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https://blacknerdproblems.com/slice-announces-special-guests-programming-for-2023-expo/
The St. Louis Independent Comics Expo (SLICE) has happily invited Bulgilhan Press, Bianca Xunise, and Cassi Mothwin as special guests to headline the 2023 show. Bulgilhan, Xunise, and Mothwin will participate in a panel discussion, exhibit their work, and lead lectures as part of SLICE’s programming lineup on the day of the expo.
The expo weekend kicks off with an opening night panel discussion featuring Bulgilhan, Xunise, and Mothwin on Friday, October 13, 6–8 p.m., at the Hi-Pointe Theatre. SLICE president Steenz will moderate the conversation. The event is free to attend and open to the public.
The expo takes place the following day, October 14, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., at the Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries. Programming for the day includes screen printing, poetry writing, button making, and live figure drawing. Bulgilhan, Xunise, and Mothwin will also lead lectures on small press publishing, BIPOC punks in comics, and solo role-playing games, respectively. SLICE is seeking volunteers to help out on the day of the expo, and those who are interested may sign up on SLICE’s volunteer form.
Bulgilhan Press is a small press comics publisher making new and self-indulgent comics by excellent artists with unique visions and voices. Bulgilhan is owned by Zachary Clemente, who previously worked on the organizational committee for the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) and currently serves on the Board of Directors for an arts nonprofit organization—the Boston Comic Arts Foundation—as the President and Chair. Bulgilhan’s recent publications include Far Distant by A Liang Chan, Die Horny by Rebecca Mock, and Stray by Molly Mendoza.
Bianca Xunise is an illustrator, writer, and educator based out of Chicago, Illinois. With two Ignatz Awards under their belt, Bianca’s storytelling primarily focuses on the joys and plights of being Black in the 21st century. Bianca enjoys being a voice for those who march to the beat of their own drum and hopes that their comics are comforting to those who feel like they don’t fit in. In 2020, Bianca became the first nationally syndicated nonbinary cartoonist (and the second Black woman) when they joined the comic strip Six Chix in 2020 as their first Black creator. Xunise has also collaborated with Vogue, The Washington Post, The Nib, and Believer Magazine.
Cassi Mothwin is an award-winning tabletop RPG designer, writer, and illustrator. Her game designs include Tangled Blessings, a journaling-based magic academy horror adventure; What Crooked Roots, a collection of folk-horror roleplay encounters for 5e systems; Clean Spirit, a standalone game that helps players deepen their connections with existing characters; and her award-winning output, The Sticker Game, a science fiction interactive audio drama that engages your unused sticker collections. Her game designs span genre but are united by a throughline of emotional depth and a focus on player introspection.
SLICE is St. Louis’s premier annual indie-print showcase, bringing together writers, artists, poets, and printmakers from St. Louis and beyond to showcase their self-published books, comics, zines, magazines, poetry, and more. As a nonprofit organization, SLICE supports St. Louis’s small press community through workshops, artist meetups, and expositions to foster independent print culture in St. Louis. SLICE, formerly the St. Louis Small Press Expo (STL SPEX), returns after a three-year hiatus and has led a variety of community-focused programming in 2023 in the lead-up to the expo.
For more information and announcements on upcoming workshops, the SLICE 2023 exhibitor list, and more, visit SLICE’s website and follow SLICE on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter.
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The post SLICE Announces Special Guests & Programming for 2023 Expo appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
The St. Louis Independent Comics Expo (SLICE) has happily invited Bulgilhan Press, Bianca Xunise, and Cassi Mothwin as special guests to headline the 2023 show. Bulgilhan, Xunise, and Mothwin will participate in a panel discussion, exhibit their work, and lead lectures as part of SLICE’s programming lineup on the day of the expo.
The expo weekend kicks off with an opening night panel discussion featuring Bulgilhan, Xunise, and Mothwin on Friday, October 13, 6–8 p.m., at the Hi-Pointe Theatre. SLICE president Steenz will moderate the conversation. The event is free to attend and open to the public.
The expo takes place the following day, October 14, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., at the Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries. Programming for the day includes screen printing, poetry writing, button making, and live figure drawing. Bulgilhan, Xunise, and Mothwin will also lead lectures on small press publishing, BIPOC punks in comics, and solo role-playing games, respectively. SLICE is seeking volunteers to help out on the day of the expo, and those who are interested may sign up on SLICE’s volunteer form.
Bulgilhan Press is a small press comics publisher making new and self-indulgent comics by excellent artists with unique visions and voices. Bulgilhan is owned by Zachary Clemente, who previously worked on the organizational committee for the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) and currently serves on the Board of Directors for an arts nonprofit organization—the Boston Comic Arts Foundation—as the President and Chair. Bulgilhan’s recent publications include Far Distant by A Liang Chan, Die Horny by Rebecca Mock, and Stray by Molly Mendoza.
Bianca Xunise is an illustrator, writer, and educator based out of Chicago, Illinois. With two Ignatz Awards under their belt, Bianca’s storytelling primarily focuses on the joys and plights of being Black in the 21st century. Bianca enjoys being a voice for those who march to the beat of their own drum and hopes that their comics are comforting to those who feel like they don’t fit in. In 2020, Bianca became the first nationally syndicated nonbinary cartoonist (and the second Black woman) when they joined the comic strip Six Chix in 2020 as their first Black creator. Xunise has also collaborated with Vogue, The Washington Post, The Nib, and Believer Magazine.
Cassi Mothwin is an award-winning tabletop RPG designer, writer, and illustrator. Her game designs include Tangled Blessings, a journaling-based magic academy horror adventure; What Crooked Roots, a collection of folk-horror roleplay encounters for 5e systems; Clean Spirit, a standalone game that helps players deepen their connections with existing characters; and her award-winning output, The Sticker Game, a science fiction interactive audio drama that engages your unused sticker collections. Her game designs span genre but are united by a throughline of emotional depth and a focus on player introspection.
SLICE is St. Louis’s premier annual indie-print showcase, bringing together writers, artists, poets, and printmakers from St. Louis and beyond to showcase their self-published books, comics, zines, magazines, poetry, and more. As a nonprofit organization, SLICE supports St. Louis’s small press community through workshops, artist meetups, and expositions to foster independent print culture in St. Louis. SLICE, formerly the St. Louis Small Press Expo (STL SPEX), returns after a three-year hiatus and has led a variety of community-focused programming in 2023 in the lead-up to the expo.
For more information and announcements on upcoming workshops, the SLICE 2023 exhibitor list, and more, visit SLICE’s website and follow SLICE on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter.
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram!
The post SLICE Announces Special Guests & Programming for 2023 Expo appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Those still trying to fill The Midnight Club-sized hole left by its unceremonious cancellation can pause their rewatch cycle because Mike Flanagan season is upon us. Netflix has another delectable horror-drama to devour. And this one won’t leave you in a puddle of tears!
This fall, the writer-director and his longtime producing partner Trevor Macy (Midnight Mass) deliver the next Flana-verse installment with their highly-anticipated The Fall of the House of Usher. The master storyteller’s latest literary adaptation is inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, including the 1839 short story of the same name.
The Fall of the House of Usher is framed by wealthy businessman and CEO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) having a tense face-to-face meeting with attorney C. Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly). Naturally, they have their sitdown in a creaky old house on a rainy night, an appropriately dreary Poe-like atmosphere. While Roderick’s being his charismatic, assertive self, it’s clear to Dupin (and the audience) that something, or someone, is haunting him. Understandable, considering all six of his children are dead.
As the Usher patriarch recounts the shocking fatalities of his offspring, the episodes jump between timelines going back weeks or sometimes decades. Even though we already know their ultimate fates, like Dupin, we’re hanging onto Roderick’s every word.
In flashbacks, we’re introduced to the multiracial Usher family — six adult children from five different mothers. His first love Annabel Lee (Katie Parker) is the mother of the two oldest siblings Frederick (Henry Thomas), the first in line to inherit Fortunato, and his sister Tamerlane (Samantha Sloyan), who is more accomplished and strategic. And yes, this does give them a superiority complex.
Victorine LaFourcade (T’Nia Miller) might be the most complicated of the bunch because her work in the medical field seems to come from a genuine motivation to help people, in the beginning at least. She can be sweet with her partner/colleague Dr. Alessandra Ruiz (Paola Nuñez). But that Usher blood prevents her from being an objectively good person.
Camille L’Espanaye (Kate Siegel, rocking killer makeup and gorgeous locks) has the taxing job of handling her family’s public image and endless controversies, which is unfortunate for her overworked and not-at-all-appreciated assistants Toby (Igby Rigney) and Tina (Aya Furukawa).
Napoleon “Leo” Usher’s (Rahul Kohli) thing is video games. He’s not an actual designer but more of an investor/socialite with a drug habit. His poor boyfriend Julius (Daniel Jun) has to put up with a lot. The youngest is Prospero “Perry” Usher (Sauriyan Sapkota) whom Frederick aptly calls “Gucci Caligula” at one point. He lacks the Usher ingenuity and is only interested in a hedonistic lifestyle.
Roderick’s twin sister Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell) is seemingly more ruthless than her brother when it comes to their family business — and just about everything else. Their upbringing was less than ideal, and as they grew up, they became consumed by their ambition. Willa Fitzgerald and Flana-verse favorite Zach Gilford play the siblings during their younger years when they cross paths with the stranger who will return decades later to watch as the Usher empire quickly crumbles.
The mysterious Verna (Carla Gugino) is front and center to the death of each heir. In the trailer, she calls herself “Consequence” and tells Roderick, “Your family is a collection of stunted hearts whose time has come.” During production, Gugino described Verna to Tudum, “You could say she’s the executor of fate or the executor of karma.” Whether she’s killing them herself or somehow causing their deaths is unclear for most of the 8-episode run, so no spoilers here.
Mike Flanagan has plenty of death in his past work but nothing I would ever call gory. The same can’t be said for House of Usher, though. The deaths are horrific in the best way, and watching how the surreal scenarios play out is a major part of what makes this a fun series. Imagine the roaming specters from The Haunting of Hill House if they died in a Jigsaw trap or freaky Final Destination “accident.”
In the trailer, there’s a noticeably comedic tone to the series, with most of the dark humor stemming from the family dynamics of the heartless, self-centered Ushers. Viewers will also realize there’s a significant amount of sex, which isn’t usually prominent in other Flanagan projects. But it makes sense that characters living in opulence would be insatiable, or at least expectant, in all areas of life including sex.
One familiar element in a Flana-verse production is a star-studded cast of actors, the majority of whom have worked with the filmmaker before. Doctor Sleep’s Kyleigh Curran joined the cast as Lenore Usher, the daughter of Frederick and Morella “Morrie” (Crystal Balint), and the only family member who isn’t allergic to empathy.
New additions (that we hope to see in future projects) include the remarkable Mark Hamill as Arthur Pym, the Ushers’ intimidating attorney and all-around “fixer.” Both Mary McDonnell and Willa Fitzgerald perfectly embody the icy and highly intelligent Madeline Usher at different ages, delivering her biting dialogue with a chilling and amusing tone.
Flanagan’s consistently brilliant writing adds depth to unlikable characters that could easily come off as stereotypical, especially with all the (real and fictional) examples of wealthy narcissists we see on TV. He shares credit with his team of established and emerging writers — Emmy Grinwis (Snowfall), Justina Ireland (Dread Nation), Matt Johnson, Dani Parker (Midnight Mass), Rebecca Klingel (The Haunting of Bly Manor), James Flanagan (Midnight Mass), and Kiele Sanchez.
Bruce Greenwood performs a monologue about the phrase “when life gives you lemons,” made all the more captivating as the camera slowly zooms in on a closeup. It’s another signature of Flanagan who directed four episodes with Michael Fimognari (The Midnight Club), who also acts as the series cinematographer, at the helm of the other four.
As he did with authors Shirley Jackson in The Haunting of Hill House, Henry James in The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Christopher Pike in The Midnight Club, Flanagan interprets their elegant words, adds his signature style, and creates a stunning series. You’ll want to brush up on the poet if you hope to catch all of the references. Episodes are titled after other Poe stories but don’t necessarily follow the same narrative.
The Fall of the House of Usher is a character-driven exploration of family, karma, greed, corruption, and privilege told through a uniquely satirical and supernatural lens. Though the series falls outside of the Flana-verse emotional repertoire — terminally ill teens, heartbreaking queer love stories, the tragic Eleanor Crain — the gore and dark humor are an unexpected treat. Mike Flanagan never fails to hit the mark.
The first two episodes of The Fall of the House of Usher premiere at Fantastic Fest in September 2023. All 8 episodes begin streaming October 12 on Netflix.
The year is 1999. I am fourteen-years-old and watching Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle debut in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The man looks like the prototype for Captain America as he walks down the ramp in what will be his signature single decorated with the stars and stripes of the American flag. As I have watched Kurt jump between good guy and villain over the years, one thing remains constant; he never lets anyone forget that he won his Olympic medal “with a broken freaking neck.” I assumed he’s exaggerating as all professional wrestlers do, putting a hundred on ten. The year is now 2023, and I am thirty-eight-years old. I am watching Angle, the documentary about Kurt Angle’s life. I feel guilt as I see that not only was Kurt Angle not exaggerating about winning a gold medal with a broken neck, that’s not even the toughest part of his journey.
Angle takes us through the life of Kurt Angle from the very beginning. How he got into wrestling, his upbringing, the family he grew up with, and then his journey toward becoming not only a world champion wrestler but an Olympic gold medalist. We see Kurt Angle in a different light as he talks about his upbringing with his siblings, his closeness with his mother, his father being a stand-up man but also a high functioning alcoholic, the passing of his father, and then the drive that motivates him to rise through the ranks of amateur wrestling. It’s wild to go back and see this side of Kurt Angle, not only how he got into wrestling but his mentality that pushed him to want to become the very best at the sport.
“I didn’t come all this way just to say I came this far”
Watching this documentary, it feels as if we have a front row seat to the hero’s journey story structure of Kurt Angle’s life. The man competes at an entirely different level of wrestling, but then when he meets others on that level, he has to reinvent himself. We then see him under the tutelage of American Olympian and world champion David Schultz at the Foxcatcher facility. It is here where Kurt learns that his key to success is exhausting his opponent out. He then embarks on an absolutely spartan level exhaustion training regimen for two years. The regimen is so crazy that trainers have to watch him because he’ll over exhaust himself. As we see Kurt headed towards the Olympics, we see him having to deal with the murder of his mentor and friend David Schultz and then the injury to his neck.
If you’ve ever wondered what goes into the mentality of an Olympic athlete, Angle answers that question. The choices Kurt Angle makes in order to achieve his boyhood dream of becoming an Olympic gold medalist is as inspiring as it is frightening. Not only is Kurt’s neck injury serious, it’s life threatening. Knowing all that, Kurt Angle still said, “I hear you… but that Olympic gold medal tho.” Even when Kurt thought he couldn’t do it, his brother was there to tell him (much like his father did when he first got him into the sport), “Get up, you’re wrestling.” Angle makes you feel as if you’re seeing Kurt Angle going through the 12 labors of Hercules, except each labor is an opponent and obstacle he must overcome for his goal of Olympic gold.
“Damnit, I’ve been damaged but I can manage”
After completing his dream, Kurt Angle joins WWE as a professional wrestler. What I love about Kurt Angle and what his peers point out, is how he had no ego coming into pro wrestling. He was willing to not take himself too seriously, find his niche, then switch between being humorous and vicious. Kurt Angle can portray a goofy, naive, innocent goody two-shoes persona one minute or the most dangerous man in professional wrestling once he puts that mouth guard in. I always respected him due to his range and fearlessness to be the butt of the joke. I love pro wrestling because it tells a story of the illusion of hurt. Wrestlers go in and tell a physical story while at the same time protecting one another. Accidents happen, the pain is real that they feel but their job is to be illusionists with their physicality. Where wrestlers are careful with each other’s bodies, they’re all on their own when it comes to managing the pain of such a grueling sport and the toll it takes on your bod. A toll that can take people to dark spaces.
Kurt angle suffered a broken neck at the Olympics, but he would go through a series of neck fractures and breaks during his wrestling career. Watching the documentary, on the one hand, it’s so inspiring to see this man put everything into his craft. It’s also heartbreaking seeing how reliant Kurt becomes on painkillers in order to not only continue his profession but to just manage the day to day pain from putting his body on the line through the years. A while back, Jordan Calhoun was talking to me about the documentary Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off. The documentary focuses on Tony Hawk literally pushing himself in skateboarding past what his body can handle. As a documentary, Angle shows the aftermath of an athlete pushing themselves past their brink and how easily pain management with painkillers can turn into addiction.
Kurt talked about his sister’s addiction, reflected on his father’s alcoholism (only drinking when the kids were sleeping), and the pain he is constantly having to deal with due to his injuries. The Angle documentary offers a chance for Kurt Angle to reflect on his choice in self-medicating with pain killers. He doesn’t shy away from talking about the person he became while being dependent on pain killers, thinking he didn’t need help, and his wife snapping him back to reality.
As a documentary, Angle captures the tragedies, hurt, and loss Kurt Angle experienced in his journey to the Olympics and his career afterwards. Being able to see this Kurt alive and well to reflect on these periods of his life speaks wonders. Not many people can suffer a broken neck for Olympic gold, the loss of their friend and mentor, family members, and addiction. Seeing Kurt Angle still standing and being able to pull back the curtain, speak on these highs, lows, and tribulations that he went through is a testament to the hard work and never say die attitude the man has possessed all his life. We see Kurt Angle being strong enough to go the distance in his youth and risk it all, then years later in as a grizzled pro wrestling verteran, being strong enough to ask for and accept help to overcome his addiction.
The documentary serves not as a cautionary tale of the fall and rise of an Olympic hero but, in my opinion, the distance one goes for their dream and the issues that befall professional wrestlers as not only athletes but entertainers as well. Angle is a documentary where we see Kurt Angle pull an Andy Dufresne. Kurt crawled through a bunch of shit that life threw at him and came out the other side clean.
Angle is available to watch via Peacock streaming platform.
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The post ‘Angle’ Documentary Opens the Perspective on Kurt Angle appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.