#IReadsYou Movie Review: THE MARVELS

The Marvels (2023)

Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for action/violence and brief language

DIRECTOR:  Nia DaCosta

WRITERS:  Nia DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, and Elissa Karasik

PRODUCER:  Kevin Feige

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Sean Bobbitt (BSC)

EDITORS:  Catrin Hedström and Evan Schiff

COMPOSER:  Laura Karpman

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION with elements of comedy

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

The Marvels is a 2023 superhero film directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Marvel Studios.  The film is the 33rd entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is also a direct sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel.  The Marvels is also a continuation of the Disney+/Marvel Studios television miniseries, "Ms. Marvel" (2022).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, November 10, 2023

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

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

#IReadsYou Review: PRODIGY: The Icarus Society #5

PRODIGY: THE ICARUS SOCIETY #5 (OF 5)

IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Matteo Buffagni

COLORS: David Curiel

LETTERS: Clem Robins

COVER: Matteo Buffagni with David Curiel

DESIGN: Melina Mikulic

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Buffagni

36pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (November 2022)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy: The Icarus Society is a five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  It is a sequel to the 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy.  The Prodigy comic books focus on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane, who believes that he is the go-to guy when there is a global crisis to solve.  Letterer Clem Robins and colorists Laura Martin and David Curiel complete the sequel's creative team.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society pits Edison against “The Icarus Society,” a secret society of geniuses who are all richer than Edison.  And now, he is caught inside the club's internal rivalries and blackmailed into hunting for the treasures of one of the most legendary locations of all time – Shangri-La.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society #5 opens in the airspace of Balochistan (a region that covers Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan).  There, in a fleet of helicopters, a mercenary force heads for Shangri-La.  With their help, Felix Koffka intends to steal the legendary city of its treasures and stand astride it much as he does The Icarus Society.  And he plans to rid himself of Edison Crane, and Felix believes that he is winning because he is smarter than Crane.

But both Crane and Shangri-La are full of deadly surprises.  And this time Koffka may have really flown too close to the sun.

THE LOWDOWN:  I have described the two comic book series that make up the Prodigy franchise as spinners of conspiracies, legends, myths, and lore that could rival cable network, The History Channel's “Ancient Aliens” television series.  Now, the fifth issue of The Icarus Society brings this astounding series to an end.

I can't get over the fact that Mark Millar is a wealthy executive for one of the world's most influential and most powerful media companies (Netflix), yet he still writes comic books.  And he writes such great comic books, such as this final issue of The Icarus Society.  It is obvious that Millar is still engaged with his readers because he is always challenging our notions and expectations.  He is still turning out these incredible comic books that always do the opposite of what is expected and offer genuine shocks and surprises.

Seriously, this is the good stuff.  Artist Matteo Buffagni saves all his explosives and blows up this story right in our faces with widescreen art and cinematic storytelling.  He gives Millar's story so much energy and makes this final showdown feel lethal.  Buffagni makes sure we understand that many characters will pay the highest and deadliest of prices.  David Curiel's colors make the art pop off the page, dazzling our imaginations.  Clem Robins uses his letters to deliver a pound-your-ass soundtrack, with its strains carrying on past the last page.

What a blast Millar, Buffagni, and company have delivered in Prodigy: The Icarus Society #5, with its diabolical villain, queen of a lost world, and exquisite retribution.  And I don't want to forget the tease at the end.  Girl, the next Prodigy series will rock all the casbahs.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: The Icarus Society.

A+

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

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://www.netflix.com/

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The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: PRODIGY: The Icarus Society #4

PRODIGY: THE ICARUS SOCIETY #4 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Matteo Buffagni
COLORS: David Curiel
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Matteo Buffagni with David Curiel
DESIGN: Melina Mikulic
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Buffagni
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2022)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy: The Icarus Society is a five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  It is a sequel to the 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy.  The Prodigy comic books focus on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane, who believes that he is the go-to guy when there is a global crisis to solve.  Letterer Clem Robins and colorists Laura Martin and David Curiel complete the sequel's creative team.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society pits Edison against “The Icarus Society,” a secret society of geniuses who are all richer than Edison.  And now, he is caught inside the club's internal rivalries and blackmailed into hunting for the treasures of one of the most legendary locations of all time.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society #4 opens in the Himalayas, present day.  Edison accompanies (as a prisoner) Felix Koffka as they hunt for “Shangri-La.”  Accompanying them are Koffka's sneaky wife, Prisha Patil, and his injured employee, Ruby Prentice.

Shangri-La may be a  place from the storybooks, but it has exerted a pull on the world's most evil people for thousands of years.  Now, this paradise will give up its secrets, one of which is that Edison Crane's arrival has been expected.

THE LOWDOWN:  Prodigy, in its two series, has emerged as a spinner of conspiracies, legends, myths, and lore, and has enough of it to rival cable network, The History Channel's “Ancient Aliens” television series.  This fourth issue of The Icarus Society is also the penultimate issue of the series.

Mark Millar always delivers the unexpected.  How does he do it?  Is he a genius like Edison Crane?  Or does it involve the occult?  Seriously, Prodigy: The Icarus Society #4 is full of surprises, and Millar teases an explosive ending.  Prodigy is an adventure into the unknown and the mythical, so Millar seems to anticipate our expectations with the goal of foiling them.  If we are going into the unknown, then, we don't know anything.  We rely on this most brilliant storyteller who always wants to thrill us, the way his favorite comic books did to young Mark.

Artist Matteo Buffagni wants to drag the reader in with his storytelling and wants to transport us into the unknown.  While he refuses to give away secrets, Buffagni entices us with an absorbing mystery.  David Curiel's colors, which usually convey the shadows and dark moods of Buffagni's compositions, are a celebration of light as a legendary location shows itself off in this issue.  Even Clem Robins dials down the lettering for this quiet-before-the-storm entry.

There is no filler in the comic books of Millar and his creative teams.  Prodigy: The Icarus Society could not fly without a superb fourth issue, and superb is what we get.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: The Icarus Society.

A+

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


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


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: PRODIGY: The Icarus Society #3

PRODIGY: THE ICARUS SOCIETY #3 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Matteo Buffagni
COLORS: David Curiel
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Matteo Buffagni with David Curiel
DESIGN: Melina Mikulic
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Buffagni
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2022)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy: The Icarus Society is a five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  It is a sequel to the 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy.  The Prodigy comic books focus on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane, who believes that he is the go-to guy when there is a global crisis to solve.  Letterer Clem Robins and colorists Laura Martin and David Curiel complete the sequel's creative team.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society pits Edison against “The Icarus Society,” a secret society of geniuses who are all richer than Edison.  And now, he is caught inside the club's internal rivalries and blackmailed into hunting for the treasures of one of the most legendary locations of all time.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society #3 opens in the Himalayas, 1722, detailing two parties searching for the mythical kingdom of “Shangri-La.”  One of them is led by the pirate, Red Ana de Tourzel.  Three centuries later, Edison Crane is caught between the machinations of Icarus Society rivals.  One is the homicidal Professor Tong, and the other is Felix Koffka, the richest man in the world and the owner of the cars in which John F. Kennedy and James Dean respectively died.

When one outwits the other (or so it seems), Edison is working for man who works at a level no one else can understand.  For Edison, that means a journey into legend.

THE LOWDOWN:  Mark Millar has produced some incredible comic books since he became a Netflix executive.  The Magic Order is one of the twenty-first century's greatest comic books about magic.  Meanwhile, Prodigy has emerged as a spinner of conspiracies, legends, myths, and lore to rival cable network, The History Channel's “Ancient Aliens” television series.

Over the past quarter-century, Millar has been writing some of the most interesting and unique superhero comics:  The Authority, The Ultimates, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Nemesis, to name a few.  I think Prodigy should be added to that list.  While its star does not wear a costume, Edison Crane has the elements of such clever superhero characters as Tony Stark, Bruce Wayne, Karnak (The Inhumans), and Ozymandias (Watchmen), to name a few.  The difference is that Millar sends Edison on better adventures than those other characters have had in years, and Edison is better dressed.

Artist Matteo Buffagni has a drawing style that merges the clean line style, photo-realism, and textured inking.  The result is storytelling that captures the intimacy and violence of the conflicts between characters and the endless possibilities of the adventures before them.  David Curiel's colors convey the shadows and dark moods of Buffagni's compositions, while letterer Clem Robins makes the dialogue pop off the page with menace and mystery.

Mark Millar has stated that he wants to write comic books that readers really enjoy reading, and, in addition to his writing skills, he has a talent for gathering superb creative talent.  Prodigy: The Icarus Society #3 is the result of superb talent working hard for our enjoyment.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: The Icarus Society.

A+

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


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


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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#IReadsYou Review: PRODIGY: The Icarus Society #1

PRODIGY: THE ICARUS SOCIETY #1 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Matteo Buffagni
COLORS: Laura Martin
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Matteo Buffagni with David Curiel
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Bill Sienkiewicz
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2022)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy: The Icarus Society is a new five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  It is a sequel to the 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy.  The Prodigy comic books focus on the adventures of the world's smartest man, who believes that he is the go-to guy when there is a global crisis to solve.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 opens in Maine where a credit controller has just spontaneously exploded.  In fact, this is an entire afternoon of spontaneously exploding people in Maine  When the mayor and the governor don't know what to do, they call the Pentagon, and the Pentagon calls Edison Crane, the world's smartest man.

The person behind these explosions is the just the beginning of “The Icarus Society.”

THE LOWDOWN:  Of Mark Millar's recent Netflix comic book series, I am a huge fan of The Magic Order, but I am always thinking about Prodigy.  After reading the first series, Prodigy, I was intrigued and thrilled, and after re-reading it in trade paperback form, as Prodigy: The Evil Earth, I admired it all the more.

Millar uses Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 to introduce readers to Edison Crane's state of mind (more or less).  Our hero is in need of a challenge.  Millar builds the issue slyly; the new threat is all around Crane, preparing to reveal itself.  At the same time, rascally Millar teases us with this idea:  doesn't it seem as if Crane is deliberately setting himself up to be challenged and abused?...

The art by Matteo Buffagni for The Icarus Society is quiet compared to Rafael Albuquerque's fast and furious storytelling in the earlier series, The Evil Earth.  Buffagni creates a story that conveys the current malaise (of Crane) and simmers with the coming menace (from the “rival” geniuses).  Colorist Laura Martin is a master of creating the varied moods of action and violence, and here, she delivers on shadowy and secretive and sudden violence.  Clem Robins does much the same, carrying the reader through the wavy flow of time and pace in this story.

I can tell from this first issue that Millar and Buffagni are going to throw everything and many kitchen sinks at us.  Prodigy: The Icarus Society reminds us that a month with at least one Mark Millar comic book is a good month, indeed.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: The Icarus Society.

A

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


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


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

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#IReadsYou Review: STATIC: Season One #1

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

★★★★+ out of 4 stars

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

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#IReadsYou Review: STATIC #1

STATIC #1
DC COMICS/Milestone Comics

STORY: Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington, III
PENCILS: John Paul Leon
INKS: Steve Mitchell
COLORS: Noelle C. Giddings
LETTERS: Steve Haynie
EDITOR: Dwayne McDuffie
COVER: Denys Cowan and Jimmy Palmiotti with Noelle C. Giddings
32pp, Color, $2.95 US, $3.95 CAN, 1.20 UK£ (June 1993)

“Trial by Fire” Chapter One: “Burning Sensation”

Introduced in the spring of 1993, Static was one of the early comic book series created by Milestone Media and published through DC Comics.  Milestone Media was a comic book imprint and media company established with the intention presenting more minority characters in American Comics.  Although the Milestone Media stopped producing comics in 1997, Static was reworked as the WB animated series, “Static Shock,” which ran for four seasons from 2000 to 2004.

Static #1 (“Burning Sensation”) opens in the Sadler neighborhood of the city of Dakota, specifically in a teen hangout called Akkad’s Arcade.  Frieda Goren, a high school girl, arrives at the hangout to meet a friend when she suddenly encounters representatives of someone else who wants to meet her.  Known as the “5 Alarm Crew,” these ruffians are practically kidnapping Frieda to take her to their leader, someone named “Hotstreak,” whether she wants an audience with him or not.

By the second page (a splash page), our hero, Static, makes his first appearance, and six and half pages of witty banter and an electric light show later, it’s clear that this new superhero, the first African-American solo teen superhero, is a winner even if his own book doesn’t last over the long haul (which sadly it didn’t).  Static’s powers clearly have something to do with electricity, and his personality is equally stimulating  After he dispatches the 5 Alarm Crew, Static offers to take Frieda home, an indication that she is not just a damsel in distress plot device which allows writers Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington to introduce their hero.

After reluctantly leaving Frieda, who was standoffish with him although he saved her, Static finds a secluded alley where he returns to his civilian persona, a black teenager named Virgil Ovid Hawkins.  Virgil’s thoughts are still on Frieda, further indication of her importance.  Virgil returns home (apparently a brownstone similar to the family home on “The Cosby Show”) so McDuffie and Washington can reveal Static’s private life and family.  We meet Virgil’s mother and his sister, Sharon, with whom he, of course, spars, as li’l sis has some issue with Virgil hangin’ with white girl.  Virgil races upstairs just in time to answer the phone call from Frieda, who tells him about her adventures at Akkad’s.  The scene closes as the conversation evolves into the usual teen concerns.

The next morning, a breakfast conversation with his mother reveals that Virgil does indeed have a father, who works odd hours at a hospital.  (The African-American father was virtually extinct in pop culture at the time this comic was published, and remains on the endangered species list as of this writing.)

When the story moves to the hallways of the school Virgil attends, Ernest Hemingway High School, McDuffie and Washington introduce Virgil’s pals.  One of them, Richard Stone, would later be revealed as gay, but even now there seems to be some latent tension regarding Richard’s perceived sexual orientation.

Besides Frieda, Virgil’s most interesting friend is Larry, who has something of a thuggish vibe.  Later, while in class, the 5 Alarm Crew returns, and this time they manage to snatch Frieda.  This comes totally out of left field: Larry apparently offers to draw a concealed firearm to put a stop to the 5 Alarm boys, but Virgil has already slipped away to don his super suit.

Meanwhile, in a playground at a local elementary school, Static meets the 5 Alarm Crew’s master, Hotstreak, and here, McDuffie and Washington offer the biggest surprise and delight, which they’ve been saving for the very end of the first issue.  Hotstreak kicks Static’s butt all over the yard, and Static apparently has some kind of psychological block that prohibits him from going whole hog on Hotstreak, who is nevertheless a capable super badass.  And Frieda removes Static’s mask, revealing Virgil to her…

Overall, Static #1 is an impressive first issue.  To begin with, the art team of John Paul Leon on pencils and Steve Mitchell on inks creates a lovely style that has a jazzy vibe.  Although the coloring is modest, the art feels young, hip, and most important urban.  Visually, Leon and Mitchell construct an urban landscape by designing backgrounds and sets out of simple shapes and forms and get the same effect as artists that create urban environments by using heavy inking or intricate detail in drawing the sets.  Best of all, Leon and Mitchell capture the cast’s diversity; this is true melting pot and not something that looks like a Norman Rockwell painting of a Rotary Club meeting.

I have nothing but praise for McDuffie and Washington.  Static is a witty teen superhero, a sassy, brash kid bouncing off walls.  Read it, and recognize the fun of those early Spider-Man comic books.  But Static has an edge.  It’s in the rhythm of the authentic urban language – referencing hip hop without trying to replicate it (unlike the horrid “hip” dialogue in the original Gen13 comics).  Underlying it all is the feeling of life on the streets of Dakota being, at the very least, a little dangerous.  Reading this, I thought that some of these characters have to be ready to kill or be killed – anytime and anywhere.

It’s on.

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

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#IReadsYou Review: DEAR JUSTICE LEAGUE

DEAR JUSTICE LEAGUE
DC COMICS/DC Zoom – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Michael Northrop
ART: Gustavo Duarte
COLORS: Marcelo Maiolo
LETTERS: Wes Abbott
EDITOR: Sara Miller
ISBN: 978-1-4012-8413-8; paperback; (July 31, 2019 – Diamond / August 6, 2019)
176pp, Color, $9.99 U.S., $13.50 CAN

Age Range: 8 to 12

Dear Justice League is a 2019 original graphic novel staring DC Comics' marquee super-team, the Justice League.  It is written by Michael Northrop; drawn by Gustavo Duarte; colored by Marcelo Mailol; and lettered by Wes Abbot.  Dear Justice League features some of the greatest superheroes of all time answering questions sent to them by young fans via text, email, and letter.

Dear Justice League was originally published under DC Comics' “DC Zoom” imprint, which offered original graphic novels for readers that were 8 to 12-years-old or that were classified as “middle grade” (MG) readers.  DC discontinued many of its imprints in 2019, so Dear Justice League would now fit under a new designation (“DC Graphic Novels for Young Readers”?).

Dear Justice League finds its members going about their usual business, but they occasionally take time to answer questions sent to them by young fans.  In a “Dear Superman” letter, the Man of Steel is asked, “have you ever messed up?”  In “Dear Hawkgirl,” the high-flying hero, who is also known as Kendra Saunders, is asked if she, as Hawkgirl, eats small animals.  In “Dear Aquaman,” Black Manta has high-jacked a nuclear submarine, but Aquaman wonders if he smells like fish, as one fan has asked.

In “Dear Wonder Woman,” a young fan who is about to turn 11-years-old wants to know if Wonder Woman remembers her eleventh birthday.  In “Dear Flash,” two envious boys, “T-Bone” and “J-Dawg,” pose a time-centered challenge to “the fastest man alive” via a dishonest question.  In “Green Lantern,” the newest Lantern, Simon Baz, is asked if he has ever suffered a fashion faux pas.

In “Dear Cyborg,” a young fan asks for Cyborg's screen name so that the fan can challenge the hero in an online video game.  Meanwhile, Cyborg/Victor Stone is monitoring a possible alien invasion.  In “Dear Batman,” the new kid in town asks Batman if he has ever been the new kid in town.  Finally, in “Dear Justice League,” eight of the world's greatest heroes, the Justice League, battle an invasion of “Insectoids” from the planet, “Molt-On.”  So a fourth-grade class sends a letter asking the members of the League, “How do you always manage to show up just in time and save the day?”

Well, how do they do it?  And have they done it this time in order to stop an Insectoid invasions?

I am slowly making my way through DC Comics's first wave of original “DC Zoom” and “DC Ink” titles.  I still have a few to read before the lines were discontinued.  I have to say that I am quite surprised by how much I like Dear Justice League.  It is not a great work, because it has some missteps, but it is exceptional because there is nothing else like it on the superhero comic book market.

In Dear Justice League, Michael Northrop has written a funny comic book, and some of the fan questions are quite good.  Asking Aquaman if he smells like fish falls flat, although asking Hawkgirl if she eats small animals seems just perfect.  Asking Wonder Woman to recount her eleventh birthday strikes the right story notes, and that question carries over into “Dear Flash,” in a clever little bit about two jealous boys.  Batman gets a great question – has he ever been the new kid in town – but Northrop doesn't execute the answer as well as he could have.

Gustavo Duarte's illustrations and graphical storytelling are perfect for a kids-oriented Justice League comic book like Dear Justice League.  His stretchy drawing style, which recalls classic Looney Tunes cartoon shorts of the 1940s and 1950s, captures the funny side of the eight particular heroes of Dear Justice League.

Marcelo Mailol's colors on Duarte's art look as if he used color pencils and also recall classic four-color comic book coloring (but is better than most of it was back in the day).  Letterer Wes Abbot turns on a symphony of lettering fonts that provide a colorful and varied graphical soundtrack for a story that offers a lot of different sounds, from the noise of battle to the rackets of errors and mistakes.

I highly recommend Dear Justice League to readers who want to share Justice League comic books with younger readers.  It would also be nice as a semi-regular series.

B+
7 out of 10

Dear Justice League includes the following extras:

• A six-page preview of the original graphic novel, Dear Super-Villains, by Michael Northrop and Gustavo Duarte
• A six-page preview of the original graphic novel, Superman of Smallville, by Art Baltazar and Franco
• the two-page, “Hall of Justice Top Secret Files”
• the one-page, “Auxiliary Members” (pets of the Justice League)
• biographies of Michael Northrop and Gustavo Duarte
• “Dear Michael Northrop,” a letter from younger Michael Northrop to older Michael
• a mock-up of a page of lined paper so that the reader can write a letter to the Justice League
• bonus illustrations

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #1

POWER MAN AND IRON FIST No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: David Walker
ARTIST: Sanford Greene
COLORS: Lee Loughridge
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Sanford Greene
VARIANT COVERS: Kalman Andrasofszky; John Tyler Christopher; Sanford Greene; Theotis Jones; Chris Visions; Trevor Von Eeden with Rachelle Rosenberg; Skottie Young
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2016)

Rated T+

“The Boys are Back”

Luke Cage, also known as “Power Man,” is a Marvel Comics superhero.  He was created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., and first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (cover dated: June 1972).  Cage was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, but he eventually gains superpowers in the form of durability, unbreakable skin, and superhuman strength.

Iron Fist/Daniel “Danny” Rand is a Marvel Comics superhero.  The character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in Marvel Premiere #15 (cover dated: May 1974).  An orphan and martial artist, Danny earned the power of a mystical force called the Iron Fist in the also mystical city of K'un Lun.

Both characters have starred in their own comic books series, but Luke Cage and Iron Fist have also been a duo and a team called Heroes for Hire.  There was also a long-running comic book series entitled Power Man and Iron Fist.  Thanks to the All-New, All-Different Marvel, Power Man and Iron Fist the comic book is back.  It is written by David Walker; drawn by Sanford Greene; colored by Lee Loughridge; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Power Man and Iron Fist #1 (“The Boys are Back”) opens with Luke and Danny on their way to meet Jennie Royce.  The former office manager of Heroes for Hire, Jennie has finished serving a prison sentence for murdering her abusive ex-boyfriend, Eugene Mason.  Jennie asks Luke and Danny to retrieve a family heirloom currently in the possession of a criminal, Lonnie Lincoln a.k.a. “Tombstone.”  Luke is adamant that he is not re-teaming with Danny Rand and that this mission to retrieve Jennie's heirloom is just a favor for a friend-who-is-like-family in need.  But, of course, it is not the easy.

One look at Sanford Greene's cover art for this new Power Man and Iron Fist #1, I knew that I would not like what was behind the cover.  I was wrong.  I really liked this first issue, and I am genuinely suspicious or ambivalent about first issues.

David Walker's story and script is off-beat in a way that makes this comic book stand out from the Marvel pack, in a way that Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye did.  Sanford Greene's visual language for this comic book balances superhero action against an edgy kind of street-comedy and gritty drama that pushes back on easy classification.

I like this comic book, and I look forward to future issues.  Besides, David Walker and Sanford Greene are the Black/African-American creative team I have been demanding, so I gots to keep it real and read this comic book for several issues, at least.  So far, it looks like their work will help to choke the Jim Crow out of the American comic book industry

A-
7.5 out of 10

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


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#IReadsYou Review: QUINCREDIBLE Vol. 1

QUINCREDIBLE, VOL. 1
ONI PRESS/THE LION FORGE

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Selina Espiritu
COLORS: Kelly Fitzpatrick
LETTERS: AW's Tom Napolitano
EDITOR: Jasmine Amiri and Steenz
ISBN: 978-15493-0282-4; paperback (June 4, 2019)
144pp., Color, $14.99 U.S.

Reading age: 13 to 16 years; Grades 7 to 9

Quincredible is a five-issue comic book series from The Lion Forge.  The series focuses on a teen boy who tries to live his best life by being a superhero.  Quincredible is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Selina Espiritu, colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick, and lettered by Tom Napolitano.  Quincredible #1 to #5 (November 2018 to March 2019) was collected in the 2019 trade paperback, Quincredible Vol. 1: Quest to Be The Best.  [My review is based on the comiXology digital edition of the 2019 print edition of Quincredible Vol. 1.]

Quincredible Vol. 1 is set in New Orleans, Louisiana in the aftermath of two monumental events.  The first is Hurricane Katrina (2005), which has left the city's most vulnerable communities in an even more precarious position.  The second event is a meteor shower, which apparently bestowed super-powers on some humans directly exposed to the meteorites.  The people who gain powers from the meteors are called the “Enhanced.”

The story focuses on 15-year-old Quinton, also known as “Quin,” an African-American high school sophomore.  Quin is a familiar black American teenager.  He has a room full of electronics and gizmos, and he is especially adept at adapting them and inventing new versions.  Quin is also trying to navigate the social dynamics of both his neighborhood and his high school, and the former is characterized by power structures of systematic racism and of the white patriarchy.

However, Quin is also different.  He was exposed to the meteor show, and the powers he gained as a byproduct of that exposure are not flashy.  He has the power of invulnerability, but to Quin, he is “just invulnerable.” Still, Quin wants to make the world, especially his city, a better place.  So he is going to have to get creative if his 120-pound body and his invulnerability are going to save the day.

THE LOWDOWN:  What Quincredible writer Rodney Barnes presents in Quin is a familiar portrait of a black American teenager.  In terms of superhero comic books, Barnes offers in Quin the portrait of an American teenager as a superhero, a kind that is both familiar and classic.

In previous reviews, I have said that the former DC Comics/Milestone Media comic book series, Static, especially Static #1 to 4 (June to September 1993), reminded me of classic Spider-Man comic books.  I am thinking specifically of The Amazing Spider-Man #1 to 38 (March 1963 to July 1966) and The Amazing Spider-Man Annuals #1 and (1964-65), all produced by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee.  I felt that classic Spider-Man vibe again when Marvel Comics introduced the new Black-Latino Spider-Man, Miles Morales.  Ultimate Spider-Man (2011) #1 to #10 (November 2011 to July 2012) recalls both classic Ditko-Lee Spider-Man and Static.  Like Marvel's Miles Morales, Milestone's Static the superhero is also an African-American teenager, Virgil Ovid Hawkins.

Now, the holy trinity of vibes is complete.  Quincredible reminds me of the original Spider-Man comic books, although Quincredible is closer to Static and Miles Morales Spider-Man, for obvious reasons.  Barnes tells a story of an ambitious and brave African-American teenage male who takes on the role of being a superhero because it is the right thing to do and not because a family tragedy spurred him to do so.  I like that what Barnes offers is a journey of discovery and of possibility, and it is also done with a positive and inquisitive vibe that I think young and teen readers need, especially young readers of color.

Artist Selina Espiritu creates graphical storytelling that is riveting and thrilling without being dark and scary.  Her storytelling also draws the reader into the world of Quincredible, and her clean drawing style, which emphasizes cartooning over realism, is perfect for a young adult graphic novel, which is what Quincredible Vol. 1 is.  Colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick's colors jump off the page, and veteran letterer, Tom Napolitano, creates a sense of non-stop action and high drama.

Barnes and Espiritu ground Quincredible in reality, giving the story an earthy tone that captures life in a unique locale like New Orleans.  Still, they maintain those elements of the fantastic that are crucial to comic books and graphic novels.

Quincredible Vol. 1: Quest to Be the Best is scheduled to come back into print February 23, 2021.  This is a second chance to experience what I think is a great new teenage superhero in the classic tradition.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Readers looking for middle-grade and young adult graphic novels in the tradition of Spider-Man, Static Shock, and Miles Morales-Spider-Man will want to try Quincredible Vol. 1.

9 out of 10

[This comic book includes a “Cover Gallery” and “Making of Quincredible,” and “Concept Sketches.”]

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


https://www.lionforge.com/quincredible/
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOFWzdeaPp2cANuuZzghqg

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/siriusdraws
https://twitter.com/wastedwings
https://twitter.com/TENapolitano


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#IReadsYou Review: 2016 SPIDER-MAN #1 Was a Strong Debut

SPIDER-MAN No. 1 (2016)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
PENCILS: Sara Pichelli
INKS: Sara Pichelli with Gaetano Carlucci
COLORS: Justin Ponsor
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Sara Pichelli and Justin Ponsor
VARIANT COVERS: Mark Bagley and Dexter Vines with Andrew Crossley; Michael Cho; Skottie Young; Adi Granov (Hip-Hop variant)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (2016)

Rated T

In 2011, Marvel Comics and writer Brian Michael Bendis introduced a Black, Brooklyn teenager as the new Spider-Man.  Specifically, Miles Morales, of African-American and Latino heritage, was the new Ultimate Spider-Man, the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler and web-slinger of Marvel’s Ultimate line of comics (or universe).

Miles has starred in two comic books series, Ultimate Spider-Man (or Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man) and Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man.  As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel, Miles gets a new comic book series, simply entitled Spider-Man.  It is written by Brian Michael Bendis; drawn by Sara Pichelli; colored by Justin Ponsor; and lettered by Cory Petit.

Spider-Man #1 opens with Spider-Man facing Blackheart – “Son of Mephisto” and “Prince of the Underworlds.”  Let's go back a bit.  At Brooklyn Visions Academy, Miles has failed with Julie, the gorgeous girl he wants to date.  He is also failing in school, which angers his mother (!), but does not really concern his father.  Back to Blackheart, who has killed several Avengers, so what's going on?

I really missed Sara Pichelli when she was not the artist on Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man, although David Marquez, the artist on that series, was quite good.  Still, only three pages into Spider-Man #1, and I was reminded of why Pichelli and colorist Justin Ponsor are such a damn good art team.

As for Brian Michael Bendis: the teen Spidey drama is as good as always; there aren't many pages of it, but Bendis does character drama in superhero comics better than it has ever been done – ever.  The action around Blackheart is hugely intriguing, so I have no complaints, just the need for more.

Of course, I am recommending this...

A

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


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#28DaysofBlack Review: HARDWARE: The Man in the Machine - no text

HARDWARE: THE MAN IN THE MACHINE
MILESTONE MEDIA/DC COMICS

WRITER: Dwayne McDuffie
PENCILS: Denys Cowan; J.J. Birch (issue #8)
INKS: Jimmy Palmiotti; Mike Manley; Joe Brozowski; Joe James; Jason Minor
COLORS: Noelle Giddings
LETTERS: Janice Chiang; Steve Haynie; Steve Dutro
COVER: Denys Cowan and Jimmy Palmiotti
EDITOR: Bob Joy
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2598-8; paperback (March 30, 2021)
192pp, Color, $19.99 U.S., $24.99 CAN

Hardware created by Dwayne McDuffie; Derek Dingle; Denys Cowan, and Michael Davis

Milestone Comics was the publishing division of Milestone Media and was 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, the subject of this review.  DC Comics ceased publication of Milestone titles in 1997.

Hardware was created by the late Dwayne McDuffie; Derek Dingle; Denys Cowan, and Michael Davis.  The first seven issues of Hardware were written by McDuffie and drawn by Cowan (pencil art) and a rotating group of inkers:  Jimmy Palmiotti; Mike Manley; Joe Brozowski; and Joe James; colored by Noelle Giddings; and lettered by Janice Chiang, Steve Haynie, and Steve Dutro.  The eighth issue featured the art team of J.J. Birch (pencils) and Jason Minor (inks).

In 2010, DC Comics published the trade paperback Hardware: The Man in the Machine, which collected Hardware #1 to #8 (April 1993 to October 1993).  Like all Milestone titles, Hardware was set in the Milestone Universe, called the “Dakotaverse.”

Hardware #1 (“Angry Black Man”) introduces Curtis “Curt” Metcalf, a genius inventor.  He uses a special suit of armor (the “Hardware shell”) and a variety of high-tech gadgets to fight his employer, respected businessman, Edwin Alva.

Metcalf was a working class child prodigy and inventor who was discovered at age 12 by Alva.  With the blessing of Metcalf's parents, Alva enrolled Metcalf in “A Better Chance,” which was “a program intended to get minority students into elite prep schools.”  Metcalf proved to be much smarter than all the other prep school students and graduated at age 14.  With Alva paying his college tuition, Metcalf earned the first of his seven college degrees at age 15.  In exchange, after graduation, Metcalf began working in Alva Industries' “Inspiration Factory,” where the employees created high-tech gadgets by the hundreds.  However, it was Metcalf's inventions that made Alva many millions of dollars.  After a few years, Metcalf approached Alva about getting a share of the profits from his inventions.  Alva not only declines, but he also tells Metcalf that he is a mere employee, a “cog in the machine,” Alva's machine.

Metcalf begins secretly using Alva resources to create the hardware, software, and technology that becomes Hardware.  Metcalf also discovers that Alva is secretly a powerful crime boss.  Metcalf as Hardware begins his war against Alva, destroying Alva's criminal machine one piece at a time.  However, Hardware also rings up a high body county, so will he lose his soul in his personal war against his boss?

THE LOWDOWN:  When the discussion of black superheroes pops up, it often turns to the question of whether actual African-Americans as writers would tell better stories about Black superheroes than writers who are white.  Of course, some always say skin color doesn’t really matter, but they’re always white, speaking from the perspective of advantage and of white privilege.

A white man can certainly write really good comic books featuring African-American characters.  In the 1970’s, Marv Wolfman and Chris Claremont wrote excellent darkly comic and bloody horrific stories featuring Marvel Comics’ vampire hunter, Blade.  But there’s just something about a writer who has lived as a black man in America writing stories about a fictional character that is not just a black superhero, but also a black person living in America.

But sometimes, being a black writer spinning a narrative about a black character does matter.  Witness the short-lived, mid-1990’s comic book series, Hardware.  Hardware was the first comic book published by Milestone Media.  Milestone was an imprint of DC Comics that sought to publish superhero comic books featuring a more diverse cast in terms of skin color and ethnicity, in particularly African-Americans.  In the case of Dwayne McDuffie, who died in 2011, Hardware’s scribe and co-creator, the title had a storyteller who certainly understood what it was to be a talented African-American who repeatedly bangs his head against the glass ceiling of white privilege, of white supremacy, and of white racism.

What McDuffie gave Hardware was the sense of being more than just a fictional character with a skin color default setting (as many, if not most, white comic book characters are).  McDuffie made the character, in a sense, an idealized version of a black man struggling to prove that he can be and is exceptional in spite of what others may expect of him based on his skin color.

It is not impossible for a white man to write a title like Hardware.  Still, there is something that rings true and feels genuine about the African-American experience in McDuffie’s work on Hardware.  From the opening scene in which a young Curt Metcalf studies the parakeet that will not stop banging its head against the glass window for freedom to the scene of an adult Metcalf learning to check his rage and see the bigger picture of his revenge, McDuffie was likely writing what he knew, but regardless, it reads like the truth.  That is what made McDuffie not just a really good black writer of comic books, but an exceptional comic book writer when compared to just about any other comic book scribe.

Hardware is not perfect.  The character blends Marvel's Iron Man with DC Comics' Batman, but the storytelling and graphic design seem to owe a lot to the big guns and high-tech gadget superheroes that defined most of the early Image Comics superhero titles of the 1990s.  The issues that make up Hardware: The Man in the Machine focus on Curt Metcalf's violent, ruthless, and gory war of revenge.  Hardware is indeed an “angry black man,” and that makes the series mostly stuck in violent mode early on.  Hardware is not Dwayne McDuffie's best work, but it is unique.  Also, there is the chance to enjoy the inventive designs and imaginative compositions of another under-appreciated black comic book creator, the great artist, Denys Cowan.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Milestone Comics will want to read Hardware: The Man in the Machine.

B+
7 out of 10

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


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

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#IReadsYou Review: FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER #1

FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER #1 (OF 5)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Derek Landy
ART: Federico Vicentini
COLORS: Matt Milla
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
EDITOR: Alanna Smith
COVER: Dan Mora with David Curiel
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Bengal; Butch Guice with Frank D'Armata; Ziyian Liu
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2020)

Rated T+

Sam Wilson/The Falcon created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan; Falcon costumed designed by Alex Ross

James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; The Winter Soldier created by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting

Sam Wilson a.k.a. The Falcon is a Marvel Comics superhero.  Wilson/Falcon first appeared in Captain America #117 (cover date: September 1969).  The Falcon uses mechanical wings to fly, and he has limited telepathic and empathic control over birds.

James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes is a Marvel Comics superhero.  Writer Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby introduced “Bucky” as a sidekick to Captain America in Captain America Comics #1 (cover-dated March 1941).   Published by Marvel's predecessor, Timely Comics, Captain America Comics #1 also introduced Captain America.

Over six decades later, writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve Epting reinvented Bucky as being brought back from supposed-death to be the brainwashed assassin called “The Winter Soldier.”  The character, which debuted in Captain America #1 (cover dated: January 2005), was the villain slash adversary in the 2014 film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will team up in an upcoming Marvel Studios television series, “The Falcon & the Winter Soldier,” for the Disney+ streaming service.  Marvel Comics is getting in on the action with a five-issue limited series entitled... Falcon & Winter Soldier.  It is written by Derek Landy; drawn by Federico Vicentini; colored Matt Milla; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Falcon & Winter Soldier #1 opens at the Indiana home of Bucky Barnes, where he and his cat are enjoying some morning solitude.  Then, a group of men, armed with military-style weaponry, break into the house to kill Bucky.  [This attack is similar to the one that heavily-armed German security forces launched into Bucky's apartment in the 2016 film, Captain America: Civil War.]

Later, in New York City, The Falcon decides to pay a visit as Sam Wilson to the local office of an agency called the “Office of Federal Utilities.”  There, he finds an entire office of dead people... and the Winter Soldier, but Bucky says he didn't do it – kill all these people.  So, it seems that the dramatic attempt on Bucky's life has reunited The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.  They decide that they will have to hunt down the identity of the new leader of Hydra, but a gifted new killer is also hunting them.

I bought a copy of Falcon & Winter Soldier #1 for a friend of mine to read.  I was a little interested in it, as a fan of The Falcon, but not enough to purchase it for myself.  I got it back and decided to read it, and I have to admit that it was way better than I thought it would be.  Writer Derek Landy offers a simple, but straight-forward story.  There is a goal, uncover Hydra's new secrets, and there is a shocking new adversary, a gifted young killer.  The cover of Falcon & Winter Soldier looks like it belongs to a high-octane action comic book series, and it turns out that Falcon & Winter Soldier #1 reads like an actual, honest-to-goodness, high-octane action comic book.

Artist Federico Vicentini is not a polished illustrator and draftsman.  Some of his figure drawing and background details look awkward and funky.  However, his storytelling is clean and clear, especially important for this genre of comic book.  Matt Milla's coloring is good enough, but not particularly imaginative, and Joe Caramagna's lettering is by-the-books, but good enough.

Falcon & Winter Soldier #1 is not great, but it is the kind of satisfying start that could make me come back for the second issue.  I might even buy the inevitable trade paperback collection.

7 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: BLACK PANTHER #1

BLACK PANTHER No. 1 (2005)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Reginald Hudlin
PENCILS: John Romita, Jr.
INKS: Klaus Janson
COLORS: Dean White
LETTERS: Chris Eliopoulos
COVER:  John Romita, Jr. and Klaus Janson with Dean White
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S., $4.25 CAN (April 2005)

“Who is the Black Panther?” Part One

The Black Panther, also known as T’Challa, is a Marvel Comics character and was the first black superhero to appear in mainstream American comics.  Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the Black Panther first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (cover dated:  July 1966).

On occasion, I have come across some Black Panther comic books that I have liked, and Black Panther has appeared as a guest or co-star in other comic book series that I find memorable, such as in Fantastic Four #241, during John Byrne's incredible run as writer-artist during the early to mid-1980s.

Still, the Black Panther comic book that I have loved the most did not arrive until early 2005.  That year, Marvel Comics launched a new Black Panther series under the “Marvel Knights” (MK) banner.  It was written by Reginald Hudlin, a movie director and producer, who was best known, at the time, for directing House Party (1990) and Boomerang (1992).  He would go on to earn a best picture Oscar nomination as one of the producers of Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (2012).  This Black Panther comic book was drawn by John Romita, Jr. (pencils) and Klaus Janson (inks); colored by Dean White; and lettered by Chris Eliopoulos.

Black Panther #1 (“Who is the Black Panther?” Part One) opens in the Black Panther home land, the central African nation of Wakanda, during the 5th century A.D.  The story also visits Wakanda during the 19th century.  It seems that these are two moments in Wakandan history when the mysterious nation ably defended itself from outside raiders.  In the early 21st century, however, outside forces seek to penetrate the defenses and veil of Wakanda, this time successfully.

Within the last year, Marvel Studios has announced that it is producing a Black Panther feature film; has cast an actor to play Black Panther/T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman); and has selected a director for the film (Ryan Coogler).  So I decided to re-read 2005 Black Panther #1 again, which I had not read since it was first published.  It would be a start to rereading as much of that series as I could before Black Panther makes his first feature film appearance in the upcoming film, Captain America: Civil War.  Another reason for me to revisit this series is the anticipation of author, journalist, and political and cultural commentator, Ta-Nehisi Coates' upcoming work on the character.

I think what I like about Black Panther #1 is that it makes Wakanda and the legacy that is Black Panther so bad-ass.  Of course, Reginald Hudlin delivers a stellar script, full of enthralling action and mystery.  John Romita, Jr.'s pencils are some of his most stylish art, and Klaus Janson's stellar inking strengthens the compositions and storytelling.  Dean White's colors make the story seem as if it is on fire, almost too hot to handle for the imagination.  The Ohio Players said Fi-Ya!

However, it is the sense that the Black Panther mythos is as powerful as any other Marvel superhero mythos or world, and that makes this comic book so cool.  Black Panther is not a token, and he is more than historical.  His is a world within the larger world of the Marvel Universe with which others will have to reckon.  This is the gift that Reginald Hudlin gave to Black Panther.  Hudlin picked up on the strong work that Christopher Priest began in his 1998 Black Panther, which was the first step in making Black Panther a major character, for reals, and Hudlin kept it too-real for some readers slash haters.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, I hope you can make the Panther's claws sharper than ever.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: SHURI #1

SHURI No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Nnedi Okorafor
ART: Leonardo Romero
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
EDITOR: Wil Moss
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida
COVER: Sam Spratt
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Travis Charest; Jamal Campbell; Skottie Young; John Tyler Christopher; Carlos Pacheco; Rafael Fonteriz with Laura Martin
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2018)

Rated “T”

Black Panther created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee; Shuri created by Reginald Hudlin and John Romita, Jr.; Dora Milaje created by Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira

“Gone”

Shuri is a Marvel Comics superhero character.  She was created by writer Reginald Hudlin and artist John Romita Jr. and first appeared in Black Panther (Vol. 4) #2 (cover dated:  May 2005).  Shuri is a princess of the (fictional) African kingdom of Wakanda and is the daughter of the late king, T'Chaka.  Shuri is best known as the sister of T'Challa, the king of Wakanda and the Black Panther.

Shuri has a genius level intellect which matches that of her brother, T’Challa, and she has also once replaced him in the role of the Black Panther.  Shuri gained additional fame when she appeared in Marvel Studio's record-setting film, Black Panther (2018), portrayed by actress, Letitia Wright.

Shuri now has her own comic book series in the obviously titled Shuri.  It is written by author Nnedi Okorafor; drawn by Leonardo Romero; colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by Joe Sabino.

Shuri #1 (“Gone”) opens as Shuri directs the mission that will send Black Panther and the mutant, Manifold, into deep space on Wakanda's first human space mission (as seen in the current Black Panther series).  After a few weeks past with no contact from the mission, however, Shuri may find herself taking on an important mantle... again.

It is clear from the beginning that writer Nnedi Okorafor intends to establish Shuri as a both a personality and as a superhero outside of her relationship to T'Challa.  This book will be about Shuri's own identity, goals, motivations, desires, etc., and that is a good thing.  She is an interesting, indeed, even alluring character.

As for the art:  In Sam Spratt, Shuri has a cover artist with a bold, eye-catching style that captures the power and potential and regalia of an African woman who is full.  The interior artist and storyteller, Leonardo Romero, has become something of a Chris Samnee acolyte (if not clone).  Stylistically, Romero's illustrations here suggest a sense of wonder and discovery, as if Shuri was a child, seeing a world of possibility for the first time.  Thus, the storytelling seems a little disconcerting and disconnected to what I think Okorafor intends.

Jordie Bellaire's coloring goes right along with Romero's graphical angle.  Joe Sabino's lettering seems neutral, as if he focuses on merely efficiently finding place for the dialogue.  I am curious to see where Shuri is going, and while I have questions about this title's direction, I do recommend it to Black Panther fans.

7 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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