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Tuesday, September 19, 2023
#IReadsYou Review: ARCHIE & FRIENDS Hot Summer Movies #1
Friday, June 30, 2023
I Reads You Juniors: June 2023 - Update #71
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NEWS:
DC STUDIOS - From Deadline: DC Studios has its Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane, actors David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, respectively. They will be the leads in "Superman: Legacy," the first in a new series of films based on DC Comics characters.
From DCBlog: Benjamin Wallfisch talks about scoring "The Flash."
COMICS - From BleedingCool: Frank Miller will draw "Ronin Book II #4" entirely by himself. That issue may arrive in late September 2023.
MANGA TO TV - From CBR: Netflix's live-action adaptation of "One Piece" costs 18 million dollars per episode, the most expensive per episode series ever for Netflix. It surpasses the 15 million dollars per episode that "Game of Thrones" costs.
COMIC-CON - From Variety: Apparently, Disney, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Netflix, Sony Pictures, HBO, and Universal are skipping San Diego Comic-Con 2023.
SONY MARVEL U - From Variety: Sony debuts its first trailer for its next Marvel-based film, "Kraven the Hunter," and it is a "red-band trailer." The film is due in theaters Oct. 6th, 2023.
From Deadline: Sony Pictures has pulled "El Muerto," it Marvel Comics character film starring recording artist, Bad Bunny, from its release schedule.
BOOKS - From NPR: Author Rachel Swarns talks about her new book, "The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church," which details how the Catholic Church profited from the slave trade and the enslavements of Africans and their descendants in America.
JACK KIRBY/MARVEL - From Deadline: Neal Kirby, the son of the legendary comic book writer-artist and creator, Jack Kirby, has publicly challenged the narrative of the new Disney+ documentary, "Stan Lee."
From TheBeat: Journalist and comics historian, Heidi MacDonald, shares some thoughts about the recent documentary, "Stan Lee," and how it relates to the late artist and co-creator of much of the Marvel Universe, Jack Kirby.
DC ANIMATION - From Variety: Warner Bros. various animation divisions are showing at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market. Among the highlights is a "sizzle reel" of the upcoming Bruce Timm "Batman: Caped Crusader," described as a darker version of Timm's beloved "Batman: The Animated Series." Warner Bros. has licensed "Caped Crusader" to Amazon Prime.
MARVEL - From TheFHQ: Former Marvel EiC, Joe Quesada, answers fans' questions in this Q&A with "Fan Expo HQ." The page also includes a video of a longer interview with Quesada
SONY MARVEL U - From Deadline: Sony Pictures has reserved to future theatrical release dates: November 8, 2024 and June 27, 2025, for two of its movies based on Marvel Comics characters.
TOKYOPOP - From BleedingCool: TOKYOPOP has announced its slate of panels, special guests, special booth activities and premiums for Anime Expo 2023. The event will be held July 1-4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA.
DC TV - From Deadline: The CW did renew "Superman & Lois" for a fourth season, but seven cast members are not returning. There is hope that some or all of them can appear in guests or recurring roles.
EN MEMORIAM - From BleedingCool: Legendary comic book artist, John Romita, Sr., has died at the age of 93, Monday, June 12, 2023. Romita's career is too long and significant to summarize, but he may be best known for his run on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, on and off, from the 1965 to 1977. Replacing the artist who co-created and drew Spider-Man, Steve Ditko, Romita established an entirely new look for the series. Romita also co-created or designed such the characters Mary Jane Watson, The Punisher, and Wolverine. Romita was also the father of acclaimed comic book artist, John Romita, Jr.
#ComicsBrokeMe:
From BleedingCool: More tales of abuse from #ComicsBrokeMe.
From BleedingCool: #ComicsBrokeMe stories mostly about DC Comics, but also some Marvel... tales.
IMAGE COMICS TO TV - From FilmUpdates: Film director and Oscar-winning screenwriter Jordan Peele and actress Selena Gomez are adapting the Image Comics series, "Coyotes" "2017-18) for Amazon's Prime Video.
DC TV - From CBR: The CW has renewed "Superman & Lois" for a 10-episode fourth season. It is the last DC Comics-inspired series on the broadcast network.
From CBR: That means that The CW has cancelled "Gotham Knights" after one season.
SPIDER-VERSE - From Variety: On Monday, at the Annecy International Film Festival, Sony Pictures Animation gave a world premiered its boundary-pushing short, "The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story," which tackles mental health. Spinning off the world of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and "Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse," the short shows its protagonist Miles Morales/Spider-Man suffering from an anxiety attack as he feels overwhelmed by school work, exams and relationships.
EN MEMORIAM - From BleedingCool: Comic book writer and artist, Ian McGinty, has died at the age of 38, Thursday, June 8, 2023. He worked on such licensed comic books as "Adventure Time" and "Rick & Morty." His original comics included "Welcome to Showside" and "Hello My Name is Poop."
MARVEL - From BleedingCool: Marvel Characters Inc. has settled lawsuits brought by Larry Lieber (the late Stan Lee's younger brother) and the estates of late creatres: Don Heck, Gene Colan, and Don Rico. However, no settlement has been reached in the case of the estate of Steve Ditko, which seeks to reclaim his share of Doctor Strange and Spider-Man copyrights.
COMICS - From BleedingCool: Legendary illustrator and comic book artist and creator, 73-year-old Barry Windsor-Smith, is now at home recovering from the Ischemic stroke he suffered on May 20th.
MARVEL - From BleedingCool: A new "Ultimate Comics Universe" will spin out of Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch's "Ultimate Invasion."
MANGA TO ANIME - From CBR: Henry Thurlow, an American animator living in Japan, is the first American to direct an episode of the "One Piece" anime. His episode of One Piece, "Episode 1066," will debut in Japan on June 25th.
DC PRIDE - From DCBlog: Author Jadzia Axelrod talks about choosing the over fifty LGBTQIA+ characters that appear in "The DC Book of Pride."
DC ANIMATION - From YouTube: Here is the trailer for the latest DC Comics animated film, "Justice League: War World." The film is due for release July 25, 2023.
MILLARWORLD - From CBR: Image Comics reveals three variant covers, from Frank Quitely, Jae Lee, and Danny Earls, for the upcoming "Big Game #1," which arrives July 19, 2023.
DC STUDIOS - From Deadline: Warner Bros. and writer-director James Gunn are apparently closing in on choosing the actors to play Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane for the film, "Superman: Legacy." They are reportedly about to begin a second round of screen tests.
DC STUDIOS - From EW: In an interview to promote the documentary film, "Translators," actress Leslie Grace talks about the loss of "Batgirl," the film in which she starred and what it means for representation.
DC COMICS - From CBR: A CBR roundtable of writers: Joshua Williamson, Mark Waid, G. Willow Wilson, and Matthew Rosenberg, talk about DC Comics' big summer event, "Knight Terrors."
COMICS - From IGN: The editor/publisher of the most excellent "Kolchak the Night Stalker 50th Anniversary" anthology graphic novel, James Aquilone/Monstrous Books, has just launched a Kickstarter for another horror comics anthology, "Dead Detectives Society."
From ComicBook: Launching on "Kickstarter" with the "Dead Detectives Society" anthology is a new magazine, "Monstrous."
SPIDER-VERSE - From Variety: "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" tops the weekend box office with an estimated gross of 120.5 million dollars.
From Marvel: The directors of the new film, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," talk about the cultural important of Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy.
SONY SPIDER-MAN U - From Deadline: Current Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Tom Holland, says that his favorite Spider-Man film is the Oscar-winning "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2018). The social media and media landscape seems obsessed with the fact that he says that he also thinks that it is the best Spider-Man movie.
MANGA TO LIVE-ACTION - From CBR: The site is investigating a possible cast list for Netflix's live-action movie adaptation of the wildly popular manga, "My Hero Academia."
MARVEL - From CBR: Frank Castle/The Punisher is no more... or at least has become something different.
DC ANIMATION - From CBR: Actor Mark Hamill reflects on his time on "Batman: The Animated Series," and how he was sure his role as "Luke Skywalker" in the "Star Wars" films would keep him from getting the role he eventually won, providing the voice of "The Joker."
SONY SPIDER U - From CBR: Actor Andy Samberg provided the voice of "Scarlet Spider" in the upcoming "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."
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Tuesday, March 16, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: BLAZING COMBAT
BLAZING COMBAT
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
WRITERS: Archie Goodwin, Michael Catron
ARTISTS: Various
LETTERS: Ben Oda, Various
COVER: John Severin
ISBN: 978-1-60699-366-8; paperback (February 2010)
212pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S.
Comic book history tells us that Warren Publishing was an independent magazine publisher owned by maverick, James Warren. By 1965, Warren was best known for publishing Famous Monsters of Filmland, its flagship title, and Creepy, a horror comics anthology that would go on to become a legend. James Warren had even published Harvey Kurtzman’s black-and-white comic book series, Help!
Inspired by Harvey Kurtzman’s Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat, two famous war titles from EC Comics, Warren launched his on war comic book, entitled Blazing Combat. The stories were largely written by Archie Goodwin and drawn by an absolute murderers’ row of comic book and illustration luminaries, including Wallace “Wally” Wood, Gene Colan, Frank Frazetta (cover artist), Joe Orlando, John Severin, Alex Toth, and Al Williamson, among others.
Blazing Combat looked like it would be a hit, but in 1965, the United States was escalating its involvement in Vietnam. Apparently, Blazing Combat’s realistic depiction of soldiers in combat, of the death, violence, and destruction of war, and even of the affects of war on civilians angered some. Blazing Combat was banned from sale on military bases, and the American Legion’s objections to the title led some magazine wholesalers to stop carrying it. In 1966, after only four issues, James Warren cancelled Blazing Combat.
The reader can learn all this in Michael Catron’s excellent introduction to a book entitled Blazing Combat. Published last year by Fantagraphics Books, the hardcover Blazing Combat collected all four issues of the original Blazing Combat and also included two interviews Catron conducted with James Warren and Archie Goodwin. Fantagraphics recently released a less expensive softcover edition of this 2010 Eisner Award nominated book (Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books).
So what you might ask? Who cares about a reprint of an old comic book published by James Warren over 40 years ago?
Well, Blazing Combat is probably the best war comic book ever published in the United States. Speaking in terms of anthology books, the art in Blazing Combat is every bit as good as the art found in EC Comics’ titles – the gold standard in anthology comics and arguably the best line of comic books ever published in the U.S.
As for the stories, Blazing Combat was probably the best writing of Archie Goodwin’s long and distinguished career as a writer and beloved editor. Screenwriters and directors have received Oscar nominations and wins for directing and writing some excellent war movies, such as The Hurt Locker recently. Goodwin’s work in Blazing Combat is every bit as powerful and high-quality.
In such stories as “Holding Action,” about a scared boy in Korea, “The Trench,” set in the trenches of World War I (both drawn by the incomparable John Severin), and “Face to Face” (drawn by Joe Orlando) set during the Spanish American war, Goodwin delivers poignant and powerful work about the damage of war on the mind and the spirit. The physical degradation of war on the land and on a people is revealed in the sublime “Landscape” (drawn by Joe Orlando), about a Vietnamese farmer.
For all the controversy his stories apparently generated, Goodwin gives love to the veteran combatant in the lovely “The Edge.” Drawn by Alex Toth, the story is more proof of why Toth is the master when it comes to drawing aerial combat in comic books. However, Wally Wood does show his own chops in two stories of aerial combat, “The Battle for Britain!” which he wrote and “ME-262!”
Blazing Combat, in spite of its short run, could be called special because of the list of luminaries that drew the comic book art – the visual storytelling. At a time, however, when comic book publishers were turning themselves solely into superhero comic book publishers, James Warren, Archie Goodwin, and their collaborators were tackling bigger ideas and substantive subject matter by taking on war and the military culture. And they did great work, to boot. Now, thanks to this collection, Blazing Combat leaves the memory hole and at long last takes its place of prominence in American comic book history.
A+
10 out of 10
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 or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Monday, January 27, 2020
DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 29, 2020
NOV190425 ACTION COMICS #1019 $3.99
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OCT190623 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN JOSE LUIS GARCIA LOPEZ HC VOL 02 $49.99
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OCT190627 BAT AND THE CAT 80 YEARS OF ROMANCE HC $39.99
OCT190631 BATMAN BEYOND TP VOL 06 DIVIDE CONQUER AND KILL $16.99
JUN190629 BATMAN BLACK & WHITE BATMAN BY GENE COLAN STATUE $90.00
OCT190653 BIRDS OF PREY MURDER AND MYSTERY TP $29.99
JUN190625 DC ESSENTIALS HAL JORDAN AF $28.00
JUN190627 DC ESSENTIALS KNIGHTFALL BATMAN AF $28.00
JUN190628 DC ESSENTIALS KNIGHTFALL CATWOMAN AF $28.00
JUN190626 DC ESSENTIALS SINESTRO AF $28.00
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NOV190496 TITANS BURNING RAGE #6 (OF 7) $4.99
Monday, July 15, 2019
Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 17, 2019
MAY190893 AGE OF X-MAN OMEGA #1 $4.99
MAY190894 AGE OF X-MAN OMEGA #1 PORTACIO VAR $4.99
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Monday, October 1, 2018
Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 3, 2018
JUL188892 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2 3RD PTG OTTLEY VAR $3.99
APR180851 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BY MICHELINIE & MCFARLANE OMNIBUS HC $100.00
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Monday, March 5, 2018
DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 7, 2018
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SEP170419 KAMANDI BY JACK KIRBY OMNIBUS HC $125.00
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Monday, January 15, 2018
IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for January 17, 2018
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Monday, October 23, 2017
DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 25, 2017
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AUG170185 ACTION COMICS #990 LENTICULAR ED (OZ EFFECT) $3.99
AUG170187 ACTION COMICS #990 VAR ED (OZ EFFECT) $2.99
AUG170193 BATGIRL #16 $3.99
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JUL170459 HELLBLAZER TP VOL 02 THE SMOKELESS FIRE (REBIRTH) $16.99
JUL170474 INJUSTICE 2 HC VOL 01 $24.99
MAY170369 JUSTICE LEAGUE MOVIE CYBORG STATUE $150.00
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AUG170311 MOTHER PANIC #12 (MR) $3.99
AUG170312 MOTHER PANIC #12 VAR ED (MR) $3.99
JUN170406 NIGHT FORCE BY WOLFMAN & COLAN COMPLETE SERIES HC $39.99
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MAY170352 WILDSTORM A CELEBRATION OF 25 YEARS HC $29.99
AUG170267 WONDER WOMAN #33 $2.99
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Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 4, 2015
AUG150882 AGE OF APOCALYPSE TP WARZONES $16.99
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MAY150812 AVENGERS BY BUSIEK AND PEREZ OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 $125.00
SEP150730 AVENGERS VS INFINITY #1 $5.99
SEP150845 BLADE UNDEAD BY DAYLIGHT TP $7.99
SEP150803 CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #2 $3.99
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SEP150811 DOCTOR STRANGE #2 $3.99
SEP150691 DRAX #1 $3.99
AUG150752 EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #1 $4.99
JUL150839 GEORGE ROMEROS EMPIRE OF DEAD TP ACT THREE $19.99
MAY150817 GUARDIANS OF GALAXY SOLO CLASSIC OMNIBUS HC $125.00
AUG150905 HAWKEYE TP VOL 05 ALL NEW HAWKEYE $15.99
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SEP150773 HOWARD THE DUCK #1 $4.99
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Sunday, June 12, 2011
I Reads You Review: BLADE #12
MARVEL COMICS
WRITER: Marc Guggenheim
ARTIST: Howard Chaykin with Gene Colan
COLORIST: Edgar Delgado
LETTERS: VC’s Rus Wooton
COVER: Marko Djurdjevic
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S., $3.75 CAN
“A Stake Through the Heart”
Back in 2006, Marvel Comics launched a new comic book series starring Blade, their vampire hunter who first appeared in the 1970s horror comic book series, The Tomb of Dracula (#10, July 1973). The character would go on to be the star in a trio of films, beginning with Blade (1998) and starring Wesley Snipes as Blade.
This Blade comic book series, which ran for 12 issues, was written by screenwriter and television writer-producer, Marc Guggenheim. It was drawn by Howard Chaykin, an industry legend and veteran writer/artist best known for the highly influential 1980s comic book, American Flagg! Guggenheim’s take on Blade was closer to the character in the comic books than the one in the movies, and much of this series focused on the early years of Blade’s mission as a vampire hunter extraordinaire.
Blade #12 finds Blade at Castle Dracula in a face off with his biological father, Lucas Cross, a vampire. Lucas, the head of the mysterious Order of Tyrana, intends to force Blade to fulfill a prophecy that would restore the souls of all living vampires. Blade knows, however, that not having a soul is the only weakness that vampires have. Blade’s colleague and friend, vampire detective Hannibal King, is desperate to have his soul back and has sided with Lucas. Everything is against Blade, and it gets worse. His greatest adversary has returned. Also, the story goes back in time to the most crucial mission of Blade’s young career, the one that made him the vamp-killing man he is today.
This Blade series ended by seemingly giving Blade a new future. Since its publication, Blade would go on to be a supporting character and team member in the short-lived Captain Britain and MI: 13 (a series that I absolutely did not like). He’s even a black sheep-like character in the recently launched Ultimate Avengers.
I do miss this series, primarily because I am a huge fan of the character. I also liked the fact that each issue offered a self-contained story, except for the final two issues, which are apparently connected in order to close out the series. As much I liked this series, however, I think that it barely scratched the surface of Blade’s potential. Comic book publishers are currently quite impressed with the idea of hiring television scribes to write comic books, and have been for most of this past decade – especially those who have worked on serial dramas or on genre series (particularly crime or weird/fantasy series).
There are probably advantages to hiring screenwriters (mastery of story structure? reputation? name recognition?), but I wonder if imagination is one of those advantages. Do Hollywood types bring the kind of creativity and unique vision to comics that dedicated comic book writers do? Once again, as much as I enjoyed this Blade series, Guggenheim’s work was not nearly as imaginative and as fun to read as the work Chris Claremont and Marv Wolfman did on this series four decades ago.
It is too bad that Claremont and Wolfman are not now writing a Blade comic book. Speaking of classic Blade creators: Blade #12 has art by Blade’s co-creator, artist Gene Colan.