This Week's Book Recommendations Thanks to Daryll B! Appearing Regularly at The GrindHouse!

Live From A Stack of Books.....

A lot happened this week that I'm going to need time to process. So in the meantime, here at a bunch of books!

The Ultimates enter the fray in Contest of Champions #7 by Al Ewing and Rhoald Marcellius as we find both teams captured and being "punished" by Maestro and Punisher 2099. Well, things actually get worse and I'm loving it. Ewing is nailing the characterization of the players and his Dwayne Taylor is scary fun.

Archie is looking for a bit of revenge on Reggie and the ways he tries in Archie #7 by Mark Waid and Veronica Fish are hilariously Archie in concept and execution. Nice to see the role Pops plays here and I think it is the first time I have seen Mr. Mantle, Reggie's Father, on the page...

A tale starts to lead to a point within Dreaming Eagles #4 by Garth Ennis and Simon Coleby. And as the action in the past picks up, we see a dawning of a realization of the future in the son's reactions. Morals and human conditions under warlike circumstances prove how Ennis has mastered both..

Say hello to Grandma Morales in Spider-Man #3 by Brain Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli. And she's determined to keep him on the right path. Chaos ensues for the whole family as she proceeds to make his (and his pops) life miserable. Perfect time for Kamala Khan to stop by right? Hilarious!

We learn more about how our resident invisible bodyguard gets mixed up with the Primatech Company in Heroes Godsend #2 by Joey Falco and Roy Allan Martinez. Farah goes in for one thing and, well, let's just say no one could be prepared for this. I still have give kudos to the creative team on how they are handling the 9/11 portion of this. So many potholes avoided..

We are coming to the endgame in Rachel Rising #41 by Terry Moore. Lilith is getting antsy and decides to do the one thing that Rachel isn't ready for. And when Zoe and her condition is discovered, the question now is Rachel's mental state in preparation for battle with Malus. Outlook looks bleak....

Darby Pop brings back a legend in Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises #1 by Shannon Lee, Jeff Kline, and Brandon McKinney. The Master of Fluid Master Arts is seemingly back in 2012 California, trying to get adjusted to today's society. All the while, a corporation wants him back! Hello deep end of the pool! Interesting start to this...

You heard our show. You have read our Twitter feeds. Black Panther #1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze is a must get folks! Coates seemingly cherry picks from parts of T'Challa's recent and fabled history to craft a hairy situation for the King. Civil unrest, disillusioned friends, enemies at the gate, and T'Challa is....distracted?!?!?!?!?!? The Road to the Land of the Dead is paved with....

A hero falls as the trouble deepens in Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 by James Tynion IV and Freddie Williams II. Time is running out on our favorite teens just as Ra's Al rul and Shredder's plans come to fruition. So this is a PERFECT time to insert Damian Wayne to stir the pot. Yeah....

The ultimate battle with Anti-Matter is joined in A-Force #4 by Kelly Thompson, G. Willow Wilson, and Jorge Molina. Singularity believes that she needs to take him on alone. Can Medusa and She-Hulk put aside their stubborn behavior long enough to rally a team to help her? And who'll be left standing? Once again, the interactions overshadow the fight here...

Remind me to never let Alan Scott negotiate for me after Earth 2 Society #11 by Dan Abnett and Federico Dallocchio as he says the one thing in a leadership meeting between bickering cities that will ensure a war. Meanwhile, Ted Grant and Batman are still in battle with Hourman and Nimbus. And just wait until you see how the Amazons survived...

Deathlok shines in Agents of SHIELD #4 by Marc Guggenheim and German Peralta as the team has to fight The New Avengers over Rick Jones. Meanwhile, Coulson travels deeper into Pleasant Hill and a villain well known to show fans makes his debut to make our team's life a little harder.

Enter a land of fantasy where danger is omni-present in Erathune #1 by Sebastian A. Jones, Darrell May, and Sheldon Mitchell. Grown-Up Niobe is fierce with a Xena vibe and the Stonebread Family seems to be a force to be reckoned with. Now let's see if the upcoming war with dark forces follows through with these hints of awesomeness dropped here.

Awaken from a walking dream are what our heroes are doing in All-New All-Different Avengers #8 by Mark Waid and Andy Kubert. The Unity and "Misfit" team are still in the nightmare that is Pleasant Hill as the supervillains are running wild. All the while, Kobik is trying to find her way. So of course it is up to Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales, and Deadpool to save the day. Wait. What? We're screwed...!

GLC Edge of Oblivion #4 by Tom Taylor, Aaron Kuder and Adrian Syaf turns all conceptions we had on its ear as we find out more about Marniel. Kilowog, Guy Gardner, Simon, and Two-Six are amongst her captured Green Lanterns with John planning the breakout. And this is just when the table is overturned and Taylor, in his fashion, forces you to look at every situation here in a different light. Insidious Tom. VERY crafty Sir.

On that same tip, I had to go and retrieve GLC Lost Army by Cullen Bunn, Jesus Saiz, Cliff Richards, and Javier Pina to see what planted the seeds for oblivion. Cut off from their universe, the Green Lanterns must survive a very familiar yet wild setting and understand the bond between themselves as enemies come a calling. ESPECIALLY 2 of their most dangerous menaces. Good story and pacing....

Once again I have to place Autumnlands #10 by Kurt Busiek and Benjamin Dewey as my book of the (last 2) week. As the journey to find what is poisoning the river continues, the Hero gains and (unwanted) traveler. Of course this takes a back seat to a magical explosion and, well, I don't even know how to describe the last page. Dewey? Pure nightmare fuel Man. I blame my insomnia last night on you!

I'll end on the character that has inspired my last week: Black Panther The Christopher Priest Complete Collection Volume 3 by Christopher Priest, J. Torres, Sal Velluto, Jon Bogdanove, Jorge Lucas, John Buscema, and Ryan Bodenheim. Included in this tome, a resolution to the Ross/Mephisto body swap thing; 2 Black Panthers; a whole lot of time-travel; the debut of the Golden Frogs; T'Challa vs Tony Stark; Wakanda vs The United States and oooh! Is that The Hulk and Wolverine??? Yeah we are all over the world and the place here. Let's see if you can keep up...

Two Weeks of Books. A lot of gems. Next Week: Goldie Vance! ActionVerse! Power Man & Iron Fist! Shaft! Clean Room! Astro City! So my quality reading shall continue!

Thanks for reading! Until Next Time, Keep Fantasizing!

Filmmaker, Hilton A. Ruiz (Zombie With A Shotgun) Stops By! Wed@7:30pm

Hey Hey Hey!  Check out the latest podcast saga better known as our Mid Week in Review show, courtesy of Afronerd Radio Machine Works!  Join Dburt and Capt. Kirk this Wednesday at 7:30pm EST for yet another fact finding mission encapsulating this (mid) week's latest issues:  longtime friend and supporter of the Afronerd machine, filmmaker, Hilton A. Ruiz stops by not only to discuss his popular web series, Zombie With A Shotgun but also to shed light on his companion Zombie Kickstarter campaign (SUPPORT!):

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1343487411/zombie-with-a-shotgun

More racial shenanigan stories-Justin Bieber and a White college student both get critiqued for cultural appropriation for wearing dreadlock hairstyles: a GapKids ad campaign gets called out for....you guessed it racial insensitivity;  actor, variety show host and erstwhile rapper, Nick Cannon gets socially analyzed for an anti-political/apolitical spoken word performance that some are likening to an ode to nihilism; another local NY-LI high school student of Nigerian descent gets accepted to 8 Ivy League institutions concurrently; the growing popularity of politically incorrect promposals and lastly, Dburt (hopefully) provides his analysis on SJWism.  Call the hosts live at 646-915-9620. 

The fight for freedom needs no more matyrs-it needs victory-it needs no more atrocities to stir our blood-it is stirred!-T'Challa, The Black Panther

Pt 3 from Daryll B.'s The Grindhouse-The Nerdgate Tapes

So Part 3 begins with my TV roundup...

Before I get in, if you haven't seen Daredevil Season 2 yet, what are you waiting for? Punisher, Elektra, Foggy, Karen, Claire, Mobsters, Ninjas, Stick, Motorcycle Gangs, Hell's Kitchen, and of course, Daredevil. If you are Matt Murdock fan and have Netflix, you need to jump on this and find out what everyone is talking about.

I liked the Supergirl/Flash "crossover" but I couldn't LOVE it and again it has to do with the WB Film side. So the Grant Gustin Flash is now in a completely different dimension than Melissa Benoist's Supergirl? WEAK SAUCE! That kind of took me out of the episode with the realization that a) no interaction between the supporting characters (unless we go total crisis) b) this was done to protect the film version and c) this limits the chances of an S character within Flash's dimension because WB will balk at it. Flash also looked way too amateurish and got punked. However, Finn being the giddy geek and the obvious chemistry between Gustin and Benoist make this a must watch.

Speaking of Flash, the time travel episode was well done as was Wells/Thawne's ability to see right through the deception. Now, time wraiths? I would think that would have been hokey...if not I have been conditioned by years of Doctor Who watching. Now is Barry ready for Zoom? Time will tell...(sorry couldn't resist..)

And as I talk time travel, nice to see Legends of Tomorrow not shy away from the issues of characters stranded in time. Sure the Sara issue wrapped up a little too tidy but the entanglements of being on a world 2 years before being "rescued"? The emotional ties? Nice to see that they explored that a bit wit Shiera and Ray. Now the Chronos thing? Yeah I call B.S. but at least Vanishing Point got name dropped...

Agents of SHIELD came off a great goodbye episode for Bobbi and Hunter with a clunker involving The Watchdogs. Now they weren't actually the problem since it provides another foil for the team. My problem is with the portrayal of Mack's Brother. How annoying and gullible could one person be? Then to get mad because you got suckered? Lame.

Self-replicating robot bees? You create self replicating robot bees but still need Curtis' little spinal machine that helps Felicity walk? Um Arrow? We need to check your science here a bit. On the bright side, I think Curtis has taken a couple of steps forward to Mr. Terrific status AND I would also totally geek out as he did...

There are parts of Avengers Assemble that occasionally make me forget my distaste for its current direction. The Thunderbolts/Masters of Evil last couple of episodes definitely fall into that. Totally geeked out seeing Songbird and Atlas being animated....

While I am on an animation kick, props to this season of Venture Bros but damn! Gone WAY too soon! Here's hoping it doesn't take 14 months+ for its return.

GO SEE JUSTICE LEAGUE VS TEEN TITANS "T" FANS!!!! In depth review next week....

With the Hidden One's emergence into the lives of our heroes, Sleepy Hollow has definitely gotten a jump in excitement...but we all know that we are going to need bodybags soon right? No way everyone is making it through the year alive...

Kicking myself in the a$$ because I forgot to set DVR to tape Wynonna Earp but it gave me a chance to binge watch the last 3 episodes of Lost Girl and I have to thank the crew, actors and actresses. Even though I fell out of love for the show earlier in the season, the last 3 shows reminded me why I fell in love in the first place. Bringing back Kenzie was a stroke of genius AND perfect closure...'cept I wanted to get Hale back too. *raises glass of milk* Thanks LG for the great entertainment!

BOOKS!

Drax, Terrax, and a Killer Robot vs an enraged Fin Fang Foom for everything in Drax #5 by Cullen Bunn, CM Punk, and Scott Hepburn. Fight definitely went where I didn't think it would go as all participants show a multitude of emotions. Bunn and Punk wrote the hell out of this one and it is easily the best issue of the series to date!

Lunella pines while the prehistoric punks rip things up in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #5 by Brandon Montclare, Amy Reeder, and Natacha Bustos. Just wait until you see exactly where the government imprisons Devil Dinosaur and on top of everything else, a certain cloud makes its presence felt again.

How to keep a secret identity secret? Faith struggles with that in Faith #3 by Jody Houser, Marguerite Sauvage, and Francis Portela. The alien forces step up their plans as co-workers and loved ones are now in serious trouble. Meanwhile, you see the first question? Yeah that comes into play bigtime...

OK so Captain America and Winter Soldier enter Pleasant Hill in Sam Wilson, Captain America #7 by Nick Spencer, Angel Unzueta, Matt Yackey, and Daniel Acuna and find themselves in a couple of sticky situations. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers attempts to get help for a fellow prisoner and we all have to keep eyes on the little girl and the priest! In the 2nd Story by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, a PR Firm tries to "help" Captain America's image with suggestions. The 3rd Story by Tim Sale is a great wordless affair as Cap takes on Hydra alone. And to close things out in the 4th Story by Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins, a little reminder about why Steve Rogers is an endearing character.

Avatar The Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow Pt 3 by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihuru concludes the Fire Nation/Kemurikage saga as we have not just 1 but 2 fateful meetings, an explanation for the "cold hands" is revealed in 2 different ways. This series is just awesome and helps my longing for the animated series...

A whole lot goes on within Secret Six Volume 3: Cat's Cradle by Gail Simone, John Ostrander, Jim Calafiore, Peter Nguyen, R.B. Silva, Doug Hazelwood, Mark McKenna, and Alexandre Palamaro. Blackest Night crossover with the Suicide Squad means a lot of bodies; Catman's child with Cheshire gets kidnapped; Black Alice decides the Six would be cool to join AND falls for one of the members; Team gets "chosen" for a game of survival BUT the highlight of the series continues to be the chemistry and dark humor of the Six. Here's hoping the Suicide Squad has 1/10th of the characterization that Simone puts into each issue...

Thx for reading folks! Until Next Time, Keep Fantasizing!

More Musings from Daryll B. on Batman vs Superman & other Afronerdic fare!

So for everyone that didn't get a chance to listen to the show Saturday or doesn't want me ranting like a lunatic, I gave Batman/Superman Dawn of Justice a 6/10. Needless to say some spoilers are upcoming, so here's the link to the show Saturday to act as a buffer before I go in:


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/afronerd/2016/03/26/batman-vs-superman-obviously-more-daredevil-return-of-blade-the-grind6pm-est


I figure that I'll give you my positives first with a little reasoning behind each:


1) Ben Affleck might be the most complete Batman this side of Kevin Conroy. Yes I said it. This movie may have a lot of problems but his portrayal of a Bruce Wayne/Batman on the edge is the closest thing to right in this movie. I told you folks that he could pull off Argo, The Town, and Gone Girl. He can handle Bruce Wayne. That scene with the girl in the beginning, and the other with the security guard was pure and ideal.


2) Gal Gadot played Wonder Woman cool and assured. She was strong and composed. Matted of fact the only thing I saw wrong is that Diana would never fly coach. You just have to see the scene....And the fact that she and Affleck had instant chemistry? Totally harkens back to what I felt between them in JLU...


3) Jesse Eisenberg was a kinetic villain. Annoying at times most assuredly BUT he did bring energy and malice to the Lex Luthor role. One small caveat to that, I can also argue that similar to Heath Ledger, he played the role well but I am not so sure that was Lex Luthor he was playing. Again, up for debate...


4) The big fight scene was alright...and there are some great shots in the movie.


Negatives


1) By now everyone knows my feelings in terms of how Zack Snyder views fun in terms of superheroes he directs. That is apparent here yet again as Superman is filled with a palpable self-loathing when he uses his powers that comes across to the audience.


2) Partnered with that lane of thinking, every shot with Superman has him partially/totally covered in shadow. I'm sorry. The main thing about the Superman/Batman dynamic is that one is in the shadows and negative while the other is in light and positive. They are equals in their wanting of a better tomorrow and that's where the friendship has common ground. NOT Dark Knight and Sorta Dark Hero.


3) It is something that Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince automatically have a spark and passion when they first meet because over two movies, Clark and Lois have NONE. Their relationship seems forced!


4) BUT staying with that thought, just look at when they decide to make out... If that isn't a Superman thing to do, I don't know what is...


And even with all this, I gave the movie a 6/10. Now let's see how Warner Bros and Snyder builds on it...


AS PROMISED


With the news that Deadpool's success as an R movie, some studios are going a bit overboard with the R makes a better movie thing. Likewise, some fans are doing the same in the other direction saying that there's no way that the MCU can do R  movies. Um...what? 

-Iron Man had extremis which got murdered by Iron Man 3 BUT he still has the tried and true Demon in a Bottle, which is his hitting rockbottom in terms of alcoholism AND the company.

-Black Widow could do the Yelena (Black Widow 2) storyline in sort of a spy vs spy context. Heck, any spy storyline could work for Hawkeye and, of course, Nick Fury in a SHIELD context too.

-Thor. Ragnarok. Nuff Said. In the style of Lord of the Rings meets 300 totally can work...

-Hulk can do a technological horror movie easy, given his history BUT I'd love the dystopian Future Imperfect to come to the screen sometime. BUT, in the vein of Old Man Logan, that would be Ruffalo's last time with him.

-Captain America. Man Without a Country or The Captain storylines, which are a lot of the beats I am feeling from the Civil War trailers...besides Civil War that is.


So to sum up: most characters have R rated storylines in their catalog. The question is taking the time and effort to ensure that we get quality on screen and in script.


BOOKS!


Everything starts to hit the fan in We Are Robin #10 by Lee Bermejo and Jorge Corona. The stress the team has been under since before Robin War. The fractures within the team concept become readily apparent as no one is ready for the moves that the unified, yet Jokers are making. Heartbreaking and consistently a great read every month.


So how exactly did the Maestro survive Battleworld's destruction? Find out in Contest of Champions #6 by Al Ewing and Paco Medina just how did he and Punisher 2099 became players/moderators/usurpers of the "great game". And how do the Elders of the Universe fit into this exactly? An origin stop-gap of a story that moves things along as new players that Ewing is keenly aware of prepare to enter the scene...


Bloodshot Reborn 2016 Annual by Jeff Lemire and Kano shows a loving homage to the Friday The 13th mythos but though a Bloodshot lens. And of course that means Project Rising Spirit. Which also means there's more to this than meets the eye. In the 2nd Story by ?, Joe Bennett, Belardino Brabo, and Jay Fabares, the Squirtshot returns in a hilarious tale featuring a lot of the Valiant heroes. The history of the "maniac" is explored in the 3rd Story by Ray Fawkes. Finally, Bloodshot takes on a cult that is more intimate with his nanites in the 4th Story by Michael Fiffe and Benjamin Marra that is balls to the wall nuts in a way only Fiffe could pull off.


Murderous inmates. Murderous droids. Sana and Leia trapped in Star Wars 17 by Jason Aaron and Leinil Francis Yu. So who could they possibly turn to for help? Yeah. They go there. Meanwhile, Luke and Han's hijinks continue as they try to recoupe the money lost by Solo gambling.


Cyborg #9 by David F. Walker, Felipe Watanabe, and Julio Ferreira has Cyborg using all of his abilities to try and head off the government tech squad/legislation. He thinks he got a plan. The Justice League knows he has a plan. But did the plan call for him going up against SHAZAM?!?!?!? Yeah. This might complicate things....


Just when Kamala thought it was safe to go back to school, Vision pays her a visit in All-New All-Different Avengers #7 by Mark Waid and Adam Kubert. This leads right into the team going into Pleasant Hill and head to head with the Avengers Unity Squad and 2 Maria Hills? What the heck is going on in this strange town???


Speaking of strange, we see that America does have a limit in Ultimates #5 by Al Ewing and Kenneth Rockafort. Meanwhile, the team is headed off in their desire to "cure" the timestream by the LifeBringer Galactus just as bad things are happening. Speaking of bad, what the hell could CHAIN Eternity???? Yep. Ewing going big with these mindblowing concepts folks!


Part Two in can...Part Three coming surrounding Daredevil. Supergirl. Flash. Arrow. Agents of SHIELD. Venture Bros. Avengers Assemble. And more Books!


Thanks for reading! Until Next Time, Keep Fantasizing!