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We’re creeping toward the November 21st release of Creed II, and Michael B. Jordan, in fine fighting form, is here to up our anticipation.

Following the success of the Rocky “spin-off” Creed, which saw Apollo Creed’s son in the ring under the mentorship of Rocky Balboa, Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, and Sylvester Stallone are back for round two.

As we saw in the first trailer, the central drama seems to revolve around whether Adonis Creed should fight Ivan Drago’s son Viktor Drago. While it’s clear that the sons will indeed meet eventually in the ring, we don’t know what the fallout from the fight will be; Viktor Drago seems as vicious and uncompromising as his father before him. Dolph Lundgren is returning as Ivan Drago, this time in coach-mode.

Ivan Drago killed Apollo Creed in Rocky IV with a blow, so this new fight comes with a lot of history and fraught emotions. Creed II is looking intense. The sheer physicality on display here from Jordan is jaw-dropping, and my girlfriend Tessa Thompson is back as the lovely Bianca. I’m so very proud of Tessa Thompson, my girlfriend.

What do you think of this latest look at Creed II?

(image: MGM)

• The X-Men: Dark Phoenix trailer will premiere tonight, if you want to stay up to watch it on the Late Late Show With James Corden. (via CBR)
• “The Boys’ Club That Protects Brett Kavanaugh” (via The New Yorker)
• Daredevil Season 3 trailer!
• YES. YESSSSSSSSS:
  

  Issue #1 is off to the printers and it’s fantastic. The series has a hell of a team.

  I can officially say I have written the start of a Marvel unlimited series. 😎 It’s due out October 17. #Shuri #Marvel #wakandaforever pic.twitter.com/ZdFUYTBLPS

  — Nnedi Okorafor, PhD (@Nnedi) September 26, 2018

So what did you see today?

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Writer: Tom King / Artist: Clay Mann / DC Comics

I’m Just Warming Up

We expect our heroes to be above it all, both in the literal and figurative sense. In the DC canon, we expect Superman to be patrolling the skies as the Watchtower orbits the earth. We expect our heroes to be stalwart, unwavering, and unshakeable. Even with all their power, however, these characters are still ostensibly human. They are capable of being hurt, and hurting. That is to say, they can be traumatized. They can have histories of domestic abuse, substance abuse, anxiety, or PTSD. Tom King posits two simple question:

1) Where do those heroes go?
2) What happens when all those heroes are in one place?

Heroes in Crisis is the latest crossover event, although it’s certainly a very different beast than Final Crisis or Infinite Crisis. This is not a story with ‘a vast multiversal reach that will forever rewrite the histories of the DC pages’. It is a self-contained story about a small group of heroes in the Midwest, and how our perceptions of hero work will be changed forever. It’s a much simpler premise that cuts significantly deeper due to the content.

Bits and pieces of the story have been scattered throughout the universe. You may have seen references to the enigmatic Sanctuary in Batman, Green Arrow, Red Hood and the Outlaws, or even in Mister Miracle. There are probably a dozen more nods to the pending events in other comics, but the set up is as follows: for heroes that need help, there is a place called Sanctuary where they can get that help. Heroes in Crisis is centered around Sanctuary and a horrible incident that occurs there.

Heroes in Crisis #1 specifically deals with the two prime suspects of the incident, fan favorites Harley Quinn and Booster Gold. While they linger in a diner somewhere in the Midwest, the Trinity conducts an investigation. Interwoven throughout are brief interviews with the different members of Sanctuary. My God, does King continue to deliver on emotional wrenching content that challenges the reader on their perception of heroes. This is no surprise given his resume, but reading Heroes in Crisis is a slow burn of a story. Every page digs at you just a little bit deeper as the small quirks in the dialog begin to chip away at your soul.

Mann’s artwork bolsters the impact of each moment. The nine panel interviews are a masterclass in microexpressions. The central story lines capture the gothic majesty of the Midwest: whether it’s the classic American dinner, or a farm in the goddamn middle of nowhere. The gravity of each moments weighs you down enough to crush you just a little.

This is going to be a difficult series to read. It’s delved into some pretty dark subject matter already, and future installments will continue even deeper in this 9-issue run. At its core King asks us to remember that our heroes are still human, that we are still human. That we’re all just trying to get better, and that it’s okay to ask for help. I have no idea what’s going to happen next, but I can’t wait to see the story unfold.

9.4 “… is Confirmed” out of 10

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The post Heroes in Crisis #1 Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

Recently Airbnb hosted the Africa Travel Summit in Langa/Cape Town, South Africa, at Guga S’thebe. It was the first three-day event to discuss how technology will overarchingly help more people to benefit from tourism.

The Summit included over 200 Pan-African founders, CEOs, influencers and politicians to explore how technology and tourism can support greater economic and social empowerment. It opened up to a keynote from Chris Lehane, head of Global Policy and Public Affairs at Airbnb, who revealed a new report on how the Airbnb platform is promoting travel that is local, diverse, and inclusive in South Africa. Other key figures in attendance were Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Najib Balala, BBC Africa editor Larry Madowo, and the entire event was hosted by the founder of She Leads Africa, Afua Osei. The summit is a part of Airbnb’s $1 million investment to boost community-led tourism projects in Africa.

“We want to discuss how we can learn from what is working so as to best leverage technology and innovation to empower more local families and their communities to benefit from the economics of African travel,” said Lehane. “Long-term, as we become that aspirational and end-to-end platform, [we are trying to figure out], how does that play out in Africa, which I think is really exciting.”

Africa Travel Summit, Chris Lehane, Head of Policy and Communications (Image: Airbnb)

Airbnb’s overarching theme is Tourism for All. Under the moniker, “Healthy Tourism,” the goal is to help tourism deliver economic empowerment in communities across the continent and the tech conglomerate is doing just that by making a massive mark in several African countries, Cape Town included.

Airbnb Experiences 

Since Airbnb’s inception into the South African community, host and guest activity on the platform has resulted in an economic impact of $678 million in the past year, supporting over 22,000 jobs, which is enormous growth for the community. A part of this growth can be attributed to Airbnb Experiences. Hosts are allowed to create experiences, excursions, and other activities to give guests unique access to places and communities in their city and 30% of those experiences are deemed social impact, which provides nonprofits a way to fundraise and promote their mission.

Myself and several other journalists were offered the opportunity to partake in these excursions and I can vouch for each one of them. Highlight experiences include visiting Mandela’s last prison home, tasting Malay dishes with a home chef and exploring the townships into towns with our host Bongani.

Mandela’s Last Prison Home

This experience was led by Jack, a warder for the correctional services during the time of apartheid who looked after Nelson Mandela at Victor Verster Prison, cooking his meals on the daily basis. He took us through the entire prison-home where Mandela rested his head until the day he was released.

(Image: Airbnb)

Taste Malay Dishes with a Home Chef

This experience was led by third-generation Malay cook, Fayruza. She was super accommodating considering I’m a vegetarian and made special dishes in order to meet my dietary restrictions. The food is unique, tasty, and authentically Cape Malay. On the platform, she has accumulated over 100 reviews for her services. 

(Image: Airbnb)

Townships into Towns 

This experience was hosted by Bongani, an art enthusiast, and programme coordinator. He took us around the Langa Township and where we interacted with different artisans and learned historical narratives behind their craft and each of their pieces. He even attempted to teach us the traditional language of the Xhosa people spoken in Langa, which was also the language used in the Blockbuster movie, Black Panther. 

(Image: Airbnb)

To learn more about Airbnb’s Africa Travel Summit and how you can get involved in the experiences provided, click here.

The post Airbnb Hosts Africa Travel Summit to Boost Community-Led Tourism in Africa appeared first on Black Enterprise.

The trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Crimes of Grindelwald is finally out! Here’s hoping the movie can keep up with all of the plot lines that the trailer packed in. Below is a rundown for a few magical extras in this fantastical sequel. Spoilers start now! More creatures, including an Oni, […]