer James, then talks her into trying to be a superhero, even providing her with a moniker.  Now, Ruby is Maine's newest superhero, “Geek-Girl.”

Geek-Girl Vol. 2 #12 (“Skin and Bones, Waifs and Strays”) opens at “Snakeskin's Bar.”  Chromex and Dog Woman, friends of the captured costume, Pig Head, have approached Digger Mensch and Terry the Super-Porter.  One of them, Chromex, makes Digger a lucrative offer for the whereabouts of Pig Head – a big payday.  Meanwhile, Pig Head is getting to know Rosebud and Joe Cyborg.

Ruby returns to headquarters, struggling to understand what happened to her, but her conversation with The Minger is interrupted when the League of Larcenists invades the headquarters.  Should Ruby help with the response to this assault or go after the person who has stolen her identity and a lot more.

THE LOWDOWN:  Geek-Girl creator-writer Sam Johnson regularly sends me PDF review copies of the latest issues of Geek-Girl, and has been doing so for several years.  I enjoy reading about Geek-Girl and her (mis)adventures.  I like this comic book enough to believe that encouraging you to give this series a try, dear readers, is one way I can contribute something good to the comic book industry.

Geek-Girl #12 carries over threads from Geek-Girl #11 and the recent release, Fake Geek-Girl #1.  Writer Sam Johnson packs most issues with a lot of characters, which can sometime put a drag on the pace of the narrative, as it does here, but only a little.  Sam is an imaginative writer and his stories, in a deceptively quiet way, are riveting.  He captures the spirit of Silver and Bronze Age superhero team comic books like Marvel Avengers and DC Comics' Justice League.  The difference is that Sam captures the eccentricities of both the superheroes and their civilian identities, where as the earlier comic books focus on the weirdness of the superheroes.

Artist Carlos Granda is quite good at capturing facial expressions and the quirkiness and oddness in the way people act in relationship to emotions and speech.  Granda's graphical storytelling and compositions capture both the unique nature of Sam Johnson's world and the classic comic book sensibilities of Geek-Girl.  All of this really shows under Chunlin Zhao's excellent colors and Paul McLaren's lettering.

Geek-Girl #12 is like the series as a whole, endlessly charming and constantly beguiling.  I always want to read this series, and issue #12 makes me hungry for more.  I don't know if Johnson wants to make Geek-Girl a monthly comic book, but, dear readers, I wish for that.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of lovable superheroes will find an all-around winner in Geek-Girl.

A

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


Geek-Girl #12 can be ordered via Indy Planet at https://www.indyplanet.com/geek-girl-12.

You can get more information about Geek-Girl here or at https://samjohnsoncomics.wixsite.com/geekgirlcomics.

Information about the Kickstarter for Geek-Girl issues #13 and 14 is available here or at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geekgirlcomics/geek-girl-identity-crisis.


https://twitter.com/daSamJohnson
https://twitter.com/Markosia
https://twitter.com/Markosia_News
https://markosia.com/


The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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

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Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Comics Review: "THE JAGUAR No.1" - A War of Claws and Feathers

THE JAGUAR #1
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Keryl Brown Ahmed
ART: Tango
COLORS: Ellie Wright
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
EDITOR: Jamie Lee Rotante
EiC: Mike Pellerito
COVER: Maria Laura Sanapo with Ellie Wright
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Reiko Murakami
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2024); on sale in comic book shops February 21, 2024

Rating: Teen+

Eternal high school student and teenage boy, Archie Andrews, and his friends made their debut in M.L.J. Magazines' Pep Comics #22 (cover dated: December 1941), and before long, Archie was the publisher's headliner character.  In 1946, the company changed its named to Archie Comic Publications, also known as “Archie Comics.”

Archie Comics has also published superhero comic books.  Adventures of the Jaguar #1 (cover dated: September 1961) introduced “The Jaguar,” who was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist John Rosenberger.  The Jaguar was Ralph Hardy, a zoologist who found a magic belt in an ancient temple that gave him flight, strength, animal control, and the enhanced abilities of many animals.

Many years later, New Crusaders #1 (cover dated: October 2012) introduced a new version of The Jaguar.  She is Ivette Velez, and now, she is the star of a new one-shot comic book, The Jaguar, No. 1.  It is written by Keryl Brown Ahmed; drawn by Tango; colored by Ellie Wright; and lettered by the great Jack Morelli.

The Jaguar #1 opens on a passenger bus traveling through Northern Peru.  Something is killing the Pampas cats of the region, and a group of zoologists has come together to investigate these mysterious slayings.  They know the culprit is a bird of prey, but the method of killing is unlike any of the birds local to the region.

Enter Ivette Velez a.k.a. “The Jaguar.”  It’s going to take someone with apex predator abilities to find out what is causing these murders…someone like Ivette!  Can the predator, however, become the prey?  Who or what is “The Buzzard?”  Who or what is “Ai Apaec?”  And what does this all have to do with Ivette's tragic past?  Can she solve these mysteries and validate the faith her mentor, the original Jaguar, Ralph Hardy, had in her?

THE LOWDOWN:   I have been reading comic books, on and off, for decades.  I have sporadically read Archie Comics titles over that time.  For many years now, Archie's marketing department has been sending PDF copies of some of their titles for review.  The Jaguar, No. 1 is the latest.

I was vaguely familiar with The Jaguar, mainly through DC Comics' early 1990s imprint, Impact Comics, which published updated versions of Archie Comics superhero characters.  I have taken interest in Archie's recent one-shot revivals of its superhero characters, beginning with the recent The Darkling, No. 1 (cover dated: January 2024).

However, dear readers, you don't have to be familiar with either version of The Jaguar at all to enjoy the new one-shot comic book, The Jaguar, No. 1.  Writer Keryl Brown Ahmed crafts a 21-page story that offers concise origins or back stories for the two major players in this comic book.  Ahmed gives the readers everything they need to understand the Jaguar, to enjoy the story, and to be ready for any potential future stories.

The art by Tango recalls the late Darwyn Cooke, and is visually energetic.  However, the storytelling is muddled; the page design in chaotic; and the composition is more style than substance.  As usual, Ellie Wright's colors are dazzling, and letterer Jack Morelli's work is classic comics cool.  Both are an added benefit to Tango's storytelling.

The Jaguar, No. 1 is a surprise, and I enjoyed it in spite of its graphical storytelling flaws.  Fans of Archie Comics superheroes will like it, especially because it offers the appearance of another old character, The Buzzard, which first appeared in the 1983 version of The Mighty Crusaders, specifically issue #11 (cover dated: March 1985).

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Archie Comics' superhero titles will want to try The Jaguar, No. 1.

[This comic book includes a two-page section on the making of The Jaguar, No. 1.]

B+

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


https://archiecomics.com/
https://twitter.com/archiecomics
https://www.instagram.com/archiecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/ArchieComicsOfficial?ref=tn_tnmn
https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchieComicsOfficial
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8914136-archie-comics


The text is copyright © 2024 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).


Saturday, February 17, 2024

Comics Review: "FAKE GEEK-GIRL #1" - How to Spot a Fake or Be One

FAKE GEEK-GIRL #1
MARKOSIA ENTERPRISES, LTD.

STORY: Sam Johnson
ART: Carlos Granda
COLORS: Chunlin Zhao
LETTERS: Paul McLaren
COVER: Carlos Granda with Chunlin Zhao
VARIANT COVER: Narcelio Sousa with Chunlin Zhao
24pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2024)

Rated T+ / 12+ only

Geek-Girl created by Sam Johnson

“Identity Crisis”: “Geek-Girl, Interrupted”

Created by Sam Johnson, Geek-Girl is a comic book character that debuted in the 2016 Geek-Girl miniseries,  She returned in a second miniseries, 2018's Geek-Girl Vol. 2, which subsequently became an ongoing series.  Geek-Girl Vol. 2 is written by Sam Johnson; drawn by Carlos Granda; colored by Chunlin Zhao; and lettered by Paul McLaren.

Geek-Girl focuses on Ruby Kaye of Acorn Ridge, Maine, a sexy and popular college coed who inadvertently becomes a superhero.  Ruby dons a pair of super-tech eye glasses that give her super-powers, and she becomes Maine's newest superhero, “Geek-Girl.”  Now, the super-villain, Identity Thief, has tapped into Geek-Girl's mind and taken on her physical form in order to become “Fake Geek-Girl.”

Fake Geek-Girl #1 (“Geek-Girl, Interrupted”) opens as Ruby's best-frenemy, Karin Carpenter, arrives at “Rock” nightclub with her latest boy-toy, Alex.  Before long, she is greeting acquaintances Jools, Estelle, and Howard.  Her most important conversation, however, is with Danny about Ruby.  So which is the real Geek-Girl?  Which is the Fake Geek-Girl?

THE LOWDOWN:  Geek-Girl creator-writer Sam Johnson regularly sends me PDF review copies of the latest issues of Geek-Girl, and has been doing so for several years.  A recent arrival is Fake Geek-Girl #1.

Fake Geek-Girl #1 takes place between Geek-Girl #11 and Geek-Girl #12.  It is both a standalone comic book, and it is also part of Geek-Girl #11 Deluxe.  Fake Geek-Girl #1 is necessary for regular Geek-Girl fans because the “Previously:” segment on the inside front cover gives a detailed synopsis about the state of the narrative and how Fake Geek-Girl came to be.

This issue is produced by the regular creative team, so it fits quite well.  Honestly, “Geek-Girl, Interrupted” isn't as strong a chapter as the ones in the main series, but it quite enjoyable.  Also, I find that one needs to read everything Geek-Girl, dear readers.  The first reason is because it is necessary, and the second reason is because Geek-Girl comics are super-duper good.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of the lovable Geek-Girl will want to read Fake Geek-Girl.

B+

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


Geek-Girl #11 Deluxe is a great jump-on point for the Geek-Girl series: containing all the content from Geek-Girl #11 (“Identity Crisis”: Part 1) and Fake Geek-Girl #1-Shot (also available as its own comic).  You can buy it here or at https://samjohnsoncomics.wixsite.com/geekgirlcomics/geek-girl-11-deluxe

Kickstarter for Geek-Girl issues #13 and #14 are part of a crowdfunding campaign here or at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geekgirlcomics/geek-girl-identity-crisis

Buy Geek-Girl comic books here or at https://www.indyplanet.com/?s=geek-girl


https://twitter.com/daSamJohnson
https://twitter.com/Markosia
https://twitter.com/Markosia_News
https://markosia.com/


The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for 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).


Friday, February 16, 2024

Review: Hysteria Aside, "MADAME WEB" is Quite Enjoyable

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 10 of 2024 (No. 1954) by Leroy Douresseaux

Madame Web (2024)
Running time:  117 minutes (1 hour, 57 minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for violence/action and language
DIRECTOR:  S.J. Clarkson
WRITERS:  Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless and Claire Parker & S.J. Clarkson; from a story by Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless and Kerem Sanga (based on the Marvel Comics)
PRODUCER:  Lorenzo di Bonaventura
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mauro Fiore (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Leigh Folsom Boyd
COMPOSER:  Johan Soderqvist

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/HORROR/ACTION

Starring:  Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O'Connor, Tahar Rahim, Adam Scott, Emma Roberts, Kerry Bishé, Zosia Mamet, José María Yazpik, and Mike Epps

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SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

Madame Webb is not the worst film ever, and even with its corny and eye-rolling moments, it is a fast-moving action movie.

Madame Webb and the three young women she protects carry this film past its weirdness with their energy.

Madame Webb is for comic book movie fans looking for entertainment rather than culture war conflict.

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Madame Web is a 2024 superhero fantasy, horror, and action film directed by S.J. Clarkson.  The movie is based on the Marvel Comics character, Madame Webb/Cassandra Webb, that was created by writer Denny O'Neil and artist John Romita Jr. and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #210 (cover dated: November 1980).  This is also the fourth film in “Sony's Spider-Man Universe” (SSU) series.  Madame Web the movie focuses on a NYC paramedic who starts having visions of a shadowy figure hunting three young women.

Madame Web opens in 1973 in the jungles of Peru.  There, scientist Constance Webb (Kerry Bishe) searches for a rare spider deep in the Amazon.  At her side is her assistant, Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), who has plans of his own.  They are also surrounded by legends and rumors of “Las Arañas,” a secret Peruvian tribe in which its members have spider powers.  In the end, discovery leads to betrayal, death, and birth.

Thirty years later, New York City, 2003, Constance's daughter, Cassandra “Cassie” Webb (Dakota Johnson) is a paramedic.  An accident causes Cassie to start having strange visions, which she comes to believe are clairvoyant.  These visions of the future feature three young women:  Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced), and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O'Connor) being hunted by a mysterious figure.  This man wears a costume; he has enhanced strength and speed; and he can crawl on walls and ceilings like a spider.  Forced to confront her past and her psychic abilities, Cassie must safeguard these three young women before this deadly adversary murders them.

Madame Web is fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe following Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), and Morbius (2022).  In my estimation, dear readers, Madame Webb is the second best of the quartet behind only the original Venom.

In fact, Madame Webb isn't the “worst film ever,” “absolutely horrible,” or any of the over-the-top things haters and trolls are saying on social media.  It isn't a great film, but Madame Web is quite entertaining.  However, I have ideas about why this new film is getting so much hate.  One reason is that there is a corner of social media that is dedicated to dissing films that are largely led by women characters.  We saw this in the vitriol and invective directed at the 2016 Ghostbusters film and Marvel Studios' recent target, The Marvels.  There are also some structural and narrative reasons that might irritate some viewers, and in order to talk about them, I will have to give you, dear readers, a...

SPOILERS WARNING:  Madame Web is a hybrid of superheroes, dark fantasy, horror, action, and mysticism.  On the superhero end, only the adversary trying to kill the three young women wears a costume.  Sometime in the future of Madame Web's timeline, Julia Cornwall, Anya Corazon, and Mattie Franklin will each be a version of the hero, Spider-Woman, but now they are not.  We only see them in their respective costumes in Cassie's visions of the future.  Still, in the main body of the story, each actress plays her respective character as if she takes her role seriously.  The trio is fun and rebellious, and their energy makes this film hop when it starts to drag.

On the action end, Madame Web has car chases and crashes and eye-crossing fights.  The film's mystical angle comes across as a bit hokey, especially when Cassie talks about her powers.  However, when Cassie's visions kick-in, they are trippy, confusing, and disorienting; they come and go in so many alternate versions with horror movie intensity.

Madame Web certainly could have been a better film had the main male characters had more development.  Screen time isn't the issue.  Adam Scott's Ben Parker, to whom you should pay attention, is more errand boy than friend, and the bad guy often comes across as a stock villain.

That said Madame Web is an entertaining film, and Dakota Johnson is good as Cassie Webb, considering neither her character nor this film in general has the benefit of a strong screenplay.  Madame Webb is a slightly above-average comic book movie, and it should entertain most fans of superhero movies... except those with culture war agendas.

6 of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, February 16, 2024


The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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



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


Friday, December 1, 2023

Comics Review: "DARKLING #1" is for the Young Adult Readers in Everyone

DARKLING #1
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Sarah Kuhn
ART: Carola Borelli
COLORS: Ellie Wright
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
EDITOR: Jamie Lee Rotante
EiC: Mike Pellerito
COVER: Maria Laura Sanapo
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: David Mack
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2024); on sale in comic book shops November 22, 2023

Rating: Teen+

Eternal high school student and teenage boy, Archie Andrews, and his friends made their debut in M.L.J. Magazines' Pep Comics #22 (cover dated: December 1941), and before long, Archie was the publisher's headliner character.  In 1946, the company changed its named to Archie Comic Publications, also known as “Archie Comics.”

Archie Comics has also published superhero comic books.  Its most well-known superhero title followed the superhero team, “The Mighty Crusaders.”  The Mighty Crusaders title that was launched in the 1980s (cover dated: March 1983 to September 1985) ran for thirteen issues.  The Mighty Crusaders #4 (cover dated: November 1983) saw the debut of the new superhero character “Darla Lang/Darkling.”  The character was killed off in The Mighty Crusaders #11 (cover dated March 1985).

Darkling No. 1 brings Darla Lang/Darkling to modern comics.  This one-shot comic book is written by Sarah Kuhn; drawn by Carola Borelli; colored by Ellie Wright; and lettered by Jack Morelli.

Darkling #1 opens at Ivy Hollow University, which has a reputation for being haunted.  It is the witching hour, and Ivy Hollow student, Darla Lang, wants to connect with the supernatural world.  Darla hopes to find a way to free herself of the peculiar voluminous black cloak that has been attached to her since she was a baby.

During a stealthy, middle-of-the-night trip to Ivy Hollow Library, Darla meets fellow outcast student, Phoebe Hayashi.  A podcaster, Phoebe believes that she is on the trail of a creepy conspiracy involving missing students.  Will Darla find within the hallowed halls Ivy Hollow the answers to the questions about herself and her powers that she’s been seeking

THE LOWDOWN:   I have been reading comic books, on and off, for decades.  I have sporadically read Archie Comics titles over that time.  For many years now, Archie's marketing department has been sending PDF copies of some of their titles for review.  Darkling No. 1 is the latest.

After reading Darkling No. 1, I wish it were an ongoing series.  Writer Sarah Kuhn (Shadow of the Batgirl; Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story) offers a delightful mystery tale set in the “dark academia” genre (or immersed in the “dark academia” aesthetic, if you choose).  Kuhn offers a breezy story that is both a highly-entertaining stand alone tale and also the beginning of something beautiful in YA comic books if Archie decides to continue it.  It's a world in which many readers will want their imaginations to live, at least part time.

Carola Borelli's art and storytelling are engaging, even gripping at times.  Borelli captures the thrills, chills, and clique-ish ills of Kuhn's script in a way that brings the world of Ivy Hollow University to life with variety and vividness.  Ellie Wright's colors and color effects are the finishing touches to the magical beats of Darkling No. 1, with the great Jack Morelli's lettering giving this story the vibe of a comic book that is perfect for all readers.

Darkling No. 1 will probably be a delightful surprise to everyone, except the creative and editorial teams of this work.  Dear readers, let's make this new Darkling a regular comic book thing.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Archie Comics' superhero titles will want to try Darkling No. 1.

[This comic book includes a two-page section on the making of Darkling No. 1.]

A

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


https://archiecomics.com/
https://twitter.com/archiecomics
https://www.instagram.com/archiecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/ArchieComicsOfficial?ref=tn_tnmn
https://www.youtube.com/user/ArchieComicsOfficial
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8914136-archie-comics


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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Friday, November 10, 2023

Review: "THE MARVELS" is a Fun-Filled Marvel

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 of 2023 (No. 1938) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Marvels (2023)
Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for action/violence and brief language
DIRECTOR:  Nia DaCosta
WRITERS:  Nia DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, and Elissa Karasik
PRODUCER:  Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Sean Bobbitt (BSC)
EDITORS:  Catrin Hedström and Evan Schiff
COMPOSER:  Laura Karpman

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION with elements of comedy

Starring:  Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park See-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Leila Farzad, Abraham Popoola, Lashana Lynch, and Samuel L. Jackson, Tessa Thompson, Hailee Steinfeld, and Kelsey Grammer

REVIEW SUMMARY:
  • The Marvels is a direct sequel to the film, Captain Marvel (2019), and a continuation of the Disney+ miniseries, “Ms. Marvel” (2022).
  • The story brings Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel together to stop a Kree warrior named Dar-Benn from destroying several worlds in a bid to save the Kree home world, Hala.
  • The film is short and sweet and is also a quirky and weird science fiction superhero film that is similar in tone to Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and to the Marvel film, Thor: Ragnarok (2017).
  • The Marvels' plot is a bit scattershot, but the fight and action scenes are highly energetic, resulting in a fun Marvel film full of likable characters.
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The Marvels is a 2023 superhero film directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Marvel Studios.  The film is the 33rd entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is also a direct sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel.  The Marvels is also a continuation of the Disney+/Marvel Studios television miniseries, "Ms. Marvel" (2022).

The film is headlined by the Marvel Comics character, Carol Danvers, who first appeared in the comic book, Marvel Super-Heroes #13 (cover dated: March 1968), and who later became Captain Marvel.  In The Marvels, Captain Marvel gets her powers entangled with two other similarly-powered individuals, forcing the trio to work together to save the universe.

The Marvels opens with a focus on Hala, the capital planet of the Kree Empire.  The collapse of the empire's “Supreme Intelligence” leads to a civil war among the Kree on their home world of Hala.  The result is that the planet is becoming barren as it loses its natural resources and its sun is rapidly going dark.  Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), the new leader of the Kree, retrieves one of two “Quantum Bands.”  She hopes to harness its power and to pair it with her staff, “the Universal Weapon,” as part of her scheme to save Hala.

On Earth, specifically in a home in Jersey City, New Jersey, teenager Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), who is also the superhero, “Ms. Marvel,” is dealing with teenage and family issues.  Kamala also happens to possess the other half of the Quantum Bands.

Meanwhile, above the Earth, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), now residing at the S.A.B.E.R. space station, has detected a “jump point” (which allows for hyperspace travel) anomaly caused by Dar-Benn.  Nick Fury calls in Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), an astronaut who has the ability to manipulate all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, to investigate the jump point anomaly near S.A.B.E.R.

When Monica touches the jump point at the same time as Captain Marvel, it causes a reaction in which Monica, Carol, and Kamala switch places through teleportation.  Now, this reaction brings the three young women together in order to stop Dar-Benn from destroying several worlds in order to save her home world, Hala.  And Kamala thinks that she, Carol, and Monica can best do this as a team, a super-team she names “The Marvels.

In addition to being a sequel to the 2019 film, Captain Marvel, and being a continuation of the Ms. Marvel TV series, The Marvels includes story elements that appear in the Disney+ Marvel Studios miniseries, “WandaVision” (2021) and “Secret Invasion” (2023).  There are also elements from Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).  At this point, I wonder if watching Marvel movies means having to be familiar with what has happened in too many previous films and television series.  There is also a scene that runs in the middle of the end credits that references other movies based on Marvel Comics characters.

Still, I love The Marvels.  I have not subscribed to Disney+, and I only saw the fifth and sixth episodes of the Ms. Marvels miniseries when it was aired on the ABC broadcast network in early September (2023).  I love The Marvels because I can figure out what is going on without having seen everything else it references.  If I really want to know more, I can read Wikipedia summaries of the Disney+ series that I have not seen.

The Marvels is marvelously enjoyable.  It is a science fiction adventure comedy that makes a comedy of physical errors out of every fight.  It's more like Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Thor: Ragnarok (2017) than it is like any other Marvel film.  Director Nia DaCosta and her co-writers take time to develop the relationship between Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel.  Also, giving so much time to Kamala family:  her mother, Muneeba Khan (Zenobia Shroff); her father, Yusuf Khan (Mohan Kapur); and her older brother, Aamir Khan (Saagar Shaikh), gives the film a human element that keeps the sci-fi, outer space weirdness of The Marvels from entirely taking over the narrative.  Yes, the plot is a bit scattershot, but The Marvels is kinetic and packs a lot energy in its fight and action scenes.

The Marvels also gives us a lighter, funnier side of Nick Fury, and, the delights of Goose, the cat-like “Flerken” alien is multiplied this time.  Dar-Benn turns out to be one of the more ruthless and interesting of the MCU's recent villains.  And if that isn't enough, The Marvels has one of the MCU's best (if not the best) extra credit scenes.  The Marvels is refreshingly short, and while it is more loose than cohesive, it does remind me of one thing.  Every trip to the world of Marvel Studios' films is an out of this world experience.

[The film includes one extra-credits scenes that takes place during the middle of the credits (mid-credits).]

A
8 of 10
★★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, November 10, 2023


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Friday, August 18, 2023

Review: "BLUE BEETLE" is a Family Affair

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 of 2023 (No. 1927) by Leroy Douresseaux

Blue Beetle (2023)
Running time:  127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, language, and some suggestive references
DIRECTOR:  Angel Manuel Soto
WRITER:  Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (based on characters from DC Comics)
PRODUCERS:  Zev Foreman and John Rickard
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Pawel Pogorzelski (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Craig Alpert
COMPOSER:  The Haxan Cloak

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION/FAMILY

Starring:  Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Damien Alcazar, Adriana Barraza, Belissa Escobedo, Elpidia Carrillo, Raoul Max Trujillo, Modesto Lacen, and Harvey Guillén, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, and  (voice) Becky G

Blue Beetle is a 2023 superhero and action-fantasy film directed by Ángel Manuel Soto.  The film is based on the DC Comics character, Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes, that was created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner and first appeared in the comic book, Infinite Crisis #3 (cover dated: February 2006).  Blue Beetle the movie focuses on a young man who finds himself chosen to be the symbiotic host of an alien artifact that gives him a suit of armor.

Blue Beetle introduces recent college graduate, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Mariduena), who is returning to his hometown of Palmera City.  He receives a warm welcome from his family:  his father, Alberto Reyes (Damian Alcazar); his mother, Rocio Reyes (Elpidia Carrillo); his Nana (Adrian Barraza), his younger sister, Milagro (Belissa Escobedo); and his uncle, Rudy Reyes (George Lopez).  Jaime soon learns that his family will lose their home due to financial difficulties and to Alberto's poor health.  Still, Jaime is optimistic that he will quickly get a job and make enough money for his family.

Some time later, Jaime meets Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine), the daughter of Ted Kord, the currently-missing CEO OF Kord Industries.  Jenny is at odds with her aunt, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), the current CEO.  Jenny discovers that Victoria has dark plans for her recent discovery, an alien artifact called “the Scarab.”  Jenny steals the Scarab, and not knowing its true nature, she passes it on to Jaime.
 
As soon as Jaime touches the Scarab, it activates and attaches to him, creating a suit of armor around him.  The suit gives Jaime extraordinary powers, such as flight, super-strength, and invulnerability, but those powers are unpredictable.  Now, Jaime's family calls him a “superhero.”  However, Jaime isn't sure that he wants to be a superhero, and Victoria Kord will do whatever she has to do – including murder – to regain possession of the Scarab.

The Blue Beetle first appeared in Fox Comics' Mystery Men Comics #1 (cover dated: August 1939) and was the secret identity of a young police officer, Dan Garrett.  The second Blue Beetle first appeared in Charlton Comics' Captain Atom #83 (November 1966) and was Ted Kord, an industrialist and owner of KORD Industries.  I mention this because Dan Garrett is referenced in this film.  Also, Ted Kord, with a new origin, is a major subplot in this film, although the story is that he has been missing for years under mysterious circumstances.

However, this is Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes' film.  He comes across as a normal young man in his early twenties.  Warner Bros. didn't even cast some muscular young android-like actor for the role.  Xolo Mariduena's body is in good shape, but he looks more like a high school kid still in physical development.  Everything about Xolo comes across as boy-next-door, which makes him more relatable to a larger segment of the audience.  After all, Jaime seems so vulnerable that even an alien suit of armor doesn't seem capable of completely protecting him.  If there is a superhero of the people – the champion next door – Xolo makes Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle fit the role perfectly.

Like Warner Bros.'s 2019 DC Comics film, Shazam, Blue Beetle emphasizes family, and the Reyes are delightful.  George Lopez's Uncle Rudy is a scene stealer, and I'm glad the story reveals that there is so much more to him than meets the eye.  Of course, one can judge how good a family is by placing it in contrast with a problematic family, and that is the Kords.  Susan Sarandon plays the evil aunt, Victoria Kord, with relish, although she doesn't really go over the top.  The film puts Jenny Kord, smoothly played by actress Bruna Marquezine, at the center of the good family (the Reyes)-bad family (Victoria Kord) dynamic.  Which will Jenny ultimately choose?  Like Shazam, Blue Beetle shows how cool an extended or surrogate family can be, especially to someone in need.

I like what director Angel Manuel Soto does with his collaborators, cast, and crew.  Blue Beetle is an easy-going superhero film that is fun for a family audience, even with the sometimes intense action and dark plot elements.  I'm surprised that the film has as its themes, “imperialism in the name of democracy” and “militarized capitalism,” neither of which are ever portrayed as a good thing.  Uncle Rudy even calls Batman a “fascist,” which has caused a stir in some Internet circles.  This film definitely has an anti-authoritarian streak.

That aside, Blue Beetle is hugely and surprisingly entertaining, and it sparkles with humor.  By focusing on Jaime Reyes as much as it does on the Blue Beetle armor, the film gets to center on the most winning aspect of it story, family and friends.  Blue Beetle won't get the attention of bigger superhero film productions, but it has more heart than most of those other films.

[Blue Beetle has two extra scenes during the end credits.]

7 of 10
B+
★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, August 18, 2023


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, August 14, 2023

Comics Review: "THE MADNESS #1" is What "Before Watchmen" Wanted to Be

THE MADNESS #1 (OF 6)
AWA STUDIOS

STORY: J. Michael Straczynski
PENCILS: ACO
INKS: David Lorenzo
COLORS: Marcelo Maiolo
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
COVER: ACO
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Brandon Peterson with Marcelo Maiolo; Dalibor Talajic
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2023)

Rated: “Mature”

The Madness is a new six-issue miniseries from AWA Studios.  It is written by J. Michael Straczynski; drawn by ACO (pencils) and David Lorenzo (inks); colored by Marcelo Maiolo; and lettered by Sal Cipriano.  The series follows a woman who uses her super-powers as a thief and her quest for revenge against a group of superheroes.

The Madness #1 introduces Sarah Ross a.k.a. “The Raven.”  She has super-powers:  flight, super speed, super strength, and invulnerability, but she can only use one at a time.  Sarah has been using her powers as a thief, stealing from the rich and giving it to herself.  She plans one more big score – the proverbial big score from which one can retire to a life of luxury for good.

However, Sarah's score means she has to steal from the wrong person.  And this man is the “wrong person” because Sarah's true mark is a highly-placed and powerful official.  Now, Sarah is a target, and the brutal consequences may drive her to utter madness.

THE LOWDOWN:  AWA Studios marketing recently began providing me with PDF review copies of their comic book publications.  The Madness #1 is the latest.

Writer J. Michael Straczynski is best known for his Hollywood work.  He has written for the screen for such films as Ninja Assassin (2009), Thor (2011), and World War Z (2013).  His best known television work is the TV series, “Babylon 5” (1993-98), which he created.  He also wrote for such TV series as CBS' mid-1980s' revival of “The Twilight Zone” and for “Murder, She Wrote,” to name two.

ACO is the pen name of Spanish comic book artist, Alex Cal Oliveira.  He has drawn Iron Man and Uncanny X-Men for Marvel Comics, to name a few, and he had a long stint on Wonder Woman for DC Comics.  I really liked ACO's inspired work on Marvel's 2017 Nick Fury comic book series.

Straczynski and ACO come together for The Madness, and I can call the first issue a shockingly good debut issue.  It is filled with a sense of mystery, a murderous conspiracy, shadowy government cabals, secretive and conniving superheroes, and the anticipation of death and destruction.  Straczynski lures in the readers and then, holds them hostage with high tension, from beginning to end.  ACO catches the script at its electric edges, creating the right angles with a captivating sense of graphic design.  ACO certainly creates the sense that something big is going to happen every page.

For what it presents, The Madness #1 is one of the few debut issues that reminds me of certain elements of Eclipse Comics' Miracleman #1 (cover dated: August 1985) and DC Comics' Watchmen #1 (cover dated: September 1986).  For me, those particular comic books seemed new and groundbreaking and also utterly familiar at the same time.  Am I comparing Straczynski and ACO to Alan Moore and Gary Leach and Alan David?  To Moore and Dave Gibbons?  Well, am I? 

I'm on Twitter a lot, and I always come across fans, commentators, creators, etc. complaining that DC Comics and (especially) Marvel are not producing great comic books.  Comic book publishers not named Marvel or DC, such as AWA Studios, are producing exceptional and entertaining comic books.  If you pass up The Madness #1, you really don't want to read great comic books.  

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans looking for excellence in superhero comic books will want to try The Madness.

A+

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


THE MADNESS PAGE: https://awastudios.net/series/the-madness/
AWA Website: https://awastudios.net/
AWA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awastudiosofficial/
AWA Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWA_Studios
AWA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awastudiosofficial


The text is copyright © 2023 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).


Thursday, July 20, 2023

Comics Review: "BIG GAME #1" Got Game

BIG GAME #1 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Pepe Larraz
COLORS: Giovanna Niro
LETTERS: Clem Robins
EDITOR: Sarah Unwin
COVER: Pepe Larraz with Giovanna Niro
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: J.G. Jones; Frank Quitely; Jae Lee with June Chung; Danny Earls
28pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (July 2023)

Rated M / Mature

Big Game is a new five-issue comic book event miniseries from writer Mark Millar and artist Pepe Larraz.  Big Game is a crossover event series that pulls together all the franchises that are part of Millar's company/imprint, “Millarworld.”  That includes Kick-Ass, Kingsman, Nemesis, and The Magic Order, to name a few.  Colorist Giovanna Niro and letterer Clem Robins complete the series' creative team.

Big Game #1 opens in 1986 when the super-villain conspiracy known as “the Fraternity,” defeated their superhero adversaries and erased them from the collective memory of humanity.  In the present day, Wesley Gibson/The Killer (Wanted) is concerned about the reemergence of superheroes.  Thus, it's time for the Fraternity to unleash its new superhero killer, Nemesis (Nemesis: Reloaded).

Meanwhile, Edison Crane (Prodigy) meets Bobbie Griffin, who unveils a past hidden even to the world's smartest man.  Also meanwhile, Doctor Choon-He Chung (The Ambassadors) and her international rescue squad, The Ambassadors, run into resistance.

THE LOWDOWN:  I have been receiving PDF review copies of Netflix/Millarworld's comic book titles for a few years now.  Big Game #1 is the latest.

Some of Millarworld's most popular comic book franchises and series have been adapted into Hollywood feature films.  They are Wanted (2008), Kick-Ass (2010), Kick-Ass 2 (2013), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), and The King's Man (2021).  These movies are so disparate, one would be surprised to know that their source material originates from a shared universe.

But they do.  In fact, this review does not mention all the Millarworld characters and references that appear in Big Game #1  If you are a fan of Mark Millar's creator-owned comic books, then, you will enjoy this first issue when it teases what is to come.  However, one need not be familiar with Millarworld in order to enjoy Big Game #1.  Mark is quite good a writing comic book scripts that embrace the bigness of a fictional universe.  He is also able to give the readers a taste of multiple characters within a single issue in a way that leaves the readers intrigued about characters they are encountering for the first time.

Pepe Larraz's art is similar to the work of Bryan Hitch, a specialist in event comic books, and he is good at creating an air of menace, in faces of the characters and in the overall narrative.  Giovanna Niro's colors serve this “dark universe” quite well, and Clem Robins' lettering is uniquely fashioned to serve the flavors of Millar's scripts.

I'm curious to see what is next.  I can almost guarantee that the second issue of Big Game will blow the doorway to your imagination off its hinges, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and especially of his Millarworld titles will want to read Big Game.

A

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


https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://twitter.com/themagicorder
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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


Friday, June 23, 2023

Review: Miller, Keaton Speed "THE FLASH" Forward

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 26 of 2023 (No. 1915) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Flash (2023)
Running time:  144 minutes (2 hours, 24 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language and partial nudity
DIRECTOR:  Andy Muschietti
WRITERS:  Christina Hodson; from a screen story by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, Joby Harold (based on the DC Comics characters)
PRODUCERS:  Barbara Muschietti and Michael Disco
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Henry Braham
EDITORS:  Jason Ballantine and Paul Machliss
COMPOSER:  Benjamin Wallfisch

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring:  Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdu, Kiesey Clemons, Antje Traue Temuera Morrison, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Nicolas Cage, George Clooney, Jason Momoa, and Jeremy Irons

The Flash is a 2023 superhero and action-fantasy film directed by Andy Muschietti.  The film is based on the DC Comics character, The Flash, with the two most famous versions being created by the teams of writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert and writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino.  The film is the 13th entry in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).  In The Flash, the superhero known as “the fastest man alive” uses his super-speed to change his family's tragic past, but also creates a world without superheroes.

The Flash opens at a very important time in the life of Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller).  His father, Henry Allen (Ron Livingston), has been imprisoned, wrongfully convicted for murdering his wife and Ezra's mother, Nora Allen (Maribel Verdu).  As a police forensic investigator for the Central City Police Department, Barry has been using his knowledge and connections in a bid to free his father, whose next appeal of his conviction is a day away.

However, Barry's superhero life intrudes, so he races to Gotham City where he helps Batman (Ben Affleck) stop a terrorist group.  After that, the Flash visits his childhood home.  Overcome by his emotions, Barry starts running so fast that he does not realize that his power, super-speed, has tapped into the “Speed Force” to such an extent that he has traveled back in time.  Although Batman's alter-ego, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), warns him against doing so, the Flash travels back in time, again.

He returns to the day his mother was murdered and changes events in order to save her life, and the thing about which Bruce warned Barry occurs, the unintended consequences of time travel.  Soon, Barry comes face to face with his younger self, college-age Barry (Ezra Miller).  Not long afterwards, Barry learns that his big change to the past has also created an Earth without superheroes.  As an alien threat looms, the two Barrys seek out the one superhero everyone knows exists – or at least once existed, Batman.  However, this Earth's Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) does not want to be Batman again, even if it dooms the world.

When I first heard of the premise of The Flash, I knew that Warner Bros. Pictures wanted to make its on version of Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios' multiverse adventure, Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).  Unlike this very sharp Spider-Man flick, The Flash is not as crisp and as efficient.  The Flash's action scenes are always at least a minute too long and too overdone.  The drama is a bit too melodramatic, sometimes in danger of being corny.  Still, director Andy Muschietti and his editors offer a film that is often quite engaging, thrilling, and entertaining.

I believe that the persons that really carry The Flash are first, Ezra Miller as The Flash/Barry Allen and as younger Barry Allen and second, Michael Keaton as Batman/Bruce Wayne.  This time around Ezra offers a superhero and alter-ego that are both far less annoying and forced than they were in Joss Whedon's 2016 superhero film, Justice League.  Miller is so good at portraying two versions of Barry that they seem like distinctly different people and personalities.  Here, Miller's Flash is more like a quirky character than in Justice League, where he seemed like bad character writing and a resulting confused and awkward performance.  Sadly, Miller's legal problems may keep them from portraying the Flash again, which is a shame.  They have finally got a bead on how to play that kind of character in a way that makes him endearing.

To a slightly lesser extent, Michael Keaton also carries this film.  His Batman/Bruce Wayne is one of the most famous iterations of the character, having appeared in director Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992).  Keaton revives the beats of the way he played the character over three decades ago, while adding a lot of new flavors to his character and new engagement in his performance.  After this appearance, I would really like to see more of Keaton's Batman.

Ben Affleck also makes a really nice turn as the “DCEU Batman/Bruce Wayne.”  Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl gives a performance that makes the character seem shoe-horned into this film.  And there are some delightful cameos from other actors and characters that have appeared in DC Comics-related film and television series.  Plus, there is a surprise appearance from another cinematic Batman.  As I have said, however, Ezra Miller and Michael Keaton put a light-speed jolt into The Flash.  I found The Flash entertaining, but I'm giving it the grade I am because of Miller and Keaton.

[The Flash has one scene at the end of the credits.]

7 of 10
B+
★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, June 23, 2023


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Comics Review: "THE AMBASSADORS #4" - Guns and a Rose That Grew from Concrete

THE AMBASSADORS #4 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Olivier Coipel
COLORS: Giovanna Niro
LETTERS: Clem Robins
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
COVER: Olivier Coipel with Giovanna Niro
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Ryan Sook; Olivier Coipel
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2023)

Rated M / Mature

The Ambassadors created by Mark Millar at Netflix

The Ambassadors is a new comic book miniseries written and created by Mark Millar.  The series focuses on the six people out of eight billion humans who will receive super-powers.  Each person will become a member of  the international rescue squad, The Ambassadors.  Each issue of The Ambassadors will be drawn by a different superstar comic book artist.  The fourth issue is drawn by Olivier Coipel; colored by Giovanna Niro; and lettered by Clem Robins.

The Ambassadors focuses on the efforts of Doctor Choon-He Chung.  The technology of her company, Chung Solutions (the world leader in bio-engineering and artificial intelligence), built her a new body.  Now, she wants to share super-powers with the world.  From her “Base-Control” is in Antarctica, Choon-He is building “The Ambassadors.”

The Ambassadors #4 opens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  There, the police have defeated the gangs, but now these enforcers of the law have become the crime lords.  A lone voice, Father Vitor Pereira fights the corruption from his church, and for his efforts, he has been chosen “Codename Brazil,” the superhero who will be Brazil's “Ambassador.”

But he doesn't want it.  What part do Captain Eduardo Lobo, the policeman turned militia leader and crime lord, and his female killer, Zee, play in Farther Pereira's ultimate choice?  Meanwhile, Jin-Sung, Choon-He's ex-husband, continues to sell super-powers to the super rich...

THE LOWDOWN:  Thanks to a review copy provided by the Mark Millar division of Netflix, I have been able to read the first four issues The Ambassadors.  This is a treat for which I have been awaiting since the announcement of the series last year.

In The Ambassadors #4, artist Olivier Coipel captures the grittiness, persistent poverty, and brutal violence of Rio de Janeiro in an artistic tableau of stylish graphics, eye-catching graffiti, and expressive graphic design.  Under Giovanna Niro's lavish colors, Coipel's art matches the aesthetic of writer Mark Millar's darker series, such as the recent Nemesis Reloaded and Night Club.

Millar's script, however, offers a poignant tale of a rose growing in concrete, but a flower showing its thorns in a life of horrid violence.  This is a tale of a man determined to make that flower bloom beyond full, even if he has to give up the greatest material things any human could ever get on the planet Earth.

The Ambassadors #4 is a nice follow-up to the amazing third issue.  This fourth issue keeps the series undeniable and unmatched.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of big concept superhero comic books will want to read The Ambassadors.

A+

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


https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2023 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).


Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Comics Review: "NEMESIS RELOADED #5" - It's Not the Length, It's the Girth or Unexpect the Expected

NEMESIS RELOADED #5 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Jorge Jiménez
COLORS: Giovanna Niro
LETTERS: Clem Robins
EDITOR: Sarah Unwin
COVER: Jorge Jiménez with Giovanna Niro
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Javier Fernandez with Belén Ortega; Jorge Jiménez
36pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2023)

Rated M / Mature

Nemesis created by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven

Nemesis Reloaded is a five-issue comic book series from writer Mark Millar.  It is a soft reboot of Nemesis, Millar's 2010-11 four-issue comic book miniseries that he created with artist Steve McNiven.  Nemesis: Reloaded is drawn by Jorge Jiménez; colored by Giovanna Niro; and lettered by Clem Robins.

In the new series, Nemesis has plans for Los Angeles and its ruling class.  By the time he is done, the city won't be the same, nor will its top politicians.  And maybe the secrets of Nemesis will be revealed.

Nemesis Reloaded #5 opens in Eastern Europe, at “the Castle of Reflection.”  It is there, Matthew Anderson a.k.a. Nemesis must win the game of death that will lead him to discovering all the big-ass secrets.  But before we get into that big game...

Mayor-elect Joe Costello must come face to face with his connection to Nemesis' past.  There is payback galore, and the wealthy and the power-elite won't get their way.  Is this the grand finale or just the beginning?

THE LOWDOWN:  In my earlier reviews of Nemesis Reloaded, I talked about how those issues fit into the tradition of the groundbreaking and daring comic books of the 1980s, especially of the early to mid-1980s.

The final issue retains the series' connection to a gleefully and enjoyably insane time.  Still, I have to be careful with Nemesis Reloaded #5.  In a way, it is like the recent Killadelaphia #30, which ended things so that it could begin even bigger, more surprising and lunatic things.

Here, writer Mark Millar and artist Jorge Jiménez add their craziness to something like the bigness of Millar and Matteo Scalera's King of Spies.  They don't minimize the craziness of Nemesis Reloaded, the kind that recalls Frank Miller's Daredevil and Ronin, but they welcome the massive storytelling that is similar to Millar's work at Marvel, such as The Ultimates and Civil War.

Recently, dear readers, my car was stolen (still not recovered) and the thieves ransacked my home for my book and comic book collection.  With the arrival of the final issue, I needed Nemesis: Reloaded to stroke my hard-on for vengeance.  Oh, it was so good, and I'm so crazy about the title character.  I wanna blow Nemesis; I'm not sure I've ever felt that way about a comic book character, but it is Mark Millar and artist Jorge Jiménez's fault, of course.

They have created a comic book that pops off the page, and the story pelvic thrusts its way into readers' imaginations … again and again.  I have to believe that they wanted it this way; they wanted such reactions as mine.  If that is not the case, they certainly could have rebooted Green Lantern for the umpteenth time instead of creating this glory hole of violence and retribution.  If you have been waiting for comic books to be crazy and fun again, recharge your imagination with Nemesis Reloaded.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of comic books that make readers beg for more will desire Nemesis Reloaded.

A+

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


https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://twitter.com/themagicorder
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2023 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).


Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Comics Review: "THE AMBASSADORS #1" - Best Super-Team Debut Since March 2002

THE AMBASSADORS #1 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Frank Quitely
COLORS: Frank Quitely with Vincent Deighan
LETTERS: Clem Robins
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
COVER: Frank Quitely
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Gigi Cavenago; Pepe Larraz with Giovanna Niro
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2023)

Rated M / Mature

The Ambassadors created by Mark Millar at Netflix

The Ambassadors is a new comic book miniseries written and created by Mark Millar.  The series focuses on the six people out of eight billion humans who will received super-powers.  Each issue of The Ambassadors will be drawn by a different superstar comic book artist.  The first issue is drawn and colored by Frank Quitely and lettered by Clem Robins.

The Ambassadors #1 opens in Mexico, 1986.  Here, we meet Jamie, a strange fellow with strange powers.  But the real action is in Korea.

There, Doctor Choon-He Chung is imprisoned in Cheongju Women's Correctional Institution.  However, that has not stopped her or her company, “Chung Solutions” (the world's leading authority on bio-engineering and artificial intelligence), from developing a data bank of super-powers.

Now, she is launching her latest venture.  Imagine you could gift super-powers to six people.  In a world of eight billion, whom do you choose?  “Codename Korea” will choose, and ordinary people from around the world will explain why it should be them – why they should be an “Ambassador,” representing their respective countries as superheroes.

THE LOWDOWN:  Thanks to a review copy provided by the Mark Millar division of Netflix, I got to read The Ambassadors #1 early.  It is a treat for which I have been awaiting since the announcement of the series last year.

When writer Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely dropped New X-Men #114 (cover dated: July 2001) on readers, it was like no X-Men comic book anyone had ever seen.  Quitely captured the oddness Morrison's concepts and also conveyed its disruptive nature, relative to prior X-Men comic books.  Quitely also did something that few modern comic book artists do, and that is convey the sense of wonder, of mystery, of discovery, and of super-science fiction the way superhero comic books of the early 1960s did.

Quitely brings wonder, mystery, discovery, and super-sci-fi to The Ambassadors #1.  This entire first issue in a puzzle box of competing interests and subplots, and Quitely lures the readers in with some of his best art.  And now, he also colors his own illustrations, making every panel look like a painting executed in sensuous brushstrokes.

Mark Millar wrote The Ultimates, the definitive Marvel Comics superhero team book of the 21st century.  In The Ambassadors #1, Millar offers something equally ambitious.  Honestly, neither my summary of this first issue nor the one Image Comics provides can convey the wide range of characters, backgrounds, settings, plots, intrigues, etc. The Ambassadors #1 presents.

The promotional material suggests that The Ambassadors is the most ambitious comic book of all time.  If so, I would like to see it become an ongoing series in a way similar to that of core Marvel and DC Comics titles, if for no other reason than that this first issue suggests this series has a deep pre-history.

So, yes, The Ambassadors #1 is fantastic.  And yes, The Ambassadors has potential out the ying-yang.  If The Ultimates, written by Millar and drawn by the great Bryan Hitch, could become the blueprint for a massive cinematic franchise, The Ambassadors #1 certainly has the potential to launch another.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of big concept superhero comic books will want to read The Ambassadors.

A+

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


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The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, March 20, 2023

Review: SHAZAM! Fury of the Gods" is Fun for the Entire Shazamily

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 of 2023 (No. 1903) by Leroy Douresseaux

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
Running time:  130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and language
DIRECTOR:  David F. Sandberg
WRITERS:  Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan (based on the DC Comics characters)
PRODUCER:  Peter Safran
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Gyula Pados
EDITOR:  Michel Aller 
COMPOSER:  Christophe Beck

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION/COMEDY

Starring:  Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Glazer, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, D.J Cotrona, Grace Caroline Currey, Meagan Good, Rachel Zegler, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, and Djimon Hounsou with Gal Gadot

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a 2023 superhero and fantasy film from director David F. Sandberg.  The film is based on the DC Comics character now called “Shazam.”  Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a direct sequel to the 2019 film, Shazam! and is also the 12th installment in “DC Extended Universe” (DCEU).  Fury of the Gods continues the story of the teenage foster kid who becomes a superhero by uttering one magic word, “SHAZAM!”

Shazam! Fury of the Gods opens in Philadelphia two years after the events depicted in the first film.  Billy Batson (Asher Angel) can still transform into an adult hero, the champion who bears the name “Shazam” (Zachary Levi).  Billy will turn 18-year-old in a few months, which he believes means that he will loose his foster parents, Rosa (Marta Milans) and Victor Vásquez (Cooper Andrews).

Billy shared the power he got from “The Wizard” (Djimon Hounsou) with his five foster siblings.  He calls them the “Shazamily.”  His foster brother, Freddie Freeman (Jack Dylan Glazer), is an adult superhero who calls himself “Captain Everything” (Adam Brody).  His older foster sister, Mary Bromfield (Grace Caroline Currey) is trying to be an adult while also being a superhero.  The other foster kid/adult hero pairs are Eugene Choi (Ian Chen and Ross Butler), Pedro Peña (Jovan Armand and D.J. Cotrona), Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman and Meagan Good).  Billy/Shazam is desperate to keep his “Shazamily” together, but they are having a rough time being superheroes.  After doing a less than stellar job saving civilians from a collapsing bridge, Shazam and company discover that the local media refers to them as the “Philly Fiascoes.”

Bigger troubles are ahead, however.  “The Daughters of Atlas” have imprisoned The Wizard, and they want to regain the powers he stole from the gods, including their father, the Titan Atlas, and gave to his new champions – Billy and his Shazamily.  Can they survive the attack of the daughters:  Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and the reluctant Anthea (Rachel Zegler), and save the world from destruction and from the fury of the gods?

In the first Shazam! film, the drama was driven by Billy Batson's internal conflict.  It was built around the tension between the foster family Bill could have and did not want and the biological family he wanted but could no longer have (if he ever really had it to begin with).  In Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Billy/Shazam fears losing the foster family that he eventually embraced, and with such a theme, he must inevitably learn that one should not hold onto things too tightly – even loved ones.  The Daughters of Atlas must learn the same, concerning the things to which they cling too tightly.  Billy/Shazam's dilemmas don't resonate this time around the way they did in the original film, and, at times, Billy and Shazam's obsession with holding onto the family seems forced.  But at least this film has the requisite drama.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods, like Shazam!, is a very entertaining film that is part energetic superhero movie, part charming comedy, and part heartwarming family film.  The superhero action is not as intense as that found in most superhero films, although Fury of the Gods' action is more intense than in the original.  Some of the villains' murderous intentions seem really murderous.

Except for the increase in intensity, everything about Fury of the Gods is a little down from the first film.  It is not as poignant, not quite as funny, and it seems too long, although it is a littler shorter than the original film.  Still, fans of Shazam! will likely enjoy Shazam! Fury of the Gods.  It even has a nice cameo appearance by another DC Comics superhero, and that cameo makes me wish that we could get more Shazam! Films.  It would be fun to see Billy Batson and Shazam team up with other DC  heroes and pitted against DC villains.  It is likely, however, that Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the final half of a truly unique pair of superhero movies.

6 of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars

Monday, March 20, 2023


NOTES:
Shazam! Fury of the Gods has one extra scene in the middle of the credits and one at the end of the credits.

The DC Comics character, Shazam, was the first comic book character to have the name “Captain Marvel.”  A boy named Billy Batson became Captain Marvel by uttering the word, “Shazam!”  Captain Marvel was created by comic book artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker.  He first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (cover-dated:  February 1940) which was published by Fawcett Comics.  A legal dispute caused Fawcett to stop publishing Captain Marvel comic books in 1953.  DC Comics revived the character in 1972, but by then, Marvel Comics owned the trademark to the name “Captain Marvel.”  Thus, the original Captain Marvel is now called Shazam.


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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