Movie Review: "RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON" Has Lovable Characters

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 41 of 2021 (No. 1779) by Leroy Douresseaux

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Running time:  107 minutes
MPAA – PG for some violence, action and thematic elements
DIRECTORS:  Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada with Paul Briggs and John Ripa (co-directors)
WRITERS:  Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim; from a story by Paul Briggs, Don Hall, Adele Lim, Carlos López Estrada, Kiel Murray, Qui Nguyen, John Ripa, and Dean Wellins
PRODUCERS:  Peter Del Vecho and Osnat Shurer
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Rob Dressel
EDITORS:  Fabienne Rawley and Shannon Stein
COMPOSER:  James Newton Howard

ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY/ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring:  (voices) Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Izaac Wang, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Jona Xiao, Sandra Oh, Thalia Tran, Lucille Song, and Alan Tudyk

Raya and the Last Dragon is a 2021 computer-animated fantasy film from directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada and is produced Walt Disney Animation Studios.  It is the 59th animated feature film in the “Walt Disney Animated Classics” line.  Raya and the Last Dragon is set in a magical realm where a young princess searches for the whereabouts of the last dragon in order to save her world.

Raya and the Last Dragon opens in the realm of “Kumandra.”  Five hundred years earlier, Kumandra was ravaged by the “Druun,” a mindless plague of evil spirits that consumed life and turned everything and everyone they touched into stone.  Kumandra had been made prosperous by the presence of dragons, magical creatures who brought water, rain, and peace.  The Druun manage to petrify all the dragons, except the last one, “Sisudatu,” who used a magical gem to banish the Druun.  However, a power struggle for the “Dragon Gem” divided Kumandra's people into five tribes:  Heart, Tail, Talon, Spine, and Fang.

Five hundred years later, Chief Benja (Daniel Dae Kim) of the Heart tribe trains his daughter, Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), in the fighting skills she will need in order to become a “Guardian of the Dragon Gem,” like her father.  Benja also steadfastly believes that the five tribes can be united, so he decides to hold a feast for the leadership of all five tribes.  During the feast, Raya is betrayed in a plot to steal the Dragon Gem, but this leads to the gem being broken into five pieces during the scuffle to possess it.  The four other tribes each steals a piece of the gem, which reawakens the Druun, who promptly go on a rampage and begin turning people into stone.

For the next six years, Raya and Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk), Raya's best friend and trusty steed (a mix of an armadillo and a pill bug), continue their search for the resting place of Sisudatu, also known as “Sisu” (Awkwafina).  After she finds Sisu, Raya must obtain the other four pieces of the Dragon Gem so that Sisu, the last dragon, can revive Kumandra.  Joining Raya and Sisu are the boy captain, Boun (Izaac Wang); a warrior from Spine, Tong (Benedict Wong); and a toddler con artist, Little Noi (Thalia Tran), and her trio of monkey-like companions, the Ongis.  But standing in her way is an old rival, Namaari (Gemma Chan), and the land of Fang.

Honestly, Raya and the Last Dragon would be little more than a version of The Lord of the Rings based on Southeastern Asian culture, myth, and religion … if not for this Disney's film's great characters.  Every character, from Raya and her friends to her rivals and enemies, is honestly wonderful.  I couldn't get enough of them.  I think Namaari, both the child and older version, should have her own stories.  I could see her as the star of her own movie.  Little Noi and her Ongis are so cute that they make it impossible for me to really find fault with this movie.  Noi and her monkey-like companions are the kind of great supporting characters that only the magic of Disney storytelling can create.  Boun is also adorable and wholly capable of having his own stories.  Benedict Wong gives the most layered and nuanced voice performance, in a film full of exemplary voice performances, in creating Tong as a fully developed, three-dimensional character.

Kelly Marie Tran, who was a social media punching bag over her role in the Star Wars “sequel films,” does as much as Raya and the Last Dragon's great animators in making Raya a believable hero on a journey of learning and of discovery.  Tran transforms Raya into a great female hero, on par with the best live-action female action movie heroes.

Like the typical Walt Disney animated feature film, Raya the Last Dragon has gorgeous animation that moves in seemingly impossible ways, and the colors are dazzling.  The themes of trust and hope permeate this film and feel genuine.  I will say that Kumandra's basic concepts and myths feel contrived.  I expected something different and more imaginative from a film inspired by Southeast Asia.  Still, Raya and the Last Dragon is dazzling entertainment.  And like the best Walt Disney animated classics, I see it having a long, long life, entertaining generations of movie audiences.

8 of 10
A

Sunday, June 20, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 13th to 19th, 2021 - Update #23

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BLM - From Variety:   Ms. Opal Lee, the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," and Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Pharrell Williams, talk about their fight for the "Juneteenth" holiday.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:   Netflix has given a 10-episode straight-to-series order to a half-hour workplace comedy inspired by the front office of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. The project hails from Mindy Kaling, former star/executive producer of one of the all-time great workplace comedy series, "The Office;" "Modern Family" alumna Elaine Ko; Lakers’ President and Governor Jeanie Buss; and Warner Bros. TV.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   "Mortal Kombat" actor Hiroyuki Sanada has joined "John Wick: Chapter 4."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  CBS latest "NCIS" installment, "NCIS: Hawaii," has begun production in Hawaii with a traditional Hawaii blessing.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. will finance the biopic of music legend, Marvin Gaye, entitled "What's Going On."  At 80 million dollars, it will be the biggest budget for an American-African musical biopic.  Allen Hughes will direct with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine among the producers.  The Gaye estate and Motown are also onboard the production.

CULTURE - From YahooNews:   President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have signed "Juneteenth" (June 19th) into a federal holiday - beginning immediately.

POLITICS - From APNews:   The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obamacare," a third time.

LGBTQ - From Queerty:   In honor of Pride Month, actor and Grammy-nominated recording artist Adam Lambert declares, "I like dick."

STAR TREK - From YouTube:  Here is a new teaser trailer for "Star Trek: Picard" Season 2, which debuts next year. 

From TrekCore:  The site offers a breakdown of the new teaser trailer for "Star Trek: Picard" Season 2.

ANIMATION - From YahooNBC:   Last week a Warner Bros. representative announced that “Scooby-Doo” character, "Velma Dinkley," would be reprised as East Asian in Mindy Kaling’s new adult HBO Max show.  This article addresses the social media reaction (some of it racist) to the news.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Zoe Kravitz will make her directorial debut with the film, "Pussy Island."  In this genre thriller, Channing Taturm will play a tech billionaire with a mysterious tropical island.

MUSIC - From RollingStone:   Roger Waters has said that Facebook approached him about using the 1979 Pink Floyd classic song, “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2," which Waters wrote, in an upcoming advertisement for Instagram (which Facebook owns).  Despite the offer of a "huge, huge amount of money," Waters turned down the offer - saying "Fuck You. No fuckin' way."

NETFLIX - From Variety:   Jeb Stuart, who wrote such late 1980/early 1990s movies such as "Die Hard" (1988), "Another 48 Hours" (1990), and "The Fugitive" (1993), will write Netflix's "Assassin's Creed" TV series.

STAR TREK - From Deadline:   Paramount+ and Nickelodeon's animated "Star Trek: Prodigy" reveals its cast and unveils some first-look images.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  "Sideways" director Alexander Payne and star Paul Giamatti reunite for "poignant" comedy, "The Holdovers."

SCANDAL - From YahooNews:   Exclusive: Saudi assassins picked up illicit drugs in Cairo to kill "Washington Post" columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, in 2018 in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 6/11 to 3/13/2021 weekend box office is "In the Heights" with an estimated gross of 11.4 million dollars.

From Variety:  "A Quiet Place II" has become the first movie of the pandemic era to surpass $100 million in U.S. tickets sales.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:   Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone’s Netflix comedy series, God’s Favorite Idiot," has wrapped up production earlier than expected in Australia, and "Deadline" explains why.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   The CW has rounded out the cast for its original made-for-TV movie "The Waltons’ Homecoming."  The Waltons’ Homecoming marks the 50th anniversary of "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" television movie, which aired December 19, 1971, and launched the long-running series "The Waltons," created by Earl Hamner.

OBITS:

From THR:   The television actor and director, Frank Bonner, has died at the age of 79, Wednesday, June 16, 2021.  Bonner was best known for the role of "Herb Tarlek" on the former CBS sitcom, "WKRP in Cincinnati" (1978-82).  Bonner was also a prolific director of episodic TV and directed all 105 episodes of the former NBC Saturday morning TV series, "City Guys" (1997-2001).

From YahooEntertainment:   The stage, screen, and television actress, Lisa Banes, has died at the age of 35, Monday, June 14, 2021, a victim of a hit and run accident in New York City.  She was hospitalized June 4th after being struck by a scooter or motorcycle while crossing Amsterdam Avenue at 64th Street, in a crosswalk, on Manhattan's Upper West Side.  Her best known film work includes "Cocktail" (1988) and "Gone Girl" (2014).  She appeared in numerous TV series, including "L.A. Law," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Murder, She Wrote," "Son of the Beach," and "Nashville," to name a few.

From Deadline:   The prolific film actor, Ned Beatty, has died at the age of 83, Sunday, June 13, 2021.  Beatty had more than 160 screen credits, so his "best known for" list his long.  His most notorious role was probably as rape victim, Bobby Trippe, in 1972's Deliverance.  He also had memorable turns in "White Lightning" (1973), "Superman" (1972), "Rudy" (1993), "Shooter" (2007), "Toy Story 3" (2010), and the 1979 TV movie, "Friendly Fire."  Beatty was nominated for a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar for "Network" (1976).  He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award, "Friendly Fire" and "Last Train Home" (1989).

Review: "THE BOSS BABY" is Boss Entertainment

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 of 2021 (No. 1778) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Boss Baby (2017)
Running time:  97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild rude humor
DIRECTOR:  Tom McGrath
WRITER:  Michael McCullers  (based on the picture book, The Boss Baby, by Marla Frazee)
PRODUCER:  Ramsey Naito
EDITOR:  James Ryan
COMPOSERS:  Steve Mazzaro and Hans Zimmer
Academy Award nominee

ANIMATION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring:  (voices):  Alec Baldwin; Miles Bakshi, Tobey Maguire, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, James McGrath, Conrad Vernon, ViviAnn Yee, Eric Bell, Jr., and David Soren

The Boss Baby is a 2017 computer-animated comedy-fantasy film directed by Tom McGrath and produced by DreamWorks Animation.  The film is loosely based on the 2007 picture book, The Boss Baby, by Marla Frazee.  The film became the first installment in “The Boss Baby” franchise.  The Boss Baby the movie follows the adventures of a suit-wearing, briefcase-carrying baby and his seven-year old brother as they try to stop a plot against the world's babies.

The Boss Baby begins with a man, Timothy Leslie Templeton (Tobey Maguire), telling the story of his childhood.  He was simply Tim Templeton (Miles Bakshi), an imaginative seven-year-old boy, the only child of his parents, Ted and Janice Templeton (Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow).  One day, Tim is surprised to see his parents bringing home a baby, which turns out to be an infant wearing a business suit.  Tim's parents refer to the infant as Tim's little brother.  Tim is immediately jealous of the attention the new baby receives.  However, Tim is also suspicious because the baby exhibits strange behavior to which Ted and Janice are oblivious.

When Tim learns that the baby can talk, act, and move like an adult, the baby reveals that he is “The Boss Baby” (Alec Baldwin), and that he is a secret agent.  Coming to a mutual agreement in order to get what they each want, Tim and Boss Baby must stop a conspiracy against the babies of the world created by Tim's parents' employer, Puppy Co.  But can a child and an infant secret agent, who are rivals, come together long enough to save the day?

DreamWorks Animation has perfected a kind of high-concept comedy that seamlessly mixes fantasy, adventure, and action into a frothy brand of feature animation entertainment that is pleasing if not necessarily memorable.  The films of Pixar Animation Studios are always seeking something deeper in terms of character arcs, personal development, and emotional journeys in which characters often discover that the things they most want have been right there in front of them all along … or at least nearby.  This is why Pixar can tell the story of an old man who starts a new adventure in life by becoming a surrogate father to a lonely boy and a new owner to a bunch of misfit dogs, and the result is the Academy Award-winning Up.  DreamWorks Animation gives us a story of a boy and a baby who save the world from a conspiracy of puppies and bitter, weird men.  The Boss Baby gives empty affirmation to mainstream culture with its tired (white) nuclear family tropes, but at its heart, this film is merely escapist fantasy.

Like other DreamWorks Animation films, The Boss Baby's animation, visuals, and graphic design recall the television animation of the 1950s and 1960s, including Jay Ward Productions, Warner Bros. Cartoons, and Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc., to name a few.  There is more than a touch of retro- Space Age, Atomic Age, and Googie influences.

Well, The Boss Baby isn't Pixar, and its visual style is retro, but I have to admit that this film is really entertaining.  A lot of its concepts and especially its plot and story elements are ridiculous, silly, and too far-fetched, but the film's leads, Tim and Boss Baby, have screen chemistry.  Miles Bakshi comes across like a veteran voice performer as Tim Templeton, and, of course, Alec Baldwin is a master of sly and droll comedy.  Great actor that he is, Baldwin makes Boss Baby menacing and edgy and adorable at the same time.  For the most part, I found them likable, even lovable, and I wanted to follow them on their breathtaking and ridiculous adventures.

Baldwin, Bakshi, and the voice cast make The Boss Baby succeed in spite of its contrived self.  Also of note, Eric Bell, Jr. kills it as the voice of the “Triplets.”  The Boss Baby's exciting adventure and intense action mostly overcomes the film's shallowness and absurdities.  You might not watch it a second time, dear readers, but I think that there is a good chance that you will really enjoy The Boss Baby the first time you watch it.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2018 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Animated Feature Film” (Tom McGrath and Ramsey Naito)

2018 Golden Globes, USA 2018:  1 nomination: “Best Motion Picture – Animated”


Friday, June 18, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: THE SILVER COIN #3

THE SILVER COIN #3 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Ed Brisson
ART: Michael Walsh
COLORS: Michael Walsh and Toni Marie Griffin
LETTERS: Michael Walsh
EDITOR: Chris Hampton
COVER: Michael Walsh
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Anand Radhakrishnan
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (Jun 2021)

Rated “M/ Mature”

The Silver Coin is created by Michael Walsh, Ed Brisson, Jeff Lemire, Kelly Thompson, and Chip Zdarsky

“Death Rattle”

The Silver Coin is a horror comic book anthology and miniseries published by Image Comics.  It is the creation of artist Michael Walsh and writers Ed Brisson, Jeff Lemire, Kelly Thompson, and Chip Zdarsky.  Each issue of this five-issue miniseries tells a tale of terror that is set in a supernatural world in which the mysterious “Silver Coin” changes the lives of those who take possession of it.  The third issue is written by Ed Brisson; drawn and lettered by Michael Walsh; and colored by Walsh and Toni Marie Griffin.

The Silver Coin #3 (entitled “Death Rattle”) opens in 1986.  Lisa, Bobby, and Vic broke into the home of a retired fireman.  Now, their little home invasion has gone bad, and Lisa has found a mysterious coin that tells her it will help them outrun the law. But it's leading them down a path much darker.

THE LOWDOWN:  As I wrote in my reviews of the first two issues of The Silver Coin, I am a big fan of horror comic book anthologies.  That includes everything from the classic EC Comics titles to later titles like DC Comics' Ghosts and House of Mystery, Kitchen Sink Press's Death Rattle, and Approbation Comics' Amour, to name a few.

“Death Rattle,” the offering in The Silver Coin #3, moves away from ghost and slasher killer stories of previous issues.  In this story, Ed Brisson offers a vignette really, one that is like an especially dark take on an episode of “The Twilight Zone.”  I like “Death Rattle,” but as with the previous story, “Girls of Summer,” it is a shallow scare, a bit of horror fiction fluff to give the reader a momentary chill in the blood.

Once again, Michael Walsh's art and graphical storytelling is what really delivers unsettling moments of this tale.  In the end, “Death Rattle” relies on the the creator of the art and graphics to make this short, short story work.  I'll keep reading this series because of what Walsh can deliver.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of classic horror comic book anthologies will want to spend The Silver Coin.

B+

[This comic book has a five-page preview of Vinyl by Doug Wagner and Daniel Hillyard.]

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


https://twitter.com/Mister_Walsh
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http://www.zdars.co/
https://twitter.com/JeffLemire
https://tinyletter.com/JeffLemire
https://twitter.com/edbrisson
http://www.edbrisson.com/
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Taraji P. Henson to Host 2021 "BET AWARDS," Sun., Jun 27th

Taraji P. Henson to Host 2021 “BET AWARDS” Broadcast Set to Air Live on BET, Sunday, June 27, 2021 at 8:00 PM, ET/PT

Queen Latifah to Be Honored With Prestigious Lifetime Achievement BET Award

The 2021 “BET AWARDS” Proclaims This Year’s Theme as “Year of the Black Woman” to Celebrate and Honor Their Immense Impact on the Culture

#BETAWARDS

#CULTURESBIGGESTNIGHT

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET has announced that Academy Award®-nominated and Golden Globe®-winning actor, filmmaker and philanthropist, Taraji P. Henson, will host the 2021 “BET AWARDS”. BET also announced that GRAMMY® award-winning musician, critically acclaimed Golden Globe®-winning and Academy Award®-nominated actor, Queen Latifah, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement BET Award. The “BET AWARDS” airs LIVE on BET on Sunday, June 27, 2021 at 8:00 PM, ET/PT.

    “The BET AWARDS is the ultimate celebration of Black culture, and we are looking forward to spotlighting and celebrating Black women during this year’s show, recognizing them for everything they’ve accomplished and applauding them for what’s to come.”

“For more than 20 years, the BET Awards have been a celebration of Black creativity, art and excellence,” said Taraji P. Henson. “Returning live, this year’s show will be unlike anything we have ever seen before, and I am honored to be sharing the stage with so many powerful and prolific women in music and entertainment. The BET Awards will once again be at the forefront of Black culture."

“Black women have been essential drivers of change throughout history, from the political sphere to the cultural zeitgeist,” said Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET. “The BET AWARDS is the ultimate celebration of Black culture, and we are looking forward to spotlighting and celebrating Black women during this year’s show, recognizing them for everything they’ve accomplished and applauding them for what’s to come.”

Taraji P. Henson most recently wrapped her iconic run as “Cookie Lyon” on Fox’s hit musical drama EMPIRE, which has earned her three Emmy® nominations, a Golden Globe® Award, a Critics Choice Award, and three BET Awards. She portrayed NASA mathematician Katherine G. Johnson in the Academy Award®-nominated film HIDDEN FIGURES, as well as lent her voice to Disney’s RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2. In Fall 2018, she launched the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in honor of her late father. The organization provides scholarships to African-American students majoring in mental health disciplines, offers mental health services to youth in urban schools, and works to lower the recidivism rates of African-American men and women. Henson, along with her best friend and foundation partner, Tracie Jade, recently co-hosted the Facebook Watch series on mental health called PEACE OF MIND WITH TARAJI, for which they received a Daytime Emmy® Award nomination for “Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host.”

Additionally, the “BET AWARDS” will be honoring Queen Latifah with this year’s Lifetime Achievement BET Award. Latifah has had amazing success since her career began in Hollywood and became the first hip-hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. She received rave reviews, industry recognition, and accolades for her roles in feature musical CHICAGO and cable films LIFE SUPPORT and BESSIE, which she also produced. Additionally, Latifah starred in the hit comedy GIRLS TRIP and has also taken to the stage and small screen as the title character in the television musical, THE WIZ LIVE!. Flavor Unit Entertainment, the production company owned and operated by Latifah and Shakim Compere, was behind the hit comedies, BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, BEAUTY SHOP, and THE PERFECT HOLIDAY. Latifah currently stars in and is an executive producer on the CBS series reboot of THE EQUALIZER, which quickly became TV’s #1 scripted series this year.

Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET will oversee The “BET Awards” 2021 and serve as Executive Producer along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

Voting for the 2021 BET AWARDS ‘Viewer’s Choice Award’ is now open here. BET.com/betawards is the official site for the “BET Awards” and will have all the latest news and updates about this year's show.

Follow on @BET_PR AND @BETAWARDS


ABOUT BET:
BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African American audience. The primary BET channel is in 125 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET+, the preeminent streaming service for the Black audience; BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

ABOUT “BET AWARDS”:
The “BET Awards” is one of the most-watched award shows on cable television according to the Nielsen Company. The “BET Awards” franchise remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans, and it is BET's #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers, and athletes in a variety of categories.

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT:
Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service television and film production company and has played an integral role in producing many of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment. JCE has a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks. On the theatrical film side, the company also has a first look on JCE’s film development projects which could include Viacom’s film entities such as Paramount Players. The award-winning and critically acclaimed television that JCE has produced includes miniseries—The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story; scripted series—American Soul and Real Husbands of Hollywood; children’s series—Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices; award shows—BET Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors, UNCF’s An Evening of Stars, BET Hip Hop Awards, ABFF Honors and Soul Train Awards; specials—John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today, Stand Up for Heroes, Dear Mama, Amanda Seales I Be Knowin’, Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine; as well as competition/game shows—Sunday Best, Hip Hop Squares, Nashville Squares and Rhythm & Flow. Jesse Collins, founder and CEO of the company, is the executive producer of all programming. He is also a co-executive producer for the iconic Grammy Awards. Most recently, he was executive producer of The 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show and produced The 2021 Academy Awards. Go to jessecollinsent.com for more information on the company.

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Comics Review: "STATIC SEASON ONE #1: is a Return of the Cool

STATIC (SEASON ONE) #1 (OF 6)
DC COMICS/Milestone Media

STORY: Vita Ayala
LAYOUTS: ChrisCross
FINISHES: Nikolas Draper-Ivey
COLORS: Nikolas Draper-Ivey
LETTERS: Andworld Design
EDITOR: Chris Conroy
PRODUCERS: Reginald Hudlin and Denys Cowan for Milestone Media
COVER: Khary Randolph with Emilio Lopez
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Shawn Martinbrough with Chris Sotomayor; Nikolas Draper-Ivey; Denys Cowan with Brad Anderson; Olivier Coipel with Brad Anderson
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S., (August 2021)

Rating: 13+

Milestone and Static created by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle

Episode One: Trial by Fire

Milestone Comics was the publishing division of Milestone Media, and its comic book titles were published and distributed by DC Comics.  Milestone was founded in 1993 by a coalition of African-American artists and writers, consisting of Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle.  Milestone Media's founders believed that minorities were severely underrepresented in American comic books and wished to address this.  In 1993, Milestone Media launched its first four titles Icon, Blood Syndicate, Static, and Hardware, but DC Comics ceased publication of all Milestone Comics titles in 1997.

Static, Milestone's most popular superhero character, first appeared in Static #1 (cover dated: June 1993).  Static is Virgil Ovid Hawkins, an African-American teenage boy who is a member of a subspecies of humans with superhuman abilities known as “metahumans.”  Static's origin has changed since he first debuted, and now, he has gained his powers after an incident exposed him to a radioactive chemical, making Virgil capable of electromagnetic control and generation.

Both Milestone and Static are back with the launch of the new comic books series, Static (Season One), also known as Static: Season One.  The series is written by Vita Ayala; drawn by ChrisCross (layouts) and Nikolas Draper-Ivey (finishes); colored by Draper-Ivey; and lettered by Andworld Design.  The new comic book focuses on a bullied nerd who gains super-powers, only to discover that his enemy has also gained powers.

Static: Season One #1 (“Trial by Fire”) opens in Dakota City, USA in the aftermath of the “Big Bang.”  That incident happened at a “Black Lives Matter” rally that turned insane when the police released an experimental tear gas on the protesters.  Some people were maimed or died; others gained  stunning new abilities and powers.  Bullied nerd, 16-year-old Virgil Hawkins, gained powers.

Virgil has power inside him now, real power that he constantly hears and feels buzzing inside him.  He has the ability to channel and manipulate electromagnetic fields, but Virgil also has anger burning inside him.  One of his classmates, the bully Francis Stone, has already felt Virgil's power.  But Francis, who calls himself “Hotstreak,” also has power inside him, and he is ready for some payback.

THE LOWDOWN:  In the original 1990s Static, Virgil Ovid Hawkins was essentially a 1990s, African-American version of the early 1960s teenage Peter Parker/Spider-Man.  Like that classic character, Virgil/Static struggled at becoming a superhero and had to deal with what it did to his life.

Writer Vita Ayala and artists ChrisCross Nikolas Draper-Ivey present a Virgil Hawkins who is a Black teenager coming of age in this era of protests that was launched by the death of an African-American man, George Floyd, (May 25, 2020), murdered by the hands (and knee) of a White police officer.

Ayala presents Virgil as an African-American teen who may be bullied, but does not even understand the idea that he should defer, know his place, or be a second class citizen.  Will he fight back against those who attack him or turn the other cheek … or is there an entirely different path that others have not imagined?  After reading this first issue, I feel that Ayala is going to take us, dear readers, on a journey of questions and answers, but one also filled with superhero action.

The compositions and colors by Nikolas Draper-Ivey remind me of the quirky animation of the 2018 film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, crackling with eye-popping colors and striking graphics.  It is as if Nikolas wants us to feeling the shimmering, crackling, and buzzing inside Virgil.  ChrisCross (layouts) and Draper-Ivey move the story through this issue like an electric charge running along a line, and for the final page, Cross/Nikolas gives us a … static shock.  The drama, tension, and conflict practically bleed off the page.

I thought that I would like Static: Season One #1, but I am surprised by how much I like it.  By the end, I could have read another forty pages.  If Milestone fans were unsure about moving on, this first issue will make them happy for this re-imagining of a Black superhero for the BLM generation.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Milestone Comics will want Static Season One.

A

[This comic book has a tribute from Denys Cowan and Chris Conroy to the late comic book artist, John Paul Leon (1972-2021), who drew the first Static comic book.  This comic book also includes a “DC Nation” “Spotlight On” interview with Joshua Williamson about Infinite Frontier #1.]

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


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