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Writer: Jordan Clark / Artist: Atagun İlhan / AHOY Comics

When I first read the description of Clark and İlhan’s ANCESTRAL RECALL, I was admittedly a little perplexed when I saw that the historical science fiction comedy series was being headlined by an eccentric abstract painter. Something about that particular protagonist archetype seemed much more in line with a more fantasy driven setting, but the disconnect made it that much more enticing to read.

And immediately from the first page, I am struck by how letterer Rob Steen’s translates Clark’s quirky writing as an inscrutable squiggle being translated with an asterisk, while İlhan’s opening illustration immediately depicts Melvin Warring as an iconic creative type in a studio with paint brushes on the floor and a variety of trinkets. And as the page turns, we see Melvin facing the even more familiar blank canvas before his wife June comes in. Clark’s dialog captures a particular type of sweetness and history between the two, which sets up the rest of the issue beautifully.

The sci-fi elements come into play as omniscient narration clues us into the oddities that are about to befall on the residents of Oakland. Clark and İlhan work wonderfully in tandem to make the world feel familiar while also skewing the scales just enough to reinforce the fantastic. I am a big fan of Myran’s introduction alongside her animatronic pet Panda and how she continues to hint at the greater conspiracy. It’s a brisk pace that never feels too overwhelming and as the creative team flows into the back half, everything flourishes.

There are change ups in the fidelity of detail, the color schemes, and the genre influences that just work wonderfully. There is a playfulness that show great care for paying tribute to different eras of Black history in service of a greater narrative of Melvin learning to leverage his titular power to unravel the mystery.

Ancestral Recall is a fun, inventive story that cleverly combines a lot of disparate elements into a smooth piece of work. The Milestone Initiative members live up to their credentials and entice the reader with a brilliant first issue that is going to be added to my pull.

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The post ‘ANCESTRAL RECALL’ #1 Review: Black History Solves a Mystery appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

A few years ago, it wasn’t a guaranteed fact that Paramount Pictures would still be around today. However, a recent $8 billion merger with Skydance Productions saved the century-old studio. This means that Paramount now has a new CEO, David Ellison. The self-proclaimed movie-fanatic hosted a press conference at Paramount’s lot in Hollywood to discuss its future, covered by The Hollywood Reporter. At the event, Ellison specifically mentioned that Top Gun 3, World War Z, and yes, at long last, Star Trek, are big priorities for future feature films. This is great news for Trekkers, who have been waiting nearly a decade for a new Star Trek movie. It’s the longest gap ever for a Trek film since the franchise began in 1979.

Ever since the 2009 J.J. Abrams Star Trek reboot, which spawned two sequels, writer/producer Alex Kurtzman has been largely the main voice behind the franchise. He’s been an executive producer on Star Trek: Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and soon, Starfleet Academy. But according to Ellison, Star Trek won’t be “siloed off” into separate movie and television franchises anymore. Could this mean that after Strange New Worlds ends after season five, the proposed “Star Trek: Year One” spin-off series could just become a movie instead? Now, it seems that anything is possible when it comes to Star Trek theatrical features.

After making a billion dollars a few years back, a third Top Gun is also clearly a big priority for Paramount. And we highly doubt the waiting between entries will be anywhere near as long this time. Perhaps most surprising is the high priority given to World War Z. This is a movie with a single entry from back in 2013. The Brad Pitt film was a hit, and zombies have not lost their audience. And we just saw that a big gap between entries didn’t affect the critical or box office reception of 28 Years Later. The article also suggests that Paramount is looking to restore Transformers to its former cinematic glory at the box office. Ellison also wants to back more theatrical R-rated comedies, which these days, seems a nearly impossible task. Here’s hoping one of Hollywood’s greatest studios can find its footing once more.

The post New Head of Paramount Says New STAR TREK Movies a Priority appeared first on Nerdist.

One thing DC Studios co-head James Gunn has been very good at is promoting the actual DC Comics that his films and streaming series are based on. And these shout-outs, which he uses his social media accounts to talk about, have resulted in many comics selling out all over the country. Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is a very good example of this. Recently, Gunn revealed on Threads which DC titles he believed were great introductory collections for new comics readers. All are top-tier, but could these hint at what we might see in the DCU? With some, it seems almost certain.

Mark Waid’s Superman: Birthright had several elements used in Gunn’s Superman, so its inclusion among his choices is a no-brainer. The same goes for Tom King’s Mister Miracle, which is getting an animated adaptation soon. Another Tom King book is Strange Adventures, featuring 1950s sci-fi hero Adam Strange. Wonder Woman: Historia is a recent series by Kelly Sue DeConnick, retelling Amazon history through a modern lens. Could this be what the proposed Paradise Lost series is based on? As for Gotham City heroes, Gunn includes the excellent first volume of Nightwing from Tom Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo. Seeing that Gunn is a big Dick Grayson fan is reassuring.

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Gunn recommends four books from writer Alan Moore. Three of them are The Top Ten Compendium, The Tom Strong Compendium, as well as Promethea. These were written for the America’s Best Comics imprint for DC’s Wildstorm label, running from 1999-2010. Top Ten is about a police precinct in a city with only superhumans, and Promethea is about a young woman who channels a goddess. Tom Strong centers on a pulpy hero in the classic 1930s mold, which Gunn revealed was a big influence on Superman. From writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch is the first volume of The Authority. As this was one of the initial announcements for the new DCU (since put on hold), we already knew Gunn was a big fan. Plus, the Authority’s Engineer made it into Superman.

The fourth Moore title is Watchmen, which you have almost certainly heard of. Seeing as how Moore now seems to hate superhero comics, vowing to never work for DC again, we doubt any of these are getting a DCU adaptation anytime soon. And Watchmen has already had three adaptations in sixteen years. But Gunn is correct in noting that all of these are excellent starting points for new comic book readers. In the comments, a fan suggested Darwyn Cooke’s New Frontier. Gunn quickly responded that this book is another great entry point. But each of these books is great, and if they can convert fans of Superman into comics fans, Gunn has done his job.

The post James Gunn Reveals His Picks for DC Comics Collections Best Suited for New Readers appeared first on Nerdist.

Creators: John Jennings, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, Bill Campbell, Damian Duffy, David Brame / Rosarium Publishing

Last week, we here at Black Nerd Problems got to present an exclusive about the latest project from Jennings, Ndlovu, Campbell, Duffy, and Brame: The Adventures of Lion Man. If you missed the exclusive, we’ll quickly recap some of the historical context that also lives within the book proper.

Back in 1947, Orrin C. Evans created one of the world’s first Black superheroes: Lion Man, whose singular appearance was in the singular issue of All Negro Comics. As you can imagine, the late 1940’s weren’t particularly kind to the publication and the ANC team couldn’t find a distributor, so the character faded into obscurity. But as luck would have it, Lion Man re-entered the public domain in a post-Black Panther world and now the character created by Orrin C. Evans and George J. Evans Jr. gets a second life in 2025.

The Adventures of Lion Man is a fascinating cross section of anthology, celebration, and reinvention. After the opening remarks from Michael Dando about the history of the book, we immediately transition to the original Lion Man story by Evans and Evans. The foreword is short and succinct: Lion Man is American-born, college educated and has been sent to guard the “Magi Mountain” of the African Gold Coast as it contains far too much uranium. Getting to the original story imparts a true sense of gravitas to the collection, as we get to see the precursor to so much media that has since come out. The pulp nature of the story feels familiar and in line with the era, with the added catharsis of watching old white men get their comeuppance. It feels like it is a proper #1, and it does evoke a sense that there was so much more to tell. And thankfully, this book manages to tell it.

Following the original, we have three new stories. “The Lion Outside” (story credits to both John Jennings and David Brame, writing and coloring by Jennings and illustrated by Brame) takes the pulpy science element and pushes it even further. The story takes a much more fantastic approach to the character, tinkering with some of the basic story structure we just discovered. Instead of being sent to protect uranium, Daniel Dennision is the student of Dr. Steven Webson who discovered the first ever deposit of veilium which serves as the crux for of conflict between the waking and dreaming worlds. It is a story about conversation and preservation, fitting giving the themes of the original, and provides additional texture and depth to the Lion Man mythos. This section of the book reads a bit more like an illustrated novel as opposed to a comic, but it lets Jennings’ weave the narrative wonderfully and lets Brame’s art and Jennings color pop off the page.

Next up was “A Plague on the Nation” (written by Bill Campbell and Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, illustrated by David Brame, with colors by John Jennings and Alexandria Batchelor, and letters by Jeremy Marshall). The comic chooses to anchor itself in a much more grounded reality. While of course, there is still a costumed superhero during costume superhero things, this comic feels akin to its modern-day cinematic brethren, a hero intervening in an international conflict because it is the right thing to do to preserve life. And like Black Panther and like Superman (2025) (comparisons I do not make lightly), “A Plague on the Nation” emphasizes the greater good, the importance of hope and symbols, and how the fight against injustice is a worthy one as difficult as it may be.

The ending comic is “The Tower” (another team up between BLKKATZ, Jennings and Brame), which we showed preview pages for last time. and I will gladly share my favorites here.

The final story takes the character to its most fantastical variation thus far and feels like a love letter to pulp fiction, and I am fraught to discuss it it in any more detail because I think this is something that should be experienced.

The Adventures of Lion Man does something really cool really effortlessly. A presentation of what was and what could be. We see different iterations of Lion Man and Bubba (Lion Man’s side kick) through different perspectives, and see different interplays between science, history, and dreaming. The team presents such a complete reintroduction package that pays homage and paves a way forward, and then on top of all of that, manages to toss in some really cool art and bonus goodies at the end.

I think this is a very cool project, and I think this should be on everyone’s radar, as both a reminder of a history that could have been just a footnote and as a victory lap for a team of Black creatives highlighting the importance of legacy and reclamation.

The Adventures of Lion Man is out now wherever you purchase your graphic novels (although may I recommend your local bookstore).

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The post A Much Needed History Lesson and Vivid Reimagination – ‘The Adventures of Lion Man’ Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.