Home Page


Sunday, November 17, 2013

Guess What? Back 2 Back Blog Droppings, Courtesy of The Shoppe's Daryll B. & Oh Yeah...Our Latest Grindhouse Podcast!

As you check out the latest extended trailer of tonight's Almost Human remember three crucial things: 1) actor, Michael Ealy is not portraying the first Black android....does anyone know of the real life "Bina" A.I. (modeled after the real life spouse of Sirius Founder, Martine Rothblatt)?

2)Afronerd Radio's Grindhouse podcast, just aired yesterday....you can check it here:

Enter The Grindhouse, Courtesy of Afronerd Radio @6pm, Sat.

And The Comic Shoppe's Daryll B. has graced us with one of his all encompassing and comprehensive link blogs..Enjoy:

A lot on the plate for this week's link-blog so let me dive right in:

-JK Parkin shares Image Creators Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder's experiences and tips with the Kickstarter process:

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/11/montclaire-reeder-share-their-kickstarter-secrets/#more-170572

For all those that think they could just sit on their a$$ and the money will just roll in, better recognize the work/hustle that Montclare and Reeder did here...

-One last plug: Middle of Nowhere. Adam WarRock.

http://adamwarrock.bandcamp.com/

I been like a junkie with this album. Seriously.

-Speaking of things I have been addicted to, you all have been reading Avatar The Last Airbender's The Search right? If no, DO NOT click the following link and go out to your comic shop or local library and find the 3-parter STAT!

http://www.racebending.com/v4/featured/review-avatar-airbender-search-ties-loose-raises-interesting-question/

This should have been a movie Fellow Benders! Gawd! First The Promise, then The Search, and upcoming in March, The Rift. Hats off to Gene Luen Yang for these great, faithful followups to the animated series.

-So you wonder who was that character at the end of Thor during the credits cut scene? Well Brian Cronin gives us a brief bio...

http://www.comicbookresources.com:8080/?page=article&id=49038

The Collector's inclusion definitely opens the way for the Avengers and Marvel Studios to go Cosmic! Awesome!

-When Worlds Collide's Timothy Callahan takes a look at Kurt Busiek's run with Power Man and Iron Fist in the part 2 of his retrospective:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=49063

Loved this 2 week trip down memory lane and its glimpse into the inner working of the Marvel comic machine at the time...

-Brett White looks at the Marvel Movie Formula:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=49044

As I said above, Cosmic! Their success makes ALL ideas possible to be put on screen. There is a plan and even with tweaks here and there, Marvel is implementing it.

-Speaking of the Marvel Movie Formula, and to make this official, welcome aboard Elizabeth Olsen!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=49081

I got my Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch for the Avengers! *Cabbage Patching* And I put the odds of FOX handling the characters better than the Avengers at 1,000 to 1...

-For those that were still wondering about this project, Guillermo del Toro says...

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=49098

Shocking thing here is that del Toro says Warner Bros. has a plan. I know HE has a plan for JLDark/Shadowpact but it has to be a little uplifting for the DC Diehard Fans to know that DC is getting their act together...right? Right?

-Interesting in-depth study of the mentality behind the art of CosPlay...

http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/psychology-cosplay-survey-results/

Nothing really shocking on the break downs here but I will say that the piechart about the ethnicity of people doing cosplay is definitely skewed. I see more and more people of color getting into the fun and I really want to see the breakdown of this again in about 3-5 years time.

-I WANT ONE!

http://comicsalliance.com/man-at-arms-recreates-thors-hammer-mjolnir/

I know it isn't mystical but damn it looks oh so sweet! 200 pounds though.... I think I will have to start weight training.....

-I'm going to keep pimping this book until everyone gets it. Congressman John Lewis hit Rachel Maddow's Show to talk about 'March'

http://comicsalliance.com/rachel-maddow-congressman-lewis-march-interview-nate-powell-andrew-aydin/

We don't do enough to push good/great books from fellow black people I admit but this is a must read. Con. Lewis has done an amazing job of promotion along with education since the book was announced and I can't wait for part 2.

-Matt D Wilson hits my rightgeousness upside the head with this article...

http://comicsalliance.com/boycotts-comics-marvel-dc/

I can't say he's wrong... matter of fact he hits the notes on all the right beats here. It is just unfortunate that the informed are often lumped in with the crazies when it comes to comics. On the other end, here's Corey Blake's viewpoint which is tied to Enders Game....

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/11/splicing-the-art-from-the-artist/

This is why I am torn because I loved the novel series but his (Card's) viewpoints got me torn ten ways to Sunday... Ugh....

-I got a double hitter from David Brothers to end this linkblog. First up he goes into Earl Sweatshirt's song "Pre"

http://4thletter.net/2013/11/its-what-youre-saying-and-how-youre-saying-it/

Not exactly the type of song I would say I have similar type feelings to, but the way David breaks it down is akin to how I would defend listening to Wu-Tang Clan or Eminem to folks that would be shocked....

Then he gets into his "reputation" within the comics scene...

http://4thletter.net/2013/11/a-tree-never-grown-shade-that-was-never-known/

As you readers saw in the comments section, I had to respond to this and I meant every word. You may not like the opinions given to a subject being debated, however it is essential that readers get a variety of opinions/viewpoints to be properly informed. David Brothers is just one voice of many in the long run but his thoughts are well thought out and unique. Traits that are essential reading in the comics world and society.

This is dedicated to Renisha McBride and Jonathan Ferrell.

Until Next Time Readers, Keep Fantasizing.

Sunday, November 03, 2013

Two Back 2 Back Musings From The Shoppe's Daryll B.! And Oh Yeah, This Past Saturday's Grindhouse Broadcast!

Welcome to the hub of the Afronerd Radio universe, folks......commonly referred to as Afronerd.com. Please accept our sincerest apologies for our laxity but we assure you that some pretty cool changes to our site are forthcoming. Meanwhile, feel free to check out our latest episode of The Grindhouse and then if that wasn't enough, we have back to back meanderings from the one and only Daryll B. Enjoy!

You're Hearing Double @ Afronerd Radio's Grindhouse, 6pm!

And now for Daryll B's latest blog thoughts:

First, his belated Halloween bloggings-

Due to the Halloween Festivities, Daryll is Link-Blogging it today but he had to add this in for all of you:

THANK YOU ARROW! As an old time Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans fan, it is great to see not only 1 but 2 key antagonists from those days added to your show. At least one comic book show remembers their nerdy fanbase! I looking at you SHIELD....LOL Now onto the links!

-Oops!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=48773

Yeah, this was a pretty big mess up.......

Through Adam WarRock and Mikal kHill I found out about Nerdapalooza shutting down due to financial issues, which is a bummer since there was a New York version planned. At their Bandcamp site though, you can still get compilations from shows from 2009-2012 for name your own price....

http://nerdapaloozafest.bandcamp.com/album/nerdapalooza-2011-recordings

Crossing fingers for a speedy return for the ultimate nerd concert gathering.....

-I don't know where to go with this:

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/10/retailer-apologizes-for-ripping-up-copy-of-pretty-deadly-1/

He rips up this by Kelly Sue DeConnick, but loads of DC and Marvel stuff goes untouched. Then states it wasn't because Pretty Deadly was written by a woman. Contradictory much Dude?

-411 Mania does it again with their list of the worst replacement superheroes:

http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/302019

Questions abound about the writer's choices but let's just say half of his choices wouldn't have been on my list.

-I may rip DC on a lot of things, but Hank Kanalz, one of the leaders of their digital arm, shows that they got their bearings in at least one place:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=48806

It seems that DC/Warner Bros. got themselves together at least here... In addition, Jim Lee did this to begin the week...

http://comicsalliance.com/jim-lee-rejection-letters-marvel-dc/

Further hope for those aspiring artists out there. If Jim Lee got rejected early, anyone can. So don't lose hope and press on!

-Robot 6 reveal the "secret origin" of Bitstrips, the news social media fad:

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/10/bitstrips-aka-those-annoying-diy-comics-invading-facebook/

Now EVERYONE is a comic writer/"artist"....BUT me. I haven't used it a lick. Talk about irony....

-A month ago I gave you readers a look into what I collect when I go to the comic shop. Kelly Thompson does the same thing here:

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/10/28/she-has-no-head-the-pull/

What I love about this is that encouraged everyone to share what they collect AND give insights into why.

-Brett White critiques the X-Men Days of Future Past Trailer:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=48822

I have nothing to add except that I totally agree with his viewpoint after looking at the trailer for a third time. Talk about a repetitive problem.... Here's the trailer in case you missed it....

http://comicsalliance.com/x-men-days-of-future-past-trailer-marvel-video/

-I know you had to have seen this:

http://comicsalliance.com/ohio-state-marching-band-superman-movie-tribute-video/

FANTASTIC coordination by the band!

-I'll end this link-blog with an article by Matt Wilson about that very thing!

http://comicsalliance.com/the-difficult-alchemy-of-ending-a-comic-series/

"There are no true endings. Let's just call this a goodbye for now..."

Folks, I hope you enjoyed your Halloween celebrations, trick-o-treating, scary movies watching, partying/family time. Until Next Time...(and if I recover from candy sugar shock..)...Readers Keep Fantasizing! And now Daryll B.'s thoughts regarding this past NY Comic Con:

Hiya AfroNerd Readers and Facebook Followers. I really didn't know how I was going to do this blog about New York Comic Con and my experiences. I thought I would at first talk about the cosplayers and the awesome outfits I saw, but every major site has that covered. Then, I thought I would talk about the survey and questions I put towards loads of attendees about comics/science fiction/fantasy in the mainstream. My thanks to everyone who bothered to answer the questions of this weird black nerd in a JLA/Wolverine/Gunslinger Anime Polo Shirt (depending on the morning I caught you), but I think I'll leave my results for the upcoming ComicShoppe Show on Saturday. I found my inspiration from the newscasts around TV/Cable covering the 4 day event on Sunday Night/Monday Morning.

Let's face it: newscasters and reporters by and large are folks that we rely on for the facts and sometimes the truth. You are going to go to an event such as this, you would think that people would do a little homework. Or at least find an entertainment reporter that has a little experience with the subject matter. To say I felt like nerd/geekdom was being talked down to in most of these segments is a MAJOR understatement. You know what people of TV? By and large most of y'all were the beautiful people... the ones who were popular; the cheerleaders; the BMOCs; the fame seekers and party animals....

But guess what? You are now in the environment of the mostly shunned; the outcasts; the ones that were made fun of and you just CAN'T STAND the major steps forward that we have made in the mainstream. That the prophecies professed in Revenge of the Nerds have now been realized and now your everyday lives can't do without us in some form. Think I'm lying? Is that a smartphone in your pocket? Or a bluetooth in your ear? You take our innovations in one hand and push our culture away with the other. Time to wake up. We're here! We're driven! We're dressed up waaaaaaaaaaaaaay before Halloween in costumes and losing our minds meeting A,B,&C rated stars of print, web. tv, and film. Get used to it "in crowd" because you'll be seeing a lot more of us walking your city streets and on your multimedia platforms.

Quick Hits About The Con:

-Remember that whole controversy about Harley Quinn's new look in the Nu52? Forget that now because there were scores of them on my days there....

-NYCC has become crazy popular and I met people from about 12 different countries this year. I heard that 120,000 people attended.

-Over the 4 days I met a couple of stars and industry names... and of course I locked up out of my personal geekdom. Best encounter: I met Sgt. Slaughter just seconds after I picked up G.I. Joe The Movie on DVD for 4 bucks. Encounter I needed to man up for better: Met Brian Cronin and the Comic Book Resources crew at a bar and simply didn't know how to approach this group that I have talked to online for years. Yeah... still working on that face-to-face confidence for these interviews.

-Regret missing out on David Walker and Ken Lashley because I really wanted to pick their brains about the convention and the business.

-Regret my phone settings that had me running out of battery power before taking photos at the wrong times...regretted that especially during the Poison Ivy and X-Men cosplayers group photos...

-Damn there were a lot of various Deadpools and Lokis.... and I think the black cosplayer soup de jour this year was Cyclops. I must have bumped into at least 10 different black people as Cyclops (8 men and 2 women)....

-Not many panels for me this year and boy are my legs letting me feel it in the week that has followed...

-Big as San Diego but without the "Hollywood" aftertaste.... savor it now my fellow science fiction lovers because if other planners have their way, we going to be three times as commercial next year.....*ugh!*

-However, I will suggest that for next year (Oct. 9-12th), everyone experience the early morning CosPlay walk from Penn Station down to Jacob Javitz along 34th Street. It isn't an official thing, but the look on New Yorkers' faces as they see all these costumed characters...PRICELESS.

No links for me this week, as I took a vacation from geek news but count on Saturday at 6pm, The ComicShoppe will be all over this and other events. Until Then Loyal Readers, Keep Fantasizing!