Comic Books, Magazines and Books from Lunar and Diamond Distributors for June 25, 2025

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

APR250889 AMORY WARS NO WORLD TOMORROW #12 (OF 12) CVR A GUGLIOTTA (MR $5.99

APR250890 AMORY WARS NO WORLD TOMORROW #12 (OF 12) CVR B WAYSHAK (MR) $5.99

MAR251853 BLACK BLOOD GN (MR) (C: 0-1-1) $15.99

APR251802 BLESS GN VOL 05 (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

APR251360 CHRISTINE #1 CVR A CB ZANE $5.99

APR251362 CHRISTINE #1 CVR C JOEL SOUZA $5.99

MAR251259 CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED TP CYRANO DE BERGERAC (RES) (C: 0-1-1) $9.95

MAR251260 CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED TP MOONSTONE (RES) (C: 0-1-1) $9.95

MAR251261 CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED TP PATHFINDER (RES) (C: 0-1-1) $9.95

MAR251262 CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED TP RIP VAN WINKLE SLEEPY HOLLOW (RES) ( $9.95

MAR251263 CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED TP UNCLE TOMS CABIN (RES) (C: 0-1-1) $9.95

AUG241470 COSMIC CON GN (C: 0-1-0) $24.95

SEP241466 CURB ANGELS GN POUND FOR POUND (C: 0-1-0) $24.95

MAR251855 DONT CALL IT MYSTERY OMNIBUS GN VOL 07 (C: 0-1-1) $24.99

APR251193 FAIRY SKETCHBOOK ONESHOT (C: 0-0-1) $4.99

APR251364 FLESH EATING CHEERLEADERS OUTER SPACE #1 2ND PTG CVR A  ZANE $5.99

APR251365 FLESH EATING CHEERLEADERS OUTER SPACE #1 2ND PTG CVR B ZANE $5.99

APR251366 FLESH EATING CHEERLEADERS OUTER SPACE #1 2ND PTG CVR C GREGB $5.99

APR251367 FLESH EATING CHEERLEADERS OUTER SPACE #1 2ND PTG CVR D NUDE $5.99

APR251368 FLESH EATING CHEERLEADERS OUTER SPACE #1 2ND PTG CVR E JOE P $5.99

APR251369 FLESH EATING CHEERLEADERS OUTER SPACE #1 2ND PTG CVR F NUDE $5.99

APR251013 GODZILLA 70TH ANNIV FOIL CLASSICS HALF CENTURY WAR #1 $9.99

APR251812 GRAND BLUE DREAMING GN VOL 22 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

APR251596 HAMMERBARN BLUEY STORYBOOK HC (C: 0-1-0) $16.99

APR251533 HARDCORE HAPPINESS GRAPHIC JOURNEY FINDING PUNKS POSITIVITY $16.99

APR251091 HEAVEN OFFICIALS BLESSING HC VOL 06 (OF 6) (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $22.99

FEB251918 HIDDEN TRUE STORY OF THE HOLOCAUST GN (C: 0-1-1) $20.00

MAR251862 HIMEGASAKI SAKURAKO IS A HOT MESS GN VOL 01 (C: 0-1-1) $13.99

MAR250839 HUCK II #2 CVR A ALBUQUERQUE (MR) $4.99

MAR250840 HUCK II #2 CVR B ALBUQUERQUE B&W (MR) $4.99

MAR251799 HUNGRY SUCCUBUS WANTS TO CONSUME HIM GN VOL 03 (MR) (C: 0-1- $15.99

MAR251863 I GOT CAUGHT UP IN A HERO SUMMONS GN VOL 09 (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

MAR251865 IMAGINARY GN VOL 03 (MR) (C: 0-1-1) $13.99

MAR250841 JUMPSCARE #4 $3.99

MAR251870 LAZY DUNGEON MASTER GN VOL 11 (C: 0-1-0) $13.99

APR251090 LINK CLICK HC VOLS 1 TO 4 IN SLIPCASE (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $89.00

MAR251388 MAGICK LANTERN ONESHOT $4.99

APR250923 MINOR ARCANA #8 CVR A LEMIRE $4.99

APR250924 MINOR ARCANA #8 CVR B CHAN $4.99

APR250925 MINOR ARCANA #8 CVR C ANNIVERSARY VAR PANOSIAN $4.99

APR250929 MINOR ARCANA #8 CVR G UNLOCKABLE CHAN VIR $4.99

FEB251177 NIGHT CLUB TP VOL 02 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $19.99

APR251816 NINA STARRY BRIDE GN VOL 10 (C: 0-1-1) $12.99

APR251645 NOTHING SPECIAL GN VOL 03 PRIDE & POMPOUSNESS (C: 0-1-2) $22.99

FEB252244 OUR NOT SO LONELY PLANET TRAVEL GUIDE GN VOL 06 (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

APR251240 PURPOSE PROJECT (ONE-SHOT) $6.99

JAN251868 RICK AND MORTY DELUXE DOUBLE FEATURE HC VOL 05 (MR) (C: 0-1- $59.99

MAR251884 ROYAL TAILOR CLOTHIER TO CROWN GN VOL 04 (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $13.99

MAR251172 RYSK #2 (OF 5) CVR A $4.99

JAN251867 SESAME STREET GROVER LENDS A HAND HC $7.99

MAR251494 SEVEN YEARS IN DARKNESS YEAR THREE #1 CVR A JOSEPH SCHMALKE $4.99

MAR251495 SEVEN YEARS IN DARKNESS YEAR THREE #1 CVR B SCHMALKE WRAPARO $4.99

APR251822 SHANGRI LA FRONTIER GN VOL 17 (C: 0-1-2) $12.99

APR251974 SNEGUROCHKA OF THE SPRING BREEZE GN (MR) (C: 0-1-2) $14.95

APR251018 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #79 CVR A THOMAS $4.99

APR251019 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #79 CVR B MCGRATH $4.99

MAR250865 STRANGER THINGS TALES FROM HAWKINS 2 #1 CVR A GALINDO $4.99

MAR250866 STRANGER THINGS TALES FROM HAWKINS 2 #1 CVR B RICCARDI $4.99

MAR250867 STRANGER THINGS TALES FROM HAWKINS 2 #1 CVR C CHATER $4.99

MAR250868 STRANGER THINGS TALES FROM HAWKINS 2 #1 CVR D TURNER $4.99

MAR251914 SWEET HEAT BEFORE FALLING IN LOVE GN VOL 01 (MR) (C: 0-1-1) $15.99

APR251356 TEDDY SCARES #1 CVR A CHRIS UMINGA (C: 0-0-1) $5.99

APR251357 TEDDY SCARES #1 CVR B AMIR MALIO (C: 0-0-1) $5.99

APR251358 TEDDY SCARES #2 CVR A CHRIS UMINGA (C: 0-0-1) $5.99

APR251359 TEDDY SCARES #2 CVR B ROB GUILLORY (C: 0-0-1) $5.99

APR251034 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES HC VOL 01 RETURN LIBRARY ED $49.99

APR251033 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES TP VOL 01 RETURN TO NEW YORK $19.99

MAR251902 THERES NO FREAKING WAY BE YOUR LOVER L NOVEL VOL 07 (C: 0-1- $13.99

APR251187 TIFANNY & CHARLOTTE ON ANOTHER WORLD #2 (OF 4) (C: 0-0-1) $4.99

APR251038 TMNT SATURDAY MORNING ADV #26 CVR A SCHOENING $4.99

APR251039 TMNT SATURDAY MORNING ADV #26 CVR B BOXERBUN $4.99

APR251040 TMNT SATURDAY MORNING ADVENTURES TP VOL 05 $16.99

MAR251071 TOMORROW GIRL #12 CVR A BEN DUNN (C: 0-1-1) $4.99

MAR251072 TOMORROW GIRL #12 CVR B DON SIMPSON (C: 0-1-1) $9.99

MAR250869 TRAMPS OF APOCALYPSE #1 $4.99

APR250955 VR TROOPERS #1 CVR A $4.99

APR250956 VR TROOPERS #1 CVR B $4.99

APR250957 VR TROOPERS #1 CVR C BOOM 20TH ANNIVERSARY VAR $4.99

APR250959 VR TROOPERS #1 CVR E FOIL VIR VAR $6.99

APR250960 VR TROOPERS #1 CVR F BLANK SKETCH VAR $4.99

APR250967 VR TROOPERS #1 CVR M FOC REVEAL $4.99

APR250968 VR TROOPERS #1 CVR N UNLOCKABLE VIR $4.99

APR250969 WHEN I LAY MY VENGEANCE UPON THEE #5 (OF 5) CVR A REBELKA $4.99

APR250970 WHEN I LAY MY VENGEANCE UPON THEE #5 (OF 5) CVR B PHILLIPS $4.99

FEB251165 WITCHER BEAR & BUTTERFLY #2 $4.99

MAR251890 WOLFS DAUGHTER WEREWOLFS TALE GN VOL 01 (MR) (C: 0-1-1) $13.99

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Vampirella Volume 7 #2 (Cover J Lucio Parrillo Black Bag Risque Variant), AR

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS

Idris File HC, $24.99

Wrestler HC, $22.99

VIZ MEDIA

Fist Of The North Star Volume 17 HC (not verified by Diamond Distribution), $25.00

My Name Is Shingo The Perfect Edition Volume 5 HC (not verified by Diamond Distribution), $35.00

MAGAZINES

FEB251511 COMIC SHOP NEWS (100CT BUNDLE) #1975 (NET) $18.99

JAN251718 HORRORHOUND #105 (C: 0-1-2) $9.99

APR250324 STAR WARS INSIDER #232 NEWSSTAND ED (C: 0-1-2) $9.99

APR250322 STAR WARS INSIDER #232 PX ED (C: 0-1-2) $9.99

BOOKS

MAR251666 BEST COMPETITIVE MULTIPLAYER GAMES HC (C: 0-1-1) $39.95

APR251654 CONVERSATIONS WITH RICK VEITCH SC (C: 0-1-1) $25.00

FEB252200 DINGHAI FUSHENG RECORDS SC NOVEL VOL 01 (MR) (C: 0-1-1) $19.99

FEB252201 DINGHAI FUSHENG RECORDS SC NOVEL VOL 01 DLX ED (MR) (C: 0-1- $29.99

APR251042 JACK KIRBYS MISTER MIRACLE ARTISTS ED HC (C: 0-1-2) $150.00

APR251656 LOKI BAD GODS GUIDE TO MAKING ENEMIES SC (C: 0-1-2) $8.99

MAR251895 PEERLESS WUSHUANG SC NOVEL VOL 04 (C: 0-1-0) $19.99

APR251977 SAVING 80K GOLD IN ANOTHER WORLD L NOVEL VOL 08 (C: 0-1-2) $14.95

FEB252039 STAR TREK DISCOVERING THE TV SERIES DS9 & VOYAGER HC (C: 0-1 $34.95

FEB252040 VIDEO GAMES CHRONICLES 2025 GDT VIDEO GAMES (C: 0-1-1) $39.95

MERCHANDISE

OCT248132 DOOM ETERNAL LIMITED EDITION PIN BADGE (NET) $12.99

JAN252856 FIFTH ED FANTASY #30 HELLPITS OF NIGHTFANG 5E SC (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

SEP247456 FRIDAY 13TH PIN BADGE SET (NET) $15.00

DEC237161 HELLBOY 2 LEGACY REPLICA 1/4 SCALE STATUE (NET) (C: 1-1-2) $PI

JAN252858 HELLPITS OF NIGHTFANG DCC SC (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

SEP247458 NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST PIN BADGE SET (NET) $15.00

JAN252861 OAR 9-5 HELLPITS OF NIGHTFANG SC (5E) (C: 0-1-2) $14.99

JUL248998 POP ANIMATION DRAGON BALL GOKU NYOIBOU FIG (C: 1-1-2) $11.99

JUL249012 POP GAMES FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDYS WITHERED BONNIE FIG (C: 1-1 $11.99

JUL249013 POP GAMES FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDYS WITHERED CHICA FIG (C: 1-1- $11.99

JUL249014 POP GAMES FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDYS WITHERED FOXY FIG (C: 1-1-2 $11.99

JUL249031 POP PLUS GUNDAM WING GUNDAM EPYON FIG (NET) (C: 1-1-2) $15.00

FEB247672 POP SPECIALTY SERIES ANIMATION HXH FEITAN PAIN PACKER FIG (C $11.99

JUL249040 POP SUPER FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDYS MANGLE FIG (C: 1-1-2) $24.99

JUL249043 POP VINYL MONSTER HIGH S3 GHOULIA FIG (C: 1-1-2) $11.99

SEP247893 THE LORD OF THE RINGS METAL MAP (NET) $39.99

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Manga Review: "YAN VOL. 1" - Good Girl Gone Bad Gone Badder

YAN VOL. 1

TITAN COMICS/Titan Manga

WRITER-ARTIST: Chang Sheng

TRANSLATION: Vanessa Liu

LETTERS: Tom Williams

DESIGN: David Colderley

EDITOR: Louis Yamani

ISBN: 978-1787744424; paperback with French flaps (June 24, 2025)

352pp, B&W, $24.99 U.S., $33.99 CAN, £19.99 UK

Yan Tieh Hua is a Taiwanese manga (manhua) created by writer-artist Chang Sheng.  It was originally published in Taiwan in three volumes 2020.  Titan Manga is publishing an English-language paperback edition under the title, Yan.  Each volume will have “French flaps,” which are extended sections of a paperback book's cover that fold inward, similar to a dust jacket on a hardcover book.

Yan, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 9, plus an “Epilogue”) opens with a viral video starring Yan Tieh Hua... and her intended victim – the Counselor's son.  Who is Yan Tieh Hua?

Once upon a time, Tieh Hua was a member of “Yan's Opera Troupe,” know for its “Peking Opera” performances.  However, 30 years ago, all the members of the troupe were found murdered – except 15-year-old Tieh Hua, who was blamed, convicted, and sent to prison for these crimes.  Twenty years later, Tieh Hua allegedly died in prison.

So how is it that 10 years later, Yan Tieh Hua is back in Taipei, Taiwan?  As she carves a bloody path toward vengeance, she has also reignited an investigation into the decades-old massacre of her family.  Detective Lei Ming Zhi, who investigated the original case, has been coerced into coming out of retirement.  It doesn't take him long to discover that he has as many questions about the place where Yan was imprisoned as he does about Yan.  When Lei finds Yan, he learns that she is a young woman like no other he has ever seen.  Add in Higa Miku, the missing young Go prodigy with the uncanny gift of precognition, and you have a hard to unravel mystery.  It is all presented as a tale of stylish brutality with that unique Taiwanese swagger.

THE LOWDOWN:  Since October 2023, Titan Manga has provided me with print and PDF copies of their manga publications for review.  One of the latest is Yan Volume 1.

By any name:  manga, manhua, or Taiwanese comics, Yan Graphic Novel Volume 1 is an incredible work of book design and construction and also a breathtaking read that will blow minds just about every page.  Yan Vol. 1 is like the first John Wick film, except that with Yan, the reader can enjoy each panel of an fight sequence by examining the lovely art.  I don't think that watching John Wick even in slow motion would allow the viewer to appreciate the beauty of simulated motion of a fight that well choreographed in manga graphics.

Before I go to far into this review, I want to say that the cover, with its French flaps, looks so sharp that I was reluctant to touch it – at first.  This book's 7.13 x 10.24 inches trim size perfectly captures the operatic and balletic aesthetic that defines Chang Sheng's breathless graphical storytelling with its grand elegance and depictions of swift lethal moves.

Readers will find that the nine chapters that comprise Yan Vol. 1 recalls unusual tales of vengeance, for instance director Park Chan-wook's Oldboy.  Stylistically, Sheng's spectacular action and fight scenes resembles (to one extent or another) films like The Crow (1994) and The Matrix (1999).  Most of all, the larger publication format gives the story a cinematic feel that is similar to that in which Katsuhiro Otomo infused his seminal manga, Akira.

For all that the flashy art seems to fly off the page, I think what Chang Sheng uses to drive this narrative is the depiction of the characters.  Yan Tieh Hua, Detective Lei, and Higa Miku are all engaging and intriguing, and they are always surprising in the things that they do and say.  Yan Vol. 1 seems to delight in making me make assumptions about what the characters will do only for me to realize how wrong I am.  My assumptions might be close to the truth, but there are twists and turns that always keep me on edge.  The characters are about more than a story of ultra-violence and vengeance.  They are about what lies beneath their choices and their actions, even their violence or the assumptions of their violent act.

Dear readers, I had a blast reading Yan Vol. 1, and I couldn't put this first volume down until I finished it.  I can't wait for more because this is the most fun I have had in reading manga in at least half a decade or so.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of manga from Taiwan and of manga that blends science fiction, action and intrigue will want to try Yan.

A+

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

YAN VOLUME 1 is available for purchase at Amazon.

PAGE SAMPLES FROM YAN VOLUME 1:

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https://titan-comics.com/

https://x.com/ComicsTitan

https://www.instagram.com/titancomics/

https://www.facebook.com/ComicsTitan

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

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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).

Manga Review: "OUTSIDERS VOLUME 1" Goes Inside Tokyo's Vampires vs. Werewolves

OUTSIDERS VOL. 1

TITAN COMICS/Titan Manga

WRITER-ARTIST: Akira Kanou

TRANSLATION: Molly Rabbit

LETTERS: Bendidi Ayoub

DESIGN: Matt Bookman

EDITOR: Louis Yamani

ISBN: 978-1787745711; paperback (June 17, 2025)

176pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $16.99 CAN, £9.99 UK

Age: 12+

Outsiders is a manga created by writer-artist Akira Kanou.  It was originally published in France by French manga publisher, Ki-oon, in 2021.  Titan Manga, the British manga imprint of Titan Publishing, is publishing an English-language edition under the series title, Outsiders, beginning June 2025.

Outsiders, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 4, plus a “Prologue”) opens nearly two decades ago in West Germany near the French border where an important battle between “demihumans” comes to a close.  The threads of that incident carry over to present day Tokyo, Japan.

Meet 16-year-old Ema Asano, a high school student who is about to discover that her older sister, Yuko, is involved in something both dangerous and fantastic.  She discovers that her sister's boss, Tamaki Utsunomiya, CEO and chief designer of the interior design firm, Topos, is a 300-year-old vampire or “Aeternitas,” as they prefer to be called.  One of his employees, 33-year-old Taiga Wakaki, is a craftsman for Topos... and also a werewolf.

Now, Ema, who is a curious and brave girl, has found herself in a side of Tokyo that she did not know existed.  She has stepped into the city's shadows where she has started to uncover the secrets behind the ancient feud between Aeternitas and werewolf.  Full of energy and determination, Ema will navigate this dark fantasy world, a perilous path that will challenge her beliefs and reshape her destiny.  In the meantime, Ema has informed Tamaki and Taiga that she will keep them from killing each other, even if it might lead to her demise...

THE LOWDOWN:  Since October 2023, Titan Manga started providing me with print and PDF copies of their manga publications for review.  One of the latest is Outsiders Volume 1.

Outsiders Graphic Novel Volume 1 is deep inside my wheelhouse.  I am a huge fan the 2003 vampire vs. werewolf film, Underworld, and its sequels (although most of the sequels are inferior to the original film).  Whereas Underworld features a gun-wielding assassin, Outsiders' female protagonist, Ema Asano, is a plucky, determined girl right out of shojo manga.  So, Outsiders is probably closer to the much more popular vampire-werewolf film coupling that began with 2008's surprise hit film, Twilight, and that was adapted from Twilight, the 2005 novel that was the first of Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster series of novels.

As for Outsiders, readers can pour themselves into Ema and follow her into the world of the supernatural.  Like her, the readers will find themselves caught between the arrogant Tamaki and the sullen Taiga, whom I believe is the one of the two males leads to whom Ema is most attracted.  I find myself drawn to this dynamic, a kind of awkward love triangle that will both take us into a world that I love – the world of vampires and werewolves – and into the realm of young romance.

Akira Kanou's art is slightly more impressionistic than it is representational, but it is pitch perfect for depicting the world he is creating – a world beyond the natural where conflict and chaos reign in the shadows of Tokyo.  Kanou's storytelling moves along quickly, with flourishes of comedy and violence, centered around a heroine ready to do battle, to save lives, and to do right by everyone.  This first taste of Outsiders has me wanting to be on the inside of this dark fantasy manga.  After all, I believe that many readers will want to experience this eclectic take on the creatures of the night.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comics and of shojo manga will want to try Outsiders.

A-

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

OUTSIDERS VOLUME 1 is available at Amazon.

SAMPLE PAGES FROM OUTSIDERS VOL. 1:

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https://titan-comics.com/

https://x.com/ComicsTitan

https://www.instagram.com/titancomics/

https://www.facebook.com/ComicsTitan

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

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

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

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

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

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

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

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NEWS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OBITS:

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

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

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

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

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Advanced Comics Review: "VATICAN CITY #3" - A Vampire Funeral Pyre

VATICAN CITY #3 (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 ARTIST: Per Berg

32pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (June 2025)

Rating: 18+

Vatican City created by Mark Millar at Netflix

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

Vatican City finds the vampire race revealing itself for the first time in ages.  Their goal is “Vatican City,” the independent city-state within Rome, Italy that is the government of the “Holy See” (the Pope and the Papacy).  Now, Guido Cavelti, recently of the Swiss Air Force, leads the human resistance to an invasion of monsters determined to get something that is buried deep beneath Vatican City.

Vatican City #3 opens in Vatican City, Rome.  Guido Cavelti believes that he now has some leverage to save the remaining humans inside the iconic Vatican church, St Peter's Basilica, from the vampire horde that surrounds the Vatican.  That leverage exists in the form of the sarcophagus that holds the body of “Gel-Gorge-Eh,” the vampire queen, and the vampires want that body in order to revive her.

However, things don't go as expected for either these last few humans or the vampires.  Can prayer save the day?

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 #3.

As I expected, writer Mark Millar throws this huge curve ball in this final issue of Vatican City.  Call it a shocker, twist, or surprise, but it completely wrecked my expectations.  How this narrative resolves is also a big surprise.  The point is that Millar once again delivers sterling genre entertainment.

Per Berg (also known as Per Darwin Berg or by the pen name, “Narwhal”) delivers a finale that is both dreamlike and surreal.  His art, colors, and letters are both representational and impressionistic, which, from the beginning, allowed Berg to depict a world that was rapidly shifting from the natural to the supernatural.  He created a sense of uncertainty in a genre – vampire fiction – in which many storytellers often try to be literal and conservative even in the most fantastic scenarios.  Here, instead, Berg offers the unusual.

Millar and Berg gave readers a reason to come back for the third issue, and now, they've given us a reason to come back for the trade paperback collection, which is due this fall.  I suggest that you, dear readers, read this anyway you can.

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

A

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

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/

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

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Review: I Have Loved Stanley Kubrick's "FULL METAL JACKET" a Long Time

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Running time:  116 minutes (1 hour, 56 minutes)

MPAA – R

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR:  Stanley Kubrick

WRITERS: Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr, and Gustav Hasford (based upon Gustav Hasford’s novel)

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Douglas Milsome

EDITOR:  Martin Hunter

COMPOSER:  Abigail Mead

Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/WAR

Starring:  Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Dorian Harewood, Arliss Howard, Kevin Major Howard, Ed O’Ross, and Peter Edmund

Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick.  Kubrick co-wrote the film's screenplay with Michael Herr, a writer and war correspondent, and Gustav Hasford, a United States Marine Corps veteran who served as a war correspondent during the Vietnam War. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 autobiographical novel, The Short-Timers.  Full Metal Jacket focuses on a pragmatic U.S. Marine who observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow Marines, from their brutal boot camp training at Parris Island to the bloody street fighting in Hue, Vietnam.

Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket is, to date, the best movie about the Vietnam Conflict shown from the point of view of an average Joe caught in the meat grinder of that war, and the film also makes the shortlist of the best movies about war.  This is the 38th anniversary of the film's original theatrical release (specifically June 26, 1987)

Full Metal Jacket begins at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina with a platoon of fresh Marine Corps recruits – with the focus on three individuals.  There is the tough Marine Corps drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (Lee Ermey, an actual former U.S. Marine Corp Drill Instructor).  Then, there are two recruits.  First is J.T. Davis (Matthew Modine), whom Sgt. Hartman names "Private Joker."  Next is Leonard Lawrence (Vincent D’Onofrio), whom Sgt. Hartman names "Private Gomer Pyle."  The pragmatic Joker declares, much to Sgt. Hartman’s disdain that he joined the Marines to learn to be a killer, but training shockingly introduces Joker to the mortal danger of both training to kill and killing.

After Joker’s brutal basic training, the film goes into its second half.  Joker is in Vietnam serving as a journalist, specifically a combat correspondent.  He works behind the scenes until the “Tet Offensive” thrusts him into real combat because the military wants actual news coverage of the fighting.  Joker arrives in Hue, Vietnam (in the first quarter of 1968), during what would become known as the “Battle of Hue,” a major battle during the Tet Offensive.  The city is scene of much bloody street fighting.  There, Joker is reunited with an old friend and fellow recruit from Parris Island, "Private Cowboy" (Arliss Howard).  Joker joins Cowboy’s platoon where he must ultimately decide if he really is a killer and if the war has dehumanized him.

Full Metal Jacket is a film that is certainly worthy of long contemplation, but I’ll focus on a few things.  Many people best remember this film for its first half, which takes place on Parris Island.  Lee Ermey’s performance as the bestial drill instructor is like the film – relentless and straightforward.  However, the beginning sells the idea that Marine recruits are basically machine made into Marines, as if the Corp were some kind of factory that produced material for war industry.  The Corp makes humans with individual personalities into cookie cutter killing machines.  Kubrick’s vision of this is so matter of fact and somewhat banal that the result is a work of cinematic high art that speaks of humanity, rather than being a piece of war movie entertainment.  This beginning is so riveting and visceral that the second half of the film is a bit of a letdown.

When Full Metal Jacket moves to Vietnam, Kubrick keeps the film blunt and unadorned.  Here, Kubrick emphasizes something that we may have missed at Parris Island; Matthew Modine’s Joker is a bit indecisive for a man who wanted to learn to be a “killer.”  While Joker was more or less a supporting character at Parris Island, his are the eyes through which we see Vietnam.  It’s a matter of fact world where things are as they are, without adornment and symbolism.  The chaos, confusion, death, and destruction – things that Joker (and the audience) would take as abnormal – are the norm; in fact, it’s all quite ordinary.  Kubrick creates a world where people are numb to upheaval and are just doing what they must to survive.

While in training, Joker tells us via voice-over that the Marines don’t want robots, but they want individuals, which doesn’t quiet seem true.  Kubrick shows Joker’s need to be an individual, and how he struggles with fitting in with the Corp.  Of course, there are no pat solutions.  Joker’s world is so straightforward and obvious, but even the “right moves” are fraught with peril, deadly consequences, ill fates, and bad fits.

Kubrick is well served by cinematographer Douglas Milsome and editor Martin Hunter in creating Full Metal Jackets cold (not cool) mood.  However, the film does sometimes seem a little too mannered, and some moments strike as obviously staged.  Kubrick’s daughter, Vivian Kubrick (using the name, "Abigail Mead"), delivers an austere score.  Part of it includes a stark sound partially created by her hitting kitchen implements and household, and it adds the finishing touch to the movie’s aura of an unfeeling existence.  For all its aloofness, Full Metal Jacket is not just an epic war story; it is also an ultimately and painfully human story.

9 of 10

A+

★★★★+ out of 4 stars

Saturday, February 18, 2006

EDITED:  Monday, June 16, 2025

NOTES:

1988 Academy Awards:  1 nomination:  “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr, and Gustav Hasford)

1988 BAFTA Awards:  2 nominations: “Best Sound” (Nigel Galt, Edward Tise, and Andy Nelson) and “Best Special Effects” (John Evans)

1988 Golden Globes:  1 nomination for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (R. Lee Ermey)

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

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