TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 6th to 12th, 2025 - UPDATE #10

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

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

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NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline: Warner Bros. is developing a remake of the 1992 romantic drama thriller, "The Bodyguard," which originally starred Kevin Costner and the late Whitney Houston.

ACADEMY AWARDS - From WorldofReel: The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has a announced a new Academy Awards category. The Oscar for "Best Achievement in Stunt Design" will be first handed out in 2027 at the 100th Academy Awards ceremony.

CELEBRITY - From Variety: Actor Eric Dane has revealed that he has been diagnosed with "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" (ALS), also known as "Lou Gehrig's disease." He says that this diagnosis will not stop him from returning to work next week on Season 3 of HBO's "Euphoria." ALS is a fatal, progressive degenerative disease that breaks down the nerves in the body, weakening muscles and causing eventual paralysis, impacting patients’ ability to breathe, speak and move. There is no known cure.

TELEVISION - From THR: Patrick Schwarzenegger talks about being the star of the big cable TV hit, HBO'S "The White Lotus" and possible working with his father, Hollywood icon and legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

MOVIES/CELEBRITY - From Deadline: Ryan Coogler discuses his new supernatural horror movie, "Sinners," the film's star, Michael B. Jordan, and moving back on "Black Panther 3" in order to make Sinners.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Legendary Entertainment is eying Robert Pattison for a role in "Dune 3."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 4/4 to 4/6/2025 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "A Minecraft Movie" with an estimated take of 157 million dollars.

AMAZON - From Variety: Academy Award winner Viola Davis talks about why she choose to star in the Amazon Prime Video action movie, "G20," which begins streaming April 20th.

From Variety: Viola Davis doesn’t think "suspension of disbelief" is required for audiences to accept that the President of the United States in her Amazon Prime Video action-thriller, "G20," is a Black woman.

OBITS:

From Variety: American actor and former child star, Jay North, has died at the age of 73, Sunday, April 6, 2025. North was best known for his starring role in "Dennis Mitchell" in the former ABC sitcom, "Dennis the Menace" (1959-63), which was based on the newspaper comic strip created by Hank Ketchum. Before that starring role, North made appearances on such TV series as "The Eddie Fisher Show," "The Milton Berle Show," and "Wanted: Dead or Alive." Typecast as "Dennis Mitchell," North's appeared in a number of other TV series and a few films before leaving acting in the 1980s.

From Deadline: American musician, Clem Burke, has died at the age of 70, Sunday, April 6, 2025. Burke was best known as the drummer for the American rock band, "Blondie." He joined the band less than a year after its founding and appeared on all its studio albums along with founders, Chris Stein and Debbie Harry. During the 1980s and 1990s when Blondie was disbanded, Burke played drums for "the Romantics," Pete Townsend, "Eurythmics," Iggy Pop, and Joan Jett, to name a few. On a few occasions, he played drums for "the Ramones" under the name "Elvis Ramone." Burke was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in 2006 as a member of Blondie, and he was nominated for three Grammy Awards as a member of the group.

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Friday, April 11, 2025

Review: "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" is a Good Thing

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 of 2025 (No. 2021) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024) – anime

Running time: 134 minutes (2 hours, 14 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for strong violence

DIRECTOR: Kenji Kamiyama

WRITERS: Jeffrey Addiss & Will Matthews and Phoebe Gittins & Arty Papageorgiou; from a story by Jeffrey Addis & Will Matthews and Philippa Boyens (based on characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien)

PRODUCERS: Philippa Boyens, Joseph Chou and Jason DeMarco

EDITOR: Tsuyoshi Sadamatsu

COMPOSER: Stephen Gallagher

ANIMATION: Sola Entertainment

ANIME/FANTASY/WAR

Starring: (voices) Gaia Wise, Brian Cox, Luca Pasqualino, Lorraine Ashbourne, Shaun Dooley, Benjamin Wainwright, Yazdan Qafouri, Laurence Ubong Williams, Michael Wildman, Janine Duvitski, Bilal Hasna, and Miranda Otto

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a 2024 anime fantasy film from director Kenji Kamiyama. The film is based on characters created by J. R. R. Tolkien and is thus connected to his two most famous works of high fantasy, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-55). The film is a production of New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Animation, Domain Entertainment, and Sola Entertainment, which provides the animation. The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of a king's daughter who fights to defend her father's kingdom from a traitor to their people and his rebel army.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is narrated by Eowyn (Miranda Otto). She tells a tale set in the human kingdom of Rohan around 200 years before the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, finds the “One Ring” (as depicted in the 2012 film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey). At that time, Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox) is the King of Rohan. He has two sons, Haleth (Benjamin Wainwright) and Hame (Yazdan Oafouri), and one daughter, Hera (Gaia Wise).

Freca (Shaun Dooley), a “Dunlending” lord, arrives at Edoras, the seat of Helm's court, for a “witan” (council). Freca wants his son, Wulf (Luca Pasqualino), to marry Hera, which he claims will unite his family with Helm's, but what Freca really wants is to use the marriage to usurp Rohan's throne. Although she and Wulf are friends from childhood, Hera spurns Wulf's offer of marriage. That leads to a deadly confrontation between Helm and Freca.

Four years later, Wulf leads an army of hill-tribe rebels against Rohan. Helm is forced to lead his people to the ancient stronghold of “Hornburg,” and there, waits for allies to come to the aid of Rohan. With the former shieldmaiden, Olwyn (Lorraine Ashbourne), and the bard, Lief (Bilal Hasna), at her side, Hera struggles to hold her people together. Her only hope is her cousin, Lord Frealaf Hildeson (Laurence Ubong Williams), who is himself hold up in the fortress at Dunharrow. Can Hera and her people make a daring last stand in Hornburg, and will help come in time to save them?

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is well connected to the two Tolkien film trilogies, The Lord of the Rings (2001-03) and to The Hobbit (2012-14). The War of the Rohirrim is narrated by Eowyn, who appears in two films in The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy, The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). Miranda Otto, who played Eowyn in those films, also performs the voice for the character here. The War of the Rohirrim also has multiple other references to these two film trilogies, but how good is this animated film on its own?

The War of the Rohirrim reminds me of the Japanese anime film series that began with Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1 – The Egg of the King (2012). Although I like The War of the Rohirrim, I don't like it as much as I liked the Berserk films that I saw. I find this LOTR film lacks magic and the supernatural; in fact, it is well past the halfway point in the story before this films drops some dark magic and sorcery. The film is too much like a war movie, but considering the high stakes involved in this war, the film also lacks the spectacle of the live-action LOTR movies, which were essential war movies – fantasy war movies – but still war movies.

Although some reviewers and critics did not like the quality of The War of the Rohirrim's animation, I do admire it, and I also like the animation's vivid colors and the character designs. The characters and narrative drama are good, not great. While the story strikes familiar notes in terms of plot and setting, I found myself very emotionally involved in a lot of this movie's narrative; it tugged at my heart in spite of its imperfections.

The War of the Rohirrim seems more like Earth “Middle Ages” than Tolkien's “Middle-earth,” but I consider myself lucky to have an anime Tolkien film. It has been almost four and half decades since audiences had animated feature films based on the work of the English writer J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973). It is not great, but it is great that we have The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, April 11, 2025

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Comics Review: "SWORD & THIMBLE #1" Draws First Blood

SWORD & THIMBLE #1

FANTASY ENVISIONING & CREATIONS, LLC

PLOT: Carmen Raye and Austin Darby

SCRIPT: Carmen Raye

ART: Austin Darby

COLORS: Austin Darby

LETTERS: Austin Darby

COVER: Austin Darby

24pp, Color, $9.99 U.S.

Sword & Thimble created by Carmen Raye and Austin Darby

Sword & Thimble is a new high fantasy comic book series from writer Carmen Raye and artist Austin Darby. Raye co-plots and scripts the series and Darby co-plots, draws, colors, and letters the series. Published via Darby's Fantasy Envisioning & Creations, LLC, Sword & Thimble is set on a continent and island metropolis known as “Sabise Shahar.” A first issue of the series is currently available.

Sword & Thimble #1 opens in Gravel Valley where Maira Rodan, a disgraced knight, arrives at a tavern. There, she meets her friend, a thief named “Thimble.” A run-in with a thug named Clod Ilbert provides entertainment for the two friends, but this confrontation is not the end of things. The troubles are just beginning.

THE LOWDOWN: I met Austin Darby at his booth at the recent Louisiana Comic Con 2025 (March 8-9) in Lafayette, Louisiana. That is where I bought a copy of Sword & Thimble #1.

Sword & Thimble #1 is clearly the work of people just beginning their creative journey into the medium of comic books. However, any opening night jitters or even awkwardness in the storytelling is easily overcome by a sense of confidence on the part of the creators. The world of Sword & Thimble is well put together, as well as believable, and the leads are characters that I like and that I want to follow on the high road to adventure.

Darby's art looks like the work of someone still feeling his way around the graphical confines and graphic possibilities of comics. However, Darby understands what the depiction of power and of strength and what dynamic storytelling can do for his storytelling. Like his visually striking cover art, Darby's interior art welcomes readers to a world of mystery and to the threat of danger, his way of capturing readers' imaginations from the beginning.

I must admit that I am surprised. I find myself engaged with what Sword & Thimble #1 presents more than I thought I would. Hopefully, Carmen Raye and Austin Darby can produce this series on a regular basis because I believe the more they give, the more readers will take.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of high fantasy comic books will want to give Sword & Thimble a try.

A-

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

https://www.fantasyenvisioning.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@thedudedraws7968/videos

https://x.com/thedudedraws901

https://www.facebook.com/TheDudeDraws

https://www.instagram.com/thedudedraws901/

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Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Comics Review: "VATICAN CITY #1" Breaks Hell Loose

VATICAN CITY #1 (OF 3)

DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Per Berg

COLORS: Per Berg

LETTERS: Per Berg

EDITOR: Daniel Chabon

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

COVER: Per Berg

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Per Berg; John McCrea

40pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (April 2025)

Rating: 18+

Vatican City created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Vatican City is a new Millarworld miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. It is created and written by Mark Millar and drawn, colored, and lettered by Per Berg. Vatican City is set in a world overrun by vampires, except for Vatican City, which is the main target of the vampires.

Vatican City #1 opens in Princeton, New Jersey. There, Professor Derrida is about to discover that he is to play a key role in a vampire plot that is steadily taking over the world.

A few hours later, Guido Cavelti, recently of the Swiss Air Force, is in Vatican City, the independent city-state within Rome, Italy that is the government of the “Holy See” (the Pope and the Papacy). Cavelti is there to be interviewed about a position with the Swiss Guard, the security that protects the Pope and the Apostolic Palace.

Before he knows it, however, Cavelti is in the middle of a rescue operation, trying to save everyone inside Vatican City. There is an invasion of monsters just outside its borders.

THE LOWDOWN: This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics. The latest received is Vatican City #1.

While reading this, I thought of a few apocalyptic and vampire films to which Vatican City #1 has at least a passing resemblance – in one way or another. That includes 28 Days Later (2002), I Am Legend (2007), Daybreakers (2009), to name a few. Of course, Vatican City's writer, Mark Millar, has dealt with vampires before, as he has did when he launched his wonderful vampire-as-superheroes franchise with Night Club #1.

Millar throws the readers right into the action, and as always, Millar action is bracing action – filled with equal parts thrills and chills. I don't want to spoil anything, but, of course, there is a shocking surprise to close out this first issue.

The art, colors, and letters by Per Berg (also known as Per Darwin Berg or by the pen name, “Narwhal”) are both representational and impressionistic, possibly because Berg is depicting a world that is rapidly shifting from the natural to the supernatural. One thing that Berg's storytelling certainly does is create the sense of rapid breakdown and hopelessness, which are perfect modes for apocalyptic fiction. Berg wants the reader to guess at what is happening more than know what is happening.

Well, Millar and Berg have certainly given readers a reason to come back for the second issue. I suggest that you do so, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Mark Millar, of vampire comic books, and of horror apocalypse will want to read Vatican City.

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/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

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Comics Review: "ARCHIE & FRIENDS LEVEL UP! #1" Levels Up on "Minecraft"

ARCHIE & FRIENDS LEVEL UP! #1 (#19)

ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Ian Flynn; Hal Smith; George Gladir; Bill Golliher

PENCILS: Steve Butler; Doug Crane; Dan DeCarlo; Sam Schwartz;

INKS: Lily Butler; Scott McRae; Mike Esposito; Rudy Lapick; Samm Schwartz; Dan DeCarlo

COLORS: Glenn Whitmore; Barry Grossman

LETTERS: Jack Morelli; Bill Yoshida

EDITORS: Jamie Lee Rotante; Vincent Lovallo; Stephen Oswald

EiC: Mike Pellerito

COVER: Dan Parent with Rosario “Tito” Peňa

VARIANT COVER: Dan DeCarlo

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (June 2025); on sale in comic book shops April 2, 2025

Rating: All-Ages

“Servers You Right”

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 published the series, Archie & Friends, from 1992 to 2012 for 159 issues. Since 2019, Archie has been publishing a new iteration of Archie & Friends as a series of themed one-shot comic books. The latest is Archie & Friends (Level Up!) No.1, the nineteenth issue in the series. It features one new five-page story and five reprint stories. Entitled “Servers You Right,” the new story is written by Ian Flynn; drawn by Steve Butler (pencils) and Lily Butler (inks); colored by Glenn Whitmore; and lettered by the great Jack Morelli.

Archie and Friends in Level Up! in “Servers You Right”:

Archie and the Gang (Betty, Veronica, and Jughead) come together to play the video game, “Crafty Miners,” an open world video game where you can do anything. The fun and games turn a little edgier when Veronica decides to be her normal self, and Reggie shows up to do some damage. Can Dilton, the server administrator, save the day?

THE LOWDOWN: For several years, Archie's marketing department has been sending me PDF copies of some of their titles for review. One of the most recent is Archie & Friends Level Up! (which is titled Archie and Friends, No. 1 (#19), in the indicia).

The Archie & Friends series has previously offered movie-themed editions in the past, such as Archie and Friends Hot Summer Movies (cover dated: July 2023), which included the story, “Riverdale Jones and the Burger of Destiny,” a parody of the then upcoming film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). The target for parody this time is the recent smash hit, Warner Bros. film, A Minecraft Movie, which is based on the video game, Minecraft, which debuted in 2011.

I don't have much interest in the movie, but I will likely watch it when it arrives on the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service, Max, in a few months. Surprisingly, the script by Ian Flynn offers a rather nice scenario, which could have become a rather nice full-size, standalone story instead of this good five-page story. I wish Archie would have let Flynn fly on this one.

The art team of Steve Butler (pencils) and Lily Butler (inks) deliver some standout work. As far as my experience with their Archie Comics work, this is the best looking that I have seen in terms of composition and aesthetics. And I say this as a fan of their Archie work. “Servers You Right” has captured my imagination in a way I did not expect. Glenn Whitmore's colors really serve the art quite well, and, as always, Jack Morelli's lettering hits it hard.

In addition to the main stories, there are five reprint stories. Two with Archie as the star, and one each with Betty, Jughead, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch as the star. I grew up on classic-style Archie Comics. So, there is something comforting about seeing Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead in both all-new and classic adventures. I will always recommend classic-style Archie titles, so I am giving Archie and Friends Level Up! a heartier recommendation than usual because of the Butlers' art.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of classic-style Archie Comics will want to find a copy of Archie & Friends Level Up!.

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

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Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Comics Review: "ARCHIE IS MR.JUSTICE #3" vs. Betty Cooper?!

ARCHIE IS MR. JUSTICE, NO. 3 (OF 4)

ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

STORY: Kenny Porter

ART: Maria Sanapo

COLORS: Glenn Whitmore

LETTERS: Jack Morelli

EDITOR: Jamie Lee Rotante

EiC: Mike Pellerito

COVER: Reiko Murakami

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Soo Lee; Matt Talbot

32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (May 2025); on sale in comic book shops March 19, 2025

Rating: Teen+

Archie Comics has also published superhero comic books featuring offbeat characters. The latest is a new four-issue comic book series, entitled Archie is Mr. Justice. The third issue is written by Kenny Porter; drawn by Maria Sanapo; colored by Glenn Whitmore; and lettered by the great Jack Morelli. Archie is Mr. Justice focuses on teenager Archie Andrews and his superhero persona, “Mr. Justice.” Now, Archie has to choose between two loves – Betty Cooper and Riverdale.

Archie is Mr. Justice #3 opens in Pickens Park, Riverdale. There, Betty Cooper meets with Harper, a reporter. Betty has arranged this meeting in order to tell the story of how Mr. Justice changed her life, how he made her brave. This is also a story, however, of love and heartbreak.

With great powers comes great sacrifice, but when Archie is faced with having to choose between his responsibilities and his first love, Betty Cooper, will his duties to Riverdale win out over his heart? And what choices will Betty make? Plus, there are appearances by Kid Wicked, Mad Flame, and the rise of the “Defendo-Bots.”

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. Archie is Mr. Justice No. 3 is the latest.

Archie Comics has been reviving some of the old M.L.J. “Golden Age” superheroes for several years now. The latest to rise from the grave is “Mr. Justice,” also known as “the Royal Wraith.” Created by writer Joe Blair and artist Sam Cooper, Mr. Justice was an 18th century English prince who was murdered by rebels. Chance and circumstance brought about his return to the mortal world in the 1940s in the form of Mr. Justice. Mr. Justice first appeared in Blue Ribbon Comics #9 (cover dated: February 1941; M.L.J. Magazines), which, in a bit of meta-fiction, is the comic book that appears in Archie is Mr. Justice #1 as one of Jughead's comic books. From this particular comic book, Archie takes inspiration for his “Mr. Justice” identity.

For this third issue, writer Kenny Porter and artist Maria Sanapo delve into the complications that come from having both a superhero identity and a personal life, which the prior issue also did. Porter's script captures the birth of young love – in full bloom – and then, it captures the arrival of complications. I can say that the emotions and romance that Porter depicts resonate in the story. The coming on of romantic troubles and later, the hope of reconciliation and maturation engaged me; I was surprised to find myself investing, as a reader, in Archie and Betty's relationship.

Sanapo's art and storytelling offer a feeling of nostalgia and a sense of now. Her line work is classic comics cool, but the storytelling is a storm of complications and subtle conflicts of interests that readers were unlikely to find in comic book romance six or seven decades ago. Sanapo's art is a blending of eye-pleasing graphics and rich storytelling. Honestly, I think Sanapo's work here makes an argument that this story should have been a graphic novel instead of only being a single issue.

Glenn Whitmore's colors capture the nuance and shifting moods of this story, and I think he is perfect for Sanapo's art. Jack Morelli's lettering provides a steady beat for a story that finds the messiness of relationships with each page and also the fun of the explosive destruction of superhero fight comics

I am surprised by Archie is Mr. Justice #3. It is as strong as prior issues, but is also different. It stands out in a way that will hopefully attract readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Archie Comics' superhero titles will want to try Archie is Mr. Justice No. 3.

[This comic book includes a two-page section on the making of Archie is Mr. Justice No. 3. There is also a Q&A featuring Kenny Porter and Maria Sanapo.]

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

https://archiecomics.com/

https://x.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

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Monday, April 7, 2025

BOOM! Studios Shipping for April 9, 2025

BOOM! STUDIOS

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