Showing posts with label Rashad Doucet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rashad Doucet. Show all posts

Friday, December 31, 2021

I Reads You Juniors: December 2021 - Update #100

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon.

NEWS:

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  Marvel Executive Vice-President Joe Quesada has denied that he is drawing writer Donny Cates' "rumored "Miracleman" project, but Quesada says that he does have a superhero project brweing for 2022.

IN MEMORIAM - From BleedingCool:  Attorney, crime novelist, and comic book writer, Andrew Vachss, has died at that age of 79, Monday, December 27, 2021.  His comics career began in 1992 with the ten-issue series, "Hard Looks," published by Dark Horse Comics.  Vachss was also know for his work with abused and exploited children.

RUMORS - From ScreenGeek:  Rumors suggest that Marvel Studios' "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (May 6th, 2022) will introduce the X-Men to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From CBR:  Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige explains why the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man did not fight past movie villains until "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

MARVEL - From THR:  Marvel Comics legend, Stan Lee, was born today, December 28, 1922.  According to the article, Lee knew early on that collecting comic books would be a smart investment.

RUMORS - From CBR:  Is actor Norman Reedus ("The Walking Dead") fueling rumors that he is the Marvel Cinematic Universe's new "Ghost Rider?"

DC CINEMA - From CBR:  Warner Bros. has dropped a new trailer for director Matt Reeves' "The Batman" that focuses on Batman and Catwoman.

DARK HORSE - From CBR:   Dark Horse Comics and "Hellboy" creator Mike Mignola warns fans about buying unauthorized "Hellboy" NFTs.

DARK HORSE - From BleedingCool:   Writer Mike Mignola and artist Greg Hinkle present the two-issue miniseries, "Radio Man," with the first issue arriving March 2nd.

DC TV - From BleedingCool:  Actor Tom Welling talks about his time as Clark Kent on The WB/The CW's television series, "Smallville" (2001-11).

IMAGE - From BleedingCool:  Image Comics is going to publish writer-artist Liam Sharp's "StarHenge."

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  A new line of Marvel statues is coming from Diamond Select Toys.  it begins with Professor X and Green Goblin statues.

SONY/MARVEL - From WeGotThisCovered:  Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios are making  a serious Academy Award PR push for "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

BOOKS - From BleedingCool:  The winners of the 2021 Hugo Awards were announced at "Discon III" (the 79th Worldcon).  "Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation" won the Hugo Award for "Best Graphic Story or Comic."

DC CINEMA - From CinemaBlend:   Michael Keaton ("Batman," "Batman Returns") will return as Batman for Warner Bros./DC Films' "Flash." Reports day he has signed on to also appear as Batman in the "Batgirl" movie.

DARK HORSE - From BleedingCoolDark Horse Comics/Entertainment has been bought by holdings company, Embracer Group, a Swedish entertainment company comprised of many video game subsidiaries like THQ Nordiq, Gearbox Software, and others

SONY/MARVEL - From THR:  Sony and Marvel’s "Spider-Man: No Way Home" spun a record-breaking web in its box office debut, grossing $253 million from 4,336 theaters to secure the third-biggest domestic opening of all time at the box office despite growing worries over the COVID-19 omicron variant.

From IReadsYou:  My review of "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

From ComicBook:   Jon Favreau's Marvel Cinematic Universe character, "Happy Hogan," is a hit in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," but he was almost killed off in "Iron Man 3" (2013).

From WeGotThisCovered:  Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige talks about bring back iconic villains for "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

From IGN:  Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal says that she threw a sandwich at Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige when he first suggested bringing Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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MANGA - From BleedingCool:  Yen Press announces six new titles for June 2022, five manga and one novel.

DYNAMITE - From Comicon:   Here is David Avallone's writer's commentary for "Elvira Meets Vincent Price #3" from Dynamite Entertainment.

MARVEL COMICS - From BleedingCool:  After long absence, Chris Claremont is writing an X-Men comic book series, "Gambit." The titles arrives in 2022 with art by Sid Kotian.

DC CINEMA - From ComplexMatt Reeves, director of "The Batman," says that actor Robert Pattison's Batman is based on the late "Nirvana" frontman, Kurt Cobain.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From TheDirect:   There have been conflicting reports about Sony and Marvel developing a "Spider-Man 4."  In a recent interview, Marvel's Kevin Feige and Sony's Amy Pascal, the producers of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," say that the film is in early development.

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Writer Tom King and artist David Marquez launch "Batman: Killing Time" in March 2022.

From DCBlog:  A look at the legacy of Dick Grayson/Nighwing.

COMICS - From BleedingCoolDan Slott ("The Amazing Spider-Man") will be writing a few "Doctor Who" one-shot comic books for Titan Comics.

DC CINEMA - From Variety:  Warner Bros./DC Films' "Blue Beetle" was to be an HBO Max exclusive, but now it will be exclusive to movie theaters when it debuts August 18, 2023.  The film will focus on Jaime Reyes, the Blue Beetle that debuted in 2006.

FCBD 2022 - From BleedingCool:  The site has a list of titles that will be available for Free Comic Book Day 2022.

COMICS TO TV - From DeadlineNetflix and writer Michael Starrbury may adapt writer David F. Walker's comic, "The Hated," into a live-action Western series.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From Variety:   "Spider-Man: No Way Home" looks to set box office records this weekend.  At the very least, it could be the first pandemic-era movie to gross over 100 million dollars at the domestic box office in a single weekend.

DC TV - From PopSugar:  The site offers a profile of The CW television series, "Naomi," which is based on the DC Comics series and character.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:   Alex Ross will publish the first original graphic novel of his career, "Fantastic Four: Full Circle," a hardcover graphic novel published in the size of the 1980s "Marvel Graphic Novels."  Abrams ComicsArts in collaboration with Marvel Comics will publish it August 2022 at $24.99

DC COMICS - From Polygon:  Writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora launch "Batman/Supeman: World's Finest #1" in March 2022.

MARVEL COMICS - From BleedingCool:  On March 2nd, 2022, Marvel Comics' "Strange #1" will introduce the "Sorceress Supreme," who is the former wife of Dr. Stephen Strange, Clea Strange.

COMICS TO FILM - From THR:   Netflix is adapting Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw's comic book, "God Country," into a film.

IDW - From Deadline:  Top Shelf Productions' graphic novel series, "The Surfside Girls" will be adapated into a 10-episode live-action series for Apple TV+.

DC TV - From Variety:  Three writers from The CW's "Batwoman" are developing a "Gotham Knights" TV series for the network.

DC CINEMA/THE BATMAN - From Collider:  Warner Bros. is reportedly testing two cuts of its highly anticipated superhero film, "The Batman," from director Matt Reeves.  One of those cut may contain an appearance by The Joker.

From TheNews:  A new Japanese trailer for Matt Reeves' "The Batman" reveals new footage from the film, not revealed in previous trailers for the film.

From Movieweb:   Hot rumor: Is Barry Keoghan "The Joker" in Matt Reeves' upcoming film, "The Batman?"

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IMAGE - From THR:   Skybound, the Image Comics imprint run by "The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman, is in negotiations with Hasbro to acquire the publishing license for two Hasbro propwrties, "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers."

DC COMICS - From DCBlog:  A look inside "The DC Book" (DK Books) by Stephen "Win" Wiacek.

INTERVIEW - From YouTube:  Daniel Fee33 interviews acclaimed comic book writer, Grant Morrison, who reveals some shocking information about plans for Superman that they foiled.

COMICS TO VIDEO GAMES - From BleedingCool:  During "The Game Awards 2021," Rocksteady Games dropped a game play trailer for the video game, "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League."

MARVEL STUDIOS - From ETCanada:  On Wednesday, Florence Pugh claimed on her Instagram Story that she had been blocked from posting about her appearance in the Marvel series “Hawkeye” on her main feed, after fans complained about spoilers.

COMICS TO VIDEO GAMES - From BleedingCool:   During "The Game Awards 2021," DC Comics announced that it is working with Monolith Productions on a new "Wonder Woman" video game.

ANIME TO LIVE-ACTION - From THR:  Netflix has cancelled its ambitious "Cowboy Bebop" series after only one season.

GEORGE PEREZ - From THR:  Legendary DC Comics and Marvel artist, George Perez, has announced that he has Stage 3 pancreatic cancer and that he has between six months and one year to live.  Perez is known for his work on "New Teen Titans," "Crisis on Infinite Earths," and "Wonder Woman" for DC and "The Avengers" and "Infinity Gauntlet" for Marvel.

From BleedingCool:  Comic book professionals talk about the life of George Perez.

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MARVEL - From Marvel:   Marvel Comics has announced the next era of X-Men storytelling: "Destiny of X." One of the new titles emerging from that is Kieron Gillen and Lucas Werneck’s "Immortal X-Men," which will focus on the current leaders of mutantkind known as "The Quiet Council."

IMAGE - From BleedingCool:  Could "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers" end up at Image Comics?

VIZ MEDIA - From ANN:  Manga creator Inio Asano plans to end his current manga, "Dead Dead Demon's Dededededestruction" in the next ten chapters or sometime with the year.

DC TV - From VarietyColin Farrell is playing "The Penguin" in "The Batman" film, and he will also star in and executive produce a Penguin spin off series for HBO Max.

DC CINEMA - From Deadline:  Director Patty Jenkins is no longer directing Gal Gadot's "Cleopatra" film, so that she can focus on "Wonder Woman 3" with Gadot and also on the Star Wars "Rogue Squadron" film.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From DeadlineDestin Daniel Cretton, the director of "Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings," has signed an overall deal which Marvel Studios with involves him writing and directing a sequel to "Shang-Chi."

COMICS TO ANIMATION - From CBRAmazon has announced "Diabolical," an animated spinoff to its hit live-action series, "The Boys," which is based on the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.

SONY MARVEL U - From THR:  At Brazil Comic Con (CCXP Worlds 21), Sony Pictures releases "first look" footage from "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)."  The film is due October 7, 2022, and is the sequel to the Oscar-winning, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," which starred Miles Morales Spider-Man.

MARVEL COMICS - From CBR:  Marvel Comics has announced a digital comic book miniseries, "Spider-Bot."

MARVEL COMICS - From THR:  Rob Liefeld says he is channeling the film, "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) for his one-shot comic book, "X-Force Killshot."

MARVEL STUDIOS - From BuzzFeed:  "Spider-Man" star Tom Holland reveals that an American driver told him that he might land the role because he was just unattractive enough.

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Little, Brown has picked up the worldwide publishing rights to "Art Club," a graphic novel from cartoonist Rashad Doucet, who is known for his other graphic novels, "Alabaster Shadows" and "Pax Samson."

COVID-19 - From THR:  The second U.S. case of the COVID-19 variant, "omicron," is someone who attended the Anime NYC 2021 convention.

DC COMICS - From GamesRadar:  "Newsarama" takes a look at "the Retaliators," DC Comics' latest take on Marvel Comics "Avengers."

ONI PRESS - From Nerdist:   Oni Press' "Rick and Morty" comic books will parody "Dune," "Logan's Run," and "Star Wars" in 2022.

MANGA - From CBR:  CBR takes a look at the best selling manga for the year beginning 11/23/2020 and ending 11/21/2021.  "Demon Slayer: Volume 23" apparently has the top spot.

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:  "Shadow War" is a "Batman" event story line for 2022.

DC COMICS - From TeenVogue:  Writer Stephanie Williams talks about living a comic book fan's dream as writer of "Nubia and the Amazons" and about making Wonder Woman's home, Themyscira, an accessible utopia.

SONY MARVEL U - From Deadline:  Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal says that a new Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man trilogy with Tom Holland is in the early works, one that keeps Sony Pictures and Disney’s Marvel working together beyond their already contracted Spider-Man: No Way Home.

DC ANIMATION - From DCBlog:  DC Comics has released the first official trailer for its animated "DC League of Super-Pets," which is due May 2022, probably on HBO Max.

PREVIEWS:

From DCBlog:  A 7-page preview of "Justice League Incarnate #2" which is due from DC Comics, Tues., Dec. 21st, 2021

From BleedingCool:  1 cover and 5 interior pages from "Miles Morales: Spider-Man #33," which is due from Marvel Comics Wed., Dec. 15, 2021.

From BleedingCool:  1 cover and 7 interior pages from "Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #9," which is due Tues., Dec. 12th, 2021 from DC Comics.

From GamesRadar:  A preview of "Batman: Urban Legends #10," due Tues., Dec. 14, 2021 from DC Comics.

From BleedingCool:  3 covers and 6 pages previewed from "Batman #118." It arrives Tues., Dec. 7th from DC Comics.

From BleedingCool:  4 covers and 6 pages previewed from "Star Wars: Crimson Reign #1."  It arrives Wed., Dec. 8th.

From BleedingCool:  3 covers and 5 pages previewed from "World of Krypton #1."   It arrives Tues, Dec. 7th from DC Comics.


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DECEMBER 2021 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Action Lab Entertainment for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze artbooks and manga for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  American Mythology Press for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Behemoth Comics for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Fantagraphics Books for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Source Point Press for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for December 2021
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for December 2021
From BoundingIntoComics:  VIZ Media for December 2021

JANUARY 2022 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze Publishing for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Action Lab for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for January 2022
From Archie:  Archie Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Bad Kids Press for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Behemoth Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Black Mask Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Blacktooth Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Comix Experience for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  ComixTribe for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Legendary Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for January 2022
From CBR:  Marvel Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Red 5 Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Entertainment for January 2022
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for January 2022

FEBRUARY 2022 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  AfterShock Comics for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  AWA for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Heavy Metal for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Hero Collector for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Red 5 Comics for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for Feburary 2022
From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for February 2022
From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for February 2022

MARCH 2022 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Aardvark-Vanaheim for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  Hero Collector for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  Humanoids for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  Rebellion for March 2022
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for March 2022

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Saturday, January 25, 2020

#IReadsYou Review: ALABASTER SHADOWS

ALABASTER SHADOWS
ONI PRESS – @OniPress

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Matt Gardner
ARTIST: Rashad Doucet – @RashadDoucet
COLORS: Rashad Doucet
LETTERS: Ryan Ferrier
EDITORS: Jill Beaton and Robin Herrera
ISBN: 978-1-62010-264-0; paperback (December 9, 2015)
192pp, Color, $12.99 U.S.

Rating: All Ages

Alabaster Shadows is a 2015 original graphic novel (OGN) from writer Matt Gardner and artist-colorist Rashad Doucet.  Alabaster Shadows focuses on the new kid in town who discovers that there are incredibly weird things going on in his new neighborhood.  Letterer Ryan Ferrier completes the book's creative team.

Alabaster Shadows opens as Carter Normandy and his parents and his sister, Polly, arrive at their new home in the neighborhood of “Alabaster Shadows.”  Carter thinks that all the houses look the same, but on the first morning in the new house, he discovers a peculiar water leak, which seems to defy the laws of physics.

Carter is starting to believe that there is something weird about the neighborhood.  At the “Community Center,” the odd Mr. Randolph asks Carter and Polly to let him know if they see anything weird.  However, Miss Priscilla Crowe, head of the Community Center,” can barely tolerate the children.  Carter's homeroom teacher, Ms. Frump, also a child-hating old hag, seems to be up to something with Miss Crowe.

Luckily, Carter finds a group of friends that seems like the perfect fit.  There is Harley, a fan of the conspiracy theory magazine, “Weekly Truth Journal,” and her skeptical brother, WarrenDudley is the quiet boy who likes to draw... when he isn't talking about the monsters under his bed.  Monsters under his bead, you say?!  Yes, Alabaster Shadows apparently has a monster problem, to say nothing of the otherworldly places from which these monsters originate.  Now, it is up to Carter and his friends to solve the mysteries of Alabaster Shadows and to keep these monsters from crossing over into their world, or suffer dire consequences.

I discovered the existence of Alabaster Shadows the graphic novel in a press release.  At the time, I thought the name of the artist, Rashad Doucet, sounded familiar and was one I should know.  [That is a short story for another time.]  I eventually cashed in some Barnes & Noble credit and bought a copy of Alabaster Shadows.  Coming across the press release was probably serendipity because the purchase was more than worth it.

Alabaster Shadows is one of the best “graphic novels for kids” that I have ever read, and I have been reading quite a few in recent years.  I would say that its target audience is probably from 8 to 12-years old or the “middle grade” readers.  However, if you are a fan of classic juvenile novels or famous children's fantasy and adventure literature, then, even your older teen, adult, or AARP heart will love the fantastic read that is Alabaster Shadows.

Using terms like enchanting and endearing may seem a bit too sweet.  Terms like mesmerizing, engaging, and enthralling might seem to be over-the-top or pretentious.  But damn, y'all, it's true.  This is a freaking, flat-out, great comic book and graphic novel.  Dammit!  I want a sequel, now!

Matt Gardner's story collects elements from H.P. Lovecraft, Scooby-Doo cartoons, Tom Sawyer, the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew, The Three Investigators, and juvenile science fiction, among other things.  He puts it all together and creates something new that snaps and crackles like sparks from a downed electrical line.  The world of Alabaster Shadows is so big that one book cannot contain it.  Alabaster Shadows' cast, young and adult, are also a lively, likable bunch; it's like we can never get enough of them.  Hopefully, readers will see them again.

Rashad Doucet's illustrations either seem to fly off the page or seem to be pulling away from the page.  Doucet has taken the static images of comics and has found a way to make them move and groove like animated images.  Even the facial expression are dynamic; emotions and emotional states are never in doubt.  Doucet's coloring is dazzling and life-like; it is as if the colors don't want to recognize any borders in their bid to bring the drawings to life.

I must not forget to mention Ryan Ferrier's lettering, which is steady.  There are times, however, that Ferrier conveys the story in lettering that has a machine gun rhythm, perfectly capturing those moments of the story when the reader is not supposed to go slow.

I am surprised (and disappointed) that I have discovered how good Alabaster Shadows is practically four years to the day it was first published.  But it is never too late to discover a read that blows your mind.  Alabaster Shadows should be a perennial, an evergreen graphic novel, always ready to be discovered by new readers or rediscovered by readers who will look at it and say, “Let's do it again.”

10 out of 10

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


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Buy Alabaster Shadows #1 as a digital comic at comiXology.

The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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