Review: "SNAKE EYES" is for G.I. Joe Fans ... Only

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 46 of 2021 (No. 1784) by Leroy Douresseaux

Snake Eyes (2021)
Running time:  121 minutes (2 hours, 1 minute)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and brief strong language
DIRECTOR:  Robert Schwentke
WRITERS:  Evan Spiliotopoulos, Joe Shrapnel, and Anna Waterhouse; from a story by Evan Spiliotopoulos (based on the characters from Habro's G.I. Joe)
PRODUCERS:  Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Brian Goldner, and Erik Howsam
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Bojan Bazelli (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Stuart Levy
COMPOSER:  Martin Todsharow

ACTION/SUPERHERO/FANTASY

Starring:  Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Haruka Abe, Takehiro Hira, Eri Ishida, Iko Uwais, Peter Mensah, Ursula Corbero, Samara Weaving, Samuel Finzi, Steven Allerick, and Max Archibald

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is a 2021 action and superhero fantasy film directed by Robert Schwentke.  It is the third film based on characters from Hasbro's G.I. Joe media franchise.  Snake Eyes is an origin story for the title character and a G.I. Joe spin off film.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins opens in the past.  We meet a boy (Max Archibald) who watches a group of men kill his father (Steve Allerick).  The leader of the men uses a pair of dice to decide the father's fate, and the dice come up “snake eyes.”

Years later, the boy has become a mysterious lone underground fighter known only as “Snake Eyes” (Henry Golding).  He falls in with Kenta (Takehiro Hira), a gang leader and gun smuggler who says he can help him.  Kenta claims to know how to find the man who killed Snake Eyes' father, and Snake Eyes has spent years seeking revenge.  After he falls out with Kenta, Snake Eyes befriends Thomas “Tommy” Arashikage (Andrew Koji), the presumptive heir of the Arashikage ninja clan.  Tommy takes Snake Eyes to Japan and offers him a chance to join the clan – if he can past the “three tests.”

However, Snake Eyes finds his loyalties constantly being tested and his motives questioned, especially by Akiko (Haruka Abe), who is in charge of security at the Arashikage compound.  Snake Eyes will soon find that his secrets and lies have him caught between two competing covert organizations, the counter-terrorist G.I. Joe and the terrorist Cobra.

I am not a big fan of the G.I. Joe media franchise although I have read a few of the comic books published by both Marvel Comics (1982-1994) and IDW Publishing (2008-present).  I watched a few episodes of the syndicated animation television series that ran from 1983 to 1986.  I have even watched the two live-action G.I. Joe films, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013).  However, I have always been curious about the rival characters Snake Eyes (G.I. Joe) and Storm Shadow (Cobra).

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is an origin film, acting as the story of Snake Eyes.  It is also a reboot film, restarting the G.I. Joe film franchise, and it even includes the appearance of both the G.I. Joe and Cobra organization and the appearance of new versions of a few of the characters.

I can keep this simple.  Snake Eyes is for G.I. Joe fans.  I'm not sure that even people who were or are causal fans of the earlier G.I. Joe films will like this.  The fight scenes are good, with a few (the car chase fight) being quite spectacular.  The character drama is junk, and even the opening section about the murder of Snake Eyes' father fails to really resonate the way the killing of a protagonist's parent should.  None of the characters' motivations and few conflicts seem genuine; everything seems contrived or, at least, badly written.  It does not help the drama that most of the acting is … let's say “average” to be nice.

Like the previous G.I. Joe films, I think Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins will have a long life on cable television or however long cable TV has left as a viable medium (which is another story).  In fact, I like the fight scenes and actions enough to kind of like this movie.  I think that there is a great story to be told of the origin of Snake Eyes, but that great story just isn't in this movie.

5 out of 10
C+

Friday, July 23, 2021


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Comics Review: "DARK BLOOD #1" is Hot Blooded

DARK BLOOD #1 (OF 6)
BOOM! STUDIOS

STORY: LaToya Morgan
ART:  Walt Barna
COLORS: A.H.G.
LETTERS:  Andworld Design
EDITOR: Dafna Pleban
COVER: Valentine De Landro
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Juni Ba; Dan Mora; Valentine De Landro; Marcus Williams; Javan Jordan; Mico Suayan; Felix Icarus Morales with Robert Nugent; David Sanchez with Omi Remalante; Karen S. Darboe; Ingrid Gala; Marco Rudy
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S.(July 2021)

Dark Blood created by LaToya Morgan

Dark Blood is a new six-issue comic book miniseries created and written by screenwriter LaToya Morgan (AMC’s "The Walking Dead," "Into The Badlands").  Published by BOOM! Studios, the series is drawn by Walt Barna; colored by A.H.G.; and lettered by Andworld Design.  The series focuses on an Black World War II veteran who discovers that he has strange new abilities.

Dark Blood #1 opens in Alabama, 1955.  It's night.  Avery Aldridge, also known as “Double A,” is leaving his job at the diner, “Hardy's Eats.”  In the alley, he has a fateful encounter with a racist.  Double A is a highly decorated World War II soldier, a former fighter pilot, a member of the soon-to-be-legendary “Red Tails.”  He is expected to act like a boy … when he is actually a very powerful, grown-ass man.  But this is “The Night of the Variance,” and everything is going to start to change – even the things some don't want changed.

THE LOWDOWN:  As I much as I love the original Star Wars movies and a number of classic Walt Disney animated features (Peter Pan), my all-time favorite movie moment occurs in 1967's In the Heat of the Night.  Involuntarily assigned to a homicide case in Sparta Mississippi, Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (played by Sidney Poitier) is interviewing a suspect, a local and powerful rich white man named Endicott (Larry Gates), when Endicott slaps him in the face.  Tibbs slaps him right back.  The first time I saw Tibbs slap Endicott, it took my breath away … and it still does.

Television writer-producer LaToya Morgan (AMC's "TURN: Washington's Spies") offers a sci-fi/horror spin on Tibbs' slap as the spine of the first issue of her new comic book, Dark Blood.  This time, the confrontation is longer, and Avery Aldridge's response is made a bit more complicated, partly because he seems unstuck in time.  Morgan does everything to tell her readers a lot by whetting their appetites for more, because they don't know the half of it, and she makes that “it” intriguing.

For all that I am intrigued by Dark Blood #1's story and concept, this first issue is also a showcase for the art team of illustrator Walt Barna and colorist A.H.G.  Barna's compositions are some of the most convincing period art that I have seen in a modern comic book in years.  Barna's Alabama, 1955 looks so “old-timey” that I could believe that it is something Barna drew at least half-a-century ago.  Barna's aerial sequences depicting Aldridge's time as a Red Tail reminds me of the comic book art one might find in EC Comics' legendary war comic book, Aces High (1955).

A.H.G.'s colors are gorgeous and also from a time machine.  If I didn't know better, I would say he hand-colored this comic book and manually separated those colors in a back office at a NYC-based comic book publisher – in days gone by.  Seriously, his colors shimmer, but are also earthy, and they make the storytelling's time periods look and feel authentic.

And I always enjoy Andworld Design's lettering, which is always stylish in a way that brings immediacy and power to the drama.  So LaToya Morgan, Walt Barna, A.H.G., and Andworld Design are off to a most excellent start, and Dark Blood #1 sparkles with promise.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of modern science fiction and dark fantasy comic books will want to drink Dark Blood.

A

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


Dark Blood trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzzXIYr_FrA&feature=youtu.be
Dark Blood first loook: https://www.boom-studios.com/wordpress/archives/dark-blood-1-first-look/
https://twitter.com/MorganicInk
https://twitter.com/WaltBarna
https://twitter.com/AHGColor
https://twitter.com/andworlddesign

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

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

Comics Review: DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER #1

DEJAH THORIS VERSUS JOHN CARTER, VOL. 1 #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Dan Abnett
ART: Alessandro Miracolo
COLORS: Dearbhla Kelly
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Joseph Michael Linsner; Alessandro Miracolo; Sebastian Fiumara; (Rachel Hollon cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2021)

Rated Teen+

Based on the characters and stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Dejah Thoris and John Carter are characters that first appeared in the serialized novel, Under the Moons of Mars (The All-Story, 1912), written by Tarzan creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs.  When it was first collected and published in hardcover, the novel was re-titled, A Princess of Mars (1917), the first of Burroughs' “Barsoom” novels, which were set on Barsoom, a fictional version of Mars.

Dejah was the title character of A Princess of Mars, the princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium.  John Carter was a Confederate veteran of the American Civil War who was transported to Mars via “astral projection” where he got a new body that was similar to the one he left behind on Earth.  John makes several trips back and forth between Earth and Barsoom, and Dejah and John were married and had two children.

John Carter first appeared in comic books in the early 1950s, and Dejah has been a prominent comic book character beginning in 2010 via Dynamite Entertainment.  Now, the star-crossed lovers are the stars of Dynamite's new comic book, Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.  The series is written by Dan Abnett; drawn by Alessandro Miracolo; colored by Dearbhla Kelly; and lettered by Simon Bowland.  The series finds Dejah and John caught in a war to save Mars from an ancient race that has returned to reclaim Mars.

As Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #1 opens, Dejah Thoris reigns as Queen of Helium, after overturning the regime of the tyrant, Kurz Kurtos.  Now, she must deal with his ally, the rogue scientist, Rotak Gall.  Dejah and her forces travel to Dar Shadeth, far in the distant west.  However, before she faces Gall, she must face the beasts of “The Longborn,” the ancient and mysterious race of immortal gods that have arrived to reclaim Barsoom/Mars.

Meanwhile, John Carter worries about the status of his relationship with Dejah, after having betrayed her during her war with Kurtos.  John was in the thrall of the Witch-Queen, and he believes that means he is a liability.  Will Baroom's (former) greatest champion remain or return to Earth?

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #1.  I must admit that other than being aware of Edgar Rice Burrough's “Martian Series” or “Barsoom series,” my only substantial experience with these stories is the 2012 Disney film, John Carter.

I find Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #1 likable, and the art by Alessandro Miracolo reminds me of the kind of art that readers would find in a Flash Gordon comic book.  Through her colors, Dearbhla Kelly creates the idea that the story takes place on a different planet simply by making the atmosphere and lighting look like they are part of an alien biosphere.  Simon Bowland's lettering catches the eccentric and shifting nature of the dialogue and calmly presents it to readers.

Writer Dan Abnett, a veteran comic book scribe, delivers a script filled with modern comic book storytelling elements and plot points.  There is a mission, Dejah's, that builds on mystery before delivering a cliffhanger.  Meanwhile, there is the appropriate soap opera drama focusing on John Carter's shame and self-doubt.  Abnett also makes me want to come back for the second issue, so I'll recommend Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter #1.  The series does have potential.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Dynamite's Dejah Thoris and Barsoom comic books will want to try Dejah Thoris Versus John Carter.

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


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
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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: JAMES BOND: Agent of SPECTRE #5

JAMES BOND: AGENT OF SPECTRE #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Christos Gage
ART: Luca Casalanguida
COLORS: Heather Moore
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Luca Casalanguida
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Luca Casalanguida
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2021)

Rated T+

Based on the characters and stories created by Ian Fleming

“James Bond” is a fictional British Secret Service agent created by Ian Fleming, a British writer and novelist.  Fleming introduced James Bond in the 1953 novel, Casino Royale, and featured the character in 12 novels and two short-story collections.  Of course, most people know Bond because of Eon Productions' long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books, but Dynamite Entertainment has been steadily publishing James Bond comic books since early 2016.  Their latest James Bond comic book is the five-issue miniseries, James Bond: Agent of SPECTRE.  It is written by Christos Gage; drawn by Luca Casalanguida; colored by Heather Moore; and lettered by Simon Bowland.   The series finds James Bond taking sides in a civil war within SPECTRE, the international criminal organization that has long been Bond's enemy.

Titania Jones, an upstart American member of SPECTRE, is attempting a coup, threatening to depose its longtime leader, the criminal mastermind, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.  Titania is on guard against Blofeld's men, so to take her out, Blofeld recruits a wild card, James Bond!  With Blofeld threatening the life of his friend, CIA operative, Felix Leiter, as leverage, Bond agrees.  However, Bond has a plan to use this internal strife to bring SPECTRE down once and for all.  Will he succeed, or is this a dark path from which even 007 cannot return?

James Bond: Agent of SPECTRE #5 opens on the Island of Meraki, Greece.  It is the location of the ancestral home of Blofeld, and it is the site of the final showdown between Blofeld, 007, and Titania Jones, the would-be new leader of SPECTRE.  This “SPECTRE Civil War” reaches its explosive conclusion, but who will come out on top, the established Blofeld or the upstart Titania?  And will 007 survive this struggle, and can he use it to bring SPECTRE down from within?

THE LOWDOWN:  The only Dynamite James Bond comic book series I have read is Warren Ellis' twelve-issue run, James Bond, Vol. 1 (2016-17), which is comprised of two story arcs, “Vargr” and “Eidolon.”  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of the first batch is the fifth and final issue of James Bond: Agent of SPECTRE.

James Bond: Agent of SPECTRE #5 is the first issue of the series that I have read.  I used the Diamond Comic Distributors' “Previews” listings to get the lowdown on the previous four issues of the series.  I figured out enough about the story line to say that writer Christos Gage has brought James Bond: Agent of SPECTRE #5 to a satisfying conclusion.  Gage also sets up some interesting threads for future James Bond comic books.

The art team of Luca Casalanguida and colorist Heather Moore are good, but Casalanguida's compositions are a little too impressionistic for this story.  I do like Casalanguida's interpretation of James Bond as a burly, brawny, meaty man who can throw his fists around.  Moore's coloring tends towards the garish a few times.  Simon Bowland's solid lettering keeps the art and graphical storytelling from being too off the wall.

I can say that James Bond: Agent of SPECTRE #5 suggests to me that this series might make for a fun read as a trade paperback.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of James Bond comic books will want to try James Bond: Agent of SPECTRE.

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


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
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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: VENGEANCE OF VAMPIRELLA Volume 2 #20

VENGEANCE OF VAMPIRELLA VOLUME 2 #20
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Thomas Sniegoski
ART: Michael Sta. Maria
COLORS: Omi Remalante, Jr.
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
EDITOR: Joe Rybandt
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Ben Oliver; Stephen Segovia; Michael Sta. Maria; Rachel Hollon (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2021)

Rated Teen+

Vampirella is vampire and female superhero created by the late author and science fiction and horror expert, Forrest J Ackerman, and comic book artist, Trina Robbins.  Vampirella first appeared in Vampirella #1 (Sept. 1969), the debut issue of a black and white horror comics magazine from Warren Publishing.  Writer-editor Archie Goodwin changed the character from a hostess of horror comics to a leading character in her own stories.

Vampirella publications were published by Warren into 1983, and after Warren's bankruptcy, Harris Publications obtained the character and published new and reprint Vampirella comic books into the mid-1990s.  In 2010, Dynamite Entertainment obtained the character and has been publishing new Vampirella material since then.

One of Dynamite's Vampirella comic book series is Vengeance of Vampirella, which was also the title of a Harris Comics series.  Vengeance of Vampirella Volume 2 is (currently) written by Thomas Sniegoski; drawn by Michael Sta. Maria; colored by Omi Remalante, Jr.; and lettered by Troy Peteri.  The series focuses on a reborn Vampirella who fights the forces of chaos to save humanity.

Vengeance of Vampirella Volume 2 #20 opens on the day after the fall of Mistress Nyx.  The war between Order and Chaos has come to an end, and as the dust settles, humanity begins the process of rising from the ashes.  However, what is to become of “The Infernal,” the dark forces that Nyx led?  Without her, they are leaderless and could continue to cause problems.

Meanwhile, what of Vampirella, the woman born of darkness to serve the light, who killed Nyx?  Vampirella was also forced to kill Adam, her lover who sided with Nyx.  What has this done to her?  Will Vampirella regain her lost humanity or will she fall to darkness?

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Vengeance of Vampirella Volume 2 #20.  It not only the first issue of this series that I have read, but it is also the first Vampirella comic book that I have ever read.

Strangely, I find myself drawn to this comic book and to its star character.  In theory, Thomas Sniegoski's script for this issue could seem like story decompression and padding for a trade paperback.  However, he makes the struggles within and without Vampirella seem engaging and important.

The art and storytelling by Michael Sta. Maria both recalls classic Warren Publishing Vampirella and captures the intensity of her struggle with the power of the forces arrayed against her.  Omi Remalante, Jr. impressionistic colors strike the right tone, and letterer Troy Peteri brings sanity to the wildness of the graphics by keeping things in order.

Having finally tasted a Vampirella comic book, I want more Vengeance of Vampirella Volume 2.  I won't call this a great comic book, but it certainly seems like something worth spending money on … if you like vampire comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Vampirella will want to try Vengeance of Vampirella Volume 2.

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


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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


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

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

BOOM! Studios Shipping from Diamond Distributors for July 21, 2021

BOOM! STUDIOS

MAY210943    DARK BLOOD #1 (OF 6) CVR A DE LANDRO    $3.99
MAY210944    DARK BLOOD #1 (OF 6) CVR B BA    $3.99
MAY218118    EVE #2 (OF 5) 2ND PTG ANINDITO    $3.99
APR210003    FCBD 2021 ENTER THE SLAUGHTER    $PI
APR210018    FCBD 2021 JUST BEYOND MONSTROSITY #1    $PI
MAY210981    FIREFLY BRAND NEW VERSE #5 (OF 6) CVR A KHALIDAH    $4.99
MAY210982    FIREFLY BRAND NEW VERSE #5 (OF 6) CVR B FISH    $4.99
MAY211002    MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR #4 (OF 5) CVR A ANDRADE    $3.99
MAY211003    MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR #4 (OF 5) CVR B KRISTANTINA FOIL    $4.99
MAR210921    ONCE & FUTURE TP VOL 03    $16.99
MAY210970    POWER RANGERS #9 CVR A SCALERA    $3.99
MAY210971    POWER RANGERS #9 CVR B LEGACY VAR DI NICUOLO    $3.99
MAY218489    POWER RANGERS #9 CVR F FOC REVEAL VAR INTERMIX    $3.99
MAY211007    PROCTOR VALLEY ROAD #5 (OF 5) CVR A FRANQUIZ (MR)    $3.99
MAY211008    PROCTOR VALLEY ROAD #5 (OF 5) CVR B WILDGOOSE (MR)    $3.99
MAY211022    SAVE YOURSELF #2 (OF 4) CVR A MATTHEWS    $4.99
MAY211023    SAVE YOURSELF #2 (OF 4) CVR B GONZAGA    $4.99

Dark Horse Comics Shipping from Diamond Distributors for July 21, 2021

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAY210301    APEX LEGENDS OVERTIME #2 (OF 4)    $3.99
MAY210259    BLACK HAMMER REBORN #2 CVR A YARSKY    $3.99
MAY210260    BLACK HAMMER REBORN #2 CVR B THOMPSON    $3.99
MAY210227    TALES FROM HARROW COUNTY FAIR FOLK #1 (OF 4) CVR A SCHNALL    $3.99
MAY210228    TALES FROM HARROW COUNTY FAIR FOLK #1 (OF 4) CVR B CROOK    $3.99