Welcome to Afronerd!
A new and needed web sanctuary for people of color with intellectual and artistic pursuits. In this blog we will be addressing interesting and varied subjects, i.e. current national/world affairs, culture, science, religion, politics, entertainment and literature(including graphic novels a/k/a comic books.....yes comics). We hope you enjoy the exchange of ideas.
Peace & Godspeed.
Mission
Welcome to Afronerd! A new and needed web sanctuary for people of color with intellectual and artistic pursuits. In this blog we will be addressing interesting and varied subjects, i.e. current national/world affairs, culture, science, religion, politics, entertainment and literature(including graphic novels a/k/a comic books.....yes comics). We hope you enjoy the exchange of ideas. Peace & Godspeed
It's time to get busy, loyal citizens! Join the gang this Tuesday at The Comic Shoppe Show, 7pm sharp! Daryll B, Captain Kirk and Dburt will be discussing the following pop and pulp flavored issues: continuing from last week's show-rumor has it that Spiderman (a Sony cinematic property) may make an an appearance in the Avengers (the rights belong to Marvel/Disney); for our infamous versus segment, Superhero based comics versus alternate genre comics (Western, Horror, Crime, Sci-Fi, etc) which format pushes the industry further?; a tidbit concerning a new Xbox video gaming system (tentatively called The Loop) slated for a fourth quarter release; a brief retrospective on the history of African-American depictions/characters in mainstream comics; as expected a REAL Ben 10 movie is in the works; the upcoming superhero/sci-fi flick, Chronicle has an interesting viral campaign that includes flying people; Jim Jarmusch is making a new vampire film and lastly, our favorite comic book reads from the previous week. Call in live at 646-915-9620 or contact the team via IM/email at afronerdradio@yahoo.com. Excelsior, people!
It's that time, folks! Afronerd featuring Captain Kirk airs this Wednesday @7pm eastern with our Mid Week in Review broadcast. The topics up for grabs this week are: a mother is arrested for consenting to have her 10 year old get a tattoo; President Obama gives his State of The Union address; comedienne/actress, Chelsea Handler pulls 50 cent's lower tier card (and her LT card was stuck to his as it ws being pulled); Wikileaks front man, Julian Assange is launching his own talk show; Dburt vents about an Al Sharpton show radio segment on the GOP debates and Michelle Bachmann's slavery/marriage pact and lastly, in a recent piece from The Daily Beast blog, actress Charlize Theron compliments The Help's Viola Davis and it unravels more about the state of Black Hollywood than one would expect. Call in live at 646-915-9620 or via email/IM-afronerdradio@yahoo.com. See you all @7pm!
Hey, people! Again, Go Giants! Stop by our pulp "discourse store" tomorrow evening at 7pm eastern standard time when Dburt, Daryll B. and Captain Kirk shed some light on this week's latest info in geekdom. The topics up for grabs are the following: Boondocks creator, Aaron Mcgruder waxes on the rise of multi-cultural nerd culture as well as his involvement on George Lucas' Red Tails; and for our ever lovin' Versus segment (channeling McGruder's comments about the expanding demographic of geekdom)-Mainstream vs. Multicultural (aka Black vs White) nerd culture; Dburt finally gets around to discussing a great graphic novel series from a few years past by the late great, Steve Gerber, entitled Hard Time; DC gets a new logo and some fanboys are none too pleased; and speaking of DC, our thoughts on the company's recent announcement regarding their new campaign to fight hunger in the Horn of Africa; the future of the great sci-fi series, Fringe may be......well on the fringe and lastly, is it possible that Spiderman makes a cameo in The Avengers film? We'll talk about it! Call us live at 646-915-9620 or via email/IM at afronerdradio@yahoo.com.
Oh and while you wait for the broadcast, check out these two film trailers (at least one is just a treatment)-
I have to admit that I have a bit of cognitive dissonance when it comes to our President-just a scosche. In a recent years, I have become so reticent about progressive politics and its stranglehold on Black autonomous thinking that I "converted" to conservatism almost a decade ago. However, there are a few (I suspect very few) conservatives-including Black conservatives who support President Obama, hence the the term, Obamacans. And as shrewd and informative as New Gingrich (or as well prepped Governor Romney) appears to be, President Obama's performance (above) makes me remember how competitive he can be when he's in campaign mode. His simple Al Green shout out has garnered three million hits and counting since Thursday. And I have to admit that his ability to figuratively let his hair down makes me smile....let's see if he gets another term. This election will definitely be one for the record books. Incidentally, The Giants vs the 49ers will be airing this evening and out of deference to the popularity of this gridiron combat, we will preempt our show this evening but we'll be back in full accord Tuesday for The Comic Shoppe and Wednesday for Afronerd Radio's Mid Week in Review. Go Giants! And in sad news, there has always been this belief that death occurs in threes and to date, it appears that there may be some truth to such an assertion:
Legendary blues/r & b songstress, Etta James passes:
R & B pioneer, producer, arranger, Johnny Otis also succumbs...peep how he discusses his Blackness:
And lastly, Funk legend Jimmy Castor dies from heart failure:
Welcome, folks! Stop by Afronerd Radio (@afronerdradio.com, of course) this Wednesday at 7pm eastern standard time and listen to Dburt and Captain Kirk utilize their conservative (and sometimes independent) "tricorders" in analyzing the following current event laden concerns: GOP presidential hopeful, Newt Gingrich gets a big SC crowd affirmation when asked a racially tinged question during Monday's debates; singer and new mother, Beyonce catches some heat over lightened/Euro-altered photos being used to promote her upcoming CD; the sinking of an Italian cruise ship (along with double digit deaths) looks like a 21st century version of Titanic; in honor of the birth of his daughter, Blue Ivy, rap musician, Jay-z vows to refrain from using the vaunted B-word in future hip hop songs/performances (I guess his wife and mother didn't provide him with enough inspiration, huh) and lastly, a blackout protest by Wikipedia over SOPA and PIPA legislation has students upset that they might have problems completing homework assignments without access to the online encyclopedia. Feel free to call us live at 646-915-9620 or contact us via IM/email @afronerdradio@yahoo.com. See you...AGAIN at 7pm!
Let's just jump into the fray, shall we? Join Daryll B., Captain Kirk and Dburt this Tuesday at 7pm (call in live at 646-915-9620) eastern stand time to hear the latest in fantasy, pulp and sci-fi news! The topics to be discussed during our little colloquium are: the heavily anticipated FX comic adaptation TV series, Powers might be in limbo; our thoughts on the first episode of English dubbed version of G4-TV's Blade anime series; for our infamous and popular Versus segment...the obvious-Avengers vs Xmen, in reference to Marvels upcoming 12 issue crossover series (which side will Wolverine take?); what are the prospects of a new location for the NY Comic Con (and with a larger venue will it rival San Diego?) and lastly, the team's musings on Napoleon Dynamite Animated, Alcatraz and Being Human (US edition)!
Don't forget to mark your calendars (Mayan, maybe....) for Sunday's Afronerd featuring Captain Kirk broadcast at 7pm eastern standard time (live call in number is 646-915-9620). Keeping it clean and succinct, as always, the team will "unpack" the following topical concerns: the fallout certain to arise stemming from a viral clip of U.S. Marines urinating on dead alleged members of the Taliban; a new book entitled, The Obamas makes some startling charges against the FLOTUS, Michelle Obama which many have deemed characterize her as a stereotypical "angry" Black woman; Is Microsoft's new "pedestrian route production" app really a thinly veiled racist "avoid ghetto" mechanism?; we finally address last week's House of Lies and Amber Case stories and for our Blue Area/positive spin segment-a reflection on the upcoming Dr. Martin Luther King holiday.
It's Hump Day, folks! And to give you assistance in getting over that "hump," join Captain Kirk and Dburt as they unpack the top stories of the (mid) week! The topics up for grabs this time are the following: picking up where we left off this past Sunday-more on Bill Duke's Dark Girls documentary and by cinematic extension, our thoughts on Don Cheadle's latest small screen episodic effort, House of Lies; anthropologist, Amber Case sees man as exhibiting traits of an ever embedded "cyborg" lifestyle; for our positive turn, Blue Area segment-a young man of color, Tony Hansbery II, invents a new surgical technique (and he's just a HS freshman!); a young Staten island teen commits suicide due to extreme bullying from her peers; Jayz' song commemorating the birth of his daughter, Blue Ivy (it's no "Isn't She Lovely") and what MSNBC host, Dr Melissa Harris-Perry & filmmaker, George Lucas have in common....whew! Check us out @7pm EST and call in live at 646-915-9620.
It's the same Comic Shoppe channel and the same Comic Shoppe time! Stop by this Tuesday at 7pm (EST) as our own "East Coast Avengers" (Daryll B, Captain Kirk and Dburt) discuss the following geek oriented concerns: prompted by a recent email, our stalwart listener, "Qstorm" asked to hear our take on DCnu's Generation Y/anti-hero version of Superman; for the ever popular Versus segment, which take on The Simpsons is superior, current continuity or future continuity when Bart and Lisa are depicted as adults?; our thoughts on Marvel's anime division, particularly Blade as voiced by actor Harold Perrineau (Lost, Oz); revisting a previous topic that we failed to unpack-a recent Racialicious article asked-When will we see nerd conventions of color?; a women laments about no women being involved in Kevin Smith new AMC-TV series entitled, Comic Book Men; why do you collect comics-for the art, value or storylines? And based on a ComicBookMovie.com question, the gang attempts to answer what is the most valuable book in your collection?
And just in a nick of time, check out the latest pulp flavored diatribe from The Shoppe's Daryll B!
Good Day Readers! As usual, the past holidays afforded me the chance to bolster my reading collection. Taking a break from the usual entertainment news, I am going to give you a peek into what my scrounging got me over these past 3 weeks:
FF #1-11 and Fantastic Four #600 by Jonathan Hickman, Steve Epting, and others. I left the Fantastic Four series over the Millar/Hitch run and would not have returned if not for Hickman. I loved his work and world building in SHIELD and Secret Warriors previously and it seemingly works here. I'm not sure how I feel about the Franklin subplot or the new layers added to the Inhumans/Kree travails from DnA's Cosmic storyline but I trust Hickman and will continue to keep a close eye on the story.
The New Teen Titans #7-9 by Marv Wolfman, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, & Romeo Tanghal. Spurred on by the death of Edurardo Barreto, I picked the Titans vs Thea/original origin of Lilith storyline up from a half price bin and it truly made me miss the "Perez Greek storyline" era which connected Wonder Woman and Donna Troy. I also realized how much I hated the character of Azaeal...and how dumb the "no man can touch the ground of Paradise Island" rule was. Even back when I was 11-12, my inner fanboy rage was growing. This gave me a taste of greek mischief so I had to pick up....
The Incredible Hercules #121-125 by Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry. Love and War offered the Marvel Universe its first current look at Amazons and probably the first concerted effort at doing this since the Femizons waaaaaaaaaay back in pre-Heroes Reborn Captain America. Of course we are getting this prespective through the lens of the Hercules / Amadeus Cho partnership, which makes the hijinks 10 times funnier. If Marvel is looking for a property that will make perfect "B"-Movie fodder but not reflect badly on the company, the whole Pak/Van Lente run is worth a look.
The New Mutants Vol. 3 #1-5, 10, & Fall of the New Mutants TP by Zeb Wells, Diogenes Neves, Leonard Kirk, and others. Where to start with the New Mutants? Well, I have stated before that I get my X-Men childhood fix from this and X-Factor because the groups actually take on other threats before fighting each other (novel concept!). Zeb Wells has an overlooked talent these days of seeding and building up threats in the background so that when they attack the heroes, readers' hearts will race. The stories are a combination of exciting and heartbreaking while Wells has captured the distinctive character voices on the nose. This is the perfect companion book to Avengers Academy in that Wells took oft-forgotten pieces of the X-Universe and have matured/reinvigorated them to the point where other writers have seen them as "cool" enough to use in their own books. (See: Legion)
Top 10: Beyond The Farthest Precinct by Paul Di Filippo and Jerry Ordway. I always avoided this book because of my love for Alan Moore and Gene Ha's original run about the superpowered cops. Now I feel like a major fool. Di Filippo and Ordway managed to recapture the original magic and chemistry while putting new spins on buddy cop TV tropes. Now I am saddened that this book has never been solicited in an "Astro City" type of manner because I crave new stories from this original yet mashed up homage of a universe.
Darkwing Duck / Ducktales: Dangerous Currency by Warren Spector, Ian Brill, James Silvani, and Jose Massaroli. Like you folks didn't know I was going to complete my Darkwing Duck collection with extra fundage? I can't be any higher on the Ian Brill run of the "Terror That Flaps In The Night" than I already am and they go and throw in the Ducktales cast while tying up almost every dangling plotline from the previous 4 trades. Marvel/Disney, if you are not interested in doing another DD book, how about sending Mr Brill to a property like Runaways or Power Pack where childish, slapstick comedy and adult sentimentality go hand in hand?
Celadore by Canaan Grall. I have long been a follower of Mr.Grall from his Line it is Drawn compositions on ComicBookResources.com and his Max Overreacts webcomic at occasionalcomics.com. I finally spotted a copy of this collection of his Zuda Webcomic in Manhattan and had to pick it up on the spot. The conception is simple: Long-Lived Vampire Hunter finds soul trapped into body of an 11 year old girl. Throw in a crazy supporting cast and mystical weapons and mix. Funny as Calvin and Hobbes, sarcastic as Buffy, and mystically crazy as Hellblazer, I wholeheartedly recommend this to any fantasy fan burnt out on Twilight tropes....
Wow I did all of this and haven't gotten to the latest Shadow Saga novel "Waking Nightmares" by Christopher Golden and the first two Transformers History novels "Exodus" & "Exiles" by Alex Irvine. I'll try to make room for them on the next blog because one paragraph briefs I don't think would do these 3 books justice.
Martin Luther King Day is coming up and I wouldn't do him or my parents justice without promoting his messages or peace, equality, and fairness to all people. Next blog, I'll dissect the TF books while getting into the pros and cons of Marvel/DXD's proposed Marvel Universe animation block beginning in April. So until next time readers, Keep Fantasizing!
We're back and the gang is all here...AGAIN! Pull up a seat tonight at 7pm and listen to Afronerd featuring Capatin Kirk wax on...and on about the following: our continuation of some of the topics that were left of last week's discourse "dinner" table-our Blue Area positive spin segment and Thailand's unique if not gruesome Body Bakery; legendary filmmaker and actor, Bill Duke has new documentary that addresses colorism in the Black community, entitled Dark Girls; and speaking of colorism...the great thespian, Don Cheadle has a new HBO series entitled, House of Lies; a response to a listener's Facebook comment; and lastly, anthropologist, Amber Case posits that man is on his way to becoming a cyborg-whether he likes it or not. AGAIN, check us out tonight at 7pm and call in live at 646-915-9620 !
It's a new year and therefore it's even more imperative to just be succinct! Join The Captain and Dburt this Wednesday at 7pm EST (our live call in number is 646-915-9620) as they discuss the following topics: a discussion on the Red Elephant in the room...the Iowa Caucus results (who won, who came close and who didn't have a chance)....is Santorum the dark horse who hates "dark" people and does the same goes for Ron Paul?; Dburt addresses recently received emails that posit why POC vote overwhelmingly Democratic (hint-Repubs are allegedly racist-as if the Dems are not..); more Blue Area news-a 12 year old budding comic book artist/writer/entrepreneur and Philly Mayor proposes greater efforts against crime with an emphasis on education and Thailand's unusual, if not gruesome Body Bakery......see you all at 7pm!
And so the new year begins! Stop by The Comic Shoppe show tomorrow evening at 7pm EST and join our pulp flavored colloquium as we unpack the following issues: we continue with our ever popular Versus segment and posit which Comic company does a better job in their respective animated universes, Marvel or DC-Warner?; our brief synopsis on the good, the bad and the ugly in the world of geekdom circa 2011; picking up on a subject we left on the dinner table from the prior broadcast...Does TV really suck or has it improved unbeknownst to the perceptive populace; Dburt discovers motion comics and is ecstatic over the possibilities as well as the graphic novel, Hard Time; our expectations for the ensuing year and lastly, our favorite comics/graphic novels from the previous weeks. Call in live at 646-915-9620...Happy New Year, folks and excelsior!
Oh and least we forget, check out the latest blog entry from The Shoppe's Daryll B., who is also doing double duty at ComicBookMovie.com:
Howdy Afronerd and Comic Book Movie Readers. Due to the holiday festivities and my own personal rage stemming from my Jets' woeful performance against the Giants. I am going to kill two birds with one stone and combine my usual articles into one big convergance of thoughts along with links from around the comic sphere.
First up, my thanks to the SyFy Network for the Eureka, Warehouse 13, and Haven Christmas blocks. The Eureka Special was a great homage to the animated/claymation x-mas specials of my youth and hit all the right notes in my jaded soul. All the usual suspects were touched upon and I loved the final "anime" touch with the Madhouse/Boondocks type animation. Warehouse 13 hit a great homage of "It's a Wonderful Life" with overtones of "Miracle on 34th St. thrown in for good measure. I know a lot of people hate on the series for one reason or the other these days, but you could feel the sense of family and good nature come through. Haven was a bit of an odd duck when compared to the other two specials, but if you are like me and liked dark humor within Christmas horror movies, this had those overtones. Without the splatter of course. These shows definitely raised the bar on North American Science Fiction Holiday Specials, but they still can't touch....
I hope you all (if possible) caught the Doctor Who Christmas Marathon that BBC America ran leading into this year's edition. I mean, stateside, we have a long way to go to touch these episodes which run the gamut from being hilarious to downright creepy. David Tennant and now, Matt Smith bring such manic energy to the role, it carries the audience of a rollercoaster ride of fun. This year's edition was a combination of The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe and (only because of the little boy and his thick glasses) A Christmas Story with Smith's Doctor as a weird Mary Poppins type guide. I know. This sounds strange but once you folks see the clips / episode, you'll see why I made these jumps in logic. And I have said this without including the aliens, World War II, and the ancestor/descendant of the robot walkers from Avatar. Yep, I went there....
The biggest news story over the past 2-3 weeks on our side of the street is the whole "Bane's Mask/Method of Speech" from the first couple of leaks / peeks / trailers of footage of the third Dark Knight movie. All I have to say to my fellow sci-fi / comic fans is calm down. Nolan has not steered us wrong yet and he has 5 months to rework the audio. Seriously, by the way some fans acted, you would think that the movie was coming out next month and that this was Nolan's first go around with the franchise.
Which brings me to something we tackled on The ComicShoppe Show this week: given the state of the industry, the dollars being brought in by the Twilight fans is needed. Hell, the box office numbers for this holiday weekend was awful... and that's with Tom Cruise's current Mission Impossible and Daniel Craig's remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo joining The Muppets in theaters. However, what we don't need is the attitude from some of these fans. I know you're used to being the "cool" crowd Twilighters, but you are stepping into our arena now and you have to pay your dues. Now, hardcore sci-fi fans will have to be more accepting of these newbies also. I have seen some incidents at conventions that have made me embarassed to be one but we also need the new blood and revenue streams to bolster the business. We have to find a balance somewhere and I think that's entirely possible.... we did find a way to get some Scott Pilgrim fans to branch out to other comics. If hardcore fans can do that, we can certainly accept some Twilight Fans too.
Link Blogging Time:
It few and far between when my worlds of sports and comics intertwine but I got 2 instances. First, Lance Briggs is branching out with his own comic book series. Here's hoping his book "Seraph" has more substance to it than the previous Marvel NFL book ties:
While, hardcore wrestling fan Jill Thompson has been informally chatting with WWE Champion CM Punk on doing something together. Previously, she has worked on costume/outfit designs with Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan.
Topless Robot had a little fun with the yule time holiday, republishing two of the funniest lists in their history. Not just because of the lists but for the comments section where the fans got a chance to chime in:
Here is another list...MSN Movies Users' Top 10 Poll 1. Harry Potter 2. Twilight 3. The Help 4. Bridesmaids 5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes 6. Captain America 7. X-Men: First Class 8. Fast Five 9. The Descendants 10. Moneyball
Bridesmaids over Rise? First Class over Thor? Thor not even on the list..really? Moneyball? Guess everyone got enraptured with the lies told to promote the movie. At least they had the good sense not to vote for Green Lantern, Smurfs, or 30 Minutes or Less... The other movie that I wish got a little recognition here was Attack The Block. AfroNerd and ComicShoppe listeners know how much I adored that movie and its effect on the 'alien invasion' genre are already being felt. On the trailers for The Darkest Hour, you can actually see similar dimmed video effects being used during the attacks. I encourage everyone to see Attack The Block.
From the looks of it, I have nothing to fear from the new blood coming in CSBG's The Line It Is Drawn. These are some beautiful mashup pieces:
Finally, I know I have ripped DC for their decision to change the status of Barbara Gordon but Robot 6's Michael May makes one of the few convincing arguments supporting the move that I have seen:
So that's about it for me this week Comic and Sci-Fi Fans. On Tuesday you can check my crazy self out along with AfroNerd DBurt and Capt. Kirk on AfroNerd.com presents The ComicShoppe at BlogTalkRadio. Check us out just to see when I get banned permanently for pissing people off. This past Tuesday, inspired by Mr. George Takei, we did Star Trek / Star Wars vs Twilight and yeah, it got insane. So until next time Folks, Keep Fantasizing!
Once AGAIN....Happy New Year to all our supporters and may your ensuing year prove to be fruitful, safe and prosperous. Yes, we're taking a break today for the holiday but don't fret....please check out a recent interview conducted by the good folks at FIOS pertaining to a riveting and important documentary entitled, AIR: The True Memoirs of Gil C. Alicea. AIR was directed by a friend of the show, Hilton Ruiz and co-produced by Afronerd Radio's own Captain Kirk aka Kirk Goodall. Feel free to comment and rest assured, we will be back in full fighting shape for The Comic Shoppe and Afronerd Radio, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
