Check for Afronerd Radio's Year in Review on The Mid Week in Review, Wed@7:30pm

It's New Year's Eve, people......and you know what that means-Afronerd Radio must provide you with a summation of the events that captured the world's attention circa 2014!  Join Captain Kirk and Dburt for their unique analysis of this past year's top stories (i.e. celebrity deaths, Ferguson/police brutality, Sony hacks, terrorism, POTUS, pop culture/music/movies, Bill Cosby, disappearing aircrafts, US-Cuba relations, social vs corporate media, fascination with the buttocks,etc).  Call in live at 646-915-9620.  It's the last show for the year people...NOT THE SHOW TO MISS!   


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/afronerd/2015/01/01/check-for-afronerd-radios-year-in-review-on-the-mid-week-in-review-wed730pm

Check Out Daryll B.'s Post Egg Nog Hangover/Pre- New Years Comic Book Links & Recommendations!

Reviews...Link-Blog....Hangovers..just don't mix Kiddos.....

Here's hoping everyone enjoyed their holiday celebrations with family and friends. I may not be a Christmas person but that's not to say the core values of the holiday, along with Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, aren't truly needed/wanted by all. So I spent this in my room with a large stack of bounty which is pictured. Not going to review them all this time but I do have some impressions...
 
First up, the time off gave me a chance to truly read, then dissect Grant Morrison's Multiversity event (far right in the picture). I even have an official Daryll ranking for the issues so far:
 
5. The Just - Sorry I hate Reality TV. This smacked me as totally superficial...
 
4. Pax Americana - I'm not the biggest Watchmen fan as it is. To have the original Charlton Heroes imitate The Watchmen, which originally was an imitation of Charlton in the first place just felt redundant.
 
3. Multiversity #1 - The kickoff to the event and a pretty ok issue in itself.
 
2. Secret Society of SuperHeroes - One of my favorite Elseworlds is one of the same name where Tabloid Reporter Lois Lane and Agent Bruce Wayne worked to uncover disappearances and strange happenings around the world and discovered the Justice League. This felt like a combination of that with The Golden Age. Got me with secrets and nostalgia but  that leaves...
 
1. Thunderworld - I am a sap for classic Captain Marvel. I have Shazam and the Monster Society of Evil by Jeff Smith and read that at least once a month. Morrison captured the essences of the characters perfectly here. So Perfectly that you have to wonder why he was never approached to do a Shazam series "Jerry Ordway" style. By far my favorite of the run as the series gets ready to enter the next year....
 
How many times can I plug Valiant? Q2: Quantum and Woody #3 and Harbinger: Faith #0 were both awesome. H:F #0 also lays the groundwork for her to join the superhero/anti-hero team as well as work as a partial origin story. Q &W is just crazy... Like I said, if you like Deadpool, give this one a shot...
 
Speaking of the Merc with a Mouth,  he is one of the few characters that stand out in Axis 8 & 9 (not pictured). I guess that was the conclusion but let's just say I not pleased..AGAIN. Ok by now most of you have seen the solicitations for January and February with all the changes happening to the teams. Remender tried to squeeze enough explanations/impetuses here for those but... *sigh* Tony Stark can block magic now? Villains willing to...well you have to see for yourself? I won't even get into what they did to the Wasp... I hear you in the back going "Again with the Wasp?!?!?!"... Yeah Marvel you didn't stick this good....
 
However, I do have to give Marvel's Bendis credit for nailing the interactions between the All New X-Men and the Ultimate Universe in #34. Everything from Hank being stuck in Latveria to Bobby having to fight in 114 degree weather against a gigantic monster rang true. And I thought Miles Morales was going to get killed by Storm but....
 
...then he wouldn't be around for his father's "origin" story in Ultimate Spider-Man #11. Already emotionally confused after the Peter Parker/Norman Osborn fiasco, he walked headlong into his dad who decides to tell him EVERYTHING. Bendis again nailed this from flashback speak to the way this type of convo would actually go down. We also have a BIG unexpected guest star (or 2) in this flashback tale which continues next month. Yeah I'll be happy to eat crow if he nails the landing here.
 
Ms. Marvel #10 acted as a mouthpiece for the youth of the nation in current times and that was ok. At times it was a little preachy but after the news the past couple of weeks, this may be urgently needed.
 
Earth 2 Worlds End 11 and 12 (not pictured) - Sees Darkseid himself enter the picture along with betrayals and leaves me at "What the ^%^* are the heroes gonna do now?" Worst case scenario time...
 
Fantastic Four #14 has me sitting in awe that James Robinson has crafted a Heroes Reborn Universe "invasion" and combined it with an admirer/stalker/obsession storyline and has it not making me roll my eyes with every page. Every third page ....yes but not every page..
 
Ok um Mr. Remender? Just to remind you that Falcon has faced many of Captain America's enemies before. In Captain America #2, he writes Sam like putting on the red, white, and blue has him totally forgetting that fact. And I don't know who this Baron Zemo is but...it certainly isn't the one from the past 12 years or so of Marvel Continuity...
 
Astro City #18 takes a look at Crackerjack and Quarrel's partnership and gives us a first in-depth examination of Quarrel's origin. These two heroes are prime examples of writer Kurt Busiek's greatest strength in storytelling: multi-layering. Hardcore AC Fans have seen both characters in the background of other AC stories for so long that we think we know them then BOOM! Busiek hits us with this issues that tweak our previous thoughts/conceptions about them.
 
Onto the collections:
 
Omega Flight takes place shortly after Marvel's Civil War and after Bendis callously killed off Alpha Flight over in New Avengers at the beginning of his run. Canada has an in-flux of American Super Criminals entering and tearing up the nation. The material is quite dated BUT Michael Alan Oeming and Scott Kolins do tell a good story here about the difficulty in picking up the pieces after a disaster. Also it has my favorite Spider-Woman in Julia Carpenter....
 
Godzilla Rulers of Earth Vol 4 sees a nation mass producing MechaGodzillas 3-5 years after Volume 3 left off. Yeah, THATS going to end well...especially when the big guy wakes up. Still the grasp of years of continuity and great looking fight scenes has me coming back for more every 4 months....
 
Uncanny X-Force: Remender Complete Collection Vol 2 sees the early foundations of this Axis event being formed along with more Age of Apocalypse craziness, and a zany Otherworld invasion. Art is a little uneven at times but I guess i should expect that these days in a collection this big (19 issues).... However the narrative is tight and questions poised of ethical motivations are still in the air heavy...
 
Powers Bureau Vol 2 has the conspiracy around every corner vibe working strong here but for longtime Powers Fans it is going to be the 2nd plotline running here that will get the most reaction. A whole lot of dangling plots and questions get tied into a not so pretty bow here and we are left wondering where the cast goes from here.
 
I'm a sucker for the Batman Adventures in animated and comic form. I love Batman The Long Halloween. Combine those 2 stories and you get Batgirl/Robin Year One. This book is a combination of both sidekicks' limited series written by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon/ drawn by Marcos Martin and Javier Pulido. Seriously fun. At times, cheesy but what else can you expect from kids/young adults dealing with the Gotham Underworld.
 
WHEW!!! A lot of books but I did have time to find some new stories for you folks to digest....
 
-Send some prayers this way....
 
http://www.newsarama.com/23074-fundraiser-launches-for-batman-artist-norm-breyfogle-after-stroke.html
 
Norm Breyfogle is one of my favorite Batman artists and here's hoping that he can recover.
 
-Newsarama's wishlist for the New 52...
 
http://www.newsarama.com/23058-who-s-next-donna-troy-hey-dc-gives-these-heroes-a-new-52-chance.html
 
At least we got Donna, Wally and Stephanie back....right? Right?
 
-Black Dynamite fans? Here's a couple of interviews to appease y'all...
 
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2014/12/26/cbr-tv-davidson-whitley-minns-bring-martial-arts-comedy-to-black-dynamite/
 
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2014/12/24/cbr-tv-michael-jai-white-carl-jones-try-to-top-themselves-in-black-dynamite-s2/
 
Tommy Davidson still can make me laugh like no one's business...
 
-Not to leave out Penny Dreadful Fans....
 
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2014/12/26/penny-dreadful-promises-a-curse-and-a-blessing-in-season-2-teaser/
 
NOW this has me typing the rest of the blog with all the lights on...lol
 
-Back to back statements from The Mission Folks! First up is a dissection on Power Girl and the obvious
 
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=57963
 
I like the little dig that Mr. Illidge gets in at DC for essentially using the idea that he got shouted down for.... Then an interview with Alex de Campi that my buds have been talking about for a minute...
 
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=57808
 
Her Grindhouse stuff is great but I don't know if I can have her and Al Ewing at the same podium EVER after that line....Ouch!
 
-OK by now everyone has to have heard about or seen the ending of The Legend of Korra. Juliet Kahn at Comics Alliance unpacks it..
 
http://comicsalliance.com/legend-of-korra-finale-analysis/
 
Beautiful... and in case you didn't hear, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko come right out and confirm that final scene....
 
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=57977
 
One of the best TV show finales EVER. Korra will be missed....
 
-We have a Luke Cage...
 
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mike-colter-set-as-luke-759812
 
Good Luck Mike Colter!
 
-As I head out the door, I want to bid a hardy farewell to 4th Letter...
 
http://4thletter.net/2014/11/thats-a-wrap/
 
Thank You David Brothers, Gavok, Esther Inglis-Arkell for helping to stretch my mind week in and week out. I should have done the thanks sooner, but I couldn't form the words and as the New Year approaches, you folks deserve to hear them. I may not have always agreed but the thoughts and ideas were always well represented. You will be missed....
 
Thanks for reading all. Have a Happy New Year. Until Next Time, Keep Fantasizing!

'Twas The Night Before Xmas & Afronerd Radio is ALWAYS Stirring, Wed@7:30pm EST!

Happy Holidays once AGAIN, ladies and gents-welcome to the Christmas Eve edition of Afronerd Radio's Mid Week in Review airing this Wednesday at 7:30pm (EST).  Join Capt. Kirk and Dburt as they sift through a variety of topics from within "Santa's Satchel": actress and Fox News commenter, Stacy Dash gets slammed by Ebony magazine for her conservative viewpoint (and her hitting Rev. Sharpton on twitter might be another reason); it appears that the Hip Hop appropriation debate continues against Iggy Azalea with rap veteran,Q-tip entering into the fray; it seems that Starbucks might be serving insightful racial discourse with your hot cocoa, thanks to CEO, Howard Schultz (damn the talk, can a brother open up a franchise?); and speaking of business, YourBlackWorld.net's Teneshia "Miss Money Sense" Lafaye, suggests that Blacks should create their own empowerment villages (or code for Dburt to create a comic store in the urban arena....maybe) and lastly, more political fallout over the execution style killing of two NYPD officers.  Call the hosts live at 646-915-9620. 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/afronerd/2014/12/25/twas-the-night-before-xmas-afronerd-radio-is-always-stirring-wed730pm-est

Head Closer Toward the Winter solstice With Afronerd Radio's Grindhouse, Sat@6pm EST

Just like the often and incorrectly attributed Dragnet catchphrase-"Just the facts, ma'am"....we will try to make the show description brief!  Welcome to The Grindhouse(Comic Shoppe+Afronerd Radio) broadcast airing this Saturday at 6 and 7pm, respectively.  For The Comic Shoppe, join Dburt, Capt. Kirk and Daryll B. as they tackle the following subjects: more on the Sony hack (The Interview gets pulled, Idris as 007, Denzel gets slammed in an email, Andrew Garfield out as Spidey?); more on David Walker's take on Shaft, courtesy of Dynamite; in quest of a Black owned comic shop; Marvel' Comics editor-in-chief talk to CBS about the changes/diversity in Marvel characters; is there any hope for continued storylines relating to the Last Airbender series as the Legend of Korra series comes to a close?, and lastly, our thoughts on two new TV series, Netflix' Marco Polo and Syfy's Ascension.   

And there's Afronerd Radio airing at 7pm.  Join Dburt and Captain Kirk as they decipher the following "Da vinci coded" current event laden issues:  much hyped racial discussion between The View's Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O'Donnell; neo-soul artist, D'angelo releases his Black Messiah album after a 15 year absence; it appears that Bobby Shmurda's new audience will be behind bars (really?); after President Obama's historic political coup in renewing diplomatic relations with Cuba after 53 years of hostility-is he being "graded" fairly? and lastly, with VH-1's Sorority Sisters, cyberspace's lightskinordarkskin.com and a new Hip Hop themed restaurant serving "thug rice," is there no end to the minstrel industry onslaught?  Call live at 646-915-9620. 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/afronerd/2014/12/20/head-closer-toward-the-winter-solstice-with-afronerds-grindhouse-sat6pm-est

Wow, The Future Actually Seems Bright For Black Folk in Space! Maisie Richardson-Sellers Gets a Role in New Star Wars Flick

It appears that the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens is actually honoring the tenets of what is to be expected for the future-more folks of color being placed in cinematic properties minus the heavy exposition. The beauteous actress and recent Oxford graduate, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, has put to rest rumors that the early Awakens script called for a "young Black or mixed-race woman who may be a descendent of Jedi Knight Ben Kenobi."  For further clarification, check out this piece, courtesy of the U.K's Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/star-wars/11301933/Maisie-Richardson-Sellers-confirms-Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens-role.html  

Even More Blog Droppings, Courtesy of The "Uncanny" Daryll B! Remember The Shoppe Airs Saturdays at 6pm EST!

Reviews, Expectations, Letdowns, Insanity....

Earth 2 World's End 8-10, Earth 2 #29 - Yeah... things are unraveling fast. A couple of heroes are losing it, while one appears to have been turned to the "Darkseid". Knowing how this all turns out, somehow it is still fascinating for me to see all the foundations crumble....
 
Five Weapons Vol 1 & 2 - I know you have heard from me about Jimmie Robinson's assassins school but this is the first time I have given you a visual of the book. So now you can't say you haven't seen it as an excuse. PICK IT UP!!
 
Battlestar Galactica: The Death of Apollo #1 - Picking up where the original series ended and before Galactica 1980 began, we finally get to witness Apollo's ultimate fate. This tale of woe begins with finding another ship of weird survivors with nary a cylon in sight. ALWAYS a bad sign with this property....
 
Tooth and Claw #2 - A city lies in ruins and its most powerful mages are weakened. Opposing forces set their sights on this golden opportunity to seize control. At the same time, the mysterious hero/being steps out of the cocoon and it's a .... Yeah Busiek really got me with the reveal and damn him I got to pick up #3 now...lol
 
Shaft #1 - I told you folks to pick this up. Great initial story shadowing the Daredevil origin in some ways and establishing a bigger, deeper mythos. The art was fantastic and popped off every page. Great start for David Walker and Bilquis Evely and the titular hero.
 
New Warriors #12 - Final Issue for this version of the teen/young adult superteam and I still a little mad that the team is gone. That's a testament to the characters that I have grown with for half my life. It'll be back but like with Legion of SuperHeroes and other properties that grow on me, something will be lost until then.
 
Empire of the Dead Act Two #4 - The pieces have been placed, and sides have been chosen. Now I just waiting for that catalyst to set things off. It still feels like the book is in a holding pattern...
 
Guardians 3000 #3 - 90's Daryll is totally geeking out over this book. Dan Abnett is a master of choosing just the right elements from characters' histories to entice new readers while making old time fans salivate. And well... I need a bounty right about now...
 
Captain America and The Mighty Avengers #2 - In terms of the Axis Event, this issue was pitch perfect as heroes who weren't at "Skull Inversion Zero" notice the changes in the heroes that were. Only inevitable but this issue tapped into the core of the event more than any I have seen so far.
 
Rachel Rising #30 - Just when I thought things couldn't get stranger, Terry Moore continues to merge the mystical, demonic and normal to the point where a giant bear gets possessed by a malevolent spirit and it doesn't phase me. Yeah.... I think this book is just adding to my issues..lol
 
Avengers/X-Men Axis #7 - OK if that was Marvel's way around red tape of the FOX Movie deal....what the &^^&**&???? I not going to spoil the scene but COME ON! By now comic fanatic has heard some iteration or rumor but... that is a change to 3 characters foundations that unravels DECADES of continuity. Not happy Marvel....
 
Justice League United #7 - Thank you for undoing the confusion that was the Nu52 Legion Lost series...or at least making it relevant. And how exactly does Hawkman keep getting new armor? Oh yeah, geek analytical overload in 3, 2.... And what's the deal with Adam Strange??!!??!!?? (Told you...)
 
All New Ultimates #11 - Yeah I knew they were just fast forwarding until the end of the series. This issue confirms that. The story's pacing is going faster than Usain Bolt... NOT a good thing....
 
The Valiant #1 - As a fan of 90's Valiant, there were 3 things I have waited on/expected from the reboot: I got Sting from Harbinger. I got H.A.R.D. Corps from Bloodshot. My final piece has arrived in The Valiant with the introduction of Geomancers. What I didn't expect was the morbid way they would be introduced. But I glad that Lemaire remembered the ties between them and the Forever Brothers (Armstrong, Padda The Eternal Warrior, and now introducing Ivar The Timewalker).
 
Quantum and Woody Special - How does James Asmus keep from cracking up as he writes these misadventures? Whatever he does, he continues to successfully imitate the essence of the zaniness of Christopher Priest's creations like totally on point. I mean the money gag has been done many times before for science fiction fans but the journey was hilarious to get there. Only downside: we only got a couple of panels wit goat... Sorry insane Einstein could only sustain me so long..lol
 
Monster Man "King of Fools" - About a month ago we had Chad Hunter on The Comic Shoppe and I vowed to give his book a read and fair review. What I didn't expect was how easily readable and accessible the book is. The premise is that a man has to return to the place of his youthful learning to find lost kids. However, that place is an alternate dimension where the monsters from our movies are quite real like Dracula.
If you got a budding horror movie fan who loves to read, or even a kid that you want to expose to the joys of reading, I wholeheartedly recommend this. Hunter's love for the classic monsters comes through and ever when things get dark, the situations are done with knowledge and respect. Heck, the midst of this book, "Malachi's origin", is a combination of Empire Strikes Back with Where The Wild Things Are seen through the lenses of Monster Squad. Is the book perfect? Of course not. There will be things that you will want expounded on but...that's what a part 2 is made for..(HINT, HINT, HINT)
 
Off the book beat, did you catch Ascension? Well done SyFy Channel. For fans of the channel, there will be a lot of familiar faces amongst the crew from shows like Sanctuary, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, etc. There are more than a couple of outer space tropes here and it builds the tension up to a fever pitch until something (someone) snaps. Power struggles, sex, violence, double (triple) crosses, and science combine to form a volatile mix that hooks the viewer in. This in a lot of ways is the type of series to draw in folks that aren't science fiction fans, to watch sci-fi. Plus young hotties in bikinis and genetic theory... speaks to the geeky 13 year old in me....
 
Speaking of volatile, I have to say that Constantine has gotten better seen the pilot but the thing holding it back is the fact that Constantine feels a bit neutered. I know that he couldn't be the outright asshole that he was written as in Vertigo's Hellblazer but I have to ask why not? We had House on TV did we not??? His attitude was close to how John's was in the comics. NBC I not saying to totally change him or "make him go dark" but he can be a bit more of a bastard....
 
It took awhile but I found the replacement for Warehouse 13 in TNT's The Librarians and that's hilariously ironic because I dislike Dean Devlin and he's an executive producer. But..
 
Comedic Drama? Check.
Likeable Cast? Check.
Twisting historical moments to have a supernatural bent? Check.
Conspiracies? Check.
 
Yeah. 3 shows in and they got me watching. All I ask is give Rebecca Romjin some more competent fight training and I can take her more seriously as a "guardian". She does hold her own as our touchstone as a true outside in this world of manic magic...... Plus the show has a deathbound girl supercomputer.. how cool is that?!?!?!
 
Ok that's it for me this week. Thanks for reading. Enjoy your holidays.... and Until Next Time, Keep Fantasizing!

Check Out The Latest Pulp Musings by The Shoppe's Daryll B.! (Part 1)

By now you all have probably figured my likes and dislikes when it comes to comic books, TV, and film. For those uneducated souls, let me give you a little handy cheat guide as to the things I need to be solidly behind a project.

1. Everyone involved has to be into it. I mean for a comic book, it is hard to tell unless the writing or art gets uncharacteristically sloppy from an artistic team that you have followed but it is easy to tell on TV or Film. The viewer can get vibes from the actors and actresses that they aren't really into it. It might not be something you can put a finger on but you just can see that they just don't care as much as they once did. An example of this is any show on TV over 5 years. Some actors don't have the same bounce after working with the same people years on end but they aren't the only to succumb....

2. Writing and plot has to be mostly on point throughout. How well can you follow a story if every other scene/issue/episode another surprise is thrown into the mix? One or two shocks occasionally is great, don't get me wrong, but if every project you do has them, then it becomes a lazy crutch of an unimaginative storyteller. See M. Night Shamalyan as an example. EVERYTHING with him became "When's the twist coming?" And stories were eschewed...

3. No Faze. No Fear. No Panic. Too Many Cooks? If I dig the direction of a book/show and the rest of the world doesn't, I really don't care. The more the artists/actors buy in to tell their story without changing to suit public opinion, the better the project is. For an example, look at Heroes. If Tim Kring stuck to his original vision, I think we would be talking about a television classic instead of a cautionary tale about how not to follow up a show's initial success.

So with that being said, this past week of Daryll TV was AWESOME! Everything popped off my screen, including a great lesson of using continuity to a storytelling advantage from probably the most unexpected source you can think of.

Mid-Season Finale of The Flash was great for me until the final scene. The fight  between Reverse-Flash? and Flash popped off my screen. The Firestorm teaser/introduction was great and the typical CW romantic melodrama was integrated into the story quite well. However, that last scene with Harrison Wells felt so rushed to me. Ironically so for a show called The Flash, but we could have had viewers guessing for at least another half season more. That reveal felt like movie Sinestro putting the yellow ring on for no good reason..... Still, all the actors/actresses on the show are beat perfect. This is the show for jaded comic book fans who are looking to rekindle their fire for the medium.

So what if Arrow is Batman for those who can't actually use Batman? The Mid-Season Finale was great just for the reveal of who killed Canary. I did not see those machinations of Malcolm Merlyn playing out like that. I don't think anyone did but GOD John Barrowman stole his scene with Amell and truly put Ollie in a no-win situation. The duel with Ra's al Ghul was well executed and Matt Nable portrayed the BEST version of him that I have seen since the animated series. The character's/phrase sinister nobility has never been brought to the big or small screen so perfectly. And I still haven't even touched on The Lances (Alex Kingston back?!?!? YES!), Ray and Felicity, and the A.T.O.M. suit. Yeahhhh.. I feeling great here....

Agents of SHIELD caused the biggest reaction out of me...and that's a good thing. We get the answers about Skye's origin, the artifact, and a little something about the mysterious city. But in doing so, the team definitely lost a member and quite possibly 2 to the machinations of the city. It been a week so now I can reveal that in the process of Skye (Daisy) getting her birthright/powers, their activation causes the death of Tripp. I was heated because a) he was finally starting to get development, b) he was one of the few black characters on the Marvel side that wasn't stereotyped YET was a legacy character, and c) c'mon. Who DIDN'T have fun seeing Coulson geek out everytime Tripp brought out a Howling Commando device? Sigh... here's hoping he got Sandman type powers and will return.

Here's my surprise: who knew that SOUTH PARK of all places would show us all how you can use a season's worth of plots/events and weave them together for a satisfying season finale. From Randy as Lorde to Cartman as Trans-Gender to the Washington Redskins to HandiCar, everything from this season got referenced (rehashed) in a brisk 22 minutes YET they still had time to rip on social media addiction and current police controversies. If this was the rumored end, I can't imagine leaving on a higher note.

*whew* That's it for now. I still have a review link-blog and thoughts on Constantine and The Librarians coming up this week. That's what I get for taking a week off..lol Thanks for reading and until next time, Keep Fantasizing!