Reviews and news.
Yes this is a little late but here are just some of the fine Cosplay that was happening this years Calgary Expo. Every year the people that spend the time and effort to create these amazing piece keeps getting better and better.
Source: The Pop Culture Cafe
The Black Lighting is coming the the CW this fall and there are no plans for Black Lighting to be part of the Arrowverse. According to network president Mark Pedowitz that there will be another Arrow/Flash/Supergirl/Legends of Tomorrow but Black Lighting will be in another universe.
One of the reasons that Black Lighting will be set in a different universe is the location. Black Lighting will be filmed in Atlanta while the other shows are all in filmed in Vancouver. So doing a cross over can be a little difficult with all the travel.
My feeling is the show will take on the same theme as the other show have of protecting a city. After watching the trailer I did get a Luke Cage feel for it. Unlike the Luke Cage where Luke is interested in protect Harlem, Black Lighting will be protecting his city. Black Lighting maybe the CW’s attempt of getting some of the same audience as Luke Cage. My feeling is that the ability of Marvel to go a little darker on Netflix will give Luke Cage the edge.
The show does have something different from the other shows on the CW. This show leads are black and hopefully it tackles some more adult stories and not worry about the pretty young people. Tackling what it is to be a black vigilante that is a hero and the struggles it is to be one. Time will tell if the audience will jump on board and follow another superhero show on the CW.
DC Database:
Black Lightning is a super-hero with the ability to generate and control lightning. Originally he was a high school principal and Olympic-level athlete who became a vigilante to take down organized crime in Metropolis‘ Suicide Slum. Eventually he would become a member of Batman‘s team of Outsiders for many years, although he retired briefly to become secretary of education under president Lex Luthor. He returned to crime-fighting, though, as a member of the Justice League. His two daughters operate as the super-heroes Thunder and Lightning. Black Lightning was created by Tony Isabella and Trevor von Eeden, first appearing in Black Lightning #1. (1977)
Source: io9, DC, Youtube
ZackSnyder is stepping down from the upcoming Justice League movies after a family tragedy. Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter he decided to step away after the sudden death of his daughter. Justice League is in post production and Joss Whedon will be stepping in to finish help with post-production and do some additional scenes. The plan is still have the movie on track for its Nov 17 release with the help of Whedon.
Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter:
“In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was the way through it,” said an emotional Snyder in an interview Monday in his office on the Warner Bros. lot, with Deborah sitting by his side. “The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all-consuming. And in the last two months, I’ve come to the realization … I’ve decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me. They are all having a hard time. I’m having a hard time.”
Synder also told The Hollywood Reporter that he is already anticipating what some DC fan may think.
“Here’s the thing, I never planned to make this public,” he says. “I thought it would just be in the family, a private matter, our private sorrow that we would deal with. When it became obvious that I need to take a break, I knew there would be narratives created on the internet. They’ll do what they do. The truth is … I’m past caring about that kind of thing now.”
I have been on the side of those wanting Warner Bros/DC to find someone new to helm the DC movie universe. I do like Zack Snyder and some of his work but I felt that he missed with his vision of the DC universe.
But not this way.
Now I am not saying he won’t be back. Yes I would love to see Joss Whedon take the reins of the whole DC universe along with Geoff Johns. I think some wonderful things can happen. But I do not wish what happen to Zach Snyder and his family on anyone.
So I wish the Snyder family my condolences and hopefully Zach will be back soon making movies again.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter.
Byran Singer is once again playing in the X-Men universe this time with The Gifted. The Gifted focuses on a suburban couple, Reed Stucker (Stephen Moyer) and Caitlin Stucker (Amy Acker), who are forced to go on the run when they find out their children Lauren and Andy (Natalie Alyn Lind and Percy Hynes White) have mutant powers.
Additional casting details announced by Variety include Sean Teale as Eclipse, Jamie Chung as Blink, Blair Redford as Thunderbird, Emma Dumont as Polaris, and Coby Bell as Jace Turner.
The trailer shows that the whereabouts of the X-Men and The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants are unknown. Reed and his family face additional complications due to his job being part of law enforcement crackdown on mutants, which ups the ante on keeping the kids safe from themselves and others while trying to fond someone who can help them control their powers.
The trailer has that original feel of the first X-Men film where this explores the feeling of been hates and an outcast. If the show can keep this feeling and Fox doesn’t panic this show has some potential.
This book had very cool art going in, so I wasn’t really surprised when the story turned out to be pretty damn good also. By now, if you have ever heard of the X-men, you have heard of the Phoenix and the Dark Phoenix. This series delves into a pretty cool saga based on the god like properties of these two Phoenixes and the followers of their faiths.
After reading a few pages of this first book I began to realize how well it flowed from scene to scene. For me, if I can imagine someone acting out these scenes on a TV or movie screen, it’s usually a positive sign to me that the dialogue is pretty good. Giovanni Smith is a great writer, who can bring together a complex story while giving his characters dialogue that moves along the story, but develops their personalities for better or worse. Titan “Tyson” comes to mind. He’s a wise ass, but your able to see there’s good inside that character before his actions even get to that point. Can’t say enough about this great dialogue.
Artist Mike Gaughrans art gave the story a great sense of medieval, epic adventure to it. The timing and pace of the art was in perfect synch with the emotions and dialogue that Giovanni Smiths words were trying to convey. Mike’s art has kind of a cartoonish look to it, but I say that in the best possible way. I was reminded of the old Masters of the Universe cartoons as I was reading this book. That’s high praise for me.
I did have a few small critiques that came to mind. Melody the Amazon looked kind of masculine, and the “grackles” looked like an oversized biker gang, but those were minor details. A few other positive details I’d like to point out is the great read at the beginning of the story that fleshes out the history of the two Phoenixes and how we get to where we are at when the story began. Also at the end of the book there is a detailed map which shows this world that is being created in detail.
Issue #2 has already been released via their website below with title #3 coming soon. Please donate if you are going to read this book. About quarter way through Volume 1 you’ll realize you have paid $4.00 for at least one book in the last 3 months that wasn’t even close to the art and story of this one…and it wasn’t 30 quality pages. Great job guys. Cheers
Scott
https://sinopiacomics.com/comics/
This was a quirky book that I wasn’t sure how to take the first time around. How could you build a story around hair cutting?!….and then I thought hmm,… Edward Scissorhands. If I could broadly compare this book, it would be a cross between Edward Scissorhands, The Star Wars Trilogy and a bit of Game of thrones tossed in there.
Abigale Theodosia is an enforcer of sorts. In a land where hair is currency, and being shaved of all yours strips you of your dignity, a barber can be a dangerous figure. Abigale’s bone to pick today(or hair pick if you will)is not with the fine folks of the territory she is in but with the Queen and King of this realm. It’s about her families honor though the reasons so far have not been made quite clear.
Not sure how they did it, but the creators of this concept made it work, …..and fairly well. From a story that is well paced(Via writer Billy Martin) to art that has a “fairy tale” feel to it(via Jazz Singh) they are able to pull together a thoughtful story and the beginnings of a larger universe of “cutters”. Along the way they plant enough seeds for future chapters where the things that are alluded to before will all make sense in the end…….or at the very least give more questions to the answers.
The hook for the next issue is set up nicely, and introduces whom I think may be to this series, it’s “Obi Wan CUTnobi”(Christ, did I just write that?!).Abigale Theodosia is an interesting character .From her facial expressions right down to the flop of hair on the top of her head(think Strong guy from X-factor)she has the makings of a strong interesting character.
I’d read the second book to see where this was going as I’ve been given enough foreshadowing that I’d like to see where it’s going. Lowfive productions website is below. They’ve got some great art and a couple of podcasts if you’d like to check them out. Cheers for now
Scott
http://www.lowfiveproductions.com/
I think at some point time or another in our lives we’re all been bullied. Whether it be in school ,or out , sometimes being a teen who’s a little bit different is the most lonely road to walk. For Lucas Cassie this first issue gives a hint what his life is like in spades. On my first read through this book I wondered if perhaps this abuse had been overdone? Writer Larry Higgins had the whole world seemingly kicking this kids ass.
It certainly would explain why he was pushed to his brink, even if he did have a bit of help along the way in the form of a demon(Think Venom with a suicidal wish) goading him along just when he was at his weakest. The entire undercurrent of this issue was a sense of foreboding that this was not going to end well for Lucas.
The lead character 23, year old Japanese /American” Nyobi” Lee(based on cosplayer “Emily Zombie guts”.I just found the title to my first comic:), left me with more questions than answers after this first issue. She’s a teleporter in the vein of the X-mens” Nightcrawler” but as the story progresses you can see that by using her powers she becomes fatigued very quickly. Is she pushing herself to hard , or is it something else that is wearing her out?
There’s not a lot of fleshing out of Nyobi Lees origin in the story itself, but there is a handy dandy 2 page character profile directly after the main story to help fill in the blanks concerning Nyobi’s back story and abilities. Along with that there are various art works on the last 8 pages depicting Nyobi by local artists such as Andre Boulard, David Coates and Stefanine Acking to name a few. Andre Boulard’s version of her is probably my favourite, however I would have preferred the character show more uniqueness to her costume style. The short skirt , knee high boots and pigtails seemed a bit caricature of Japanese culture.
Overall , a good first venture out with a character with a lot of potential and a storyline that has room for a lot of growth. My understanding via some research is that the second issue has already been funded on Kickstarter and may be already out. One more very necessary and classy move I noted on the back page(literally read it cover to cover , because that’s how we roll here at Scotts house of comic reviews)was the numbers for the U.S(Suicide Prevention Line) and Canada (Kidshelpphone) prevention lines.I’m reprinting them here and anyone who is reading this if you ever need them, please use them. Hell, contact me on twitter and I’ll bring you in if need be. Oh and Larry? Dad would have been very proud. Cheers
Scott
Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273 – 8255
Kidshelpphone 1-800-668-6868
Writer: Larry P Higgins
Interior line work:David Coates
Cover and shading :Andre Boulard
