Monday, February 18, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Like a 2-Base Hit! Comic Shoppe @6 & Afronerd @7pm! TOPICS: No Black Writers at DC or Marvel? Lil Wayne & Emmett Till & More!
And then there's always Afronerd Radio airing after The Shoppe at 7pm. Join Captain Kirk and Dburt as they shed light on some recent issues of note: picking up from last week regarding the Grammys; and speaking of music-what's the difference between Lil Wayne and a White rapping Pastor who proclaims that Jesus is his "nigga"....the answer? Not much.; a doctoral student at Univ. of Texas discovers a poem from the earliest documented Black published writer in the US, Jupiter Hammon and the racial divide between twitter and Pinterest users.
Like a 2-Base Hit! Comic Shoppe @6 & Afronerd @7pm!
And if you missed out last episode, listen to it now:
Now The Post Grammy Edition of Afronerd Wed @7pm!
And then we have Daryll B.'s weekly blog post. Imperius Rex!
Hawkeye and Mockingbird...(Pre whatever mess Secret Invasion caused it to be) Clint and Bobbi was the adventurous couple with a tinge of responsibility. Often they would take turns as to which was the responsible one and the reckless one but it was fun to read and observe. Especially in the West Coast Avengers days.
Nightwing and Starfire... I grew up in comics with the Teen Titans under Wolfman and Perez. To me Dick Grayson and Princess Korian'd was a strange but fascinating couple. The gal was the one whose emotions were wild while the guy had to be the one to keep her in check. The ultimate introvert/extrovert relationship...
Cannonball and Lila Cheney... In the same vein, the romance between Sam Guthrie and Lila Cheney can be classified. A good ol' farm boy dating an intergalatic rock star. Throw in two of the wildest mutant powers seen at the time and let hilarity ensue.
Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman... The stable example of attraction leading to a lasting relationship is the marriage of Reed and Sue Richards. The ultimate scientist wedded his sweetheart and are still strong today with Sue becoming her own person seemingly through their adventures as part of the Fantastic Four. They are my version of Ozzie and Harriet...
The Third Flash and Linda Park... Wally West and Linda Park were my current favorite couple until DC decided to reboot everything connected to their universe and erased this lovely pairing. It seemed the perfect combination of one of my favorite relationships (Peter/MJ) and one of my most despised (Clark/Lois) because of how it was depicted by Mark Waid/Grant Morrison/Geoff Johns and others.
Apollo and Midnighter... Warren Ellis is a genius of characterization and the fact that he had the first homosexual couple appearing regularly in a comic without letting the fanbase know that they were for like 8 months was absolutely perfect. Then after the reveal of the relationship, fans went back and saw all the lil hints of it sprinkled throughout the Stormwatch/Authority issues....
Katchoo and Francine... No doubt the best, confusing relationship that I have ever read. Terry Moore in Strangers in Paradise took the shy Francine and tormented Katchoo and put them through the wringer. I am not a soap opera fan but this... THIS is the closest I will get to one with all the innuendos, adventure, humor, trials, and heartbreak experienced by these two lovely ladies. Still a book that I always go back to and read over and over....
Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson.... My number one relationship for the fact that the nerd scored the model! *pumps fist in celebration* Seriously, I never got tired of Peter and Mary Jane and it absolutely wrecked me how this marriage has/was treated by fans and creators as a crutch. I loved the dynamic and their interactions in the Spider-Island Saga only inflamed my rage at Marvel over the dumb way it was discarded....
...and now time for some relationships that I frankly got tired of that others love...
Superman and Lois Lane... No longer viable because of Nu52 but I will tell you that the only time I really got into this relationship was with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. It is amazing though that I can get into parodies like Mark and Abby in Love and Capes better than the originals. I guess I am a Lana Lang guy...
Batman and Catwoman/Talia R Ghul.... Cry me a river Bat Fans. The ultimate vigilante loner seeks love from the "bad girls". Aren't you the same guys and gals that are looking for the "good" Mr/Mrs. Right? Wouldn't your hero dating villainesses/anti-heroes defeat that logic?
Nightwing and Batgirl/Oracle... Not because I hate Barbara Gordon mind you. But because like I said above, I am a Dick/Kory guy. When you have had Starfire, how could you go to any other woman? I know it a bit snobbish but I was brainwashed early!
Captain America and Sharon Carter... It seemed that they bickered more than produce anything close to a loving relationship. After a while, that REALLY gets annoying... especially when they were on missions of stealth. I kept wishing for them to get shot all instead of the continuing inner monologues followed by fights...
Gambit and Rogue... Yeahhhh I was once deeply invested in this one but over time and the constant annoying questions about their status at conventions during panels just completely killed my enthusiasm long ago. And ever as I read reprints from those days, I find myself flipping through FAST....
Cyclops and Jean Grey.... I know. It blasphemy as a X-Men fan to list this here but OMIGAWD! Cyclops was so in love with Jean Grey that he married a clone of her first! Then after he married the real one, he cheated on her with one of the X-Men's worst villains at the time, The White Queen. Jean Grey has always had an attraction to Wolverine that had to be mentioned every 2 issues and like every 3 episodes of the 90's cartoon. Let's face it: love in the X-Universe was a screwed up notion back then AND now....
LINK-BLOG
-Awwwwww..
Pure Awesomness!
-Only in NY
HeHeHeHe....Take THAT Spidey!
-You may have heard about this:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=43696
I wonder who will replace Geoff Johns at the helm of Green Lantern? I wonder if the fanbase will stay with the book? Hmmm wheels are turning.....
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=43707
Holy...?!?! So the WHOLE Green Lantern staff is leaving? Wow....
-Sometimes you have to wonder what DC is thinking with their hires...
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=43715
I could say something about this but Brett White and his friend do a so much better job of it here...
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=43742
The ones who hired Orson Scott Card for Superman are probably the same guys who decided that Lupe Fiasco would be a good fit at Obama's Pre-inaguration Concert. You didn't think the LGBT community would be up in arms at this? Whoops!
-Here's David Brothers:
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2013/02/13/im-david-black-history-month-comics/
Here's a nice timeline for Black History Month in terms of comics... Again, I don't have a lot of answers for the history of neglect but it obvious that more of us are asking questions!
Meanwhile, Gavok, his partner in crime over at 4thLetter gives us this:
http://4thletter.net/2013/02/crossover-celebration-part-6-turtles-forever/
Turtles Forever fulfilled so many geek-gasm thoughts within me concerning the 3 different animated Turtles takes...
That's it for me this week AfroNerd Readers. Until next time, Keep Fantasizing!Howdy AfroNerd Readers! Once again we are upon another Valentine's Day. So In that tradition, I am going to give you my favorite couples in comics:
Saturday, February 09, 2013
Our Pre Grammys Blast! Comic Shoppe@6pm & Afronerd @7pm!-Topics: Black Comic Book Writers; Planet Hulk Live Action?; Rogue LA Cop & More!
First there was the Super Bowl and now The Grammys are upon us! So this time we'll make an attempt at competing (but not really) against the legendary music show with our ever popular Grindhouse edition of Afronerd Radio. Pull up a seat and listen to The Comic Shoppe this Sunday starting at 6pm. Join Daryll B., Dburt and Captain Kirk as they pontificate on the following "nerdic" fare: the Latino Review reports that the Hulk may end up with a Planet Hulk/Avengers tie-in story or the silver screen at some point in the future; a recent Robot 6 article puts focus on the dearth of Black writers at DC and Marvel; is the JLA movie in distress?-a writer is let go and Paul Dini (Batman Animated Series, Justice League Animated) states that he wouldn't be interested in writing a live action version and lastly, a discussion of race and and animation-the Shadow & Act site highlights Ralph Bakshi's Coonskin as well as Warner Bros' controversial cartoon past. Call the hosts live at 646-915-9620!
Next up, Afronerd Radio bats second at 7pm eastern. Captain Kirk and Dburt wax on the following topics: rogue LA cop, Christopher Dorner rampages vowing revenge against a police force he deems corrupt; quite a bit of nastiness on the part of Facebook for their refusal to remove a racist page; more on Roots Vs Django with the cast of Roots; the HufPost's Black Voices has an interesting op-ed by Clarence Haynes regarding his fondness for comics-specifically, the character Storm from The X-Men and lastly, The Root denotes the historical origins of the "Blerd" (Afronerd sounds better, doesn't it?). Whew....so check us out post haste!
Our Pre Grammys Blast! Comic Shoppe@6pm & Afronerd @7pm!
And if you missed out last episode, listen to it now:
Afronerd Radio's Mid Week in Review @7pm EST!
And then we have Daryll B.'s weekly meanderings. Enjoy!
Star Trek Darkness spot: WOW! A definite "A" and left you wanting more. Cumberbatch rules this spot with his presence.....
Iron Man 3 spot: Nice... "B" only because it felt like more of the same.. but I won't lie, seeing Air Force One be blown to heck with Iron Man/Iron Patriot doing mid-air rescues was hot...
World War Z spot: Ok... what the heck? Another commenter at MSN stole my thunder about being sick of zombies that have super-speed. They are composed of rotting muscles and necrotic flesh after all. The horror with zombie is overwhelming numbers and how exactly does one "beat" something already dead that outnumbers you HUNDREDS to one.... C- because of the cliche's...
Man of Steel spot: More of the same that we have seen from the previous commercials and trailers. Zach Snyder let's see what you got this Summer... C
Oz The Great and Powerful Spot: Just like Hansel and Gretel and Snow White & The Huntsman, I have my doubts but both of the others won me over and this one has Mila Kunis and James Franco so ... chances are I am going to dig parts of this at least... B-
Otherwise, I'd be remiss from mentioning 2 things from Monday Night:
1) Bones got me again. First it was their "9/11" episode and the moving scene between the interns as they relayed where they were when that infamous event occured. Then the final scenes where the team put together what happened to the victim and the following funeral. Last Monday, it was a scene at the end between Booth and a sick child as Bones and Cam secretly watched. Damn, they know how to pull my heart strings.
2) I really don't know about Continuum after this last episode. It seems that most of the minorities and poor are on the terrorists' side from the flashbacks shown. I hope we get some more in depth explanations here because I will admit that I am feeling a mite uncomfortable with the breakdown here.
Link Blog Time!
-Finally! Marvel makes its decision.....
http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/chris-pratt-getting-guardians-of-the-galaxy-lead/
I really don't know much about Mr. Platt and his time in Zero Dark Thirty was not enough for me to go on since I am not a Parks and Recreation viewer. I wish him lots of luck in the role of Star-Lord because he is one of my favorite characters of the current age.
-Here's an old favorite of mine....
I have liked Stacy Keach ever since he did the old "Hammer" Detective TV series. He can certainly carry and exude intensity.... and that is a plus for any Frank Miller creation....
-I never knew this tale....
Wow! Why have the original actor when you can have Arsenio? LMAO
-Could this help fill the hole of Young Justice Invasion's cancellation/exclusion?
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=43586
...err...nope!... You still suck DC/Cartoon Network....
-Interesting...
So the term "Super Hero" is trademarked? Mannnnn...
-Tom Bondurant does it again with this analysis of the New Green Lantern..
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/01/grumpy-old-fan-simon-baz-recharges-green-lantern/
I admit the first images of Simon Baz turned me off i.e. the infamous "Green Lantern with a 9mm" drawing but Johns is fleshing him out. At the same time, I have to admit to event fatigue with Green Lantern. Geoff Johns and Brian Michael Bendis on Avengers must have gone to the same strategist... Event after event after.....
Um... OK maybe they really NEED events to survive....
-These are cool...
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2013/02/06/nfl-football-art-austin-madison-pixar/
NFL + Fantasy Art = A Happy Daryll B.
-Some things you can't get angry at....
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2013/02/04/uperhero-window-washers-children-hospital-video-pittsburgh/
I admire these window washers for going the extra mile and providing these kids with smiles. As a kid, to have a "Super Hero" (here comes the cease and desist letter now) washing my window, must have blown their little minds....
-At AfroNerd, we do tend to focus a bit on race in this industry. Axel Alonso gives an interesting take in this interview....
Now I appreciate this because Mr. Alonso looks at the issue from a lot of sides and his openness about hot button topics like stereotypes is refreshing...
On the other side is this article by Joseph Hughes...
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2013/02/04/black-writers-comic-book-industry/
Now I am of two minds about this. It is obvious that not enough minorities are in the "inner circles" to get chances/consideration for the "big time" but at the same time: where are the youths interested in writing? Where is that next generation of black writers who crave to take the torch and craft classic stories BETTER than what has come before? The issue is a catch 22 as evidenced by this from David Brothers....
http://4thletter.net/2013/02/never-believe-the-hype/
How true is this? We at the ComicShoppe often go back to the interview we did with McDuffie because he opened our eyes to the business side of comics and animation. No longer could we only look at everything through "fanboy only" views. We needed to look at the whole picture in terms of the industry and we are forever in his debt for that....
-Brett White talks Marvel's female lead books and difficulties on this week's In Your Face Jam at Comic Book Resources....
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=43610
Ok, we all know folks who have clamoured for these, so why aren't they buying them? Isn't that kind of hypocritical? On the record, I like the new Cap Marvel and LOVED the first issue of Fearless Defenders. I don't know about picking up the all female X-Men but Brian Wood might swing me and I sorry I just am not a Hulk person anymore....
-I'll end this with a funny tribute...
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2013/01/31/wonder-woman-comic-wesley-willis-azzarello-chiang/!
I still think he looks like the Crimson Avenger update from Johns' JSA run but that is a cool backstory for the Milan character and a great tribute...
OK I think I am spent this week. So until next week AfroNerd Readers, Keep Fantasizing!I hope everyone enjoyed their Super Bowl Parties and 4 million dollar commercials. When the blackout happened in the midst of the second half I was convinced that Jamie Foxx had gotten an early start in preparations to play Electro and shorted out the grid partially... Well that and Beyonce with crew just blew it all out by sure hotness but as far as we are concerned:
Saturday, February 02, 2013
Check Our Pre-Game Shows on Saturday, Comic Shoppe @6pm & Afronerd @7!-Issues: Fishburne as Luke Cage?; Young Justice & GLA Cancelled; Superbowl Discussed; All Blue Area & Daryll B's Latest Blog!
Howdy, loyal supporters and listeners! Because of our supreme cognition, we know better NOT to compete with tomorrow's Superbowl, so check out our infamous Grindhouse show today starting at 6pm. For the first matinee feature, there's The Comic Shoppe starring Daryll B., Dburt and Captain Kirk. The Shoppe crew will be unpacking the following topics: Cartoon Network does it AGAIN....DC Nation's Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice get cancelled...and Dburt asks-Why not tweek these shows for Adult Swim or Fox where their survival might be more assured ; in our minds' eye to reality-cartoonist, Aaron McGruder has a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of getting funding for a Uncle Ruckus live action film; picking up where we left off from our last broadcast (Quinten Tarantino's Luke Cage movie proposal, Robotech gets a director) and lastly, was there ever talk of a Jack Bauer/John McClane crossover film? Call the hosts live at 646-915-9620!
For your second audio feature, starting at 7pm, there's Afronerd Radio starring Captain Kirk and Dburt. The issues at hand are: friend of the show and coach of the Chippewa Valley Predators, Martin Adams stops by to discuss tomorrow's Superbowl; and the remainder of the show will be all BLUE AREA (aka stories of a positive bent)-i.e. a young Brooklyn artist gains notoriety for his Afrocentric quilts; Black History month starts; Dr. Henry L. Gates' The Root site has a regular segment entitled 100 Amazing Facts about The Negro; Mary J. Blige and Angela Bassett are starring in a new civil rights era Lifetime film entitled, Betty & Coretta and lastly, Dr. S. James Gates is awarded the National Medal of Science from President Obama!. Remember..be there and be square- it's safer!
Check Our Pre-Game Shows, Comic Shoppe @6pm & Afronerd @7!
And if you missed out last episode, listen to it now:
It's The Mid Week In Review Show, Folks! Listen @7pm EST!
Check out the latest blog entry, courtesy of The Shoppe's Daryll B:
There are few things that can knock me out of my comics/fantasy/sports/music virtual world. I love to debate on opinions of quality because differences in thinking and standards are what makes my life worth living. However, here is a talented young woman that will never have a chance to make music or be creative ever again. She won't be able to enjoy life or make mistakes to grow on again. There are few times that you all have seen/heard me drop the Daryll B. "evil nerd" persona to just be the real me, but... the coward that took this girl's life needs to be dealt with. Take that how you like but let me tell you, I have swollen red eyes to go along with a swollen right hand now. This just wasn't fair.... and sorry that I have gone off the rail here but this needed to be said.
In lighter fare, Adam WarRock did this for Comics Alliance:
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2013/01/30/adam-warrock-watch-the-throne-x-hip-hop-mixtape-rap/
His words about the X-Men over Watch The Throne beats. I love "Teamwork" and "B.L.A.M."... Although I will say that the latter has language very un PG-13... but it is about Henry McCoy a.k.a The Beast. Take it as you will....
I see Spinoff Online agrees with me....
It was so bad that the writer invoked "Beauty and the Geek" as a positive in comparison. Shouldn't that really tell you all you need to know about "King of all Nerds"?
Matt Fraction comes at us with a quote he deemed "enlightening"...
...ok. I love the fact that a lot of "indie" sensabilities are being shown/showcased with the influx of new creators but here is my problem with statements like this: the old ways couldn't be ALL bad. Why? You are now in the art. If comics were so bad to you, you wouldn't be writing 6+ books now. And HELLO! There are fans who actually want our good guys to fight dastardly villains. Everytime I see statements like this it feels like "our fans are more sophisticated and better than what has come before" instead of "this is a new day where there are books for every taste and we wish that sentiment was catered to more.". I know Fraction meant his comment to express the latter statement but came off too much like the prior.....
Interesting....
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2013/01/28/spider-man-movie-rhino-paul-giamatti/
At first I was like "No!" but it took my co-worker Luis to remind me that Hollywood has this thing called "CGI" now, which would make Mr. Giamatti's capability for this role realistic. Yes AfroNerd Readers, I had an old cranky man on the porch moment...lol
Kelly Thompson gives her reasons why Young Avengers #1 by Gillen and McKelvie was so great...
Here's my rebuttal. My favorite character was Eli Bradley a.k.a Patriot and he was written off the team and hell the Marvel Universe by "moving to Arizona". Strike 1. Immediately, his potential paramour, Hawkeye (Hawkette?) is first seen in this book aft-coitus with Nor-Varr a.k.a Marvel Boy a.k.a Protector (a.k.a "the half kree half insect hybrid who should be really in the Ultimate Universe"). Strike 2.
But what really sealed the deal to put this book on my bad side? After everything that just happened with "House of M", "Children's Crusade" and AvX and all that mucking with time/alternate dimensions that led to the death of close teammate Stature and the hunting of his spiritual mother, The Scarlet Witch, you would think that Wiccan would avoid going there. Nope! He goes and brings in Hulking's Mother from an alternate dimension to help relieve his partner's emotional scars. Yeah... no way this could go wrong right? What. The F(*&^&??? Thusly proving that Captain America was right in his argument about Wiccan's need to be constantly monitored in Children's Crusade. Sorry I had to have one bitching about continuity moment. This overlook to me was just as bad as Bendis using Thanos and Star-Lord in Avengers Assemble and Jeph Loeb's Nova disregarding DnA's work. Let's see if Gillen and McKelvie can make this work.
WoohOO! I get another....
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2013/01/30/thunder-and-lightning-dc-nation-cartoon-network-video/
...but even that can't make me overlook the fact that Cartoon Network and DC are idiots...
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=43480
How many times can they do this to us? Young Justice Invasion and Green Lantern have been quality and they get discarded with way too many plots to be tied up in the 7-10 episodes remaining. Please tell me that this is just an oversight and they'll be back.... Please?!?!?!
Hmmm I think I have heard this one before....
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2013/01/29/cw-amazon-wonder-woman-tv-postponed/
I think right now that the CW doesn't know WHAT to do with a female DC property in any form or fashion.
Finally, a link that I forgot in the last column. Here is the great David Brothers about the Direct Market
http://4thletter.net/2013/01/tumblr-mailbag-direct-market-schmirect-schmarket/
Face facts True Believers! If DC and Marvel left the direct market tomorrow, the comics industry would be doomed! They are carrying 70-80 percent of the share right now...
That's all for me this week AfroNerd Readers.. Until next time, Keep Fantasizing!I hope that you all out there in AfroNerd land had a good week. Mine was going good: a fun Royal Rumble; NHL season giving me great games; NASCAR 2 weeks away from starting up while the Super Bowl is a week away. LeBron James did me proud with his "speech" while he, Wade and the Miami Heat visited President Obama. Then before the skies opened up in NYC Wednesday Night, this popped up in my alerts:
