Uncategorized

The war for Cybertron continues with the second chapter, Earthrise!

With the Allspark gone, Megatron is forced to confront the harsh reality that his Decepticons are trapped on a dying Cybertron while also fighting off the persistent threat of Elita-1 and her Autobots. Meanwhile, lost in the darkest reaches of space, Optimus Prime and his team embark on a desperate mission that will push them to the breaking point as they travel to uncharted new worlds to face spacefaring mercenaries, enigmatic figures from long ago, and even their own creators…the Quintessons.

Transformers: Earthrise premieres on Netflix December 30th.

Writer: Ryan North / Artist: Nico Leon / Cover: Ryan Stegman / MARVEL

It feels like every day 2020 hit us with another unsuspecting Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: One Thousand Years of Death. Despite the boatloads of crap this year has wrought, Marvel’s been busy setting up their legacy characters for the long run. Established super teen teams like the Champions and Young Avengers have been holding it down for some time. New books like Strange Academy have established incredible new locations, like a magic school, for dope young heroes to flourish.

Now, the Power Pack may have been Marvel’s original super powered kid team, but things have changed since their 1984 debut. They’ve been in a bunch of books, hung out with Wolverine, popped up in various timelines, and alternate futures, however the name doesn’t carry much weight these days. Despite all that, there is no denying that these four possess something special that deserves to be celebrated, and Eisner Award winning writer Ryan North, is beginning to do just that.

In Power Pack #1, North does an impeccable job of catching readers up on the Power Pack origin story, character descriptions, sibling dynamics, and reestablishment as an NYC based team of powerful pint-sized heroes!

Seasoned fans will find the issue to be a bright rehashing of things they already know, but hopefully they can find solace in knowing the book is written so dam well, and the artwork is precise and vibrant. The Pack also seems to be in the 8-14 age range (possibly older) and have earned some serious XP over the years. That could be the difference in this mini-series leading to an ongoing book and cementing themselves as members if this decade’s exciting young Marvel heroes.

My hope is that Katie, Julie, Jack, and Alex Power get to showcase their powers in a new and exciting way. My hope is that the Outlawed tie-in does this book a favor instead of holding it back. My hope is that they run into Miles Morales, Nova, and Kamala Khan and get inspired to be great. We’ll see if Ryan North can deliver.

Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

The post ‘Power Pack #1’ Review: Is this Team Ready to Join this Generation of Young Marvel Heroes? appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

By Anoa Changa ·December 4, 2020December 4, 2020

The Tennessee Conference of the NAACP and five residents are fighting to restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated folks across the state. A lawsuit filed Thursday alleges Tennessee’s process has systematically failed formerly incarcerated people and a process riddled with inconsistencies in administration. 

 “One in five Black people in Tennessee can’t vote because of past convictions—the second highest rate of Black disenfranchisement in the country—and one in ten Latinos, the highest rate of Latino disenfranchisement in the country,” Gloria Sweet-Love, President of the Tennessee Conference of the NAACP, said in a statement.

Sweet-Love highlighted the work done by the legislature to create opportunities for formerly incarcerated people to restore their rights. She said that state officials failed to develop a system that works for everyone. 

Tennessee based advocacy organization Free Hearts represents the parties along with Campaign Legal Services, Equal Justice Under the Law, and Baker Donelson.

“We’ve seen over and over again that people who meet the eligibility criteria are regularly denied their Certificates of Restoration and our statewide officials are passive architects of this voter suppression,” Free Hearts Legal Advisor Keeda Haynes said in a statement.  A former public defender, Haynes said that Free Hearts has helped thousands with felony convictions restore their rights. 

According to Campaign Legal Center, whether a formerly incarcerated person can have their rights restored depends on  what year the conviction happened, what type of conviction, ability to pay the legal financial obligation, and whether the sentence has been completed. 

“Tens of thousands of Tennesseans are eligible for a Certificate of Restoration (COR) and, as a matter of law, have a statutory right to restore their vote upon request,” Blair Bowie, Legal Counsel & Restore Your Vote Manager at Campaign Legal Center, said. “To date, only a small fraction of those individuals have been able to receive their CORs and restore their voting rights because the process as administered by Defendants is unequal, inaccessible, opaque, and inaccurate.” 

Restoration of voting rights differs across states, with only 16 states restoring rights automatically upon release. Maine, Vermont, and Washington D.C. do not disenfranchise people who have been convicted of felonies. 

The Tennessean reported in October that 3,400 individuals had their rights restored in the past four years. It is estimated over five million Americans remain unable to vote due to felony convictions. 

The post Tennessee Challenged To Address Issues In Voting Rights Restoration Process appeared first on Essence.

Heyyy! We recently received the official trailer for the upcoming CMC Pictures film The Rescue, directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Dante Lam and starring Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng! Boasting one of the biggest budgets ever for a Chinese film at $100 million, the stunt- and pyrotechnic-filled spectacle features an A-list Hollywood production team that includes […]